Tagged: Carlos Zambrano

This is a New Carlos Zambrano, Fantasy Managers Take Notice

 

Twitter: @RobShawSports and @BloombergSports

 

Carlos Zambrano is making himself at home in Miami.  He finally picked up his first win of the season last week with a three-hitter, which pushed his ERA down to 1.98.  The ERA only declined further, to 1.88, after seven solid innings against the Mets on Sunday.  Zambrano fanned seven batters while walking three in yet another no-decision.

 

With his control in check, Zambrano is one of the better hurlers in baseball right now.  Aside from one outing in which he issued six walks, Zambrano has walked three batters or fewer in every start this season.

 

When playing for the Cubs, part of the job description was to handle Wrigley Field in every home start.  Sometimes the wind would push the ball out of the stadium, adding yet another component to his performance.  This season, Zambrano will call home to a pitcher-friendly Marlins Park.  Yet, so far most of Zambrano’s starts have come on the road, where he has offered a 1.55 ERA.

 

Though his volatile personality will always carry some risk, this is also the same pitcher that has won 16 or more games on three different occasions.  Having shed a great deal of weight during the off-season and with his control and temper in check, Zambrano is a pitcher you can invest in.

 

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Waiver Wire Trade Targets: Guerrero, Rodriguez, Soriano, Zambrano, and Lee

 

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The Major League trade deadline may have passed, but that does not mean that players can no longer be traded this season.  Instead, the waiver wire process will shortly begin and there will be more players on the move.  Typically the players on the move have bad contracts, which allows them to surpass the waiver process or a team will claim a player and a trade will be negotiated.  Here’s a look at five players who will likely be on the move:

 

Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Orioles– This potential hall of famer is riding a 6-game hit streak, batting a respectable .284 with 9 home runs.  He leads the league in chase rate (swinging at pitches out of the strike zone) and his numbers are way down across the board, but he has playoff experience and could help a team down the stretch as a hired bat. It would not surprise me to see him rejoin one of his past two teams: the Rangers or the Angels.  The Yankees also could make a move for their former nemesis by putting him in the DH slot, though this is unlikely with Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez now healthy to support Jorge Posada.  The White Sox would be the dark horse considering they are not getting anything out of Adam Dunn. 

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros– An underrated strikeout artist, it’s been another fine season for Wandy Rodriguez.  A 32-year-old hurler, this southpaw is durable and could be a solid third starter for a playoff contender.  He always has an ERA under four and he was involved in some trade chatter with the Yankees just a few weeks ago.  If a playoff contender suffers an injury in the starting rotation, Rodriguez could be the first player targeted. 

Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs– At 35 years old, Soriano’s best days are in the past, but he does have four home runs over his last four games and now 19 dingers on the season.  His OBP is disgraceful at .283, and he leads the league in chase rate.  With his awful contract, he will clear waivers, and at that point could end up getting traded if the Cubs are willing to eat some of his contract in a swap of bad contracts.  It would be interesting to see him reunite with the Yankees, or join a team desperate for outfield production such as the Tigers or Braves.

Carlos Zambrano, SP, Cubs– Another bad contract on the Cubs, Zambrano does have 8 wins and is riding three quality starts.  He does have ace ability, which we saw that as recently as the end of last season.  So a team desperate for a third starter may want to consider the Cubs volatile hurler, though they would have to be willing to take on a few years of potential mayhem.   The Yankees, White Sox, and Tigers are potential landing grounds.

Carlos Lee, OF, Astros– The veteran slugger is 0 for his last 19, dropping his average to .267, but he does have 60 RBI and 41 extra base hits on the season.  The same teams that will go after Soriano will also consider this 25-year-old.  The only question is whether he will veto a move considering his 10/5 rights.  Known as El Caballo, Lee is a rancher who wants to stay close to his home in Texas.

 

MLB Season in Review: Chicago Cubs Pitchers


By R.J Anderson //

Biggest Surprise: Carlos Silva & Tom Gorzelanny

Silva went from one of the worst pitchers in baseball to a guy with a 10-6 record and 4.22 ERA. Meanwhile Gorzelanny went from unemployable by the Pirates to a 4.09 ERA in 23 starts. The Cubs had a disappointing season, but they managed to turn broken eggs into soufflé twice during the same season. Both pitchers have dealt with injury issues throughout the season, including Gorzelanny breaking a finger and Silva enduring elbow tendinitis in September alone.

Biggest Bust: Carlos Zambrano

Not because he pitched poorly, mind you, but because his temporary stints on the inactive list and in the bullpen wasted away his value and held him to 19 starts.

2011 Keeper Alert: Carlos Marmol

One of the most incredible seasons in baseball this or any season, Marmol’s 77.2 innings pitched come with 138 strikeouts and 40 hits allowed. For his career, Marmol has struck out twice as many batters as hits given up. That’s just unfathomable. The only aspect of his game that prevents Marmol from being perhaps the most dominant reliever in baseball (if he isn’t already) is his tendency to lose the plate: No closer walked more batters more frequently than Marmol (6.03 BB/9 IP – though that was, amazingly, nearly two full walks per game lower than his 2009 mark).

2011 Regression Alert: Carlos Silva

Silva struck out 6.37 batters per nine innings this season. His career rate is a little over four. Maybe he’s discovered the key to fanning heaven, but probably not. Be careful about overvaluing the latest season, even though pitchers like Esteban Loaiza have broken out at a similar age.

For more on the Chicago Cubs, check out Bloomberg Sports’ fantasy kits.

The Difference Between Carlos Zambrano and Josh Beckett

By R.J. Anderson //

Through the lenses of ERA, Josh Beckett and Carlos Zambrano could not be more dissimilar.

Zambrano sports a sparkling 3.56 ERA this year, with a mark under 2.00 since returning full-time in August. Over his first eight post-return starts, Big Z struck out 45 while allowing only a single home run.

Beckett, meanwhile, has about the same amount of innings with varying results. In August, his ERA was over 6.00 – making it the third of four completed months this season in which that was true – while September has brought with it an ERA below 3.00. For the season, though, he’s still lugging a sky-high 5.71 ERA. Based on those numbers, one might label Zambrano as a keeper and Beckett as someone to pass on. After all, Zambrano appears to be at the top of his game down the stretch.

Things are not always as they seem, though, and that is why looking beyond the surface is vital when tagging players to keep or not. Zambrano is striking out about 1.5 batters per walk; whereas Beckett is striking out nearly four batters per walk.

The difference between the two reveals itself as a matter of home runs allowed. Zambrano’s one blast per 54 innings average is in no way representative of what he will continue to offer, as his career average is one per 12 innings. Beckett has given up a homer every six innings versus his career average of a homer every nine. Because of that, these two will be a lot more alike next season than it appears now. Both are keeper-worthy.

For more on Zambrano, Beckett, and more studly pitchers, check out Bloomberg Sports’ Fantasy Tools.