Fantasy Baseball - April's Heroes & Goats

April 2008 is now history. After one month there are a large number of players whose April's performance has either added to or taken away from your Fantasy Baseball Team's Performance. Whether you're playing Rotisserie, Head To Head, Salary Cap or any other type of fantasy baseball, the performances of these players have caused hours of roster reevaluation. The following highlights several of the Hero Hitters & Pitchers, followed by the Goats of the pitching class.

***Some of the Leading Hitting Performances

1: CHASE UTLEY - 2nd base - Philadelphia: 11 HR's, 23 RBI's, .360 Bat.Avg. & .430 On Base %: What a stud! Not really a surprise based on his prior season's performances. But at his current pace we may see another National League MVP coming out of Philadelphia (Howard 2006) & (Rollins 2007).

2: NATE MCLOUTH - Outfield - Pittsburgh: 7 HR's, 25 RBI, .342 Bat. Avg., & .425 On Base %: When was the last time we saw numbers like this coming out of Pittsburgh? He could be the steal of the season for anyone who was fortunate to draft him. His 22 steals in 2007 indicate that he has some speed to go along with his impressive April Stats. Could be the X Factor in many successful fantasy teams this year.

3: JOSH HAMILTON - Outfield - Texas: 6 HR's, 32 RBI's, .330 Bat. Avg., & .379 On Base%: Came to Texas in the deal that sent Edinson Volquez to Cincinnati, a deal that's helped both clubs. Hamilton, whose start to his baseball career was delayed to his reported drug addiction that resulted in eight different rehab programs, began to show his potential last season with 19 HR's, 47 RBI's & a .292 Avg. in a injury shortened 90 game season . He's a Keeper!

4: CARLOS QUENTIN - Outfield - Chicago White Soxs: 7 HR's, 21 RBI's, .298 Bat. Avg., & .433 On Base%: Carlos came to Chicago via a trade with Arizona during the off season. He's making GSM, Ken Williams look brilliant again with his fast start. It's extremely doubtful that any fantasy managers has Quentin on their draft radar this spring, but it's doubtful that you'll find him available in your league today.

5: NICK MARKAKIS - Outfielder - Baltimore: 4 HR's, 11 RBI's, 22 Walks, 6 Stolen Bases, .287 Bat. Avg. & .427 On Base%: Came into his own last season with 23 HR's, 112 RBI's & .300 Bat. Avg. Nick is a Five Tool Player with his batting ability, his speed and defensive skills. Add to this, the ball park he plays in (Hitter Friendly Camden Yards) and you have a foundation to build a team upon.

Other Leading April Hitting Performers: Derrick Lee (Cubs); Lance Berkman (Astros); Hanley Ramirez (Cubs); Rafael Furcal (Dodgers); Chipper Jones (Braves); Conor Jackson (Padres); Aramis Ramirez (Cubs) to name a few.......

***Leading April Pitching Performers.

1: CLIFF LEE - Cleveland: 5 Wins/0 Loses, 1 Complete game, 32 K's, 2 W's, 19 Hits in 37+ Innings & 0.96 ERA: Easily the Pitcher of Month for the major leagues. Not bad for a pitcher that was designated as the 5Th Starter for the Indians the day before the season started. It's extremely doubtful that he'll keep up this pace in the future months (after all he gave up a run last night!), but he's going to be a great pickup for the remainder of the season.

2: BRANDON WEBB - Arizona: 6 Wins/0 Loses, 34 K's, 29 Hits in 41 Innings & 1.98 ERA: Webb, the Diamondbacks Annual Cy Young contender, is the bedrock of the young Arizona pitching staff that has gotten off quickly this season. A Pitching keeper!

3: ERVIN SANTANA - LA Angels: 5 Wins/ 0 Loses, 29 K's, 30 Hits in 40 Innings & 2.48 ERA: Another preseason sleeper, who has put it together for the Angels. Ervin was 7 & 14 with a 5.76 ERA in 2007, but was also viewed by the club as a potential winning pitcher. Well, he's off to a great start and if he's on your roster, see how far you can ride him.

4: JOE SAUNDERS - LA Angels: 5 Wins/ 0 Loses, 20 K's, 31 Hits in 43+ Innings & 2.08 ERA: A mid-Season call up last season, Saunders achieved a solid 8 & 5 record with a 4.44 ERA. With injuries to both John Lackey and Kevin Escobar this season, Saunders got the opportunity to hold down a Starting Position in April. It might be a while before he gives his up.

