Welcome to "Miranda Warnings", your weekly guide to what's happening in the world of Major League Baseball, from a fantasy baseball perspective. Every Wednesday, throughout baseball's regular season, "Miranda Warnings" will appear on SportsJudge.com. I'm your host Michael Miranda.This weeks "Miranda Warnings" was posted on Friday (instead of Wednesday) because my PC's NIC (network interface card) died earlier this week, preventing me from establishing an internet connection. A new NIC has been installed and I'm ready to bring you the latest installment of "Miranda Warnings".
Let's get right to it.
Milwaukee's September nose-dive cost Manager Ned Yost his job earlier this week. Milwaukee has lost 14 of their last 18 games. With only eight games remaining, Milwaukee has no chance of catching Chicago in the NL Central and trails Philadelphia by two games in the NL Wild Card race. It's almost desperation time in Milwaukee. What else can go wrong for the Brew Crew? Glad you asked. To make matters worse, Milwaukee's co-ace could be done for 2008 (perhaps longer?). See the NL Central report below.
National League East: Atlanta 1B Casey Kotchman hit his 13th home run on Thursday versus Philadelphia. It was Kotchman's first homer since July 28! Kotchman is a James Loney-type first basemen in that he has minimal power and, basically, only helps in batting average. Kotchman has potential at the plate, but it appears that "power-hitter" will never be on his resume... Noone is hotter than Florida (9 wins in a row). And, not coincidentally, 1B/3B Jorge Cantu is the hottest hitter on the planet! Cantu went 3-for-5, with a homer, two RBI's and three runs scored versus Philadelphia on Friday! During Florida's winning streak, Cantu has put together softball-like numbers: 6 homers, 14 runs scored and 18 RBIs! Cantu (.279 BA, 29 HR's, 93 RBI's), who went undrafted in most fantasy baseball leagues, has been a fantasy-gem in 2008!... Mets P Oliver Perez (6 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) was solid versus Atlanta on Friday. With John Maine (shoulder) out of the rotation, Perez needs to take his game to another level for the Mets to make it to/advance in the playoffs... If you're looking for a 2009 sleeper, look no further than Washington OF Elijah Dukes. Dukes has well-documented off-field "issues" from his days in the Tampa organization. However, he's managed to stay "clean" in 2008, while producing nice numbers. In less than 300 AB's, Dukes has 13 HR's and 13 SB's! If he can stay focused and keep his head on straight, he's a 25-25 candidate in 2009... Another sleeper plays in Philadelphia. Will the Philadelphia organization ever realize that OF Jayson Werth is an everyday player? For the last two seasons, Werth has been stuck in a platoon and only Philadelphia knows why. Werth (.282 BA, 23 HR's, 65 RBI's, 18 SB's) went 3-for-4, with a homer and three runs scored Tuesday against Atlanta. Werth has hit safely in 13 straight games!
National League Central: Fighting for a playoff spot, Milwaukee's starting rotation is falling apart at the worst possible time. P Manny Parra was dropped from the rotation due to ineffectiveness and now P Ben Sheets (pictured, above), who is all too familiar with injuries, will miss his next scheduled start with elbow pain. Despite an MRI that revealed no structural damage, my sources tell me that Sheets' elbow is in really bad shape (Tommy John surgery?). Sheets, and Milwaukee, could be done in 2008!... Houston P Roy Oswalt (6 IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 10 K) wasn't at his best on Tuesday versus Florida. He saw his streak of 26 1/3 consecutive shutout innings end, as his record dropped to 15-10. Despite the loss, Oswalt has been unreal in his last ten starts: 7-2, 2.03 ERA!... St.Louis OF Ryan Ludwick continues to prove that 2008 is no fluke. Ludwick went 2-for-2, with a homer and three runs scored in Friday's win over Chicago. Like Florida's Jorge Cantu (see NL East report above), Ludwick has been a fantasy-gem in 2008!... After tossing a no-hitter versus Houston on Sunday, Chicago P Carlos Zambrano (1 2/3 IP, 6 hits, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) was blasted by St. Louis on Friday! It was Big Z's shortest outing since he lasted 1 1/3 innings against Pittsburgh in 2006. As I've mentioned in previous "Miranda Warnings", be weary of Zambrano. His strikeout rate has decreased significantly in 2008 and he's spent time on the DL with shoulder problems... Pittsburgh 1B Adam LaRoche continues to swing a hot stick. LaRoche went 2-for-4, with a homer in Friday's loss to Houston. LaRoche has four homers and 14 RBI's in his last seven games. If you can't get your hands on a big-time first basemen on D-Day 2009, LaRoche is the type of guy you want. He won't cost you much as he can be drafted in the middle-to-late rounds... Cincinnati OF Jay Bruce has cooled off significantly since his blazing start. However, do not forget about him on D-Day 2009! Bruce, only 21 years old, has 21 homers, a ridiculous amount of power for someone so young.
National League West: Arizona ubber-prospect, P Max Scherzer has returned from shoulder woes. Scherzer (6 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) was strong in Friday's loss to Colorado, but dropped to 0-3 in 2008. Despite going 0-1 in his last three starts, Scherzer hasn't surrendered more than three earned runs and has a ridiculous 28 strikeouts in only 17 innings!... The LA Dodgers would be nuts to not resign OF Manny Ramirez. He's had a huge impact on their lineup, giving the Dodgers a "presence" they haven't had in quite a while. Ramirez went 3-for-5, with an RBI in Tuesday's win over Pittsburgh. Manny hit .415 in August, is hitting .390 in his last ten games, and is at .373 in September!... Fantasy GM's who gave up on Padres closer Trevor Hoffman blew it. Pitching for a non-contender, Hoffman has 28 saves, a 3.95 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP! Hoffman, a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, has indicated that he wants to return to San Diego in 2009 and 2010. Hoffman has been an awesome #3 closer for fantasy teams who didn't lose faith in the veteran... Colorado P Jeff Francis (shoulder) has been shut down for the rest of the season. Francis, a 17-game winner in 2007, was 4-10, with a 5.01 ERA in '08! Ouch!... Does San Francisco P Tim Linceum deserve Cy Young consideration, while playing for the lowly Giants? Here's all I have to say about Linceum. He's 17-4, with a 2.46 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and a staggering 243 K's, while pitching for a losing team! Enough said!
