Spring Training Daily: ST Daily: Bye-Bye Baez
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Follow @RyanPBoyer and @Rotoworld_BB on Twitter.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon did his best to talk up Javier Baez this spring even as the youngster’s numbers got worse and worse. On Monday, though, reality set in when Baez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Baez batted just .173/.218/.231 with a 20/3 K/BB ratio over 16 games this spring. That’s even worse than the .169/.227/.324 line he had over the final two months of last season. It’s clear that Baez still has some adjustments to make at the plate, and the Cubs will give him the opportunity to do that in the minors.
“He’s so close to getting it figured out in the batter’s box, we feel Triple-A is the right venue for him to continue to make those adjustments and get locked in,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told MLB.com. “He does everything else so well on the baseball field. He’s a winning baseball player and has to take that same mindset into the batter’s box. We feel he’s not far from making it.”
Baez wasn’t the only young Cubs position player to be sent out Monday, as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell were also shipped to minor league camp. Bryant, though, was demoted for a completely different reason than Baez. The third baseman let his bat speak for him in a loud way this spring, hitting .425/.477/1.175 with a spring training-leading nine home runs. Bryant is clearly major league-ready with the stick, but his demotion was never in question due to service time considerations. The good news is that he’s fully expected to come up before the end of April once the Cubs can secure an extra year of control.
Arismendy Alcantara’s fantasy stock received a boost with Baez’s demotion, as he now has a clearer path to playing time. The Cubs figure to use Alcantara at second base and Tommy La Stella at third base versus right-handers, with Mike Olt being mixed in at the hot corner against lefties. The switch-hitting Alcantara should handle second versus lefties, as well.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld is hosting a one-day fantasy baseball league on FanDuel for Opening Day. There’s $20,000 in cash prizes and it’s just $10 to enter. First place wins $3,000 plus four tickets to the baseball game of their choice. Enter now!
Cards Go with Martinez in No. 5 Spot
He might not be in the spot he’s in if not for another player getting hurt, but Carlos Martinez will take it.
With Jaime Garcia out of the competition and placed on the disabled list due to more shoulder issues, Martinez has been named the Cardinals’ fifth starter. The young right-hander has put up a 3.94 ERA during Grapefruit League play with a nifty 16/5 K/BB ratio over 16 innings. Manager Mike Matheny wanted to see the fiery Martinez be more efficient and control his emotions this spring and believes the hurler succeeded on both fronts.
“I’d say he was terrific on both,” Matheny told MLB.com. “He was very consistent this whole spring. I liked the way he handled his emotions. But he’s a fighter. This kid is tough. We want to see some of this toughness. It just takes a little time for him to develop, and that’s really what sets them on the next level, how they can make those adjustments.”
Just eight of Martinez’s 78 appearances in the majors have come in the rotation, but he was used exclusively as a starter in the minors, posting a 2.61 ERA while striking out over a batter per inning. The 23-year-old’s upside is sky-high, making him a worthy target in fantasy leagues even though his workload will be monitored.
Marco Gonzales lost out to Martinez despite putting up a 1.04 ERA this spring. He’ll be at Triple-A Memphis as rotation insurance. As for Garcia, he insists that his setback is a minor one, as he doesn’t have a new injury and is just dealing with fatigue. He’ll be re-evaluated before the Cards determine the next step for him. Garcia has made just 16 starts over the last two seasons due to injury.
Editor’s Note: Sign up to play Yahoo Fantasy Baseball today! Baseball season is right around the corner. Get in the game today. Play Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball
Hardy DL-Bound
Last week the Orioles ruled out catcher Matt Wieters (elbow) for Opening Day. On Monday, their shortstop was ruled out for the opener.
J.J. Hardy will shut down for at least the next 10 days after being diagnosed with a strained muscle below his left shoulder blade. While the timing of the injury – which occurred on a diving attempt during Friday’s game — is unfortunate, the O’s overall were encouraged by the diagnosis.
