By John Arias.
Arizona Diamondbacks
SP Dan Haren:
Coming over from Oakland he will be penciled in as the number 2 man in the rotation behind the ace of the staff Brandon Webb. Last year, Arizona dealt with injuries to their starting rotation and most notably Randy Johnson. With Doug Davis in the third spot and a developing Micah Owings as the fourth, if only Randy Johnson can come back from back surgery, the Diamondbacks look to have one of the better rotations in the National league.
Last year with Oakland, Haren had a career year going 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 192 SO in only 34 starts. He pitched a career high 222 2/3 innings while only allowing 55 BB. His WHIP of 1.21 was one of the best in the American League for starting pitchers. Leaping from the American to the National league should help Haren in 2008.
Fantasy Analysis:
In 12 career interleague starts Haren posted a 7-2 record with a 2.93 ERA. He will be now pitching at a hitter friendly park and will give up more home runs, yet I strongly believe that Haren will have great success in the National League. With a better nucleus around him, Haren can easily win 18 games this year and be among the best in the National League. His ERA will be around to 3.65 and look for his strikeout total to be even higher in 2008. In each of the last three years his strikeout numbers have improved and I look for them to reach over 200 in 2008. A very good pitcher on a contending team, look out N.L West.
San Diego Padres
2B Tadahito Iguchi:
Playing on a disappointing Chicago White Sox team last year, he was fortunate to be traded to a contender in the National League. With the Phillies the final two months of the season, he managed to hit .304 with 5 home runs and 22 RBI’s in only 41 games.
Fantasy Analysis:
He has found a home with the Padres, as their starting second baseman in 2008. Therefore, he should be worth a selection late in the draft. His numbers do not amaze, but are always consistent. He has hit for a batting average of a .276 with 14 HR, 60 RBIs and a SLG% of .421. He also has stolen 13 bases on average and scored 79 runs per year. Going to Petco Park will hurt these numbers, but with the opportunity to hit regularly he is still one to look out for in 2008.
OF Jim Edmonds:
The eight-time Gold Glove winner had one of his worst seasons in St. Louis last year. He ended the season hitting only .252 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs. He managed to play in 117 games and scored only 39 runs. His OBP went down from only two years ago of .385 to .325 in 2007. Will he be able to display the Jim Edmonds of old?
Fantasy Analysis:
Coming into 2008, Edmonds will be entering the final year of his contract and reports say he is healthy and motivated. Coming to Petco Park will hurt his numbers, but not as much as one would think. He should have a solid year worthy of a sleeper tag coming into the 2008 season. As a left-handed hitter he should end up with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs with a .260 batting average. Look for him to score between 70-80 runs and have an OBP of .360.
SP Randy Wolf:
His has been plagued by injuries over his career and 2007 was no different. He was only able to pitch the first half of the season before shutting it down for the rest of the year. For the Dodgers last year in 18 starts, Wolf went 9-6 with an ERA of 4.73. He managed to only pitch 102 2/3 innings, but did strikeout 93 batters.
Fantasy Analysis:
For 2008, Wolf must stay healthy in order for the Padres to have a chance to contend in the tough N.L. West. The good news was that in the off-season Wolf did not require surgery on his left elbow and he will be only 31 years of age entering this season. The bad news is that one would have to expect setbacks because of his past and be aware of that on draft day. He will be a great late round selection because of his upside and a sleeper for 2008. If healthy, he could be one of the steals on draft day.
Player to Watch:
SP Mark Prior:
Can he stay healthy for an entire season is the question? If no one has drafted him by the late stages of the draft go ahead and take a chance. Who else at the end of the draft could give you this kind of potential value?
San Francisco Giants
OF Aaron Rowand:
A star collegiate at Cal State Fullerton became a household name in 2008. Known for his defense first, Rowand put together a career year offensively in 2007. He had career highs in homers, (27) RBI’s, (89) runs, (105) at-bats, (612) OBP, (.374) hits, (189) and games played (161). Those highs could not have come at a better time entering the final year of his contract with the Phillies. Unable to re-sign him, he found a home on the left coast.
Fantasy Analysis:
Coming into 2008, Rowand is moving from a hitter’s park to a pitchers park. His numbers will be affected. Look for his average, RBIs and OBP to stay the same. His power numbers in AT&T Park will take the most toll. Look for him to finish between with 18-22 home runs. Also, he will not go over 100 runs scored this year because of the lack of protection in the Giants line-up. Overall, he is a top 30 outfielder and a solid number 3.
Los Angeles Dodgers
OF Andrew Jones:
Had the worst statistical offensive year of his career and was rewarded a 36.2 million dollar contract over the next two years. At only 30, Andrew is very motivated to show those around baseball he still is among one of the elite players in the game. Putting aside his horrible 2007 numbers where he had career lows in batting average, (.222) OBP, (.311) SLUG, (.413) hits, (127) and homers (26) he is still a dangerous threat heading into the 2008 fantasy draft.
Fantasy Analysis:
Look for Andrew Jones to have a renaissance in L.A. and put up huge numbers in 2008. Fantasy wise if he has an average year, Jones should hit .263 and have an OBP of .342, SLUG .497 with 33 home runs and 105 RBI’s. Now, imagine if he can have a great year the possibilities are endless. He is still a top 25 outfielder and definitely a candidate for comeback player of the year.
SP Hiroki Kuroda:
Was one of the highly pursued free agent pitchers on the market until he agreed to a 3 year 35.3 million dollar contract in December with L.A. Having pitched his entire 11-year career in Japan, he does have a great resume. In Japan, Kuroda had a record of 103-89 with an ERA of 3.69.
Fantasy Analysis:
He led the Central League with 15 wins in 2005 and had a league-best 1.85 ERA in 2006, when Daisuke Matsuzaka was still in Japan. He has a fastball in the mid-90s mph and has excellent control; Kuroda has the potential to duplicate the success of fellow country man Dice-K. At age 32, Kuroda is a definite sleeper candidate and should be one to watch in 2008.
Unfortunately, for all
Colorado Rockies fans, they have not acquired any free agent or traded for any player worth mentioning in this column. In the future, if a notable transaction takes place, I will update the column. Note that the team is good enough to stay put in the market.
In the following weeks, I will be breaking down each division and focusing on players who were acquired via free agency or trade.
Next week I will analyze the National League East.
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