Keeping up with the Ramirezes

It’s not a good time to own a Ramirez on your fantasy team.

Last week’s stunning 50-game suspension of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez and the dislocated shoulder suffered by Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez really put fantasy owners in a bind.

That’s without mentioning Chicago White Sox second baseman Alexei Ramirez, whose average has been stuck around .200 most of the year while the supposed 20-20 candidate has managed just one measley homer.

Fantasy stud Hanley Ramirez also gave us a scare with a hand injury but appears to be just fine – so far.

But the absence of Manny and A-Ram robs us of two longtime fantasy contributors who can hit for both average and power. They won’t be easily replaced in the coming weeks, but here are a few suggestions for help in the outfield and at the hot corner:

g The Los Angeles Dodgers turn to Juan Pierre as Manny’s replacement in left field. Not known for his hitting prowess, Pierre’s somehow batting above .400 so far. No way that lasts, but the regular playing time at least gives him more opportunity to hone his real craft, stealing bases. Pierre swiped 40 bags in just 119 games last year and could easily eclipse that now.

g Power-hitting prospect Matt LaPorta, the Cleveland Indians’ big prize in last year’s CC Sabathia trade, has arrived in the majors and clocked his first big league homer last week. There will be some inconsistencies from the young outfielder, as with all inexperienced hitters, but LaPorta’s a cheap source of home runs and a definite grab in keeper leagues.

g Melky Cabrera has overtaken Brett Gardner as the New York Yankees’ primary center fielder. The Melk Man’s attitude and focus were questioned during a dismal 2008, but he seems like a new man this year and has shown surprising power (four homers in 69 at-bats, compared to eight HRs in 414 ABs a year ago) while hitting above .300. The power’s probably a bit of a fluke, but Cabrera’s still developing as a hitter and could be useful this year in average and RBIs, especially if he can stay in the Yanks’ lineup.

g Underrated Baltimore Orioles 3B Melvin Mora’s long been a fantasy secret weapon, offering a decent blend of average, RBIs and homers. You never quite know what to expect, but the 37-year-old has recovered from a hamstring injury and is ready to contribute on a waiver wire near you.

g Florida Marlins prospect Chris Coghlan has been touted as the team’s second baseman of the future, but the Fish plan to use him mostly in left field after last week’s call-up. Coghlan was hitting .344 with 22 RBIs in 25 games at Triple-A. If he hits like that at the big league level, they’ll play him anywhere they can.

g St. Louis Cardinals OF Chris Duncan has at least 20 homers in him and stands to earn even more at-bats after Rick Ankiel’s recent injury. Duncan should also be eligible at first base in most leagues, which makes him more intriguing.

The new Yankee Stadium and fantasy stats

Everyone's making a big fuss about all the home runs that have been flying out of the "new" Yankee Stadium over the past weekend. Obviously when a new park witnesses 25 home runs in its first five games (including exhibition), that gets the attention of fantasy owners. Ditto for the 14-run inning the Indians posted in their 22-4 mashing of the Yankees last week.

So what's the deal? Is it the way the park is situated or the shape of the seating areas, creating some weird wind effects? Some media geniuses are already calling the stadium "Coors Field East." Hah, good one. So does that mean we should start changing how we approach our fantasy lineups whenever we've got guys playing in the Bronx, the way we used to with Denver (in the pre-humidor days)?

I'm not sold.

First of all, the sample size is way too small. Obviously the 22-4 game is going to skew the numbers a bit (eight homers in that one). There have also been two games so far at the stadium in which only one homer was hit.

There's another reason for all the longballs, too: Bad pitching. Two of the Indians' homers were surrendered by someone named Anthony Claggett, making his first major league appearance. Two apiece were allowed by Edwar Ramirez and Damaso Marte (2009 ERAs: 8.44 and 21.00). One came off Chien-Ming Wang, and you know how great he's been this year. Two of the Yanks' were served up by Fausto Carmona (groundball to flyball ratio this year: 0.78).

In other words, pitching probably has played the biggest role in all the dingers. Plus, it's only April, so who knows how the winds will change, along with the temperatures and humidity, over the course of the next five months in New York? Even a full season's worth of data might not be enough to really give us a sense of whether Yankee Stadium is homer-friendly. Consider this, as baseball researcher and author David Vincent points out in an article in the Daily News: Washington's Nationals Park averaged 1.85 home runs last year in its inaugural season, and so far this year is averaging 3.5 round-trippers a game. Is it global warming? El Nino? Or perhaps the Nats' awful pitching (team ERA: 5.40)? Or some combination of these, plus a small sample size?

Anyway, I'm not going to rush to pick up Cody Ransom all the sudden and start him in every home game until we get some more information. For now, treat your lineups the way you normally would, and don't overreact. The "old" Yankee Stadium was 14th in the majors in home runs allowed per game last year, pretty much average. Let's see how it stacks up after a full season's worth of games this year before we start to make any big adjustments, OK?

Of course, as I was writing this, three homers were hit at the stadium in the course of an inning and a half, by Kurt Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera. So what do I know?

You need to know this

For those of you who haven't drafted yet (and even those who have):

Chris Perez has been sent to the minors, meaning Jason Motte is now the frontrunner to earn the bulk of the saves in St. Louis. Ryan Franklin is still lurking, and I think Perez will ultimately end up handling ninth-inning duties, but for now Motte's the man, and a must-add.

Lance Berkman has a sore shoulder and has been diagnosed with biceps tendinitis. Doesn't seem to be a huge deal though, as he hopes to return to the Astros' lineup this week. I wouldn't panic.

B.J. Ryan hasn't looked too hot this spring, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is concerned, and there's some discussion about Scott Downs and Ryan sharing closer duties. Handcuff alert! Drop Ryan down a peg in your closer rankings.


Brett Gardner has won the Yankees' starting CF job over Melky Cabrera. Why should you care? Because Gardner swiped 37 bags last year in 94 games in Triple-A and 13 more in 42 games in the bigs. Are you familiar with the term "cheap steals?"

The Cubs' closer (for now): Kevin Gregg. He's officially beaten out Carlos Marmol for the job entering the season. Gregg may not be the greatest, but he's coming off seasons of 29 and 32 saves - nothing to sniff at, and the Cubbies should win a bunch of ballgames. Marmol's got some value as a setup guy and might eventually win the job, but for now it's Gregg's to lose.