Jun’s Swoon
It has become a heartbreaking tradition at Wrigley field that the loveable loser Cubs give away any momentum that they may have gained through the early part of the season in the infamous month of June with some kind of extended losing streak, injury or other misfortune.
Jun’s Swoon (yeah, it’s spelled different, but it’s the same sound, deal with it) is an article highlighting the lowlights in the fantasy baseball season, particularly the players who did not bring the heat. It goes out to all you owners who have had you putting your head straight into your morning Cheerios and milk after reading that your first round supposed stud slugger went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and is batting .217 with 45 RBIs and 9 home runs…in SEPTEMBER. We will be separating the group of swooners into two main subcategories; those stung by the injury bug, and just plain inderachievers, so pull out the Kleenex and prepare to vent that fantasy frustration.
Stung by the injury bug
As any seasoned fantasy owner knows, injuries are a part of the game and they also know that they are a real pain, so let’s divulge into those players that have left us hanging and cursing our luck through no fault of our own.
The only thing the fleet-footed Jacoby Ellsbury has done fast this season is sink many owners that used a high selection to draft him. He has been out for most of the season, managing to play in only 18 games before going on the DL again August 17th. He may be shut down for the season with the meager line of seven steals and 10 runs, all while batting a measly .198 with an equally depressing .241 OBP in the few games he was healthy enough to play.
Kendry Morales really helped fantasy owners…for the first two months of the season. In all, the slugging first baseman played in 51 games before he prematurely ended his season celebrating a game winning grand slam, no less. What a way to go out. As spectacular as it, was Morales’ injury brought nothing but despair to his fantasy owners. When he went down, he was contributing solidly in several hitting categories, having hit 11 homers, driven in 39, hitting a very solid .290 and reaching base at a smart .341 clip. I myself cringe after listing Morales’ particular numbers because like many others, I found myself in the market for a slugging first baseman when he went down on May 29th.
Brandon Webb contributed nothing but heartache this season. OK, maybe a little indigestion as well, but certainly nothing positive in fantasy terms. Webb has made zero starts this season as his nearly two-year recovery from shoulder surgery will finally come to a close when the club anticipates he pitches in a reliever’s capacity for the Diamondbacks sometime in September. Whoopty-Do. He will still not be relevant in any format this season and cost many patient owners a draft pick and a roster spot as they hoped that he might make a late comeback. Here’s hoping Webb makes a full recovery because the throw-back sinker baller is a pleasure to watch, and truly one of the finest aces in the league when healthy. Sure, it would have been nice to know that he wouldn’t make a difference earlier in the season though instead of newsfeeds and inside reports indicating otherwise.
Honorable Mention: Erik Bedard LHP, Seattle Mariners–similarly to Brandon Webb, the oft-injured left-handed flame thrower will not hurl one meaningful pitch for fantasy leaguers. On a side note, even if he could, it’s far too late to save the Mariners.
Just Plain Underachievers
After establishing himself as a five star slugging talent in the minors, Pablo Sandoval burst on to the Major League scene as a rookie in 2009 and had an outstanding season. He looked to be true thoroughbred, putting up eye popping numbers. He hit .330 with 25 bombs and drove in 90, which was actually a little low for an upper echelon slugger, but RBIs are more of a team statistic and in this case is more attributable to the rest of the Giants lineup than Sandoval himself. So far this season, Sandoval is hitting just .271 with 11 homers and 56 driven in. At the beginning of the season, Sandoval suffered through a major slump and to his credit, has been able pull himself out of it to some extent as of late. That being said, fantasy owners have endured one of the most dramatic and unexpected sophomore slumps in recent memory. All things considered, Pablo is a natural hitter and while the pitchers have studied film and learned ways to exploit his weaknesses this season, like any good hitter, he will also adjust over the winter months. I have Sandoval ranked sturdily as a super sleeper going into next year’s projections.
Chone Figgins was supposed to be the offseason acquisition that would help jumpstart a sputtering Seattle Mariners offense coming off a season of futility. I myself subscribed to the fact that a team built around pitching and defense would really be able to do damage with two certified leadoff men in Ichiro and Figgins at the top. Like Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik, I forgot that hitters three through nine also have a say in the outcome in the season and it didn’t help the team that Figgins completely missed expectations. One season removed from stealing 42 bags, scoring 114 runs and batting .292 while reaching base 39.5 percent of the time with the Angels, his numbers have dipped to 32 steals (which is the only category that it looks like he will keep constant from last year), a miniscule 50 runs, .252 BA and a .339 OBP. If it weren’t for his steals, Figgins would be virtually unplayable in any format.
Alex Rodriguez really fits unevenly into either category, struggling at the plate when healthy with a few stints on the 15 day disabled list. With no PED pumping through his bloodstream, A-Roid is getting a taste of what it’s like to be hurt. It’s hard to say who has suffered more from the regular bumps and bruises (and line drives off the bat of teammates) associated with the grind of a 162 game season, the Yankees slugging third baseman himself or the fantasy owners that spent a top five pick on him. Rodriguez was actually coming off a down season for him in fantasy where he missed the first month of the season and many roto experts pegged him for a bounce back season. Unfortunately, that has not happened. He should still hover around the same amount of runs batted in, but his 21 homers put him on pace for his lowest total since, wait for it, his ROOKIE campaign in 1995 where in a late season call up, he hit 5 round trippers in all of 48 games. His .265 BA and .333 OBP are also his worst since 1995. Don’t be surprised to see A-Rod, who recently shook his postseason jinx, to once again be the hero in October, but unfortunately that brings no relief in fantasy.
Alright venting is over. I hope you all feel better; I know I sure do. Be on the look-out for a much more positive Jun’s Boon that will feature the players that will help out your fantasy team as we approach the stretch run and pennant race in fantasy baseball.
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