Posts tagged TroyTulowitzki at FanHouse

If you're a baseball fan who likes surprises, then the 2008 season has been a special treat. The Rays are the most notable team that has exceeded expectations, but the Twins, White Sox and Marlins are also surprise contenders.

Of course, those pleasant surprises have come at the expense of several clubs expected to be much better this season. Whether because of a big free-agent signing last winter, a deep October run last season or the (hint, hint) crushing burden of a massive payroll, the baseball landscape is littered with flops as August comes to a close.

The following is a countdown of the seven most disappointing teams this season.

7. Padres: Mired in last place in the abysmal NL West, it's easy to forget that this team won 89 games last year and was a (phantom?) Matt Holliday slide away from a playoff spot. Even when they were winning division titles, the Padres operated on a thin margin. Injuries and underperformance are at the root of their struggles.

Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the only offensive regulars who have played more than 100 games. Ace Jake Peavy spent a month on the disabled list, while No. 2 starter Chris Young has made only 13 starts. Veteran closer Trevor Hoffman has also been extremely shaky.

What's more popular than stupid baseball injuries? Nothing, really, unless you count baseballs to the groin, which aren't really enjoyable. Add Troy Tulowitzki to the list of players who have hurt themselves doing something stupid, as the Colorado Rockies shortstop is headed to the disabled list after hurting his hand while slamming a baseball bat in frustration.

After being taken out in the seventh inning as part of a double switch, Tulowitzki walked down to the dugout hallway and smashed a bat to the ground in frustration. The bat cracked in his right hand, causing a laceration that stretched from his palm to his index finger.

"I'm obviously sorry to my teammates because I feel like I'm letting them down more than anything, [and] the organization," Tulowitzki said. "Hopefully, it's not too long before I'm back out there, but it's hard to take."

Doh. That's why ... you never slam a baseball bat to the ground in frustration. They are, after all, still made of deadly, sharp and splinterable wood. And yes, palm --> index finger laceration does not sound particularly enjoyable either.

Tulo's injury kind of sums up the Rockies season pretty well though. Chock full of potential and expectations, only to be painfully overhyped once we realized what was going on.

Fantasy Spin: Tulo will hopefully only be out for a few weeks, but this kind of laceration seems like the type of thing that could end up really bugging him down the stretch, given that "hand" is one of those things that is generally considered useful when fielding a baseball and/or batting.

Remember when Troy Tulowitzki went down with that injury earlier in the season? Remember when "they" (whoever that might be) said he'd be out until "at least after the All-Star break?"

Well, he must be some kind of bad-ass, because now the Rockies are expecting him back on Friday. This Friday. As in June 20th.

He's already gotten in five games in Class-A without lingering complications and is headed to Triple-A this week to complete his rehab assignment.

So basically as fast as all the injured Rockies went down, they're coming back just as quickly ... after Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday recently returned and having Clint Barmes back shortly as well. It sounds ridiculous to say, but with the entire NL West sputtering: they actually have a shot. The defending NL Champs are only 8.5 games out of first entering Monday night. Crazier things have happened, and we learned last year to not give up on this bunch.

Fantasy Spin: Tulo really struggled early in the season (.152, 1 HR, and a horrifying 19 OPS+ ... not a typo), but he's a better player than that. Last season he went .291-24-99 as a rookie. Yes, he also brings stellar defense ... but that's of no consequence in fantasy.

Regardless, he's a must-start shortstop in all but the shallowest fantasy leagues ever invented. Even in those he's a consideration. Rank him no worse than 10, and possibly higher; depending on the format.

I can understand the frustration that the Dodgers and Rockies must be feeling right now. The Rockies have followed up their World Series berth with a competition against the Mariners for worst team in the league, and matters haven't been helped much by injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holiday.

For the Dodgers, they've lost nine of their last 12 games, and have about $50 million in payroll sitting on the disabled list right now. So when two teams who have a lot to be pissed off about face each other, sometimes, the littlest things can set one of those teams off.

In this case, that littlest thing was Matt Kemp being tagged out by Yorvit Torrealba after a dropped third strike. The anger Kemp felt after such an insult was so great, apparently, that it completely erased any sound from existence.

(Via Walkoff Walk)

The idea that Evan Longoria would be eligible at shortstop in fantasy leagues is almost too exciting to fathom. And certainly, if that became the case, he would be far more valuable than your normal, everyday Aubrey Huff three bagger (which I think he already is, based on upside alone). But naturally, this is mostly speculation, although it is certainly fun to think about, and quasi-realistic.

The Rays could send [Ben] Zobrist back to Durham and lean on Evan Longoria to spell Bartlett when needed. Longoria played shortstop full-time in 2004 at Rio Hondo Junior College and got about 20 starts there the following season at Long Beach State while starter Troy Tulowitzki was injured.

On Tuesday, Longoria said the Rays haven't asked him about playing shortstop in a pinch, but he said he thinks he could handle the job.

'It's obviously a different position, a little bit different role to fill," he said, "but with some work I don't think that I would have that much trouble adjusting to that position.'

Now again, speculation. So don't do anything silly like trading your still-injured Rafael Furcal for the youngster (unless you're in a keeper league, in which case you want Longoria anyway) because Tampa Bay has not come out and mentioned anything specific, insofar as I know. (Or mentioned calling up Reid Brignac for that matter ... )

But this is something certainly worth considering, especially if you have a roster spot open on your bench and Longoria is somehow out there, or you have an owner who is looking to upgrade elsewhere. Granted, it's not the premium time to trade for Evan, considering his recent heat check, but if the Rays actually follow through, you will probably want to try and make a move.

