Programming Note: Due to the extended scoring week, the Weekly Rundown is still taking swings in the cage. The Sacajawea of fantasy primers will make it's triumphant 2011 debut this time next Saturday. Until then, enjoy this very special edition of Closing Time.
For the better part of my childhood, chasing lucrative Rated Rookies consumed my life. I loved the odor of wax and gloss as much as Colonel Kilgore the smell of napalm in the morning.
During the summer of '87, Donruss packs were shredded in obscene quantities. Unfortunately, attempting to score a Bo Jackson, Greg Maddux or Mark McGwire often yielded undesirable results. Instead of accumulating fat stacks of promising long-term investments or proven talent, one player constantly revealed his cardboard likeness in my hand ? Doug Drabek.
The former Bucco was an above average big league pitcher during his 13-year career ? recall he won the NL Cy Young as a Pirate in 1990 ? but, as you could've guessed, his RCs haven't exactly carried yours truly to an early retirement, though gazing at his finely-groomed cookie duster has provided endless enjoyment.
Similar to how Bobby Bonds' cards increased in value when Barry exploded onto the hobby scene, I'm optimistic Doug's son, Kyle Drabek, will breathe new life into dad's sunken memorabilia market.
Younger Drabek's dominance of the Twins Saturday was a step in the right direction.
In front of a relatively thin home crowd, the 23-year-old top prospect, who came over from Philly in "The Doc Deal" in '09, flirted with history, carrying a no-no into the sixth. Appearing cool and collected, Drabek was, admittedly, wildly effective, allowing just one earned on one hit over seven innings. He also walked three and struck out seven, amazing when you consider he threw 54 out of 101 pitches for strikes. Most impressively, he coaxed 11 groundball outs (one fly-ball).
Considering Drabek's inexperience and murderous AL East slate, occasional bumps in the road are a foregone conclusion. Still, because of his excellent pedigree ? Baseball America rated him the 29th-best prospect entering 2011 ? ability to draw weak contact, growing K/9 and plus run support, the sparsely-owned righty (27-percent) is worth an audition in deeper mixers. An ERA below 4.00 with double-digit wins and 135 Ks is attainable.
When that happens, my dusty pile of Drabeks may actually net a tasty six-pack of Labatt's.
Here are more musings from Saturday's slate:
? The St. Louis Cardinals are optimistic Matt Holliday will not have to miss extensive time despite undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Friday. Unless Tony LaRussa possesses the healing power of 10 Gandalfs, it seems unlikely he will avoid the DL.
As Behrens noted Friday, John Jay and Allen Craig will fill the outfield void. The latter, who posted formidable power numbers in the minors, went 1-for-4 with a two-run double Saturday against the Padres. Craig will be penciled in routinely against lefties, but if he can continue to hit, he could be a sneaky HR/RBI source over the next couple weeks.
? Washington reliever Drew Storen entered the octagon but didn't leave unscathed, surrendering a solo homer to Alex Gonzalez. Sean Burnett closed out the next 1.1 innings to earn the oversized 'S.' Those who invested heavily in the Stanford product need to exercise patience. Storen has supreme stuff. Eventually, he will be Jim Riggleman's default choice in the ninth. Until then, expect Burnett, a former first-round pick in 2000, to net a majority of the save opportunities. The southpaw is still available in over 90-percent of Y! leagues.
? Entering the season, I was more bullish on Alcides Escobar than the rest of the Yahoo! crew. Though he's a bit unpolished, his baseline skills, particularly his blazing speed, and everyday gig screamed late-round bargain. Penciled in at the leadoff over Mike Aviles, he went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a SB. If he winds up sitting in the catbird seat often, he could be a productive three-cat producer (AVG, R and SB) at a depleted position, similar to Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Battered, bruised and should not be used: The injury discount on David Aardsma may soon expire. He's ramped up agility drills and should head out on a rehab assignment in the next few days. A late-April return seems likely. … Chris Liss chew-toy Mike Stanton isn't expected to trot out of the dugout until Tuesday. Click. Shift. Adjust. … Shane Victorino exited stage left with calf soreness. He's listed as day-to-day. John Mayberry will pick up the slack in the meantime. … Consensus top-10 pick Evan Longoria will be shelved for about a week due to an oblique injury, however, Joe Maddon hasn't ruled out a DL stint. Plan accordingly.
Quick Hits: Have a need for cheap speed? Check out Willie Bloomquist. The D'Backs shortstop swiped his second and third bases of the young season. Eligible at 3B and OF, he should provide useful numbers in deeper leagues until Stephen Drew heals. … It's only a matter of time before Nats catcher Wilson Ramos sends Pudge Rodriguez to the meat factory. The high-contact hitter collected three hits. His power numbers will likely be modest, but an AVG north of .275 is very possible. … Those searching for the next Tyler Clippard should look no further than Aaron Crow. The Royals' top pick in 2009 already has five strikeouts on the season. With a blistering fastball and nasty slider, he will be an invaluable middle relief K source who will chip in the sporadic W. LIMA lovers rejoice. … Before getting the hook after logging 100 pitches, once buzzy prospect Chris Tillman was brilliant, tossing six no-hit innings against the Rays (5:3 K:BB split). Zach Britton's arrival and Justin Duchscherer's eventual activation certainly crowds the O's rotation, but another strong start or three and Tillman will be trusted every fifth day.
--
Images courtesy of the AP
Anne Marie Kortright Paige Butcher Amanda Peet Xenia Seeberg The Avatars of Second Life
No comments:
Post a Comment