If Only We Listened: Randy Wells

Way back in early June Scout Hoffman told us about a rookie pitcher for the Cubs by the name of Randy Wells. If you payed attention and picked him up, you made a very wise move! Here we are, some 2 months after that article and what has Wells done? How about 8 wins in his last 9 starts? Wow! There is more... 2.85 ERA. Sparkling! His K/BB ratio is 3:1 - although he is not a strikeout artist (I would consider him average). Wins, a good ERA, decent Ks, low walks, what more do you want? His ownership in leagues is growing everyday, so unless you have top pitching on your fantasy team, go get Randy Wells now! -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Well, Well, Wells

by Scout Hoffman (SeniorBeisbol@gmail.com) http://www.profantasybaseball.com/ Take a look at Randy Wells' 0-2 record and you may not think that the Chicago Cubs rookie pitcher is anything special. He was a 38th round draft pick in the 2002 draft, and was by no means a top prospect in the Cubs system. You can even ask him and he will tell you that he doesn't think he has 'ace' stuff. He said he doesn't think he even has fourth or fifth starter stuff, but what he does have is confidence. Unfortunately that confidence has not transferred over to the win column. Wells has certainly pitched well enough through five starts to earn a few victories, but he can blame a poor bullpen and lack of run support for keeping him out of the win column. Wells made his Major League Debut on May 8th and left with a 2-0 lead after throwing five innings of shutout ball against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs lost that game 3-2 on a Ryan Braun home run. His next start in Houston he threw six shutout innings and watched a four run, 9th inning lead disappear at the hands of Cubs closer Kevin Gregg. Wells threw seven innings in each of his next two starts allowing two and three runs against San Diego and Los Angeles. The Cubs lost those games 2-1 and 3-1. Wells did everything he could in his most recent start, not allowing a hit until there were two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning against the Atlanta Braves. He even added an RBI single for good measure. He was lifted in the 8th inning after allowing a Garret Anderson homer and Martin Prado reached on an error. His 5-1 lead was blown again in the 9th as Kevin Gregg allowed a game tying homer to Jeff Francoeur. The Cubs ultimately lost the game in the 12th. Without a Major League win, what makes Randy Wells fantasy relevant? Through five turns, he has a sparkling ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has struck out 27 batters and walked only seven in 32 innings. His career minor league numbers of 8.7 K/9 and 3.74 ERA suggest that these numbers are legit. His ERA will certainly rise; probably to somewhere in the high 3's, but the strikeout numbers should stay constant. Once the Cubs get healthy and start hitting hopefully he will find the elusive win column on several occasions. Although his rotation spot is not guaranteed, he has pitched well enough to keep his spot when Rich Harden returns from the DL. His main competition for the spot is Sean Marshall, but the Cubs would prefer to keep him as a lefty in the bullpen. Wells is a must own in NL-Only formats and is proving himself to be mixed league worthy with every confident trip to the mound.