Welcome all… first MLB fantasy recap of the 2013 campaign here! Today we’ll take a look at the action that took place on April Fool’s Day, and how it effects your fantasy baseball team. As expected, Opening Day had a full slate of games, with 24 teams in action. Hope you enjoy and, as always, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @Jewish_Jeff or down below in the Comments where either I or hecman will get to your questions. Ok, let’s get on our way to fantasy baseball glory! Here’s what I saw yesterday:
Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS): 3-6 3B, 2 RBI, R
Ellsbury saw his ADP drop in comparison to 2012. So far so good for owners that “took a chance” on one of the only remaining 2007 WS Champion Sox. When healthy, Ellsbury could bring you 1st round value.
Jackie Bradley, Jr. (BOS): 0-2, 3 BB, 2 R, RBI
Bradley didn’t have a stolen base attempt on Monday, but I promise you they will come. The Yankees walked eight Boston batters on Opening Day, and it’s a nice sign to see Bradley getting three himself in his first career MLB game. Major upside here… be patient.
Jose Iglesias (BOS): 3-5 R, RBI
Starts the season as the Red Sox leader in batting average at .600 one day in! It won’t last for long, but it’s certainly a better start than anyone expected, especially coming in a game that C.C.Sabathia started.
C.C. Sabathia (NYY): L, 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 5 K
C.C. is a known “slow starter” in reference to getting his velocity to where it needs to be; his first start of ’13 echoed that. Sabathia’s velocity was routinely diminished Opening Day, but like manager Joe Girardi, I’m not worried. Fear not Sabathia owners, your horse will take stride soon enough.
Eduardo Nunez (NYY): 0-4, 3 K
With the Yankees’ noted injuries to start the season, Nunez finds himself as a definitive starter for at least as long as Derek Jeter is out. If Nunez can prove himself in the absence of The Captain, he could move to 3B when Jeter returns, shifting my fellow tribesman Kevin Youkilis over to 1B (for as long as Mark Teixeira is out). In a rather surprising move, Nunez batted second behind Brett Gardner yesterday, while Ichiro Suzuki batted seventh (although it was likely a matchup issue against LHP Jon Lester more than anything else). Give Nunez a look, as he does bring 15-15 potential. This is Nunez’s real chance to showcase his ability…
Bryce Harper (WAS): 2-4, 2 HR
What a start for the 20-year-old! Harper hit a solo shot in both of his first two at-bats of the 2013 campaign, both on breaking balls off “Marlins Ace” Ricky Nolasco. No matter where you took Harper in your draft, he made you look like a genius yesterday.
Stephen Strasburg (WAS): W, 7.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Strasburg showed his brilliance yesterday, dominating Miami, having retired the final 19 Marlins he faced. The strikeouts were low for Stras, but not because he didn’t have his A-Game. Strasburg was pitching to contact against Miami, and his strategy clearly worked. Don’t stress the 7.0 IP; he could’ve likely gone CG SHO, but he still got you the W, QS and a great lead in ERA and WHIP yesterday. You’ll get your CG’s over the summer fellas.
Rafael Soriano (WAS): S, 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Soriano picked up right where he left off from 2012 with the Yankees. Put down Juan Pierre, Chris Coghlan and Giancarlo Stanton in order, striking out the final two, to notch his first save of the year, and protect Strasburg’s win. Soriano will be a top closer for ’13.
Ricky Nolasco (MIA): L, 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Nolasco, believe it or not, did very well against the Nationals offense, with the exception of Bryce Harper. Nolasco got out of jams when he gave up walks, and the 5 Ks he logged were nice. The numbers look even nicer when you consider Miami was on the road. Could be a potentially nice 4-6th starter for you, if he can keep this up.
Yonder Alonso (SD): 1-4, HR
Representing the UUUUUUUUU. Yonder Alonso knocked his first home run of the season in the Padres/Mets game. Keep an eye on the former ‘Cane. He was a semi-sleeper last season, and could certainly crank 20 home runs this year.
