Pitch or Ditch for Saturday-Monday, May 21-23
"Big Z" aka Carlos Zambrano
ZACH’S PICKS
SATURDAY
Mortensen @ Marcum
Myers @ Morrow – Dangerous matchup for the erratic Myers. Morrow not that sharp of late but you gotta love the K’s.
Garland @ Buehrle – Buehrle pitching very well at home so far (1.66 ERA)
Westbrook @ Adcock
Bailey @ Tomlin
Lannan @ Guthrie – Will give Guthrie a try here.
Zambrano @ Aceves – Scary matchup for Big Z. I’m passing.
Capuano @ Burnett – A.J. pretty effective this year and gets injury-ravaged Mets’ lineup.
Hanson @ Pineiro
Price @ Vazquez – Don’t be surprised if Vazquez gets released in the near future.
Scherzer @ Correia
Anderson @ Lincecum
Lewis @ Lee
Pineda @ Richard – Richard a must-start here!
Baker @ Owings – Pitch on Baker, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggles here…could be HR derby.
SUNDAY
Jimenez @ Wolf – Last Ubaldo outing very encouraging. Wolf extremely shaky of late.
Volquez @ Carrasco – Volquez way too erratic.
Pelfrey @ Nova – Nova not a terrible play here but I don’t trust him.
Wandy @ Drabek
Zimmermann @ Tillman
Kuroda @ Jackson – Edwin just too unpredictable for my taste.
J. Garcia @ O’Sullivan
Lowe @ Chatwood – Lowe a real toss-up so I’d understand if you decide to ditch.
Garza @ Wakefield
Shields @ Johnson
Porcello @ Maholm – Porcello a solid option here.
Harrison @ Oswalt
Gonzalez @ J. Sanchez – This could be a 1-0 game with the two pitchers combining for 10 walks!
King Felix @ Stauffer
Liriano @ D. Hudson – Liriano such an enigma but I’ll pitch.
MONDAY
Buchholz @ Masterson – Tough challenge for Masterson vs. his old club but I think he’s up for it.
Hellickson @ Coke
Litsch @ Colon
Danks @ Ogando – Danks very disappointing so far…I wouldn’t blame you if you sit this one out.
Vargas @ Pavano – If you don’t pitch Pavano here why own him?
McCarthy @ Weaver
Arroyo @ Hamels – Arroyo a questionable call.
Kershaw @ Norris
Gorzelanny @ Gallardo – Gorzelanny enjoying a fine year but I still see him as too risky.
Lohse @ Moseley – Moseley starting to fade and has actually pitched a lot worse at Petco than on the road.
mlbtstufantasy411
With Berkman, Car-Go, Sizemore and Victorino all going down for a bit, my OF is looking a bit hurt. I have Bruce and Rios(and hes slumping bad) as my only healthy OF, any suggestions on who to pick up for a temp?
Steve,
Hard to say without knowing who’s available but generally speaking an effective way to handle this is to go to the waiver wire and look at Last 7 Days or Last 15 Days stats and sort by the different categories to find the logical fit for your team.
Zach
In a 10 team AL/NL league would you give up Ervin Santana and Roninson Cano for Clayton Kershaw and Evan Longoria………Or I can give up CJ Wilson for Evan Longoria strait up. Do you think either are worth my time?
Sean,
I answered your question on the previous post.
Zach
Im in a 12 team h2h dynasty league and received this trade offer: I get Heyward and Rios and give up McCutchen and Domonic Brown. My other OFs are Stanton, J.Upton, Rasmaus, Sizemore, and Gordon. Deal or no Deal?
Stevo,
I’d pass. I view Heyward and McCutchen as pretty much a wash but in a dynasty format I’d much rather have Brown than Rios.
Zach
If you could only start only 1 for Saturday, which would you pick?
Zambrano, H Bailey, Richard.
Thanks
Josh
Josh,
Richard. By far the most favorable matchup.
Zach
Setting my Wk8 Lineups, who do I throw SCHERZER at home vs BOS or D HUDSON @ HOU? I also have Ubaldo vs STL but have decided to sit him indefinitely. Thoughts from the 411?
Frankie,
Both of those guys really do not belong on any bench but if I had to pick one to start it would be Scherzer, despite the tougher matchup. Max has simply been the more consistent pitcher this year and he’s been absolutely lights out at home (3-0 0.77 ERA).
Zach
I’m looking to pick up ether Brett Lawrie or Mike Moustakas for a bench spot but I’ll only be able to pick up one. I could pick up both but I would have to drop ether Jamey Carroll or Alberto Callaspo. Who would you choose or should I try to pick up both?
Wisbrave,
I’d pick up both and drop Carroll. I don’t see Carroll maintaining his current level of production long-term and Lawrie and Moustakas are both worthy stash options in most formats.
Zach
Who ever said chasing saves is fun?
Recent adds;
Mark Lowe
Guerrier
Jansen
Wanna adds/available:
MacDougal
Rauch (have francisco)
Thoughts?
jaynew,
I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on with the Dodgers so I might just stay away from that situation altogether, but picking up Rauch as a handcuff to Francisco certainly can’t hurt. I’m not sold that Francisco will pitch well enough to keep the closer job over the long haul and Rauch has proven that he can succeed in the role.
Zach
Hey Zach, couple of “which would you rather” questions:
Panda, McGeehee, Youkilis, or M Young
Ethier, Ellsbury, Choo or Ichiro?
Wud you give up McGehee & McCann for M Young & Wieters?
Thanks for all the help & time!
Josh
Josh,
Youkilis
Ellsbury for now but the other three are not that far behind.
