Crooked Pitch

Thank you for visiting Crooked Pitch! While you're here you'll find tons of valuable fantasy baseball information to help you win your fantasy baseball league. If you're new here, or haven't done so yet, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I am back for my second installment about hot pitchers in the Arizona Fall League.

1. Matt Harrison | Surprise Rafters (Texas Rangers AA) - [tag]Matt Harrison[/tag] is 3-0 in 4 starts with a 1.93 ERA in Arizona this fall. He’s sporting a 2.00 K:BB (8:4) ratio and batters are hitting .216 against him.
2. Sean Thompson | Peoria Javelinas (Colorado Rockies AA) - In two starts and two relief appearances [tag]Sean Thompson[/tag] has a 4.66 K:BB (14:3) ratio and hitters are batting .121 against him in 10.0 innings pitched. After bouncing between 3 different organizationsin 2007, Thompson may remainwith the Rockies if these numbers continue.
3. Calvin Medlock | Scottsdale Scorpions (Tampa Bay Rays AAA) - [tag]Calvin Medlock[/tag] has pitched 11.2 innings in relief in the [tag]Arizona Fall League[/tag] keeping hitters struggling to hit .154 against him. He also has a 7.00 K:BB (14:2) ratio.

Once again, here we are for my weekly update on the Arizona Fall League hitters who are having a good showing.

1. Chris Dickerson | Surprise Rafters (Cincinnati Reds AA/AAA) - [tag]Chris Dickerson[/tag] is enjoying some nice power numbers as he’s hit 4 home runs in 15 games and his slash stats look like .294/.345/.608. One of the knocks on Dickerson is his strikeout rate as he’s struck out 13 times in 15 games and only walked 3 times, which was a problem he showed in AA Chatanooga and AAA Louisville striking out 162 times in 134 games.
2. Sergio Santos | Scottsdale Scorpions (Toronto Blue Jays AA/AAA) - Also showing some power in Arizona is [tag]Sergio Santos[/tag] one of the Blue Jays top shortstop prospects. Santos has 4 home runs and is hitting .286/.308/.612. Santos belted 20 home runs this year in the minors, but looked overmatched after his promotion to AAA. He will need to cut back on strikeouts and prove he can hit AAA pitching before he’s moved above third on the organizational depth for the Blue jays at shortstop.
3. Sam Fuld | Mesa Solar Sox (Chicago Cubs AA/AAA) - [tag]Sam Fuld[/tag] is enjoying and making the best of extra playing time in the [tag]Arizona Fall League[/tag]. He is second in the league in hits and batting average (24 hits in 18 games and .369/.481/.646).

In another installment of my FIO post, Impact Rookies for 2008, let’s look at [tag]Kansas City Royals[/tag] starting pitcher [tag]Luke Hochevar[/tag]. Taken with the first overall pick in the 2006 Amateur Draft, Hochevar quickly rose through the minor league ranks to earn a September call up in 2007. Before being called up he split time between AA Witchita and AAA Omaha posting these numbers:

Luke Hochevar - 4-9 4.86 ERA | 152.0 IP | 138:47 K:BB

Hochevar has a nice 2.93 strikeout to walk ratio, but his record and ERA left something to be desired. In fact, to help him gain better command over his curveball and change up, Hochevar was told by his coaching staff that he wasn’t allowed to throw his sinker and slider, giving him only three pitches to work with. That lasted until mid season when he was given free reign to use his entire repertoire of pitches. Many believe that Hochevar needs some more time in AAA before being ready to pitch in the major leagues. And that looked like the way things would work until he got called up in September and posted these numbers:

Luke Hochevar - 0-1 2.13 ERA | 12.2 IP | 5:4 K:BB

He’s going to need to continue in spring training, the success he had in September, to earn a spot on the big club’s roster in early April. But, most people presume that a spot in the Royals rotation is a given for Luke Hochevar at some point in 2008. It’s just a matter of when.

Today’s pitch count is 4.

