Sizemore's sad story

Remember when Grady Sizemore was a fantasy stud?

It wasn't that long ago. In fact, as recently as 2008 he became only the 14th American League player to put up a 30-30 season.

Then came the elbow/groin injuries and a subpar 2009 campaign (18 homers, 64 RBIs, .248 average). And we don't even need to remind you of those ill-advised, somewhat scandalous photos that ended up in the blogosphere.

Sizemore's stock fell along with his numbers, but there was speculation he might have a bounce-back season for the Indians this year. He was kept in my league this year by a leaguemate who boldly predicted Sizemore would be a top-20 player this year.

That leaguemate dropped Sizemore today.

A stat line of .211/0 HR/13 RBIs and the announcement of left knee surgery made the choice a lot easier for him. I'm not sure I'd drop Sizemore outright if I could afford to stash him on my bench - the timetable for his return is said to be 6-to-8 weeks - but it looks increasingly likely Sizemore won't come close to the lofty expectations many had for him in 2010.

Can he still be a useful fantasy commodity this year? Possibly. Will he ever return to being a fantasy stud with a rare blend of speed and power? That's an open question at this point.

Rolling the Dice

So I decided to roll the dice (pardon the awful pun) on Daisuke Matsuzaka for a spot start Thursday night against the Royals.

After all, he was coming of a near no-hitter in his last start, the Red Sox had won five straight and, hey, it's the Royals.

The good news: Dice-K had a two-hitter this time out.

The bad news: He only lasted 4 2/3 innings, gave up three runs and, oh yeah, walked eight batters.

Go figure. Matsuzaka has to be one of the most maddening pitchers in the major leagues when it comes to fantasy. The way he fluctuates from season-to-season and game-to-game is almost impossible to read. The talent's there, but he's just not worth the roller-coaster ride.

I think I'm done with the start-and-dump strategy for a while now after getting burned by Joel Pineiro (nine runs) and now Dice-K (eight walks) in the past week.

And whatever happened to that darn "gyroball" anyway?



Photo by The Associated Press

Did you know?

Did you know that ...

Washington Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard has as many wins (7) as Felix Hernandez (2), Cliff Lee (2), Josh Beckett (1), Zack Greinke (1) and Carlos Zambrano (1) combined?

Nats closer Matt Capps has as many saves (16) as Mariano Rivera (8) and Francisco Rodriguez (8)?

The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista has as many homers (14) as Matt Holliday (5) Aramis Ramirez (4), Jason Bay (3) and Manny Ramirez (2)?

The Brewers' Casey McGehee has as many RBIs (39) as Derrek Lee (20) and Prince Fielder (19)?

Just saying.

Fantasy's a funny game.

Feeling LOST

So I've been feeling a little lost lately ... and it's not just because I just finished watching the LOST series finale (sooooo were they dead the whole time or what? In purgatory? My head hurts) ...

No, I'm feeling lost because it seems like every move I've made with my fantasy team the past few days has horribly backfired.

Case in point: I'm in desperate need of some power, so I traded for Carlos Pena last week, figuring he's due to snap out of it and smash some round-trippers sooner or later. But I figure I'll keep him on my bench for a while since he hadn't even been hitting .100 this month.

Of course he goes and hits not one but two homers Thursday against the Yankees that are of absolutely no use to me.

Oh, I had him in my lineup Friday, Saturday and Sunday after that - when he went a combined 1-for-11 with no homers.

Similar story with Jason Bay, who had gone deep just once all year and was killing my HR total. Finally benched him Saturday against the Yanks and he goes 4-for-4 ... kept him on the bench Sunday figuring he wouldn't do much damage against CC Sabathia (1-for-9 lifetime) and he jacks not one but two homers. Foiled again.

Rough time with my pitching, too, where I'm in just as desperate need of wins. Figured I'd do the grab-and-start thing with Joel Pineiro - picked him up off the waiver wire as he was coming off a complete-game, four-hit shutout and was pitching at St. Louis (where he put up some great numbers both with the Cardinals and as an opposing pitcher - up until Friday, that is). Of course he lasts just three innings, coughing up nine earned runs on nine hits, including a grand slam to Brad Penny of all people.

Thanks for playing, Joel.

