Monthly ArchiveApril 2006
Posted on April 24, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Prince Speaks!
From Baseball Prospectus’ The Week in Quotes:
“I was 250, probably. I was soft. I was athletic, don’t get me wrong. I was Ken Harvey times three. Picture him, but times three of that.”
–Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder, reflecting on his AAU playing days (Baseball America)Â
Posted on April 24, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Cody Ross traded to Reds
The Dodgers traded OF Cody Ross to the Reds for a player to be named later. Ross, who was out of options, had been designated for assignment last Monday when the Dodgers needed to call up Oscar Robles to fill-in for Jeff Kent, who sufferend a concussion following a beaning by the Giants’ Matt Cain. To make room for Ross, the Reds designated 2B Tony Womack for assignment.
Posted on April 24, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Overnight Dispatches
From RotoWorld:
Kerry Wood (shoulder) threw on the side on Sunday and could pitch in a rookie league game in Arizona on Wednesday. If Wood can make it through Wednesday’s game with no soreness the Cubs will continue to build his arm strength by lengthening his appearances and he could be back in the majors by mid-May at the latest.
The Dodgers wouldn’t confirm or deny reports that they’re close to trading Cody Ross to the Reds. Ross would be a better backup outfielder for Cincinnati than Quinton McCracken. If he is acquired, Chris Denorfia would become less of a sleeper for the second half of the year.
Doug Davis held the Reds to just three runs scored despite walking nine batters in five innings of work on Sunday. Davis also gave up three hits, so he was pitching out of some serious trouble to keep his ERA respectable. He needed 113 pitches to record just 15 outs and has now walked 21 batters in 24 2/3 innings of work this season. Evaluate what other options you have until Davis’ control returns.
Padres activated outfielder Mike Cameron from the 15-day disabled list. Cameron is starting in center field and batting fifth on Sunday, as Josh Barfield remains the No. 2 hitter for now. Cameron’s return sends Dave Roberts back to left field and knocks Ben Johnson out of the lineup.
Posted on April 24, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
April 24th - Standings and Statistics
Standings: 6th Place - 64 points, 22 out of first HR  AVG  RBI  R  SB   W  ERA  WHIP  K'S  S --  ---  --- --- --- --- ---- ----- --- --- 29 .2622 125 127 19   7  4.16 1.399 110  5 6TH 9TH  1ST 1ST T-1 9TH 5TH  8TH   8TH T-6 BOX SCORE FOR 04.23 Atomic Roadrunners           ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Estrada      Ari C   3 0 1  1 | 1 0  .239 Mike Lieberthal     Phi C   3 0 0  0 | 0 0  .293 Prince Fielder      Mil 1B   4 0 0  0 | 0 1  .347 Jeff Kent           LAD 2B   3 1 0  1 | 2 1  .210 Ryan Zimmerman      Was 3B   4 0 1  0 | 0 2  .232 Khalil Greene        SD SS   3 0 1  0 | 1 1  .194 Adrian Gonzalez      SD 1B   4 0 1  1 | 1 1  .306 J.J. Hardy          Mil SS   1 0 0  0 | 0 0  .270 Adam Dunn           Cin OF   2 1 1  0 | 4 1  .258 Moises Alou          SF OF   4 0 0  1 | 1 0  .294 Dave Roberts         SD OF   4 1 0  0 | 1 0  .250 Jeff DaVanon        Ari OF   4 1 1  0 | 1 0  .383 Jose Reyes          NYM SS   1 0 0  0 | 1 0  .231 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                       40 4 6  4 | 13 7  .150 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: JEstrada 1(5), JKent 1(9), AGonzalez 1(11), MAlou 1(12) 2B: JDaVanon 1(3) GIDP: MAlou 1(4) SB: JDaVanon 1(2) ERRORS: JKent 1(2) PITCHING                         ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Doug Davis       L(0-2)        5.0 3 3 3 9  0 4 27   5.40 2.40 Danys Baez       S(5)          1.3 2 0 0 0  0 1 6   0.00 1.54 Gary Majewski    L(1-1)BS(3)   1.0 2 3 3 2  0 1 7  27.00 4.00 Juan Cruz                       2.0 1 1 1 2  0 3 9   4.50 1.50 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                          9.3 8 7 7 13  0 9 49  6.77 2.26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE HITTING              ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Rich Aurilia        Cin 2B   4 3 1  0 | 2 0  .268 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                        4 3 1  0 | 2 0  .250 ---------------------------------------------------------
Posted on April 23, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Overnight Dispatches
From RotoWorld:
Kerry Wood (shoulder) will throw a simulated game against Cubs’ minor league players on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Wood cut short his bullpen session on Thursday due to soreness in his arm so we expect that the team might wait until Wednesday to have him throw again.
