Injury Pile a Sore Subject: MLB Recap of April 14th Action

 

MLB Roundup & Fantasy Analysis from April 14th

Let's start off by saying thank you to #42. Jackie Robinson's character, strength and discipline paved the way for minorities not only in Major League Baseball, but in America as a whole. We salute you Mr. Robinson, baseball is a better game thanks to you.

There is no segue to smooth over the transition from talking about a courageous human who could not quit, to talking about guys who make millions and get hurt tying their shoes.

The injuries are piling up like a trash heap here in the early going of 2014. I don't know if it just seems that way or if we are at an all time high in injuries? It seems like a daily fixture that  player after player is going out with some kind of ailment. So in this issue of the Daily Roundup I want to look at some players who could benefit from the recent plague of impairment.

 

Who's Banged Up?

Craig Kimbrel missed a save opportunity after a back and forth battle on Monday where the Braves and Phillies got into a late inning homer fest. The Braves came out on top after a 9th inning grand slam by Dan Uggla. David Carpenter came on for the save in Kimbrel's stead due to shoulder soreness. Anytime someone throws near 100 mph and you mention shoulder soreness I get concerned. I would keep a close eye on Jordan Walden and David Carpenter if you are a saves vulture.

Logan Morrison (hamstring) Surprised? Nah. I wouldn't be surprised if he hits the DL. Justin Smoak will see the lions share at 1B.

Matt Moore (elbow)  Will undergo Tommy John Surgery next week. Teammate Alex Cobb is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with an oblique strain. Better than the initial 6-8 week time frame, it's still a tough blow for an already derailed Rays rotation.

Curtis Granderson (whole body) Granderson was removed after deciding to check the rigidity of the outfield wall on Monday. He looks to have escaped major injury. His teammate Juan Lagares however will be on the DL due to a pulled hamstring. Chris Young will be returning April 18 from his two week vacation to Hurtville and see the starts in CF. Young was 5-for-5 with 2 HR Sunday on a rehab assignment.

Brett Anderson was placed on the 15 Day DL with a broken finger. He wasn't a fantastic fantasy option and no one taking his place will be either.

Marcel Ozuna was seen on crutches after fouling a ball off his foot Monday. If Ozuna ends up out longer than expected I would think the Fish would give Jake Marisnick the call-up instead of relying on Reed Johnson for everyday CF duties. Meh.

Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-Day DL with a broken thumb. It was pretty mangled after sliding back into second base and getting picked off on Saturday. Anthony Rendon will get his 3B reps while Danny Espinosa will take over second base (the day after I dropped him).

 

Who's Hot? 

Justin Upton is 13 for his last 26 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. Upton is always a top performer in April. But can he keep it going or will he drop off once we hit May again? I traded him on April 30th last year and got a haul. Just saying, it may not be a bad time to shop him.

Adrian Gonzalez has 11 RBI over his last 22 AB with 4 HR. He's an underrated run producer on a high powered team.

Dee Gordon has a .526 OBP and 7 SB in his last 17 AB.

Any questions about Ryan Braun's thumb may have quieted down after he's gone 10-for-28 with 3 HR and 10 RBI in the last 7 days.

Devin Mesoraco has 3 HR and holds a .470 AVG (8-for17) thru his last 4 games.

Bryce Harper may not have found his power stroke yet but he's waking up to the tune of a .520 BA (13-for-25) over his last 7 games.

Adam Eaton is thriving atop the White Sox lineup, scoring 10 runs while going 10-for-22 with a homer, 4 RBI and a stolen base over the teams last 6 games.

Anthony Rendon is hitting .346 with 2 HR and 12 RBI (5th in MLB). Rendon will now have 2B and 3B eligibility making him a golden fantasy asset.

 

Who's Not?

Jonathan Villar has a .244 OBP thus far. He does have 3 SB which is why you would have taken a shot on him. He'll need to get on base more to keep prospect Carlos Correa off his heels.

Martin Prado is off to a slow start hitting just .245 with a .292 OBP. He has zero bombs and zero SB with just 4 RBI while hitting mostly in the cleanup spot thus far. That's not going to cut it.

Pablo Sandoval is off to a slow start batting a lowly .180 with 2 HR but only 5 RBI over his first 50 ABs.

Adam Jones is killing owners who took him in the first round. Spinning his wheels to start the year; Jones is hitting a mere .240 with 1 HR and only 5 RBI to show for his top 12 ADP.

Cody Asche had a good first week but has sputtered since. His average is sitting at .189 with 1 HR and only 3 RBI going 7 for 37 and only 2 for his last 18. Maikel Franco however is struggling even worse at Triple-A Lehigh currently only 4-for-41 on the season with 10 strikeouts.