H/T: Behrens

Just a few short hours after I mentioned that Ian Stewart was getting no love from fantasy circles -- or real world circles -- he might suddenly be getting a lot more value in both worlds. With the return of Garrett Atkins, and the continued absence of Clint Barmes, Troy Tulowitzki and about eight other middle infielders, Stewart is getting starts at second base.

Stewart field five ground balls, including a pair of impressive plays in the sixth inning, in Colorado's 7-4 loss to Philadelphia, and finished 1-for-3 with a double. It was Stewart's first career start at second base.

'Is he going to be as athletic as Jonny [Herrera] or Q [Omar Quintanilla]? Probably not," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "They're just a little more nimble. As far as athleticism, he did some nice things in Spring Training. We'll see how it works out. He made plays that were there for him.'

If Stewart can step in and play second, and one would think he could, he would instantly become a tremendous asset to the Rockies on the offensive end. He would also instantly have everyone saying "It took you this long to figure this out?"

Stewart has been -- pun intended -- pining on the bench behind Atkins for some time now and despite no real power option at second, the Rockies decided to develop him in the outfield.

Fantasy Spin: If Stewart is going to start and stick at second for the Rockies, he is a must add. Unless you have Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips or something. He has a ton of power and positional eligibility there would give him the upside of being a pretty stout option for fantasy owners.

Clint Barmes, already replacing the DL'd Troy Tulowitzki, and Brad Hawpe were placed on the disabled list Friday, and Matt Holliday, who left the game Saturday with a strained hamstring, joined him on Sunday. In other words, the Rockies are in a tremendous nightmare right now.

They have had issues with their closer situation, the middle infield is stripped nearly bare, and now the best hitter on their team is going to miss some significant time. It does not exactly help that Colorado is already 10 games under .500 and the same number back of Arizona for the NL West lead.

The injuries give the Rockies a much different team than the one they had on opening day. Five of their top six players are on the DL, including shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who is out until the All-Star break with a torn left quadriceps.

Hurdle said he is not using injury as an excuse for Colorado's 19-30 record.

"We're not backing off any concept of winning or what we need to do," he said. "We weren't blowing up the ball with all these guys in the lineup, truth be told. We'll find a way to see what kind of identity our offense can take and give these guys an opportunity and freedom to get some at-bats.

Hurdle can say that all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that without the best hitters in their lineup and an already suspect pitching staff, the Rockies are not going to make up any ground on the Diamondbacks.

That's not to say that the defending National League champs should just pack it in and call it a season; it is still early. But it does seem like a legitimate stretch for them to actually make a move with such a depleted lineup. Don't be shocked to see Holliday on the move once he's healthy is all I am saying.

Oh to be a young and talented baseball player these days....

It was announced earlier today that the Milwaukee Brewers have signed left fielder Ryan Braun to an 8-year $45 million contract extension that's going to keep Ryan in a Brewers uniform until 2015 (which will go down in history as the year Prince Fielder ate Milwaukee). As you'd expect, both sides are happy about this.

"It's a very good contract for both the ballclub and Ryan," general manager Doug Melvin said at a press conference at Miller Park.

I'll say. It's also a record-setting contract for the ballclub and Ryan. The eight-year $45 million deal is the largest contract ever given to a player with less than three years of Major League experience. The previous record was set this winter when the Rockies gave Troy Tulowitzki $31 million over six years, and blows away Evan Longoria's $17.5 million deal signed with Tampa Bay earlier this season.

Braun finished second to Tulo in the NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, finishing up the year with a .324 average and 34 homers. He's currently hitting .285/.316/.545 with 9 home runs and 29 RBI. Of course, unlike Tulo this season, Braun is still healthy and playing everyday. I'm sure the Brewers hope that continues.

It's also pretty clear that the new trend of teams signing their young players to long extensions to avoid arbitration is going to continue for a while as well.

The growing trend in baseball is for teams to sign their young players to contract extensions in hopes of locking them up before they become too expensive. While it's a smart financial move for all teams, it's generally a real good move for teams with lower payrolls. The Indians started it with Grady Sizemore a few years ago, then the Rockies followed suit with Troy Tulowitzki. This season it's been Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez reaping the rewards of baseball's new trend.

One smaller market team that is yet to adapt to this new philosophy is the Kansas City Royals, but that doesn't mean they don't have some young, talented players who wouldn't mind an extension.

"It's just kind of a feel thing," general manager Dayton Moore said. "Obviously, there has to be a willingness on both sides. We talk about a lot of things, but we're still very early in the process."

The Royals are loaded with young players who project as key players for years to come. Of those, the closest to free-agency are pitcher Zack Greinke and catcher John Buck. Both are on track to enter the market after the 2010 season.

Neither has been contacted by club officials about possible extensions.

Curtis Granderson -- Warm-up time, apparently, is for suckers. So are allergies. Granderson got plugged right into a Tigers lineup that is heating up and picked up the pace himself. Over the last seven days, he's hitting .350/.500/1.050 with three homers, six walks and three RBI. No stolen bases. I know. Sad, right? You'll live.
Justin Upton -- A very, very, very strong buy. Upton came out gangbusters, but obviously it wasn't going to last all season long. And over the last week he's hitting .143/.208/.190. He's not going to get any cheaper than this all season.