Armando Benitez was credited with his first save for pitching a scoreless ninth with a two-run lead at Coors Field tonight. Luis Gonzalez opened the bottom of the ninth with a double, but that was the only hit the Rockies managed. Benitez retired three of the next four batters, mixing in a walk. He got the save opportunity tonight with Tim Worrell unavailable after struggling the previous two days. Benitez will probably now get Sunday off after working on back-to-back days, which would make Worrell the favorite to close. Benitez didn’t have as much velocity tonight as he did Friday and his command was also poor. He was pretty lucky to escape.
Taylor Buchholz allowed two hits in 8 2/3 scoreless innings against the Pirates to earn his first major league win on Saturday night. It would have been a one-hit shutout if not for Eric Bruntlett’s error in the bottom of the ninth. The next batter, Jack Wilson, singled, and Brad Lidge was called on to close out the 3-0 game. Buchholz struck out five and walked none in the 104-pitch masterpiece. He probably won’t have another start like this all year long, but he has to be picked up in any NL-only leagues in which he remains available.
Stephen Drew went 3-for-5 with his sixth homer and his first double Friday for Triple-A Tucson. It doesn’t look like Craig Counsell is DL bound, but if that changes, Drew is ready. He’s batting .297/.343/.594 with 14 RBI in 16 games.
Armando Benitez was charged with a blown save for giving up a sac fly and two singles in his first appearance off the DL. It was a second straight lousy night from Tim Worrell that really did the Giants in. Worrell entered with a three-run lead to start the bottom of the ninth and gave up a solo homer to Eli Marrero, followed by three straight singles, loading the bases. Steve Kline came in and struck out Cory Sullivan before Benitez was brought on. The Rockies got a sac fly from Clint Barmes and then back-to-back singles from Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins to win it. Who gets the Giants’ next save chance is anyone’s guess. Benitez hit 93 mph on the gun tonight, so there’s some reason for optimism.
Mark Mulder limited the Cubs to three runs in eight innings of work on Friday to pick up his second win of the season in a 9-3 Cardinals’ win. Mulder walked one, struck out five, and yielded five hits. While his 3.86 ERA and just two walks issued in 28 innings this season are positives, Mulder has already given up five long balls and his strikeout rate still isn’t what it used to be. He’ll be useful in mixed leagues, but we don’t think he’ll match his productivity from 2001-2003 with the Athletics.
Prince Fielder was moved back into the No. 5 spot against Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo on Friday, but went hitless in four trips to the plate. Fielder best belongs hitting fifth versus right-handers, so hopefully tonight’s poor outing won’t see him demoted again. Even after tonight he’s batting .359 with five extra-base hits and six walks on the season.