Edinson Volquez (SD): L, 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Not a good start to the campaign for a fringe fantasy starter, as Volquez got absolutely shellacked by the Metropolitans Opening Day. He has the ability to strike guys out at a very solid rate, but remains a liability literally anywhere outside of Petco.
Colin Cowgill (NYM): 2-5, Grand Slam, 2B
Who? Yup… Colin Cowgill at one point in the 2013 season held the RBI lead. Move over Miguel. Nice story, but I don’t see anything fantasy-relevant coming from Cowgill this year. Congrats if you somehow had him in your lineup for the first NYM Opening Day grand slame since Todd Hundley!
David Wright (NYM): 1-4 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB
Captain America looked fully healed last night, notching 2 SBs to start the year, which I’m sure owners were pleasantly surprised to see off the rip. Still a stud.
Ike Davis (NYM): 0-5, 4 K
Golden Sumbrero! Don’t panic Davis owners. This will happen occasionally to the Mets’ first baseman. Still a lock for 20+ homers and a .260ish average. Take a breath… don’t overreact. Sample size!
Marlon Byrd (NYM): 2-5 R, 2 RBI
Nice start for Marlon last night, who batted fifth behind Wright and Davis for the Mets. Sneaky guy to keep an eye on that has had success earlier in his career. Can’t advise a pickup yet (only one day in!), but I’ve got an eye on Marlon.
Jeff Samardzija (CHC): W, 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 9 K
Albeit against the least relevant team in the state of Pennsylvania, Jeff Samardzjia was absolutely filthy Opening Day against the Pirates with nine punch-outs over eight innings, yielding a WHIP of less than 0.38. Sorry, not sorry Matt Garza missed Opening Day.
Carlos Marmol (CHC): H, 0.1 IP, ER, H, BB, K
And so it’s begun. Marmol was brought in for the save opp in the ninth, and lucky for Samardzjia he entered with a three run lead. Marmol was otrocious, and luckily Sveum pulled him before it got really interesting.
Kyuji Fujikawa (CHC): S, 0.1 IP
James Russell came in right after Marmol and got the only batter he faced out. Sveum immediately brought in Fujikawa, who forced a pop up to end the game and earn the save for the Cubbies. Sveum echoed after the game that Marmol is still the closer, he just had a bad night. It’s no secret that Marmol is on the market, and Chicago will trade him (with the price tag dropping the trade deadline draws nearer). Fujikawa is the Cub RP to own if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck in terms of Cub closers. If you’re stuck with Marmol, dare I even say try to “sell high”, or really “sell for anything” and move on.
A.J. Burnett (PIT): L, 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 10 K
The 36-year-old A.J. Burnett actually looked pretty damn good on Opening Day for the Buccs, notching 10 strikeouts in 5.2 IP. He’s a legit fifth or sixth starter for your squad who will bring you strikeouts for sure. Just don’t expect to see many Ws.
Dexter Fowler (COL): 3-5 HR, RBI
Nice Opening Day for Fowler, who looks to take the next step in his MLB career. Also nice to see this happen on the road and not in the Colorado play-pen. Fowler is legit… if he’s out there, scoop him up now.
Rickie Weeks (MIL): 2-4 2 R, SB
Weeks starts the season off nice. We know what his upside is… but the issue has been his floor. Keep your eyes on him early, as he has major potential, and a bounce back is certainly possible.
Norichika Aoki (MIL): 1-4 HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
Another guy that must be owned. Looks like 100 R is a real possibility, with 20/20 upside and a very good average. The only run given up by COL starter Chacin.
John Axford (MIL): BS, 1.0 IP, ER, H, 3 K
While Axford did notch the three strikeouts, he also gave up the game-tying solo shot to Fowler with two outs in the ninth. Hmmmph. Axford is safe for now, but after losing the dominance from earlier in his career, Milwaukee has to have an exit plan in the back of their mind, for arguably the least consistent member of their ball club.