“It’s nothing serious,” manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com. “It could be a DL, but nothing that will reach into May. What they expected to find there, they found. It was just a matter of how long they thought it would be prudent to wait to clear it all the way up. That’s some pretty good news, all things considered. We’re still optimistic. What would be un-optimistic would be something that required surgery or was longer than the time frame we’re thinking.”
It doesn’t sound like an ailment that will have any long-lasting effects for Hardy, although you have to worry a bit whether we might see his power drop off a bit at least in the short term. Hardy is already coming off a disappointing season power-wise in which he fell all the way to nine homers after cranking 25 the year before.
Speaking of power, the guy most likely to replace Hardy at shortstop – Everth Cabrera – has none of it. What Cabrera does have is plenty of speed, making him a worthy fantasy option in all formats while he’s seeing playing time. Ryan Flaherty could also see some starts at shortstop.
Kemp Crushing
“These hips are unbelievable, man. You all keep talking about my hips. You want to see my hips. My hips are good, man. Strong hips.”
That’s what Matt Kemp said to reporters during his introductory press conference in December after arriving in San Diego via trade. The response was in reference to reports that arthritis in both of the outfielder’s hips is what delayed the megadeal between the Padres and Dodgers.
If Kemp’s performance this spring is any indication, perhaps it’s time we believe that Kemp’s hips are indeed unbelievable, man.
Kemp crushed his fourth Cactus League home run on Monday, taking the Reds’ Anthony DeSclafani deep on a two-run shot. In addition to his four longballs, Kemp has five doubles, a triple and 13 RBI to go along with a .375/.400/.771 batting line this spring.
The 30-year-old’s fantasy value was put into question following a trade to the Padres, as there was not only the revelation about his reported hip issues but also a move to the hitter’s graveyard at Petco Park. Those concerns are still present, and so are his injury problems from 2012-13 when he was limited to just 179 games.
However, what also needs to be considered is that Kemp, with the 2012-13 ailments perhaps finally behind him, looked like his old self in the second half last season, batting .309/.365/.606 with 17 homers over 263 plate appearances. The mashing has carried over into exhibition play.
Which side of the Kemp debate will you fall on?
Follow @RyanPBoyer and @Rotoworld_BB on Twitter.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon did his best to talk up Javier Baez this spring even as the youngster’s numbers got worse and worse. On Monday, though, reality set in when Baez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Baez batted just .173/.218/.231 with a 20/3 K/BB ratio over 16 games this spring. That’s even worse than the .169/.227/.324 line he had over the final two months of last season. It’s clear that Baez still has some adjustments to make at the plate, and the Cubs will give him the opportunity to do that in the minors.
“He’s so close to getting it figured out in the batter’s box, we feel Triple-A is the right venue for him to continue to make those adjustments and get locked in,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told MLB.com. “He does everything else so well on the baseball field. He’s a winning baseball player and has to take that same mindset into the batter’s box. We feel he’s not far from making it.”
Baez wasn’t the only young Cubs position player to be sent out Monday, as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell were also shipped to minor league camp. Bryant, though, was demoted for a completely different reason than Baez. The third baseman let his bat speak for him in a loud way this spring, hitting .425/.477/1.175 with a spring training-leading nine home runs. Bryant is clearly major league-ready with the stick, but his demotion was never in question due to service time considerations. The good news is that he’s fully expected to come up before the end of April once the Cubs can secure an extra year of control.
Arismendy Alcantara’s fantasy stock received a boost with Baez’s demotion, as he now has a clearer path to playing time. The Cubs figure to use Alcantara at second base and Tommy La Stella at third base versus right-handers, with Mike Olt being mixed in at the hot corner against lefties. The switch-hitting Alcantara should handle second versus lefties, as well.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld is hosting a one-day fantasy baseball league on FanDuel for Opening Day. There’s $20,000 in cash prizes and it’s just $10 to enter. First place wins $3,000 plus four tickets to the baseball game of their choice. Enter now!
Cards Go with Martinez in No. 5 Spot
He might not be in the spot he’s in if not for another player getting hurt, but Carlos Martinez will take it.