Posted on April 23, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
April 23rd - Standings and Statistics
Standings: 5th Place - 63.5 points, 19.5 out of first HR  AVG  RBI  R  SB   W  ERA  WHIP  K'S  S --  ---  --- --- --- --- ---- ----- --- --- 29 .2677 121 123 18   7  4.00 1.345 101  4 6TH 9TH  1ST 1ST 2ND T-8 4TH  7TH   10TH 8TH BOX SCORE FOR 04.22 Atomic Roadrunners           ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Estrada      Ari C   5 1 1  1 | 0 0  .233 Prince Fielder      Mil 1B   4 3 2  1 | 1 2  .368 Jeff Kent           LAD 2B   3 0 0  1 | 0 2  .220 Khalil Greene        SD SS   3 0 0  0 | 1 1  .187 Adrian Gonzalez      SD 1B   4 0 0  0 | 0 2  .309 J.J. Hardy          Mil SS   5 1 2  1 | 0 1  .274 Adam Dunn           Cin OF   3 0 0  0 | 0 2  .250 Moises Alou          SF OF   5 1 3  0 | 0 0  .319 Dave Roberts         SD OF   3 0 0  0 | 1 2  .268 Jeff DaVanon        Ari OF   5 0 1  0 | 0 0  .395 Ben Johnson          SD OF   3 0 0  0 | 0 1  .233 Jose Reyes          NYM SS   5 0 0  0 | 0 1  .234 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                       48 6 9  4 | 3 14  .187 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: JEstrada 1(4), PFielder 1(11), JKent 1(8), JHardy 1(9) 2B: PFielder 1(4) HR: JEstrada 1(2), PFielder 1(3), JHardy 1(3) GIDP: JEstrada 1(1), KGreene 1(3) SB: DRoberts 1(5) ERRORS: AGonzalez 1(1) PITCHING                         ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                          0.0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0  0.00 0.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE PITCHING                 ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Armando Benitez  S(1)          1.0 1 0 0 1  0 1 5   0.00 2.00 Taylor Buchholz  W(1-1)        8.7 2 0 0 0  0 5 29   0.00 0.23 Aaron Cook       L(1-3)        6.0 11 5 3 1  0 2 32   4.50 2.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                         15.7 14 5 3 2  0 8 66   1.72 1.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on April 22, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Overnight Dispatches
From RotoWorld:
Kerry Wood ended his bullpen session on Thursday early because of some tightness on his right side under his arm. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he didn’t think the problem was too serious, but that’s par for the course. Wood said the latest tightness was not in the area where he had the surgery. He received treatment on Friday and will try to throw a side session on Saturday.
Jason Vargas has been moved up in the rotation and will start Sunday against the Phillies. He’ll go on four days’ rest following Thursday’s off day. Brian Moehler is being pushed back to Monday.
Triple-A Tucson’s Carlos Quentin went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and a walk on Thursday. Quentin got off to a rather slow start, but he’s up to .302/.434/.488 now. Not that the Diamondbacks will have him replace Shawn Green anytime soon, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s the best right fielder in the organization.
Johnny Estrada went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer Thursday night in a loss to the Giants. It’s about time. Estrada had been 6-for-33 without an extra-base hit or an RBI this season.
Posted on April 22, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
April 22nd - Standings and Statistics
