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On Track:
Jason Schmidt: Last month Schmidt gave his first indication that he was all the way back from shoulder and elbow problems when he threw a complete game one-hitter against the Cubs. I took issue with Felipe Alou for letting him throw 144 pitches in that game. Oh well, who cares? Schmidt just threw another one-hitter against the Red Sox on 133 pitches. Over his last 10 starts, Schmidt is 8-0 and has 92 strikeouts in 76 IP. The hard-throwing ace currently has a 0.94 WHIP and 2.26 ERA for the season. If there were any concern for his health there is no way Alou and pitching coach Dave Righetti would let him continue to throw 130 pitches. The man is an official bull.
Johan Santana: Picture rock legend Carlos Santana pitching for the Twins. That's what it was like watching this Santana pitch the first month and a half. On May 23rd the White Sox lit him up for 7 ER in 3 IP. Was he a one-year wonder? Did the league figure him out? Why was Ron Gardenhire so reluctant to put Santana in the rotation last year? After being drafted on average in the eighth round, by midseason some frustrated owners dropped him to waivers. Calm down, people, act like you've played before. Santana is 3-0 with 29 Ks in his last three starts. Not only have leagues picked him back up, but owners are also getting more for him now than they were two weeks ago. I know getting Shawn Green doesn't sound like much, but he used to go for Adam Kennedy.
Joel Pineiro: After winning 16 games last season, 20 looked like a possibility this year. Through mid May, Pineiro was on pace for 20 losses. In fairness to Pineiro, runs in Seattle were harder to come by than a sunny day in January. This was supposed to be the year he took the ace job away from Freddy Garcia. He still might, but only because Garcia has his bags packed for a contender. Interleague gave Pineiro a nice change of scenery. He has gone eight innings in each of his last three starts, allowing only 3 ER. Oh, how quickly owners forget. Pineiro has experienced a 29% increase in ownership this week alone. His miserable start had him owned at only a 58% clip. The bandwagon is starting to get full.
Derek Lowe: How Lowe can you go? We found out in May when Lowe finished the month going 1-4 with an 8.19 ERA. It got to be so bad that Lowe was being traded straight up for guys like Danys Baez. It's bad when you think the D-Rays' closer is going to experience more joy than a Red Sox starter. Now the Rays are hot, but so is Lowe. In June, Lowe is 2-0 in three starts with a 0.95 ERA. He wasn't just a product of run support either. Lowe threw a seven-inning shutout in Coors Field of all places. It also helps getting Nomar and Trot back.
Off Track:
Barry Zito: It's time Zito put down his guitar and concentrate more on the notes he's producing on the mound. Remember when this guy was 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA? Watching him fall to mediocrity is like watching Evander Holyfield fight. It's slow, painful and you just wish it would end. For an owner there is nothing worse than being mediocre. The once dominant lefty is now 4-4 with a 1.52 WHIP and 4.91 ERA. Zito's strikeouts have gone from 205 to 182 to 146 last year. The drop in strikeouts is a clear indication that hitters have gotten used to seeing that big bender. What is more concerning is that for the first time Zito is not 100% owned in ESPN FLB. Putting him on the wire is absurd, but if you were expecting ace numbers, consider the damage done.
Bartolo Colon: He was supposed to become elite with Vladimir Guerrero providing run support, but currently Colon ranks as the third most common player found on last place teams in FLB. If the law of averages works out, the hard-throwing righty could be in for a monster second half. Since 1998 Colon has won at least 14 games, but this season is just 4-6 with a 6.04 ERA. His record in June is even worse at 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA. The Pirates beat him in his last start and the fact that he gave up four HRs, including two to lightweight Tike Redman, is awfully concerning. The Colon stock has fallen so far that he is now only owned in 96.6% of leagues and is being offered up for Edgar Martinez. Martinez doesn't even suit up in NL parks.
Roy Halladay: The numbers aren't too bad, but definitely not Cy Young worthy. The most concerning number is the 1.30 WHIP, but you can live with a 3.84 ERA. Halladay owners were banking on this guy pitching deep into meaningful games for the Jays. Carlos Delgado might be shipped out before the deadline, Vernon Wells won't be back until after the break and Toronto is 3.5 games behind the Devil Rays. Don't look for the Blue Jays to push Halladay too hard. Halladay also has missed two starts this year with a sore shoulder. If the injury should flair up again, Toronto wouldn't hesitate to shut him down. It's not worth the risk. The chances of getting your value from Halladay this year are very unlikely.
Matt Morris: If Chris Carpenter has 7 wins, Morris should have 10. It may not be fair to criticize a pitcher with a 1.20 WHIP, but the point is when owners drafted Morris, they expected much more than an average pitcher with a 4.43 ERA. In 2001, Morris was 22-8 and had 185 strikeouts in 216 IP. This year he is on pace for 16-14 and only 136 Ks in 238 IP. Morris was only 11-8 last season, but whether or not a pitcher gets a win is not always up to him. He still sported a 1.17 WHIP and 3.76 ERA. The stuff is still there, but his concentration isn't. He is on pace for 66BB, the most since '97. He simply hasn't been the same pitcher since he lost his good friend Darryl Kile. He needs to show some life on the mound again.