With Jaime Garcia out of the competition and placed on the disabled list due to more shoulder issues, Martinez has been named the Cardinals’ fifth starter. The young right-hander has put up a 3.94 ERA during Grapefruit League play with a nifty 16/5 K/BB ratio over 16 innings. Manager Mike Matheny wanted to see the fiery Martinez be more efficient and control his emotions this spring and believes the hurler succeeded on both fronts.
“I’d say he was terrific on both,” Matheny told MLB.com. “He was very consistent this whole spring. I liked the way he handled his emotions. But he’s a fighter. This kid is tough. We want to see some of this toughness. It just takes a little time for him to develop, and that’s really what sets them on the next level, how they can make those adjustments.”
Just eight of Martinez’s 78 appearances in the majors have come in the rotation, but he was used exclusively as a starter in the minors, posting a 2.61 ERA while striking out over a batter per inning. The 23-year-old’s upside is sky-high, making him a worthy target in fantasy leagues even though his workload will be monitored.
Marco Gonzales lost out to Martinez despite putting up a 1.04 ERA this spring. He’ll be at Triple-A Memphis as rotation insurance. As for Garcia, he insists that his setback is a minor one, as he doesn’t have a new injury and is just dealing with fatigue. He’ll be re-evaluated before the Cards determine the next step for him. Garcia has made just 16 starts over the last two seasons due to injury.
Editor’s Note: Sign up to play Yahoo Fantasy Baseball today! Baseball season is right around the corner. Get in the game today. Play Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball
Hardy DL-Bound
Last week the Orioles ruled out catcher Matt Wieters (elbow) for Opening Day. On Monday, their shortstop was ruled out for the opener.
J.J. Hardy will shut down for at least the next 10 days after being diagnosed with a strained muscle below his left shoulder blade. While the timing of the injury – which occurred on a diving attempt during Friday’s game — is unfortunate, the O’s overall were encouraged by the diagnosis.
“It’s nothing serious,” manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com. “It could be a DL, but nothing that will reach into May. What they expected to find there, they found. It was just a matter of how long they thought it would be prudent to wait to clear it all the way up. That’s some pretty good news, all things considered. We’re still optimistic. What would be un-optimistic would be something that required surgery or was longer than the time frame we’re thinking.”
It doesn’t sound like an ailment that will have any long-lasting effects for Hardy, although you have to worry a bit whether we might see his power drop off a bit at least in the short term. Hardy is already coming off a disappointing season power-wise in which he fell all the way to nine homers after cranking 25 the year before.
Speaking of power, the guy most likely to replace Hardy at shortstop – Everth Cabrera – has none of it. What Cabrera does have is plenty of speed, making him a worthy fantasy option in all formats while he’s seeing playing time. Ryan Flaherty could also see some starts at shortstop.
Kemp Crushing
“These hips are unbelievable, man. You all keep talking about my hips. You want to see my hips. My hips are good, man. Strong hips.”
That’s what Matt Kemp said to reporters during his introductory press conference in December after arriving in San Diego via trade. The response was in reference to reports that arthritis in both of the outfielder’s hips is what delayed the megadeal between the Padres and Dodgers.
If Kemp’s performance this spring is any indication, perhaps it’s time we believe that Kemp’s hips are indeed unbelievable, man.
Kemp crushed his fourth Cactus League home run on Monday, taking the Reds’ Anthony DeSclafani deep on a two-run shot. In addition to his four longballs, Kemp has five doubles, a triple and 13 RBI to go along with a .375/.400/.771 batting line this spring.
The 30-year-old’s fantasy value was put into question following a trade to the Padres, as there was not only the revelation about his reported hip issues but also a move to the hitter’s graveyard at Petco Park. Those concerns are still present, and so are his injury problems from 2012-13 when he was limited to just 179 games.
However, what also needs to be considered is that Kemp, with the 2012-13 ailments perhaps finally behind him, looked like his old self in the second half last season, batting .309/.365/.606 with 17 homers over 263 plate appearances. The mashing has carried over into exhibition play.
Which side of the Kemp debate will you fall on?
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