Standings: 5th Place - 64.5 points, 21 out of first HR  AVG  RBI  R  SB   W  ERA  WHIP  K'S  S --  ---  --- --- --- --- ---- ----- --- --- 26 .2728 117 117 17   7  4.00 1.345 101  4 6TH 9TH  1ST 1ST 2ND 8TH 5TH  6TH   9TH 8TH BOX SCORE FOR 04.21 Atomic Roadrunners           ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Estrada      Ari C   1 0 1  0 | 0 0  .237 Prince Fielder      Mil 1B   4 0 0  0 | 0 1  .359 Jeff Kent           LAD 2B   4 0 1  1 | 0 1  .232 Ryan Zimmerman      Was 3B   3 0 1  1 | 1 0  .231 Khalil Greene        SD SS   4 0 0  0 | 2 2  .197 Adrian Gonzalez      SD 1B   5 0 3  1 | 1 1  .328 J.J. Hardy          Mil SS   4 0 0  0 | 0 0  .265 Adam Dunn           Cin OF   3 0 0  0 | 1 2  .263 Moises Alou          SF OF   4 1 0  0 | 1 1  .286 Dave Roberts         SD OF   7 0 2  0 | 0 2  .283 Jeff DaVanon        Ari OF   0 1 0  0 | 1 0  .421 Ben Johnson          SD OF   6 0 0  0 | 0 4  .259 Jose Reyes          NYM SS   6 0 0  0 | 0 2  .250 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                       51 2 8  3 | 7 16  .157 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: JKent 1(7), RZimmerman 1(12), AGonzalez 1(10) 2B: JEstrada 1(1) GIDP: MAlou 1(3) SB: DRoberts 1(4) PITCHING                         ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dan Wheeler      Ho(4)         1.0 1 0 0 0  0 0 3   0.00 1.00 Aaron Heilman                   1.0 0 0 0 0  0 1 3   0.00 0.00 Mark Mulder      W(2-0)        8.0 5 3 3 1  0 5 30   3.38 0.75 Danys Baez       S(4)          1.0 0 0 0 0  0 1 3   0.00 0.00 Juan Cruz                       1.0 0 0 0 1  0 0 3   0.00 1.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                         12.0 6 3 3 2  0 7 42   2.25 0.67 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE HITTING              ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Rich Aurilia        Cin 2B   4 0 1  1 | 0 1  .269 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                        4 0 1  1 | 0 1  .250 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: RAurilia 1(11) RESERVE PITCHING                 ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Armando Benitez  BS(1)         0.3 2 0 0 0  0 0 3   0.00 6.67 Matt Herges      Ho(2)         1.3 2 1 1 0  0 1 7   6.92 1.54 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                          1.6 4 1 1 0  0 1 10   5.63 2.50 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on April 21, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
BP Notebooks - Brewers and D’Backs
From Baseball Prospectus:
[Regarding OF Chris Young] In the meantime, the Diamondbacks have a pair of capable veteran placeholders. Byrnes drew the assignment the other night, but former Angel Jeff DaVanon has gotten about a third of the playing time in center so far. DaVanon and Byrnes have both proven to be reliable, if unspectacular, fielders there in the past: Byrnes has a career Rate of 100 (exactly average), and DaVanon’s is slightly better at 103. This year, though, both have pretty substandard Rates in the early going: Byrnes is at 90, and DaVanon at 61. We’re still in silly season as far as individual performances are concerned–no one expects Orlando Hudson to continue a Rate that’s about 20 points lower than his career low–but this has contributed to one of the NL’s worst defenses so far (ranked by team Defensive Efficiency): (13th)
The Brewers actually hit pretty well during this trip, scoring 51 runs in nine games. But they also allowed 55 runs, and finished 3-6. Two one-run losses earlier this week against the Astros were particularly painful. On Monday, the Brewers received a quality start from David Bush, only to see Matt Wise, one of the last season’s bullpen mainstays, cough up five runs in an 8-7 loss. On Tuesday another 2005 mainstay, starter Doug Davis, spit the bit allowing nine runs in two innings of work. The Brewers’ comeback fell just short, 13-12, and the game ended with the potential tying run on first.
Brady Clark and J.J. Hardy have borne the brunt of criticism on offense, slumping out of the gate in the top two lineup spots. Happily, Hardy’s ten years Clark’s junior, and no matter how he does this month, he’d be hard-pressed to replicate last year’s April performance, a .143/.284/.179 atrocity that tested the organization’s patience with young talent. With the bats, Prince Fielder learned that the only time an 0-for-11 slump looks like the end of the world is when it comes at the very beginning of your rookie year. Two weeks later, he’s raking like everyone thought he would, maybe even better.