5: FELIX HERNANDEZ - Seattle: 2 wins/1Loss, 1 Complete game, 41 K's, 39 Hits in 44+ Innings & 2.22 ERA: People forget that Felix is only 22 years old. Probably brought up several seasons too early by the Seattle Franchise, Felix is getting comfortable as a starter.

Other Leading April Pitching Performers: Brandon Lyons (Diamondbacks); Jake Peavy (Padres); Roy Halladay (Blue Jays); Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees); Tim Lincecum (Giants); Johan Santana (Mets); Cole Hamels (Phillies); Edinson Volquez (Reds); Dan Haren (Diamondbacks) to name a few.....

***April Hitting Disappointments***

1: RYAN HOWARD - Phillies: 5 HR's, 12 RBI's, .172 Bat.Avg., 38 K's, .297 OB%: Second Year in a row that Ryan has started off slowly. Team owners must have a lot of patience with Howard because as he indicated last year that once he finds his hitting eye he'll pay dividends daily, because 47 HR's and 137 RBI's can't be ignored. But in the meantime you'll have to put up with his strike outs which numbered 199 last year.

2: TRAVIS HAFNER - Cleveland: 3 HR's, 16 RBI's, .210 Bat.Avg., 27 K's, .302 OB% & .340 Slug%; This future Hall of Famer has reached 41 years old. Put this together with a slow start and one begins to wonder if it's a slump that he'll come out of.

3: JASON GIAMBI - Yankees: 5 HR's, 13 RBI's, .169 Bat. Avg., 11 K's, .345 OB% and a .411 Slug%; It's been Home Run or bust so far this season for Jason whose playing time at first Base has been increased this season. Still has not regained the opposite field punch that used to beat the shifts that the American League place against him on the field. Will remain in the batting order at least until Posada and Rodriguez come off the IR's.

4: TROY TULOWITZKI - Colorado: 1 HR, 11 RBI's, .152 Bat. Avg., 17 K's, .226 OB% and a .238 Slug%: A real surprise after one month. Recently when on IR after a very sub par performance particularly in lea of last year's performance. Both Colorado and the Fantasy Owners holding him on their roster hope he gets healthy quick and finds the stroke.

5: FRANK THOMAS - Oakland: 3 HR's, 14 RBI's, .180 Bat. Avg., 17 K's, .327 OB% and a .337 Slug%: Near the end? Thomas refused to sit on the pines in Toronto and now it's time for him to either regain his status as a premier hitter or face retirement. The question will be whether Oakland and his fantasy Owners have to patience to wait?

***April Pitching Disappointments***

1: BARRY ZITO - San Francisco: 0 wins/6 Loses, 7.43 ERA & 1.95 Whip: Has there been a bigger bust? Pitching is a pitcher's ballpark, Zito has just about lost it. Fantasy Owners have long dropped him and the question is how long with the Giants hold him despite the worst big contract in major league history.

2: C.C. SABATHIA - Cleveland: 1 Win/4 Loses, 7.88 ERA & 1.78 Whip: He's been a shock to Fantasy Owners, many who may have picked him up in the first round. Coming off a 19 & 7 Cy Young Award season, this start was a complete surprise. However, his last two appearances in the month seem to indicate that he's found the strike zone again.

3: JUSTIN VERLANDER - Detroit: 1 Win/4 loses, 6.50 ERA., 1.47 Whip: Like his team he has gotten off to a very slow start. But also like his team he possesses too much talent to remain at this level of performance for too long.

4: TED LILLY: 1 Win/4 Loses, 6.46 ERA, 1.50 Whip: Off to a slow start with Lou Pinellas' Cubs. Now a predominately finesse type pitcher, warmer weather should help him turn his season around.

5: PHIL HUGHES & IAN KENNEDY - Yankees: Combined these two rookies have been a train wreck for the Yankee pitching staff. After showing some promise in 2007, both were slated to start for the Bombers for the 08 season. This pressure, along with the pressure that the team refused to part with either of them in a trade with Minnesota for Johan Santana, has resulted in a combined 0 wins & 6 loses with a approx. 8.75 ERA. Hughes is currently on the IR for a strained Oblique Muscle (Sore Side). It remains to be seen how long either will remain on the staff.

Lastly, Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays for their first winning April in team history!
GHD