The Blue Workhorse

Let’s play a quick game of name those numbers. Who has produced these incredible statistics?

151.1 IP / 9 W / 2.28 ERA / 195 K / 1.13 WHIP

Jake Peavy? Johan Santana? Many of you might see the line and figure it must have been a line from Peavy, Santana, or one of the other top-flight starting pitchers 151 innings through the season.

However, these stats were the combined 2007 season statistics of Carlos Marmol and Jonathan Broxton, two of the most dominant middle relievers in the game.

In terms of fantasy baseball, middle relievers are often forgotten when they can be a huge weapon as an added bonus to your pitching staff. They can be the secret key to lower WHIP and ERA, and many of these guys also pile up the strikeouts:

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In an attempt to jump start an anemic offense, the San Diego Padres are finally making some baseball sense. They have called up the sweet-swinging, infielder-outfielder Chase Headley from their Triple A affiliate, the Portland Beavers.

Headley has been regarded as the top offensive threat in the Padres’ organization after he tore through Double A last season posting a line of .330 AVG/.437 OBP/20 HR/78 RBI/82 R for San Antonio. This year, the former second round pick out of the University of Tennessee, struggled early in Triple A but posted a .357 average in May. Despite the early struggles, Headley’s line at Triple A Portland was still impressive: .305 AVG/.383 OBP/13 HR/40 RBI/49 R.

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The date was December 21, 2007.

The Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers decided to make a trade. A winter trade that was not necissarly significant at the time. The experts said there would be bigger ones, and there were right. Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, and Dan Haren were just a few names to hit the market this past winter and help change the landscape of the American and National Leagues.

However, who could have predicted the outcome of that late December day?

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The Cincinnati Reds have finally decided to do what many have been anxiously waiting for.

With a rotating outfield of Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Corey Patterson, and Ryan Freel that has combined to hit only .254, the Reds called up super-prospect (the current #1 overall prospect) Jay Bruce from Triple-A Louisville.

This is the move many fantasy owners have been waiting for. Much like Ryan Braun of a year-ago, Bruce is a prospect that can truly impact a fantasy baseball race.

As we gather with family and friends on Memorial Day weekend, we must remember that nearly a third of the Major League Baseball season has passed us, and for those of you whose fantasy teams are faltering, there is still hope, but it is likely time to make some changes.

One successful method that could get you back in the running for your league title is the “buy low” strategy, in which you nab up or trade for underperforming players. Using split-statistics, in which the players statistics are divided up into each individual month or Pre/Post All-Star Break, here are a few players who might not appear to be overly appealing now, but as the weather heats up, these players seem to follow:

The 2008 Major League Baseball season has started with a bang, and many players have came out of nowhere to post spectacular numbers over the first two weeks. However, all fantasy baseball players need to realize the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is far to early to give up on a player who starts slow, especially if they are an established major league player. However, here are some names that have caught the eye over the first two weeks:

Johnny Cueto (SP CIN) – Yes, Johnny Cueto sounds more like a character in a John Wayne movie, but the Reds’ young pitcher has dazzled big league hitters over his first two starts. The Dominican import began the season with a bang with a 7 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 10K performance over Arizona, but I was more anxious to see how Cueto would rebound against Milwaukee’s powerful lineup. All Cueto did was throw 6.1 innings, gave up 5 hits, had 0 walks and 8 strikeouts. His season line thus far: 13.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 18 K, and a WHIP of 0.45.

Young whiz Scott Kazmir was shut down Tuesday afternoon after experiencing pain in his left elbow after his final warm-up pitch before a scrimmage. While it is not uncommon for a pitcher to precautiously shut down an early spring training session, if this injury turns into something serious, it could have an immediate impact on your fantasy drafts.

The left-handed Kazmir has posted stellar numbers since coming to Tampa Bay as part of the Victor Zambrano trade (sorry to remind you, Mets fans). In his short career, Kazmir has struckout an astonishing 617 batters in only 570.2 innings worked.

Despite pitching in the slugging AL East, his career ERA is an impressive 3.64, and last season, he posted career highs in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts while pitching for the last-place Rays: 13 W, 206.2 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and an AL-high 239 K’s, which was only one behind major league leader Jake Peavy’s 240.

In terms of a fantasy impact, expect his rations to be solid again this year. Bedard posted a WHIP of 1.09 and his BAA (Batting Average Against) fell from .258 to .212 (from 2006 to 2007), while pitching in the tough American League East where he was facing the monstrous lineups of New York and Boston.

Bedard brings a deceptive delivery with a plus fastball, and teaming with Mel Stottlemyre, Seattle’s new pitching coach, should help him as well.