Posted on April 21, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
April 21st - Standings and Statistics
Standings: Tied for 5th with 65.5 points (Tied with Pi Train) New leader - Cover Zero - 79.5 points HR   AVG   RBI  RUN  SB  W   ERA  WHIP   K'S  SAVES --  ----- ----- ----- ---- --- ----- ------- ----  ----- 26  .2812  114  115  16  6   4.15 1.405  94    3 T-5  6TH   1ST  1ST  T-2 T-9 6TH  7TH    8TH   8TH BOX SCORE FOR 04.20 Atomic Roadrunners           ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Estrada      Ari C   4 1 2  3 | 0 0  .216 Mike Lieberthal     Phi C   4 0 0  0 | 0 1  .316 Prince Fielder      Mil 1B   5 2 3  1 | 0 1  .383 Ryan Zimmerman      Was 3B   4 2 2  2 | 1 1  .226 Khalil Greene        SD SS   4 0 1  0 | 0 2  .211 Adrian Gonzalez      SD 1B   3 0 0  0 | 1 0  .305 J.J. Hardy          Mil SS   5 0 3  0 | 1 0  .281 Adam Dunn           Cin OF   4 0 1  0 | 1 2  .278 Moises Alou          SF OF   5 2 2  1 | 0 0  .316 Dave Roberts         SD OF   3 1 2  1 | 0 0  .283 Jeff DaVanon        Ari OF   5 0 1  0 | 0 0  .421 Ben Johnson          SD OF   3 1 2  0 | 0 0  .333 Jose Reyes          NYM SS   5 1 2  0 | 0 1  .273 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                       54 10 21  8 | 4 8  .389 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: JEstrada 3(3), PFielder 1(10), RZimmerman 2(11), MAlou 1(11), DRoberts 1(5) 2B: RZimmerman 1(4) 3B: DRoberts 1(3) HR: JEstrada 1(1) GIDP: JDaVanon 1(2) SB: KGreene 1(2), JReyes 1(6) ERRORS: ADunn 1(4) PITCHING                         ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Heilman                   1.0 0 0 0 0  0 2 3   0.00 0.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                          1.0 0 0 0 0  0 2 3   0.00 0.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE HITTING              ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Rich Aurilia        Cin 2B   1 0 0  0 | 0 0  .271 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                        1 0 0  0 | 0 0  .000 ---------------------------------------------------------
Posted on April 20, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
UTK Jeff Kent Update
From Will Carroll’s Under The Knife:
As bad as things looked for Jeff Kent a few days ago, seeing him in a game is both worrisome and wonderful. A couple Tylenols took care of the headache he’s still experiencing, while his blurred vision self-corrected. He’ll be watched closely by the medical staff. That headache says the effects of the beaning are still there. One thing I haven’t been able to figure out from the replays is whether Kent was wearing one of the new, ventilated helmets, or one of the old-style lids. I’m not sure there’s much difference in how they work, but information is information.Â
Posted on April 20, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Overnight Dispatches
Courtesy of RotoWorld:
Following Wednesday’s game, the Giants activated Armando Benitez from the disabled list, according to the Contra Costa Times. Fantasy owners will want to keep him reserved initially, especially with the Giants playing in Coors Field this weekend.
Mark Mulder will start Friday against the Cubs. Mulder and Sidney Ponson have switched starts. Ponson will go on Saturday.
Danys Baez was brought in to start the eighth inning and protect a 4-2 lead versus the Cubs on Wednesday but blew the save when he yielded three unearned runs that inning. The fielding error belonged to Baez, so he doesn’t really have anyone else to blame for the blown save. Still, all three hits he gave up in the eighth were singles and he hadn’t allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings prior to tonight, so his job is still very secure.
Brandon Webb yielded three runs in 7 2/3 innings versus the Giants tonight to improve to 2-0 on the season. Webb had allowed a couple of runs on solo homers through seven, but he came out for the eighth in a 7-2 game and gave up three hits and a run scored before departing. Brandon Lyon got Moises Alou to pop out with runners on first and second to end the rally. Webb has a 2.51 ERA to go with a 16/5 K/BB ratio in 28 2/3 innings of work this season.
Jeff DaVanon reached base four times and missed the cycle by a double in a 10-3 win over the Giants on Wednesday. He scored three times and drove in three in the contest. DaVanon was starting in right field with Eric Byrnes in center against right-hander Matt Cain. Shawn Green, who is hitting just .205 with one homer, singled as a pinch-hitter in his lone plate appearance. DaVanon is hitting .455 with six walks so far, so he’s going to cut into both Green and Byrnes’ playing time until he cools off.
Jeff Cirillo, starting at first base in place of Prince Fielder against left-hander Andy Pettitte, went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Astros tonight. Fielder is 4-for-14 with a homer against lefties this season, so Cirillo getting the start was more of a day off than a trend that will be repeated.
Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-6 with a two doubles and three RBI in the Padres’ victory on Wednesday. Gonzalez is batting .321 with a homer, seven doubles and nine RBI in 14 games. He’ll continue to be a more-than-adequate replacement for Ryan Klesko.