Maybe I'm the one who's stuck in purgatory, and my team isn't going anywhere until I make the right choice.

I just hope there's some kind of bright light for my team at the end of all this.

No way, Jose: Contreras a closer

Talk about a blast from the past: Jose Contreras is a legit fantasy contributor.

Yup, that Jose Contreras, the guy listed in your Philadelphia Phillies media guide as a 38-year-old but who may be 5 or even 10 years older than that.

The Phillies picked him up off the scrap heap this year and, as luck would have it, they had to turn to him as their de facto closer after Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson ended up on the DL. Contreras has responded by going 2-for-2 in save opportunities in the past week while sporting a 0.63 ERA and 20/2 K/BB ratio for the year.

Not bad for an old guy who's learning on the job.

With Madson on the 60-day DL and the always-shaky Lidge still not having a timetable for his return from elbow inflammation, Contreras is a must-grab fantasy option. JC Romero did earn a save Friday against Boston, but Contreras had pitched the night before and still looks like the Phils' go-to guy in the ninth for the time being, so get him while you can.

Is a 135.00 ERA bad?

Had Kerry Wood in my lineup Wednesday night against the Kansas City Royals.

He entered the top of the ninth with the Indians ahead 4-3.

I'm feeling good.

Then this happened:

M Aviles tripled to deep right.
D DeJesus reached on infield single to pitcher.
B Butler doubled to deep right, M Aviles scored, D DeJesus to third. GAME TIED 4-4.
J Guillen struck out looking.
A Callaspo intentionally walked.
M Maier walked, D DeJesus scored, B Butler to third, A Callaspo to second. ROYALS 5, INDIANS 4.
Y Betancourt doubled to deep center, B Butler, A Callaspo and M Maier scored. ROYALS 8, INDIANS 4.
J Wright relieved K Wood.

That's four hits, five runs, 1 out, one blown save, one loss and a 135.00 ERA for the night.

Not 1.35 ... 135.00.

Is Wood in danger of losing his job so quickly after coming off the DL? It's possible. But remember, this is essentially Wood's spring training, and while he probably won't morph into an elite closer, he could round into form and at least be serviceable.

I'm probably picking up set-up man Chris Perez though, just in case.

Pat Burrell, Hank Blalock & Ronnie James Dio

I was trolling around YouTube and thinking about Ronnie James Dio tonight and wondering how I could incorporate the late metal legend into a fantasy blog post. Then it hit me: the title of the tune posted above perfectly sums up the Pat Burrell Experience the past two seasons - and it also gives me a great excuse to post a video of the funny little old dude with the huge voice, who lost his battle to cancer over the weekend at age 67.

OK, so maybe it's a stretch, but it's the best I could come up with - I'm not even sure what a Holy Diver or a Neon Knight is, so this is all I've got.

Anyway, back to Burrell, who was designated for assignment the other day by the Rays after nearly a year-and-a-half of disappointment. Burrell was batting .202 with two homers and 13 RBIs for Tampa Bay this season on the heels of a .221/14/64 season last year - paltry numbers for an American League DH who signed for big bucks. In fact, Burrell ended up clearing $16 million from the Rays, or $1 million per home run, before falling off the edge of the world.

Shameful.

Those who gambled that 2009 was an aberration and took a flier on Burrell this year have to be sorely disappointed, and probably dropped "Pat the Bat" by now. There's a decent chance Burrell will clear waivers and get picked up by another team desperate for another bat, but it's hard to envision a scenario where Burrell will have any real fantasy value from here on out. And that's amazing for a guy who hit 33 homers and knocked in 134 runs just two seasons ago with the Phillies.

Burrell's replacement on the Rays' roster is a familiar face: Hank Blalock, last seen swatting 25 homers for the Texas Rangers in 2009. Tampa Bay signed signed Blalock to a minor-league deal in the offseason, and he was tearing it up in Triple-A (.349, four homers, 24 RBIs) before his call-up. There's still some life left in his bat, but his appearances could be sparse as a DH/backup corner infielder. But he's sleeper who might be able to help you for a stretch if he's on a hot streak. You might even call him ... a Rainbow in the Dark.

Or not.

I tried.

R.I.P. Ronnie.