American League East: Toronto P Shaun Marcum left Tuesday's game versus Baltimore after two innings, due to numbness in his right forearm. This is a very bad sign, as Marcum missed 27 games in June and July due to soreness in his right elbow. Marcum (9-7, 3.39 ERA) has impressed in 2008. With only two weeks remaining in the 2008 season, look for Marcum to be shut down until 2009. If surgery is required, Marcum will be out much longer... Baltimore P Daniel Cabrera showed signs of progress early in 2008, but has been absolutely dreadful since the All-Star Break. In his last ten games, Cabrera is 2-5, with a 7.59 ERA! In his defense, Cabrera has been pitching injured (sprained right elbow) and will miss the remainder of the season. Cabrera finishes the year with an 8-10 record, a 5.25 ERA, and a staggering 1.61 WHIP! When the 2008 season ends, Cabrera is a free agent. I'm 110% certain that he has pitched his final game for the O's. Over the last several years, Baltimore has given him numerous chances to prove himself. He's shown signs of brilliance, but no consistency whatsoever. Cabrera's injured elbow, coupled with his horrific 2008 numbers, could see him out of baseball in 2009... Continuing with pitchers who are having a rough go of it, Tampa P Edwin Jackson (2 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) got rocked by the Yankees on Sunday and dropped to 11-11 in 2008. Jackson would love for September to end right now, as he is 0-3 this month with a 10.95 ERA!... Boston P Tim Wakefield (2.1 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) was lit-up by Tampa on Wednesday and dropped to 9-11 in 2008. A brutal outing from Wakefield, who has been very inconsistent in 2008 (9-11, 4.18 ERA)... Yankees 2B Robinson Cano was benched twice in the last week, for his lack of hustle. Somebody, anybody, please explain to me why a millionaire athlete fails to hustle, because I just don't get it! I think that 2008 was a minor "bump" in the road for the immensely talented Cano. I'm calling it: Cano will forget about his disappointing 2008 (.264 BA, 13 HR's, 61 RBI's), build up some confidence and put up a big 2009.
American League Central: Do yourself a favor on D-Day 2009 and don't forget about Cleveland C Victor Martinez! Martinez (.275 BA, 2 HR's, 32 RBI's) has had a frustrating, injury-filled (elbow, hamstring) 2008. However, he's showing that he's recovered from his injuries. Tuesday, versus Minnesota, Martinez went 3-for-5, with three runs scored and a walk-off three-run homer off Twins closer Joe Nathan. Prior to 2008, Martinez was the #1 fantasy baseball catcher in 2006 and 2007... Kansas City P Gil Meche (7 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) was impressive versus Seattle on Wednesday. Meche (12-11, 4.08), along with Zack Greinke, has solidified the KC rotation. Meche is a very solid #3, or #4, fantasy starting pitcher heading into 2009... Nobody can blame Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera for the Tiger's 2008 woes. Cabrera went 4-for-5, with a homer, three RBI's and three runs scored Wednesday versus Texas. Cabrera's 2008 numbers (.296 BA, 34 HR's, 121 RBI's) are MVP-like!... Speaking of potential MVP's, Minnesota 1B Justin Morneau could win his second MVP in the last three years. Morneau went 3-for-5, with two RBI's on Wednesday versus Cleveland. If Minnesota can win the AL Central, Morneau (.311 BA, 23 HR's, 128 RBI's) is your 2008 AL MVP... Chicago 2B Alexei Ramirez (.296 BA, 18 HR's, 66 RBI's, 12 SB's) has been quite a find for the White Sox and fantasy owners in 2008. Not to take anything away from him, but there are warning signs about his future progress (or lackthereof). Keep this in mind on D-Day 2009: Ramirez strikes out four times more than he walks (59 K's-13 BB's)! A 4-to-1 K/BB ratio makes it awfully difficult for anyone to keep a BA anywhere near .300 (Ramirez is currently at .296). Ramirez is a talent, for sure. Simply, keep your expectations for 2009 modest.
American League West: LA Angels OF's Vladimir Guerrero (knee) and Juan Rivera (hip) are hopeful they can return this weekend versus Texas. However, with the playoffs on the horizon, don't expect the Angels to rush either one... Speaking of injuries, don't expect to see Oakland All-Star SP Justin Duchscherer until 2009. Duchscherer threw several pitches Thursday before walking off the mound in frustration after feeling pain in his strained right hip... How awesome is Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki? It's difficult enough to put together one 200-hit season. Earlier this week, Ichiro went 3-for-3, with a run scored and a stolen base against Kansas City, tying the Major League record by notching 200 hits for the eighth (yes, eighth!) straight season! Eight straight 200-hit seasons! Unbelievable! If Ichiro retired right now, he'd be a lock for the Hall of Fame... Power-hitting Texas catching prospect Taylor Teagarden is making a case for himself. Teagarden went 2-for-4, with a grand slam and five RBI's versus Detroit on Monday. Look for Teagarden to be a big part of Texas' 2009 plans.
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