1. Tim Dierkes didn’t feel it necessary to stop at one fantastic baseball blog (Roto Authority), he’s got two. And it’s MLB Trade Rumors where I found his list of the 3 top Japanese free agents who may be U.S.A. bound in 2008.
2. In a live chat session, a St. Louis Cardinals beat writer answers Mike Parisi to the question, “Do any current minor leaguers have a realistic shot at making the team next year out of spring training?”.(thanks to Viva El Birdos for finding that link for me)
3. Grant, over at the McCovey Chronicles, thinks that he has found the formula for a San Francisco Giants trip to the World Series in 2008.
4. You can tell by the hype, praise and this fan site that Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, Homer Bailey, is incredibly well liked. (my personal favorite is “Homer Bailey can strike you out with a basketball”). However, you can also tell that fans are worried about the young phenom’s arm, now that Dusty Baker is at the helm.

Continuing with my post, Impact Rookies for 2008, published over at Fantasy Insider Online, I wanted to talk a little bit about [tag]Oakland Athletics[/tag] [tag]first base prospect[/tag], [tag]Daric Barton[/tag]. Barton played in 136 games for AAA Sacramento before being called up to the major leagues. In 516 AAA at-bats here’s what Barton’s line looks like:

Daric Barton - .293/.389/.438 | 38 doubles | 5 triples | 9 home runs | 70 RBI | 69:78 K:BB

Barton ranked third in the Oakland minor league system with that .389 on-base percentage, and was named their 2007 Organizational Player of the Year. He’s been regarded for the last few years as a top prospect with remarkable understanding of the strike zone. Barton was drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. In five minor league seasons Barton hit .301 with a .414 on-base percentage and has walked more than he’s struck out (313:266 BB:K).

Barton was called up to Oakland in September and played in 18 games, receiving 72 at-bats. He exploded on the MLB scene  going 2-3 with a double, an RBI and two walks in his major league debut. His full, 2007 major league line looked like this:

Daric Barton - .347/.429/.639 | 9 doubles | 4 home runs | 8 RBI | 11:10 K:BB

Barton should get every opportunity to try out for the starting first base job for the A’s in 2008. Whether he earns that job at the start of the season or at some point later, he will contribute in a number of stat categories, in particular the slash stats. Daric Barton will make an inpact in 2008 for the A’s and your fantasy team!

Today’s pitch count is 7.

1. I wouldn’t want to plan my rotation around an aging, free agent starting pitcher, but there is something to be said about bringing in an experienced veteran to help with a younger staff . Here’s a list of 6 free agent, over 40 year old, pitchers who will looking for a new team for 2008.
2. There’s a new post over at Bless You Boys about Detroit Tigers minor leaguer, Michael Holliman and whether or not he can fill the Tiger’s need at shortstop in 2008.
3. Brew Crew Ball has a new post with a good number of links about Milwaukee Brewers’ prospects for 2008.
4. Evan Longoria has finished up at the Arizona Fall League with some pretty nice numbers and will now join Team USA.
5. 2008 Presidential hopeful, Rudy Giuliani has come out in support of the Boston Red Sox in the ‘07 World Series that starts today. Bold move from one of the biggest New York Yankees fans around.
6. Over the Monster , in a move that’s most likely correct, has proclaimed that Jacoby Ellsbury will be the Red Sox center fielder in 2008 and they want to know what kind of trade offers they can get in return for Coco Crisp.
7. It’s that time of year. Baseball fans either talk World Series, free agency or prospects. Here is a list of the Cincinnati Reds top 40 prospects, serialized in groups of 5.

Here are a few of the early pitching leaders for the Hawaii Winter Baseball league.

1. Takashi Kamoshida| North Shore Honu (Orix Buffaloes Japan) - In 19 innings pitched, [tag]Takashi Kamoshida[/tag] 29 strikeouts and 10 walks with an ERA of 1.42.
2. Bud Norris | North Shore Honu (Houston Astros High A) - [tag]Bud Norris[/tag] has a strikeout:walk ratio of 3.00 (24:8) in 14.2 innings pitched. His record is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA.
3. Yutaka Tamaki | Waikiki BeachBoys (Hanshin Tigers Japan) - [tag]Yutaka Tamaki[/tag] is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA, but what’s more impressive is his 8.66 strikeout:walk ratio (26:3) in 26 innings pitched.

Did anyone else notice that two of the three pitchers listed above play in Japan while not participating in [tag]Hawaii Winter Baseball[/tag]?