Ben Johnson drove in four runs with a double and a single at Coors Field on Wednesday. The opportunity was there for him to do even better, but Khalil Greene was thrown out at home on Johnson’s first-inning single and the center fielder later grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. Johnson will keep starting in center until Mike Cameron comes off the DL.Â
Posted on April 20, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
Roster Moves for April 18th
Sorry, forgot to post these the other day. The Roadrunners made some acquisitions on Tuesday, and cut bait on some reserve outfielders.
First of all, Brandon Watson was sent down, as he was demoted to AAA New Orleans last week, though this was the first opportunity to send him down myself. In his place I had promoted Victor Diaz, especially since Cliff Floyd had a strained side, and Carlos Beltran is also hobbled. But, once again, the geniuses on the Mets sent Diaz down Monday afternoon, and thus played an outfield of Xavier Nady, Endy Chavez, and Javier Jose Valentin. Ewwww.
So down (again) went Diaz, and up came Ben Johnson. The good news was that the Padres sent down Terrmel Sledge, which was surprising, and so Ben Johnson became the starting centerfielder (I didn’t know he could play center) while Mike Cameron is out. Now Cameron is due to come off the DL later this week, but Johnson has impressed, especially with the 4 RBI yesterday, so he may play more than expected - though likely at the expense of Dave Roberts, and not at the expense of Brian Giles and Mike Cameron.
So those were the moves. In terms of pickups, the Roadrunners picked up formerly-hot and now designated for assignment OF Cody Ross. Ross was DFA’d on Monday because Jeff Kent was beaned, and the Dodgers needed to bring up Oscar Robles. Never mind that Kent missed only one game. In this gambit, I’m pinning my hopes on the fact that somebody claims him (like Florida, or hell, anyone) and plays him regularly. FAAB Cost: $3, added to reserves. To secure Ross, the Roadrunners jettisoned Matt Diaz, who starts once a week, gets three additional AB’s as a pinch hitter per week, and will then be lower on the totem pole when Kelly Johnson returns.
The second pickup is another starting pitcher hedge - Aaron Cook, of the Rockies. I picked him up at the end of last year, and attempted to pick him up two weeks ago, but he was a lower priority. Cook can get wins, and so if AaRr is in need of innings or wins, I can flood the roster with Kerry Wood, Aaron Cook, and Taylor Buchholz, and send down the set-up men for a while. Dropped was Shane Victorino, who unfortunately isn’t going to play unless Rowand seriously injures himself - he’s been just a pinch runner of late. FAAB Cost: $0
Posted on April 20, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
April 20th - Standings and Statistics
Standings: 7th Place (still) but now with 60 points (up 5 from yesterday) HR   25   6TH AVG    .2723  8TH RBI    106    2ND RUNS   105    T-1ST STEALS 14     3RD WINS   6      T-9TH ERA    4.18   6TH WHIP   1.415  8TH K'S    92     8TH SAVES  3      8TH BOX SCORE FOR 04.19 Atomic Roadrunners           ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Estrada      Ari C   4 0 0  0 | 0 0  .182 Mike Lieberthal     Phi C   1 0 0  0 | 0 0  .353 Prince Fielder      Mil 1B   1 1 1  1 | 0 0  .364 Jeff Kent           LAD 2B   4 1 0  0 | 1 1  .231 Ryan Zimmerman      Was 3B   4 0 0  0 | 1 3  .207 Khalil Greene        SD SS   4 1 2  2 | 2 1  .208 Adrian Gonzalez      SD 1B   6 2 3  3 | 0 1  .321 J.J. Hardy          Mil SS   5 0 1  1 | 0 0  .254 Adam Dunn           Cin OF   3 1 0  1 | 2 1  .280 Moises Alou          SF OF   4 1 1  1 | 0 0  .303 Dave Roberts         SD OF   5 1 1  0 | 1 1  .256 Jeff DaVanon        Ari OF   4 3 3  3 | 1 0  .455 Ben Johnson          SD OF   5 0 2  4 | 0 1  .278 Jose Reyes          NYM SS   4 1 1  0 | 0 1  .262 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                       54 12 15 16 | 8 10  .278 --------------------------------------------------------- RBI: PFielder 1(9), KGreene 2(12), AGonzalez 3(9), JHardy 1(8), ADunn 1(14), MAlou 1(10), JDaVanon 3(13), BJohnson 4(5) 2B: PFielder 1(3), KGreene 1(2), AGonzalez 2(7), BJohnson 1(2), JReyes 1(4) 3B: JDaVanon 1(2) HR: MAlou 1(4), JDaVanon 1(1) GIDP: JHardy 1(3), MAlou 1(2), BJohnson 1(1) SB: DRoberts 1(3) ERRORS: KGreene 1(2) PITCHING                         ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Heilman                   1.0 0 0 0 0  0 0 3   0.00 0.00 Brandon Webb     W(2-0)        7.7 10 3 3 2  0 5 31   3.51 1.56 Danys Baez       L(0-1)BS(1)   2.0 4 3 0 0  0 1 11   0.00 2.00 Gary Majewski    BS(2)         1.7 0 0 0 0  0 1 5   0.00 0.