Mariners’ Cliff Lee has been at this precipice before originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 12:19:27.

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Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball according to many, and definitely in the fantasy baseball realm.

But the San Francisco Giants ace, winner of the past two National League Cy Young awards,  has been hit hard in Cactus League play and has a 9.39 ERA. His velocity earlier this spring was down more than a couple mph from last season. What gives?

With Lincecum’s twisting windup, it could be any number of things. And the person who knows that windup best is the person that developed it – Lincecum himself. Because of its unique nature, Lincecum is one of the few people in the world who can diagnose his own mechanical issues.

After a little bit of work, he was able to hear the telltale “hiss” of his fastball coming off his hand again, a sign that he’s not far away. Still…

“He’s still off with his command and he knows it,” manager Bruce Bochy said to the San Jose Mercury News. “That’s why we’re here.”

But if you’re thinking about taking him in the first round of your fantasy draft, don’t worry about it. He’s still No. 1.

Other storylines in Giants camp:

• The Giants’ biggest decision this spring might be what to do with Buster Posey. The former Florida State catcher has rocketed through the minor-league system and was called up last September. He’s hitting well this spring. But with Bengie Molina back at catcher, do the Giants want to split time between catcher and first base in the majors with Posey, their top prospect?
• Possibly adding Posey to the mix only puts first base even more in flux. Newcomer Aubrey Huff likely to receive the bulk of the duty after signing a one-year deal. He hit just .241 with 15 homers last season, but hit 32 homers for Baltimore in 2008.
• In Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria, many Giants fans see wasted free agent money. But they’re back at the top of the order this year.
• Help could arrive once Freddy Sanchez is ready to play. The second baseman is coming off shoulder surgery and probably won’t be ready when the Giants break camp.
• Rookie Madison Bumgarner, 20, and former Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer are battling for the fifth starter spot in a rotation that could be very good.

2010 San Francisco Giants preview.

Coming Tuesday: No. 8 Chicago Cubs.

Throw out the blueprint when evaluating Tim Lincecum originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 12:40:27.

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Sunday’s game of catch in Fort Myers, Fla., didn’t go well, and Twins closer Joe Nathan will miss the entire 2010 season. He’ll have Tommy John ligament transplant surgery in the next few weeks.

“It didn’t go like we hoped,” Nathan said to the AP. “We knew it was a long shot, but I think this will clear my head. There definitely was no gray area. It was definitely on the dark side. We know now that we’re going to need to go in and have some surgery done and get this thing taken care of.”

He’ll make more than $11 million this season and $12.5 million in 2011, if the Twins exercise a club option. That might be interesting for a club such as Minnesota. That’s a lot of money for a rehabbing closer.

If you’re getting ready for your fantasy draft, keep in mind it has been a bad week for other closers as well. The Indians lost Kerry Wood for at least a couple of months, and Bobby Jenks of the White Sox is dinged up (but should be ready for the opener). The Rockies got good news about Huston Street, who might miss the opener but has no structural damage in his sore shoulder.

For fantasy purposes, here are the names to remember: Matt Guerrier (Twins), Franklin Morales (Rockies) and Chris Perez (Indians). Those are the likely replacements. If Jenks isn’t ready, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is likely to go by committee between Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton.

Fantasy baseball: Top 40 relievers.

Bad week for closers: Joe Nathan out for season originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Sunday, March 21st, 2010 at 14:42:25.

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It might be the most followed game of catch of all-time. And especially to Minnesotans eager for a winner in their brand new ballpark after a long, cold winter.

Joe Nathan will test his elbow – which he knows has a torn ligament – this weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. And if things go badly, the most consistent closer in baseball not named Mariano will have to miss the entire 2010 season after Tommy John ligament transplant surgery.

“It’s been, ‘You have a tear; can you throw with it?’ ” Nathan said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “From a doctor’s standpoint, their opinion is more than likely I won’t be able to, just from what they’ve seen. They said it’s not impossible.”

Not the most optimistic prognosis. And even if he’s OK now, there’s no guarantee he’ll make it through the season, of course. If this seems a bit too much hype over a guy who is not a household name for a lot of baseball fans, they must not follow the Twins. He has 36 saves or more the last six seasons. Since 2004, he has more saves than anybody in the majors (246), the best ERA (1.87) and strikes out 11.9 batters per nine innings. The Twins won the AL Central by one game (a tiebreaker) last season and one game in 2006. It’s safe to say Nathan, 35, has made a big difference.

The Twins are trying to keep this game of catch away from the eyes of the public and media. It’s rumored to be happening on Saturday.

“Let the guy live in peace here and see if he can throw the ball,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “If he can’t and grimaces in pain and goes to the ground, I don’t really want you to see that. So let him throw and we’ll tell you tomorrow.”

But the result should be definitive, Nathan said.

“This is going to be something where there shouldn’t be a gray area,” Nathan said to the Star Tribune. “On Day 1, I’ll definitely know if there will be a Day 2. And the only way there won’t be a Day 2, is if I need to get this thing repaired.”