Ernesto Frieri (LAA): S, IP, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
Nice first night for Frieri, who did what he does, getting two strikeouts. With Ryan Madson being the injury risk that he has proven to be—and already being on the DL—combined with my belief that Frieri will continue his success from last season, I believe we’re looking at the Angels’ full season 2013 closer in Ernesto Frieri (for those of you that don’t speak Spanish, Ernesto Frieri is Spanish for Craig Kimbrel). If his owner is a non-believer, pounce.
Aaron Hicks (MIN): 0-4, BB, 3 K
Disappointing debut for the Minnesota leadoff hitter. I’m not nearly as high on him as many others, and don’t think he’s worth hoarding and/or waiting to hopefully breakout. Many other useable guys out there, such as a guy like Torii Hunter, who will look a lot like he did against the Twins yesterday (2-5, 2B).
Justin Verlander (DET): W, 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K
A bit underwhelming, but still a very good start for the former AL MVP. This was actually Justin Verlander’s shortest start since August of 2010 when he gave up three early runs against the Yankees. Similar to what I said about Sabathia earlier, Verlander is fine… have some patience. The CG SHO’s will come my friends.
Phil Coke (DET): S, 0.2 IP, K
Closer-by-committee. Didn’t look like it on Opening Day, with Joaquin Benoit going 1.1 IP before Coke closed the door on the Twins for the first Tigers save of the year. Coke dominated in the playoffs when called upon by Jim Leyland, and he’s my expected closer from Detroit for the season. Yes, I’m aware that he’s a lefty. So is Ryan Doumit.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD): W, CG, SHO, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K
There’s your CG SHO you were looking for from Strasburg and Verlander. Sandy Koufax set the table for Kershaw by throwing out the first pitch, and Kershaw followed suit, surrendering just four hits total (two a piece to Pagan and Kung Fu Panda). You already know the deal here… Not only an ace… #AceOfSpades. Oh yea, he went ahead and hit a solo home run, which broke the 0-0 tie and ended up being the game winner. Ha.
OF Carl Crawford (LAD): 2-4 2B, R, CS
So the CS isn’t ideal, but I’m very happy to see Crawford running. Great Dodgers debut for Crawford, who’ll look to return to his Tampa Bay form. If he stays healthy, he could bring second round value plus. Nice to see him producing day one.
Chase Utley (PHI): 3-5 HR, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI
Utley looked fantastic last night against Tim Hudson, finishing a double shy of an Opening Day cycle. He was killing it in the second half of spring training, and if this performance is any indicator of things to come, it looks like he’ll keep it up early in the regular season. My opinion… enjoy him while he’s hot, and if it happens to last long enough, go for the SELL HIGH in a few weeks, and never look back.
Freddie Freeman (ATL): 3-4 HR, 3 RBI
Very nice Opening Day for Freeman, who competes in your league with the likes of Ike Davis, Paul Konerko, Paul Goldschmidt, etc. for first base duties. I have Freeman behind all, lets see if he’ll prove me wrong.
Brett Anderson (OAK): L, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 K
An overall okay start for Anderson on Opening Day, although I’m certainly not a fan of walking four Mariners in Oakland. Anderson is back from major injury in 2012, and has potential to be a big part of your team’s rotation. He’s got Jewish Jeff’s endorsement.
Felix Hernandez (SEA): W, 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 8 K
Standard King Felix numbers there. So far so good on the drop off in production after a player gets paid… Felix is set for another stellar campaign in 2013. Enjoy.
Gerardo Parra (ARI): 4-5 3 2B, R, CS
Very nice start to the year for Parra, who has to be owned in your league. If not, make the add ASAP. These Diamondbacks, while they lack “star power”, will score runs. Parra, their leadoff man, will come close to 100 runs. If he hits like this all year, he may come closer to 200.
Ian Kennedy (ARI): W, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 8 K
Kennedy did what an ace should do when they’re pitching at home, despite the nation all backing Adam Wainwright on Opening Day. Kennedy out-dueled the veteran, and made light work of Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran and the rest of the Cardinals. Kennedy is probably the second or third SP in your rotation, and that is a very good thing.
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