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                         12.4 14 6 3 2  0 7 50   2.18 1.29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE HITTING              ab r h bi | bb so   avg --------------------------------------------------------- Rich Aurilia        Cin 2B   5 0 1  0 | 0 0  .277 --------------------------------------------------------- Totals                        5 0 1  0 | 0 0  .200 --------------------------------------------------------- RESERVE PITCHING                 ip h r er bb ibb so bf   era whip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt Herges      BS(2)         1.0 1 0 0 0  0 0 4   0.00 1.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals                          1.0 1 0 0 0  0 0 4   0.00 1.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on April 19, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
50 Most Valuable Players
BP’s Nate Silver just posted an article at ESPN.com Page 2 on baseball’s 50 most valuable players. Of the 50, 24 were National Leaguers, and 4 of them were Roadrunners. 1/6th, not too bad.
48. Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (22)
You can excuse Fielder if he looked a bit nervous during his first dozen at-bats this season — much has been expected of the not-so-little Prince since he started swatting home runs into the Tiger Stadium overhang while taking batting practice with his daddy at the age of 12. Fielder combines as much raw power potential as any prospect in the game with a refined hitting approach, going the other way and using the count to his advantage. Given his bubbly build, he’s likely to be a better player in his 20s than his 30s, but he could easily be at 200 home runs and counting before he deposits his first free agency paycheck.41. Brandon Webb, P, Arizona Diamondbacks (27)
Almost certainly the league’s least heralded great pitcher, Webb rates as the best true power ground ball pitcher since Kevin Brown — and remember that Brown didn’t really get it going until he was in his 30s. Webb’s breakout could happen earlier with the addition of Gold Glover Orlando Hudson at second base, who should give Arizona its most synergistic tandem this side of Steve Nash and Shawn Marion.37. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals (21)
Will Zimmerman become this generation’s answer to Ron Santo? He’s exactly the sort of player who is liable to be underrated for much of his career, playing in a pitchers’ park, and overshadowed in his own division by David Wright and Miguel Cabrera. Still, Zimmerman has done nothing but hit since switching from pinging bats to cracking ones. PECOTA identifies his No. 1 comparable as Albert Pujols, but the more likely scenario is that he settles into a Jeff Kent-type of offensive profile, with Scott Rolen-caliber defense at the hot corner.19. Adam Dunn, 1B-OF, Cincinnati Reds (26)
Even the most tradition-minded fans have come to accept the importance of a high on-base percentage and slugging average. However, in spite of his excellence in those departments, there remains something of a blind spot with respect to Mr. Dunn; I expect to receive more than a few choicely worded e-mails about how such a clumsy-looking player can rank two slots ahead of Mr. Intangibles. The math here is simple — all of Dunn’s strikeouts and base-running gaffes don’t cost the Reds more than a handful of runs over the course of a season, whereas his bat projects to be worth about 50 runs per year for the foreseeable future. His awkward outfield defense is a more tangible problem, but it isn’t his fault that the Reds put him back out to pasture while employing Rich Aurilia and Scott Hatteberg at first.