Smoltz and the Braves

Well, he's back, he's gone, he's back, and now he's gone again. John Smoltz of the Braves is going under the knife to try to and repair his ailing shoulder and this time it will cost him the rest of the season. Smoltz, after coming back from the DL and blowing his first save, woke up the next morning and felt discomfort in his shoulder and was unavailable to close the next game. This is terrible news for Smoltz owners because of his ability to dominate and give you great accounting numbers that are needed to win a fantasy championship.

As I mentioned in a previous post, CLICK HERE, I suggested owners to sell high on this pitcher because of his age and he was absolutely lights out at the start of the season. Owners need to really understand the concept of selling high and getting a huge return for someone who most likely won't keep up their current pace.

Now, looking at the bullpen situation for the Braves, you can easily see the value for R. Soriano has, again, gone sky high. The ones who dropped Soriano should kick themselves in their ass because he will get the majority of the save opportunities in the 9th for the Braves. M. Acosta will see the set-up duties but also see the occasional save opportunity.

Too bad for Smoltz owners and the season ending surgery.

MLB First Round Projections

For all those people out there in dynasty leagues where you are allowed to draft the rights to high schoolers/college kids this is a great column for you. It outlines some high profile players who are expected to be drafted in the first round of the upcoming MLB Draft.

Also, for those of you who are in keeper leagues that aren't into the drafting of college kids or anyone who isn't available on FA list but are interested in the future, take a look here and jot some names down.

For the column by Yahoo! columnist Steve Henson CLICK HERE.

Bedard

Erik Bedard of the Mariners is starting to throw like Oliver Perez of the Mets, both inconsistent from start to start. After a break out season in 2007 Bedard was traded from the Orioles to the Mariners for 5 players and at this moment, it seems like the Orioles made the right decision.

In his latest flop he went 3.1 innings while allowing 4ER's, 7H's, 3BB's, and only mustering 1K! This is not what fantasy owners drafted him for. Even with his poor play and inconsistency, Bedard is a legitimate starting rotation pitcher in all fantasy formats. So owners, you will just have to live with it for now.

By looking at his stats from his career, he seems to heat up as the summer warms up but then begins to cool in August and September. Owners, just hope he turns things around and puts together 5-7 quality starts.

DL Info

Jake Westbrook of the Indians is headed for the DL with inflammation in his right elbow. Owners should drop and cut this guy because he's not going to do anything for your team. Go out and grab a bat or a hot starter.

Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals is on the 15-Day DL with a small tear in his left shoulder. After having strong years in 06/07 Zimmerman was expected to carry a heavy load in a poor lineup and produce .275/22HR's/100RBI's for owners but instead has come out of the gates this slowly and he now find himself on the DL. Owners, keep him on your team unless you can find a way to add him as a sweetener in a deal.

Posada of the Yankees is expected to return on Thursday. This is great news for owners!

Joba/Pedro

Last night we had two pitcher making important scheduled starts, one Joba Chamberlain of the Yankees and two Pedro Martinez of the Mets. Joba making his major league debut as a starter and Pedro coming back from the DL.

Joba didn't fair so well during his start only lasting 2.1 innings while walking 4 and striking out 3. Joba was pulled after pitching 62 pitches because he was on a pitch limit. Owners who have Job shouldn't be too impressed with the results but I wouldn't worry about it right now since he has the raw talent which comes with a devastating 100MPH fastball which topped out at 101MPH last night on the stadium radar. For the immediate future, don't worry about Joba.

Pedro had a great return to the mound pitching 6 innings striking out 3 and allowing 3ER's for the victory. If Pedro is still on the wire, go out and grab him. His ability to strike people out may be gone but his smartness on the mound will help him overcome the loss of velocity. As long as he can stay healthy Pedro is worth a spot on all rosters.

Homer Bailey

Another highly touted prospect in the Reds organization, who has already played in the majors, is about to make a start for them this week. Homey Bailey was called up from AAA-Louisville and will start on Thursday against the Phillies. For owners of Bailey be sure to be prepared for a rough ride in the near future, he has the Phillies, Reds, Yanks, and Cardinals all teams who have pop in their lineups.

Big Papi

David Ortiz of the Red Sox will be placed on the 15-Day DL with a partially torn tendon in his left wrist. This is devastating news for owners because of his surge of almost 60 points in his batting average this month. According to the Red Sox they are unsure on how long he will be out. This is never good news. But with a torn tendon in his wrist this sounds like a relatively long stint on the DL and if he does have surgery it might take 4-6 weeks and worse case scenario the season.

It is impossible to replace such a bat in any fantasy lineup but for the unlucky who have lost his services, try and find some hot bats off the wire, yes I know how that will be. If you are absolutely dying for power you will have to deal some pitching for hitting. If you are hurting in both categories, it might be time to think ahead to the future.

Posada

Jorge Posada of the Yankees is expected to return to the catchers position by the end of this week. This is great news for owners who have lost his services for the past 4-5 weeks due to a sore throwing shoulder. As I have stated before, catchers, let me rephrase that, good catchers are hard to find that can contribute to your fantasy roster.

I can't wait to get Posada back into my lineup.

HR Streaks

It isn't too normal for guys to have consecutive games where they hit home runs so for all owners of Chase Utley, Jay Bruce, and Manny Ramirez enjoy their current HR streaks.

Utley - 5 game HR streak (7HR's in last 8 games).
Bruce - 3 game HR streak (.577AVG since his major league debut, 7 games).
Manny - 3 game HR streak (4 HR's in last 6 games).


Absolutely amazing production coming from these three guys. If you happen to have all three on your team, all I can say is thank the fantasy gods!

Smoltz

After returning from the DL to work out of the bullpen, John Smoltz of the Braves blew his save chance in his first game back. With news coming out that Smoltz will throw from a different arm angle just to reduce any pain while throwing should concern owners. Even though Smoltz has been known to change his wind up and his arm angle from time to time to adjust to injuries which have seemed to hit his aging body.

For owners of Rafael Soriano make sure to keep him your daily lineup because Bobby Cox has come out and told everyone will be closing by committee so expect Soriano to receive some save opportunities until one of them takes the job.