Bullish on ERA

Chien Ming Wang - Owners, it is still early in the season and you shouldn't panic with Wang. Just because he's throwing batting practice during games doesn't mean he isn't worth something to fantasy owners. At this point, keep him on your bench. Have him pitch a few more times and see where he's at. You likely grabbed him relatively cheap on draft day so see where he is in two starts. Remember he is being skipped when they face the Red Sox.

Lyle Overbay - Jays seem to be hitting and Overbay is a guy usually overlooked in fantasy. Currently on a 4 game hitting streak which includes 2HRs and 7RBIs. Usually a pretty streaky hitter. Also, a great candidate to fill your roster on the "off days", which are Monday and Thursday.

Melky Cabrera - He was a starter but with his terrible play he was relegated to the bench this season. With injuries to the Yanks OF, Melky will see more at-bats. So far, he's producing when he has had the chance. Keep an eye out for him because with some motivation he could be a great find on the waiver wire as your 4th/5th OF'er.

Brian Barden - Guy is suppose to be a bench player and a candidate to be sent down to the minors but I guess he wants to be starter. With 3HRs so far, he's fighting to keep a spot on the Cardinals. Minor League history shows nothing special but with some motivation some players seem to excel.

Trouble in the Big Apple

Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees who was injured running the bases in an inter-league game was diagnosed with a partially torn tendon in his foot. He will be sidelined until at least September. If you are in a keeper league you might think about keeping him but if you are in a non-keeper drop him immediately and try and fill the roster spot immediately with a worth while replacement. This is a huge blow for both fantasy owners and the Yankees, Wang was their most consistent pitcher in the past two years by winning 19 games in each of those two season.

In my eyes this hurts but it should not destroy your team. Looking at Wang's stats, he isn't a fantasy stud like Johan, Sabathia, Webb, and even the likes of Haren because Wang does not strike anyone out. His ability to give owners wins is great but if Wang was your number one starter in your rotation your team probably had holes that have now been revealed especially relating to your rotation. For owners, the best thing to do now is stay calm and go to your standings and see what you need to do to move up and start to target those categories.


In other Big Apple related news, the New York Mets have fired their coach Willie Randolph. After a unimaginable collapse last year to the Phillies, the struggles have continued into the 2008 season. Even after adding the great Johan Santana to their rotation the Mets have flat lined and it has cost them their coach. If you want to read more about the firing go to ESPN/Yahoo/TSN.ca or and of your favourite channels.

From a fantasy angle, this might help out the Mets and fantasy owners who have players from the Mets. I do not have actual raw data but from what I seem to remember and see, teams seem to have a short burst after a firing so look for players from the Mets to have a short increase in production in the next week. If you happen to have Wright, Reyes, Santana, and Beltran you might see a spike in numbers because of a new direction/philosophy in the clubhouse. If this actual works, Omar Minaya might have a winning ball club that goes on a long hot streak that might carry them to the world series, okay, I'm being a little optimistic there.

Wang and Headley

Wang of the Yankees sprained his right ankle while running the bases during an inter-league game against the Astros. I find this kind of stuff funny because shouldn't batting and running the bases be basic baseball skills that have been acquired throughout the years of playing baseball as a child? I know pitchers in the AL are use to pitching and only pitching but come on...these guys are apparently professional athletes, running around the bases shouldn't get you injured. Especially when these AL pitchers aren't even going full out when doing the hitting/base running. I guess the saying, "We're not athletes, we're baseball players" does seem to have some truth. BUT for fantasy news, Wang is expected to miss his next start but with a sprain things could change overnight but the Yanks will be overly cautious with their ace.

Chase Headley of the Padres was called up and will be playing the big leagues. His AAA-Portland numbers (.305, 14HR, 40RBI's) are worthy of a pick-up. In most leagues Headley is already available on the FA list so you won't even have to use your waiver priority on him. He will not be playing full-time in left field but if he does show some pop in his bat like his AAA numbers, expect him to be the daily starting LF. This prospect does not have the big time name brand like Kershaw or Bruce but this young and highly touted prospect can help your fantasy team if you need some pop in your batting categories.

Wang

Wang of the Yankees has absolutely fallen apart in his last 4 starts. In his first 9 starts Wang had a 2.90ERA and over his past 4 starts his ERA has ballooned to 4.57ERA.

Wang's last 4 starts - 23.2IP, 23ER's, 14BB's, and a measly 11K's.

Wang seems to provide the wins but doesn't offer much more than that. I have never been a fan of Wang because of his low strikeout rate. Obviously, this is a bad time to try and trade him so I guess you should wait it out. But looking on the bright side, he does pitch for the Yankees and even if he does allow 5-7 ER's the Yankees can easily provide enough run support for Wang to get a win.

Mr. Wang

C. Wang of the Yankees has been dangling pitches from side to side of the plate baffling hitters all year. In his latest outing, Wang pitched a complete game 2 hit 1 one performance against the defending champions, the Red Sox. With Wang winning 19 games in the past two seasons with a combined 13 losses he seems to be bound for a great season.

Owners should be extremely happy with Wang and his Wins.