Atomic RoadRunners

Okay, so it’s tough to actually draw a line and say, “from now on, we’re talking about 2009″ during the offseason, since we have free agents, WBRL free agents, arb-eligibles, and protected lists all happening at various times.  For the purposes of atomicroadrunners.com, we’ll use December 1st.

While I’ll be posting individual wrap ups for each player later this offseason, as of December first, the Current Roster has been updated, and the following players are no longer active Atomic Roadrunners:

WBRL Contracts Expired:

• P Brandon Webb
• P John Maine
• 1B Prince Fielder
• SS Jose Reyes
• OF Shane Victorino
• OF Corey Hart
• OF Lastings Milledge

Traded to an AL Team in 2008:

• 1B Mark Teixeira

Traded from an AL Team in 2008:

• 3B Casey Blake
• OF Brandon Moss
• P Joe Blanton

Signed after the August 19, 2008 protection deadline:

• C Pablo Sandoval
• P Luis Ayala
• P Jason Motte

Brewers OF Corey Hart put up solid numbers again this season, but his late-summer swoon really took the shine off another 20/20 season. Hart would have saved everyone some trouble if he had been on the DL in September, as he certainly didn’t help the Brewers’ playoff push. RotoProfessor has a breakdown of Hart:

The Milwaukee Brewers have a ton of offense, with much of the attention rightfully going to Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. They have another key player in Corey Hart who deserves a ton of respect, though rarely is it thrown his way. Let’s take a look at the numbers he posted last season:

612 AB
.268 AVG (155 H)
20 HR
91 RBI
76 R
23 SB
.298 BABIP
.300 OBP
.459 SLG

Those numbers were down from what he posted in 2007, but it was his second consecutive 20/20 campaign, having hit 24 HR and stolen 23 bases the prior season. That is the type of OF’er that fantasy owners should be looking for as a #2 or 3, because he has the potential to help you across the board.

Yes, his 2008 average was down a little bit, but that could be credited to an awful close to the season. In 98 AB’s in September, Hart managed to hit just .173, a number that certainly dragged down his overall performance. Prior to the All-Star Break he was hitting .289, showing how productive he could be.

He also failed to hit a HR in September, meaning that it was a completely lost month. In 2007 he hit .330 with 6 HR over the final month of the season, so it certainly isn’t a trend for him to fold down the stretch. I would expect him to hit for a little bit more power over the course of the full season, assuming he doesn’t have another outage.

I know with his speed you’d like to see him score a few more runs, but he hits primarily fifth, behind Braun and Fielder. That gives him plenty of chances to drive in runs (which he did), but it is going to limit his potential to score them. The mid-80’s may be his limit, unless the Brewers really add a ton of offensive talent behind him.

He’ll also turn that magical age of 27, a season in which a lot of people look for players to have huge offensive breakouts. Obviously it’s no guarantee, but it is definitely something worth considering.

Let’s take a look at what I would expect from him in ‘09:

.288 (168-584), 28 HR, 93 RBI, 82 R, 23 SB, .308 BABIP, .332 OBP, .526 SLG

Basically, what I’m projecting is more of the same from Hart, with an improved batting average and power stroke. Given the collapse of last season, I don’t think this is unreasonable at all. So, if owners in your league opt to ignore him, given his overall numbers last season, do not hesitate to snatch him up. He’s a great option in all formats, and one cold stretch shouldn’t change that at all.

There was a time that he would have been put in the conversation when people were debating over Alex Rios, Curtis Granderson and Nick Markakis. Things have changed after he folded last season, and now he can be had rounds later (possibly as many as 3). That certainly makes him a great value pick, since he has the talent and potential to outperform the others in ‘09. Considering where he’s getting drafted he’s not a breakout player, but he certainly has a chance to outperform all projections.

Baseball Prospectus recently released the results of the 17th Annual Internet Baseball Awards, and Chipper Jones finished sixth in the balloting for National League MVP. 2008 IBA Cy Young Tim Lincecum placed ninth overall. Below are the results:

Rnk Name                   1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10       B       P
  1. Albert Pujols       1233   97   38   17    5    7    4    2    2    1    1406   18650
  2. Hanley Ramirez        26  454  191  164  105   76   46   38   14   15    1129    8477
  3. Lance Berkman         14  223  195  167  159   89   74   46   31   26    1024    6853
  4. Chase Utley           21  105  196  155  149  101   85   54   45   16     927    5899
  5. David Wright          10   93  163  152  171  118  104   63   50   28     952    5694
  6. Chipper Jones         14   70  131  128  133  115   81   68   47   28     815    4793
  7. Ryan Howard           53  116   75   80   64   44   38   28   35   24     557    3880
  8. Manny Ramirez         32   63   72   65   79   50   40   42   49   51     543    3205
  9. Tim Lincecum           5   33   61   77   94   61   70   50   44   22     517    2803
 10. Ryan Braun             7   49   61   94   55   53   56   44   37   22     478    2732

