Welcome back to another edition of the "Buzz Around the Bullpen." It was certainly an interesting week in baseball with another one of its superstars testing positive for performancing enhancing drugs. This time it was the mayor of "Mannywood", Manny Ramirez. Whether it is the reality of what has become the "steroid era", or the fact that Manny was a 36-year old outfielder producing like a 27-year old; I can't say I'm surprised that Manny tested positive. What I do find interesting is that each time one of baseball's greatest has tested positive or has been accused of taking steroids, the first two questions that you hear are, "what will this player's legacy be?", and "are they still a hall of famer?" However, as the list of those that have tested positive or have been accussed of taking performancing enhancing drugs continues to grow, I have one question that I continuously ask myself. Who is the greatest "clean" home run hitter of this era? My answer...Ken Griffey Jr.
For right now, let's get back to talking about two players that can help your team during this upcoming week of fantasy. I apologize for the brevity and lack of timeliness of this article. This last group of law school finals is really cutting into my fantasy baseball time.
Big Hits
Juan Pierre (OF, LAD): Pierre has emerged as the only beneficiary of the Manny Ramirez 50-game suspension. With this unexpected opportunity, Pierre has hit the ground running...literally. In fact, since his promotion to the starting line-up, Pierre has gone 9 for 16 with 4 RBIs, 2 walks and 2 stolen bases. Not too bad for only having around 30 ABs before his promotion to the starting line-up. While the Dodgers offense did take a huge hit with the suspension of Manny, Pierre still heads a line-up that includes rising superstars Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and James Loney. Also, Orlando Hudson has found a home in L.A. and he is hitting a ridiculous .331 over the first several weeks of the season. Over the past couple of days, Pierre's ownership has almost quadrupled. If he is still available in your league, you should grab him immediately. He could really provide some run and stolen base production for your team.
Koji Uehara (SP, BAL): Before you rule out picking up Uehara because of his slightly below average ERA, take a look at his game to game stats and you'll see that he is still trying to recover from one bad outing against Texas. Otherwise, Uehara has been Baltimore's best pitcher allowing three or less runs in 6 out of his first 7 starts. Uehara has the ability to accumulate some strikeout numbers and has done so by striking out 32 batters in just under 43 innings. Uehara also possesses a 1.12 WHIP and looks as though he has made the move from Japan quite smoothly. He's only owned in a little over 50% of leagues but he has put up numbers which are far better than many pitchers that have a much higher percentage of ownership. He's definitely worth a look if your dealing with a struggling starter.
Once again, I apologize for the brevity of this article. Check back next week when I will get back to our normal "hits" and "misses" format. And as always, with any SportsJudge articles, please feel free to post any questions or comments. Until next time, keep your ears open for the Buzz Around the Bullpen.
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