Other storylines in Twins camp:

• Just behind Nathan’s elbow as a major topic of Twins fans’ conversations is the long-term future of Joe Mauer, the game’s best catcher and a homegrown talent from St. Paul. It’s been rumored that he had a contract in place earlier this winter, but nothing now appears imminent in the last year of his contract. And it’s a gamble for both sides.
• Who would take Nathan’s spot? Matt Guerrier would be the natural choice, moving a very good setup guy into the role. But Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain or even Francisco Liriano could be a candidate for the role.
• While the Mauer talks have hit a snag, the Twins have locked up a few other core players, such as center fielder Denard Span and starter Nick Blackburn.
• Scott Baker had a slow start last year, but was great in the second half and is likely to be the starter on opening day.
• And of course, the Twins are opening their new ballpark, Target Field, which from the air looks a lot like Progressive Field in Cleveland (but with a little bit of a roof).

2010 Minnesota Twins preview

Coming Saturday: No. 11 Detroit Tigers.

Joe Nathan watch: The game of catch heard round the world originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 01:56:36.

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The real test will happen when the games start counting again, but it’s been a promising spring for what’s becoming an annual question in Detroit Tigers camp:

Will Dontrelle Willis ever be the same?

Willis has thrown 10 innings with a 0.90 ERA in Grapefruit League play. He’s now 28, battling with Nate Robertson for the No. 5 starting role on the Tigers, and he’s no longer the flame-throwing lefty who won 22 games for the Florida Marlins in 2005.

“I’m not as young as I used to be,” Willis said to the Detroit News. “But I’m having fun. They like the way I’m mixing speeds. I feel I have good command of a lot of things going on right now.”

But he in pretty much the same position last season before finding  set of disastrous results with the Tigers (seven starts, 1-4, 7.49 ERA) before going back on the disabled list with the same anxiety disorder that he was diagnosed with last spring. He believes he’s turned the corner. But the key might be early success. Success breeds confidence, something Willis hasn’t had in a long time on a big-league mound.

“I’m not a complex man,” he said to the News. “If I play well today, it’s a good day.”

Other storylines in Tigers camp:

• Another rusty Tigers starter is Jeremy Bonderman, who missed almost all of the 2009 season with a shoulder injury and has to reinvent himself as well. The same goes for Nate Robertson.
• A Hall of Fame outfielder named Jackson likes the Tigers’ rookie center fielder named Jackson. But no, Reggie is not related to Austin, who comes over from the Yankees organization.
• Carlos Guillen is seen as a player in decline, but says he’s healthy and ready to bounce back. The Tigers likely will need him to come through for their lineup to be good.
• Joel Zumaya is working on his curveball to complement that 100 mph fastball. Now only if Zumaya can get through a season without getting hurt.

2010 Detroit Tigers preview

Coming Sunday: No. 10 Tampa Bay Rays.

As is routine, talk is about Dontrelle Willis in Tigers camp originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 at 18:50:40.

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The Florida Marlins won 87 games last season, putting them in contention until the final week of the season for a National League playoff spot.

So what did the Marlins do this offseason to improve their roster? Almost nothing.

One trade (to Boston for relief pitcher Hunter Jones) and a smattering of minor league free agents, none of whom are guaranteed to make the team. They did add a new pitching coach – Randy St. Claire – who was fired by the Nationals last season.

“How may wins am I expecting? I never predict but I will say we’re working off an 87-win season last year and I expect us to make the playoffs,” Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said to the Palm Beach Post. “Whatever it takes for us to make the playoffs is what we need to win.”

But perhaps one move could make a big difference. Mike Lowell has a Marlins history (he played there from 1999-2005), is a Cuban-American who was immensely popular there in the first go-round, and we know he’s on the market. He can play first base, and the Marlins have a need there in the short-term. The Red Sox could pick up roughly $9 million of his $12 million deal, too – that’s what they were going to do for the Rangers before their trade of Lowell was voided this winter.

Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote is all for the move.

“Lowell, even at 36, at least would be an attention-getting addition to underline that ownership wants to do more than “expect” a postseason berth — it wants to go aggressively get one,” he wrote.

More storylines in Marlins camp:

• The Marlins’ new ballpark, to open on 2012 on the site of the old Orange Bowl, is taking shape.
• It isn’t an overwhelming total – 143 by Lowell – but a second baseman (Dan Uggla) could become the Marlins’ all-time leader in homers this season.
• If there’s a common thread among the Marlins’ super-young starting rotation, it’s that many are wild. Throwing strikes is a point of emphasis for manager Fredi Gonzalez and St. Claire.
• Cameron Maybin was the key player in the deal to send Miguel Cabrera to Detroit late in 2007. At age 22, Maybin will get his best chance to show he was worth it.
• The Marlins have a power outfielder on the way in Mike Stanton, who lit up the minors the last two seasons.

2010 Florida Marlins preview

Coming Thursday: No. 13 Colorado Rockies.

Marlins should go Lowell to finish higher in NL East standings originally appeared on About.com Baseball on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 12:35:07.

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