 12. Jose Reyes             3   12   35   38   63   68   59   72   58   45     453    2027
 23. Prince Fielder         0    1    5    7    9    9   10    7    4    2      54     268
 24. Brandon Webb           0    1    2    4    6    5    7    8    8    6      47     188
 39. Mark Teixeira          0    0    0    3    1    1    0    0    1    1       7      35
 42. Shane Victorino        0    1    0    1    0    3    0    0    1    0       6      33
 62. Brandon Phillips       0    0    0    0    0    1    1    0    1    2       5      13
 74. Corey Hart             0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    1    0       2       8
 88. Chris Iannetta         0    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    0       1       5
 95. Brandon Lyon           0    0    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0       1       4
104. Ryan Theriot           0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    1       1       1

It seems that I may have placed the vote for Theriot . . .

Brewers OF Corey Hart went 0-for-4 Saturday against the Cubs, lowering his second-half batting average to .242. He also has just five home runs since the All-Star break. Despite his second-half struggles, Hart has put together his second straight 20-20 season. He probably still has some upside in the power department, but think of him as just a No. 2 or 3 Fantasy OF entering 2009. (CBS Sports)

The Roadrunners are dealing with quite a few injuries as the season winds down, and these are affecting my stats over the final week:

Catcher: Both Chris Iannetta and Pablo Sandoval are day-to-day after weekend injuries.  Sandoval had a strained quad, while Iannetta was pulled from Sunday’s game with severe leg cramping, which isn’t good for a catcher.  Both are day-to-day over the final week.

Infield: Brandon Phillips is on the 60-Day DL due to a broken finger from two weeks ago.  Ryan Theriot’s Cubs have already clinched, and he and other regulars are being rested over the final week in preparation for the post-season.  Chipper Jones‘ latest injury is shoulder inflammation, which has limited him to pinch-hitting appearances since last Friday.  Depending on the pitching matchup, he may sit occasionally.  Even September call-up Mat Gamel admitted he was injured, and he was shut down with a sore elbow, though this is likely what caused his poor second half.

Outfield: Remember when the Roadrunners had ridiculous depth of somewhat-decent outfielders?  Well, no more.  Corey Hart is slumping badly, though at least the Brewers are striving for the wild card – they’ll trot him out there each day.  Brandon Moss just learned that he has some bad knee cartilage, and he has been shut down, and may require surgery that’ll have him miss part of Spring Training.  Ten days ago Chris Dickerson hurt his foot, and he had been hobbled.  Finally an MRI detected a hairline fracture in his heel, so he’s shut down as well.  Jody Gerut has only one start since August 27th due to a strained finger tendon, making it impossible for him to hold a bat – though he has been a pinch runner.  Gregor Blanco has been sitting of late as the Braves try to figure out which of their young outfielders will be in their plans for next season.  Blanco should be safe, but he’ll be no more than a No. 4 OF.

Pitching: The pitching isn’t in bad shape in this final week.  In addition to the Noah Lowry pickup (he was rehabbing while on the 60-Day DL when picked up), John Maine has basically been shut down for the season. Well, but no one told him that – there’s a chance he’ll be on the playoff roster (if the Mets win the wild card), but he has a bone spur that requires surgery.  Idiotic Giants manager Bruce Bochy has been driving Tim Lincecum into the ground, and yesterday’s start showed that he might not have anything left in the tank.  Lincecum of course leads the majors in pitcher abuse points, and I’d like to personally thank Bochy for ruining Lincecum’s career for a fourth-place 70-87 squad that’s 12 games out of first.

FAAB Acquisition:

• P Jason Motte, Cardinals [$0 bid, reserve]

Up:

• OF Corey Hart

Down:

• OF Chris Dickerson

Cut:

• P James Parr

Notes:

• This is the final week of roster moves for the 2008 season.
• The Atomic Roadrunners have had 71 different players on the roster this season.
• Of the “original” 36 players from Draft Day, 19 remain.