Jason Schmidt: Last month Schmidt gave his first indication that he was all the way back from shoulder and elbow problems when he threw a complete game one-hitter against the Cubs. I took issue with Felipe Alou for letting him throw 144 pitches in that game. Oh well, who cares? Schmidt just threw another one-hitter against the Red Sox on 133 pitches. Over his last 10 starts, Schmidt is 8-0 and has 92 strikeouts in 76 IP. The hard-throwing ace currently has a 0.94 WHIP and 2.26 ERA for the season. If there were any concern for his health there is no way Alou and pitching coach Dave Righetti would let him continue to throw 130 pitches. The man is an official bull.
Johan Santana: Picture rock legend Carlos Santana pitching for the Twins. That's what it was like watching this Santana pitch the first month and a half. On May 23rd the White Sox lit him up for 7 ER in 3 IP. Was he a one-year wonder? Did the league figure him out? Why was Ron Gardenhire so reluctant to put Santana in the rotation last year? After being drafted on average in the eighth round, by midseason some frustrated owners dropped him to waivers. Calm down, people, act like you've played before. Santana is 3-0 with 29 Ks in his last three starts. Not only have leagues picked him back up, but owners are also getting more for him now than they were two weeks ago. I know getting Shawn Green doesn't sound like much, but he used to go for Adam Kennedy.
Joel Pineiro: After winning 16 games last season, 20 looked like a possibility this year. Through mid May, Pineiro was on pace for 20 losses. In fairness to Pineiro, runs in Seattle were harder to come by than a sunny day in January. This was supposed to be the year he took the ace job away from Freddy Garcia. He still might, but only because Garcia has his bags packed for a contender. Interleague gave Pineiro a nice change of scenery. He has gone eight innings in each of his last three starts, allowing only 3 ER. Oh, how quickly owners forget. Pineiro has experienced a 29% increase in ownership this week alone. His miserable start had him owned at only a 58% clip. The bandwagon is starting to get full.
Derek Lowe: How Lowe can you go? We found out in May when Lowe finished the month going 1-4 with an 8.19 ERA. It got to be so bad that Lowe was being traded straight up for guys like Danys Baez. It's bad when you think the D-Rays' closer is going to experience more joy than a Red Sox starter. Now the Rays are hot, but so is Lowe. In June, Lowe is 2-0 in three starts with a 0.95 ERA. He wasn't just a product of run support either. Lowe threw a seven-inning shutout in Coors Field of all places. It also helps getting Nomar and Trot back.
Off Track:
Barry Zito: It's time Zito put down his guitar and concentrate more on the notes he's producing on the mound. Remember when this guy was 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA? Watching him fall to mediocrity is like watching Evander Holyfield fight. It's slow, painful and you just wish it would end. For an owner there is nothing worse than being mediocre. The once dominant lefty is now 4-4 with a 1.52 WHIP and 4.91 ERA. Zito's strikeouts have gone from 205 to 182 to 146 last year. The drop in strikeouts is a clear indication that hitters have gotten used to seeing that big bender. What is more concerning is that for the first time Zito is not 100% owned in ESPN FLB. Putting him on the wire is absurd, but if you were expecting ace numbers, consider the damage done.
Bartolo Colon: He was supposed to become elite with Vladimir Guerrero providing run support, but currently Colon ranks as the third most common player found on last place teams in FLB. If the law of averages works out, the hard-throwing righty could be in for a monster second half. Since 1998 Colon has won at least 14 games, but this season is just 4-6 with a 6.04 ERA. His record in June is even worse at 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA. The Pirates beat him in his last start and the fact that he gave up four HRs, including two to lightweight Tike Redman, is awfully concerning. The Colon stock has fallen so far that he is now only owned in 96.6% of leagues and is being offered up for Edgar Martinez. Martinez doesn't even suit up in NL parks.
Roy Halladay: The numbers aren't too bad, but definitely not Cy Young worthy. The most concerning number is the 1.30 WHIP, but you can live with a 3.84 ERA. Halladay owners were banking on this guy pitching deep into meaningful games for the Jays. Carlos Delgado might be shipped out before the deadline, Vernon Wells won't be back until after the break and Toronto is 3.5 games behind the Devil Rays. Don't look for the Blue Jays to push Halladay too hard. Halladay also has missed two starts this year with a sore shoulder. If the injury should flair up again, Toronto wouldn't hesitate to shut him down. It's not worth the risk. The chances of getting your value from Halladay this year are very unlikely.
Matt Morris: If Chris Carpenter has 7 wins, Morris should have 10. It may not be fair to criticize a pitcher with a 1.20 WHIP, but the point is when owners drafted Morris, they expected much more than an average pitcher with a 4.43 ERA. In 2001, Morris was 22-8 and had 185 strikeouts in 216 IP. This year he is on pace for 16-14 and only 136 Ks in 238 IP. Morris was only 11-8 last season, but whether or not a pitcher gets a win is not always up to him. He still sported a 1.17 WHIP and 3.76 ERA. The stuff is still there, but his concentration isn't. He is on pace for 66BB, the most since '97. He simply hasn't been the same pitcher since he lost his good friend Darryl Kile. He needs to show some life on the mound again.