Smoltz Not Done

Scout Hoffman http://www.profantasybaseball.com/

In a display of how much of a superior offensive league the American is versus the National, John Smoltz left his 8.32 ERA in Boston and headed to greener pastures in St. Louis. After being pummeled by stiff AL competition in eight starts, Smoltz pitched five solid innings against the Padres last weekend. He struck out nine hitters, walked none and allowed three hits and no runs.

Smoltz has a K/BB ratio of 42/9, so he clearly still has the stuff and the control to compete at a Major League level. He was being hit pretty hard while with the Red Sox and had an absurdly high BABIP of near .400, so that has nowhere to go but down. Back in the National League where he spent most of his 21 year career, he could put together five or six strong starts to help you during the final roto run or your head to head playoffs.

Out with the old...

The Red Sox have release future hall of famer John Smoltz. In his place, they have called up Junichi Tazawa.

Tazawa was signed in the off season out of Japan - grabbed before he signed a multi year contract with a Japanese team. He's a 23 old right hander who has been handling the minors extremely well. In double A, he had 9 wins, 2 losses, and a great ERA of 2.57. In triple A, he hasn't won a game, but has lowered his ERA to 2.37.

He has 4 pitches, fastball (low 90's), slider, curve, and a splitter. He has shown good strike out ability with this repertoire.

Boston hasn't said what his role will be for this season. He has been a starter in the minors and Boston wants him as a starter for the long run. We'll find out soon.

As with any young pitcher, you have to tread carefully. Keeper leagues should be grabbing this guy sooner then later. Deep leagues may want to take a flyer. In shallow leagues, let Tazawa show what he can do at the major league level - and let his spot be finalized (Starter or Reliever).

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Don't "Dis" the Disabled List

Obviously the last thing you want is for one your big name fantasy player to pull a hammy and end up sitting in the hot tub for the next month and a half while your fantasy team spirals down towards the bottom of your league’s standings. But if he does you can simply put him on your disabled list and pick up another player to fill his stead. That is the main purpose of having a DL, but if you’re smart you’ll make sure your DL is always full.

Having players on your DL does not count towards your max roster size, so you have the luxury of having an extra player or two on your team with no extra cost. So if you have open spots on your disabled list you should look at some of the available free agents in your league who are hurt. You should try to target hitters at positions where you weakest and as for pitching, well, fantasy is much like real baseball in the fact that you can never have too much pitching. Some notable players that are currently on the DL that are due back before or around the All Star break are: Xavier Nady (24% owned in Yahoo leagues), John Smoltz (49% owned), Justin Duchscherer (26% owned), Tim Hudson (6% owned), and Ryan Doumit (55% owned). These players have no risk and potentially high reward as they can possibly put your team over the top as you make your fantasy playoff push -Scout Berardi

Time to Sign: John Smoltz

John Smoltz is now recovered from his shoulder surgery and will be called up to the majors anytime now. Time to check your waiver wire and see if anyone has grabbed him yet. He's owned in about 20% of ESPN leagues and closer to 50% in Yahoo (are people in Yahoo smarter?). There is not a lot to say about Smoltz that hasn't been said over his great career. He simply knows how to pitch. He is not the same pitcher as he was when younger but he makes up for his slight drop in velocity with his location, movement, and smarts. Do not let his age (42) fool you, he is still good and can strike out batters at an above average clip. His minor league rehab starts have been solid. In his last two starts he only gave up a total of 5 runs (4 in one game, 1 in the other). There is enough pitching this year that shallow leagues may want to view him as a spot starter. In all other leagues, you probably want him on your team. Don't forget, not only is he good, he plays for one of the best teams in baseball. It is definitely time to sign Smoltz to your team. -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)