Brewers OF Corey Hart doubled twice on Thursday in an extra-inning loss to the Cubs. Hart went 2-for-6 with an RBI. Hart isn’t exactly having a good run at the plate right now, but he still has too much potential to bench in Fantasy. Stick with Hart through thick and thin. (CBS Sports)

Milwaukee OF Corey Hart only managed one hit in the Brewers win over the Cubs on Wednesday, but it was a big one. Hart went 1-for-5 and singled home two runs for his 85th RBI on the year. He’s batting .274. Hart isn’t exactly having a good run at the plate right now, but he still has too much potential to bench in Fantasy. Stick with Hart through thick and thin. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisition:

• P James Parr, Braves [$0 bid, reserve]

Up:

• OF Chris Dickerson
• SS Ryan Theriot
• P Mike Gonzalez

Down:

• OF Corey Hart
• 2B Brandon Phillips
• P Brandon Lyon

Cut:

• P Jaime Garcia

Notes:

• MI Blake DeWitt moves from MI to 2B, and Theriot is activated at MI
• Stanimals acquired former Roadrunner C Carlos Ruiz in an attempt to bolster his lineup.  Stanimals and Goodfellas are tied for fourth place.

Corey Hart went a combined 1-for-8 while leading off in both games of Sunday’s doubleheader. Hart was in a 1-for-21 slump, so manager Ned Yost’s response was to see just how many more outs he could make if he got an extra at-bat per game. Hart’s OBP stands at .312 for the season. (Rotoworld)

FantasyBaseballGeeks.com just ran their NL edition of “What We Learned in 2008” with a team-by-team rundown. I think this was based towards mixed-leagues, as it wasn’t that deep, but here are the takes on the 2008 Roadrunners:

NL East:

• Jose Reyes is the most exciting offensive player in fantasy when he is on and his slumps are becoming fewer as he matures.
• John Maine will be a bargain next year.
• Shane Victorino is a very useful fourth outfielder but shouldn’t be counted on for more.
• Brett Myers continue to baffle, but should be very useful next year.
• Josh Johnson is now the NL version of James Shields.
• Chipper Jones is a warrior but the show is closing.
• Lastings Milledge is still very raw but might turn into a decent fourth outfielder.

NL Central:

• My personal favorite fantasy story this year was “The-Riot” himself Ryan Theriot. Somehow he found a way to put up points with single after single. He will peck your opponents to death.
• Prince Fielder is not going to hit 50 homers every year, more like 35.
• Corey Hart is still underrated and showed off his 20/20 skills again this year with excellent RBI totals to go along with a .280 BA.
• Brandon Phillips is still an elite option to enjoy for years to come.

NL West:

• Brandon Webb is a Cy Young candidate every year but note carefully the innings toll and how he crawled to the finish line.
• Chris Iannetta finally got his average over .100 and showed some potential as a fantasy catcher.
• Chase Headley was still a little undercooked despite every expert demanding his promotion to the big leagues.
• Jody Gerut had a terrific year and showed why he was once a highly regarded young talent.
• Tim Lincecum is the new strikeout king and is the most dazzling young talent on the mound in quite a while. He is still young, but pitches like a veteran. He wants the ball bad and will go 7 innings; a rarity nowadays in this pitch count era.
• Brain Wilson had a great year as a closer and probably even his owners missed it. His ERA wasn’t pretty but he got the job done

Brewers OF Corey Hart had one hit, his 43rd double, in three at-bats Thursday against the Phillies. He also walked once. Hart came into the game without a hit in four contests and 14 at-bats. Hart isn’t exactly having a good run at the plate right now, but he still has too much potential to bench in Fantasy. Stick with Hart through thick and thin. (CBS Sports)

Corey Hart went 2-for-5 with two singles in Friday’s extra-inning win over the Padres. Hart continues to be a boon for owners who reached for the power/speed threat on draft day. Entering Friday, Hart was hitting .286 with 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases. (Rotowire)

Brewers OF Corey Hart went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Tuesday’s loss to the Mets. Hart now has an eight-game hit streak. Hart is a streaky slugging outfielder worth starting in all leagues on a regular basis. (CBS Sports)

Corey Hart had three hits, including his 20th homer, and three runs scored in the Brewers 11-3 defeat of the Pirates on Saturday. Hart’s OPS is down 70 points from last year, but he’s been putting up solid fantasy numbers all year long. He’s batting .286, and tonight’s homer gives him a second straight 20/20 season. With 19 more RBI — and he’s had 20 this month — he’d reach 100 for the first time. (Rotoworld)