There were some questions during the fantasy baseball chat on Tuesday night that we did not get to, so here are a few (that I remember).
1. Mike Morse, WAS-We were asked what we can expect from Morse in 2011. Morse, in 266 ABs, hit .289-.352-.519 with 15 HRs and 41 RBIs in 2010. I am not sure Morse can improve upon his 2010 season in 2011, but it appears he will be given a shot to play everyday as his competition is Roger Bernadhina, who hit just .246-.307-.384 with 11 HRs and 47 RBIs in 400+ ABs in 2010. But keep in mind that Morse and Bernadian are keeping RF warm for Bryce Harper who could be their starting RFer at some point in 2012. At worst, Morse platoons again in 2011, and puts up something similar to his 2010 stats, although I think with a lower BA/OBP.
2. Scott Kazmir, LAA-we were asked to project Kazmir in 2011. I took a look at Fangraphs and saw that his K/9 has dropped from almost 10 to 5.58 in 2010, which is definitely not a good sign. For me, he is a late round type pick, or undraftable due to his ERA/FIP that approached 6.00 in 2010. FWIW, Bill James projects him to win 8 games with a low 4 ERA and his K/9 to jump back into the 8 range.
The Braves non-tendered outfielder Matt Diaz last night, and I have to think he would be a perfect platoon partner for Dominic Brown in Philadelphia. I am not sure he can play RF, but he hits lefties. As a Dodgers fan, i would take him as a bench guy for sure.
Speaking of the Dodgers, they are considering re-signing Vicente Padilla. Why? They have 5 starters after the Jon Garland signing. I am curious if they may deal Chad Billingsley in a package for a big bat. An MLB.com article states that the Dodgers could use Padilla as their closer should Jonathan Broxton fail again. Interesting nonetheless.
The White Sox re-signed A.J. Pierzynski to a two year deal. So much for seeing Tyler Flowers in 2011.
Here is a quote from Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen on first base prospect Anthony Rizzo, from a recent Baseball America article:
"We haven't seen this kind of power production from a player in the last five years that I've been here, especially not from a high school kid," Sox farm director Mike Hazen said. "He's an exciting hitter. The numbers speak for themselves, I think. To do that at that age and at that level is pretty impressive."
Rizzo went 25-100 with 42 doubles in 2010.
And here is what Dodgers SS prospect Dee Gordon is doing in the Puerto Rican winter league, also courtesy of Baseball America:
Gordon had built a formidable MVP résumé in the Puerto Rican League, where he's batting .370/.411/.513 in 130 plate appearances for Carolina and leading the league in hits (44), runs (23) and total bases (61).
He still isn't walking much, but the OPS is nice to see. We should see him in LA at some point in 2011, at the earliest, and definitely in 2012.