Pretty fair trade but I’d lean towards no. You’re buying high on Young as he’s bound to cool off sometime soon and despite McCann’s so-so start to the season, I still view the upgrade from Wieters to McCann as significant.
Zach
I have Lilly and Baker is on the wire. Would you swap them or stick with Lilly?
Michael,
Even though he’s gotten off to a somewhat shaky start, I’d stick with Lilly. He’s been the more reliable pitcher over the past several seasons and deserves some patience. Baker remains a strong waiver wire add though. I might try to pick him up for someone else besides Lilly.
Zach
If you could pitch only 1 in a points league (every out and K 1 point, win 10 pts, every hit, bb and er -1 pt) who would you play: Cliff Lee or his opponent, Colby Lewis?
Thanks Ivo
Ivo,
Lee is a must-start regardless of the matchup so he would be my choice.
Zach
Just traded Billy Butler and Pineda for Prince Fielder.Was this a good deal for me?
DB,
I like it a lot. Not a huge Butler fan and Pineda is a very reasonable price to pay for the 1B upgrade.
Zach
I was wondering what you thought of Matusz and a 3rd round pick in next years draft for Bumgarner?? I’m in a 16 team keeper league…
Santos,
I’m not really sure how valuable a third round pick is in this format but generally speaking I wouldn’t make this trade. Long-term, Matusz and Bumgarner are very comparable in my mind (maybe a slight edge to Bumgarner due to the NL factor) so it seems like you’re giving up too much by adding in the pick.
Zach
I have been offered Huston Street, Billy Butler and matt Joyce for Albert Pujols.
Should I do the unthinkable and trade the underperforming Pujols?
gareth,
Not a terrible package but I’d still pass. Pujols is the best player in this deal by far and you’re not getting a single star-quality player in return.
Zach
Have to pick up steals help in Bernadina and have to drop one of these “keeper” possibilities on my bench. Which one of these guys should I drop? Consideration should be given more to those that may still have an impact to help this year. Thanks for all consideration and thoughts.
Sorry, didn’t finish the thought……..the players to consider being dropped are: Brandon Belt, Anthony Rizzo, Desmond Jennings and Dustin Ackley. I also have Jed Lowrie on my bench and feel I need to keep him as a solid backup to Hanley and possible replacement for Beckham who’s killing me. Thanks again folks.
Frank,
That’s a real tough call but I think I’d lean towards dropping Rizzo as it sounds like he’s a little further away from being called up than the other three guys. Jennings is a must-keep in my opinion and Ackley could be useful to you this year for middle infield depth.
Zach
I just picked up Logan Morrison as Sizemore is on the DL and Berkman got hurt.
I missed out on picking up Joyce from the wire (my main competition snagged him). But In the long run, is Morrison a better option than Joyce?
gareth,
Yeah, I definitely prefer Morrison over Joyce. I’ve been really impressed by Morrison’s progression since last year, particularly in the power department. Although Morrison still might not hit as many homers as Joyce, I’m pretty sure that he’ll post a higher AVG and will finish the season as the more valuable overall player. Remember, Joyce is a career .268 hitter who is currently batting .355. A major stat correction is in store!
Zach
Hello fantasy experts! I have Jed Lowrie and Jhonny Peralta as my SS. Should I drop any of them and pick up Rafael Furcal?? Also, OF Domonic Brown is available on the waiver list. Is he worth owning in my 12 team H2H mixed league?? Your thoughts? Thank You very much, I appreciate your help.
Reese,
I’d want to see a little more from Furcal before making that pickup. Lowrie and Peralta have both been very productive this year so I wouldn’t be so quick to dump them for an aging shortstop who’s made frequent trips to the DL over the past few years.
Zach
Would you deal Lester & C Young (OF) for Hanley Ramirez?
I’m trying to buy low but not sure Hanleys owner realizes his value has dropped…
My Rotation wud be J Garcia, Beckett, Scherzer, Gallardo, De La Rosa, & Carpenter(who I’m itching to drop…)
I currently have a Cabrera and very happy with the production from my 22nd rd pick…but can I pass on Hanley?
Thanks
Josh
Josh,
First try to bargain him down a little bit but ultimately I’d make that move. Your rotation can definitely absorb the loss of Lester. And yes, Cabrera has been doing an outstanding job, but this is a very tough opportunity to pass up.
Zach
Hi Zach, recently made a trade sending Hanrahan and Heyward for Crawford in a keeper (4man). Am mighty relieved now the news Heyward’s hit the DL, but what about Crawford, surely he’s gonna get it going soon? Possibly a point for Cory (as I know Crawford’s one of his boys) to answer on the 411 about Crawford’s struggles/expected future performance? If not fd be happy to hear your thoughts too. Thanks
Dan,
I’m still not jumping ship on Crawford. He’s simply too talented of a player to keep struggling like this and you’ve got to think that a big part of this is mental. The 34-to-7 K/BB ratio is more than a bit concerning though, but I do like this trade, even if it’s a keeper league. Medium risk, high reward.
Zach
Pick 2
Smoak
papi
morneau
hosmer?
Hey Zach,
I play in a 12 team mixed points league. I guy just offered me Crawford and 2B Hill for my Neil Walker and Hanrahan. I have Santos, League, and Farnsworth as other closers and Kinsler at 2B, but have been playing Walker at DH. Crawford would move into DH role. Hill is just a back up or I may start him over kinsler.
Should I make this Trade.
Thanks,
Matt
Matt,
Your closer situation isn’t great but I’d still make this deal due to Crawford’s upside alone. I don’t care how badly he’s struggled this year…you’re getting him at a bargain basement price.
Zach