Instant Analysis: Porcello's Debut

Matt Snyder — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:45:00 EST

After five-plus innings and 89 pitches, rookie phenom Rick Porcello was removed from his major league debut Thursday in Toronto. The 20 year-old had what I would call a good rookie outing, and you can see why the Tigers were so quick to promote him to their big league rotation.

Porcello had solid stuff and good location for the majority of his first five innings. He's got good sinking action, in addition to running the two-seam fastball in on right-handed hitters. His fastball lived in the low-to-mid-90s (mostly between 91-94), and he showed some confidence in his curveball.

He had a few mistakes, which is normal for a rookie. The home run he allowed to Aaron Hill was a fastball that didn't run, and the home run he gave up to Adam Lind was on a hanger up in the zone. The first run the Jays scored came on a seeing-eye two-out single by Michael Barrett.

What was most impressive, though, was his demeanor. Pitchers are supposed to be the eye of the hurricane -- remaining cool, calm, and collected despite their surroundings -- and Porcello was. He also showed his quiet confidence. After the mistake home run to Hill, for example, he came back after Vernon Wells, catching him looking with a brilliant hook.

Coming from a 20-year-old, this was certainly a step in the right direction.

Fantasy Spin:
Obviously, Porcello is a must-own in keeper leagues where you can hold onto more than a handful of players. He's a must-own in all dynasty leagues. For this year, though, keep your eyes on him in larger AL-Only leagues. The Tigers bullpen already let the game fall apart and blew Edwin Jackson's beautiful outing earlier this week.

Plus, Porcello is bound to have lots of hills and valleys and he adapts to the life of a major leaguer. He's got a ton of upside, but he won't help you much in the short-term, despite the positive signs from the Thursday afternoon outing.

Want a team or player(s) examined in a "more than the box score" fashion? Email us and we'll check them out.

Instant Analysis: Porcello's Debut originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dynasty Diaries: Matt Wieters is 2009 Version of Evan Longoria

Matt Snyder — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy Baseball, MLB Dynasty Diaries, MLB New Studs

Evan Longoria was a highly-touted prospect entering last season. At the end of the season he was a Rookie of the Year who had played a huge role in getting the Tampa Bay Rays into the World Series (if only you could time travel and read that sentence last year at this time). Obviously, the fantasy owners who were fortunate enough to take the risk on Longoria early last season were the beneficiaries of sweet dividends.

If you want to find a Longoria for this season, look no further than the top prospect in baseball: Orioles' catcher, Matt Wieters.

First things first, if you play in one of those deep dynasty leagues where you own minor leaguers for years before seeing them appear in the bigs, Wieters is already owned. If not, your league-mates have egregiously missed the boat and you need to acquire him now. On the other hand, if you play in yearly drafted leagues or startup keeper leagues, you definitely need to give Wieters your full attention as we head toward draft day.

Wieters was the fifth overall draft choice coming out of Georgia Tech, and he can flat out rake. Last season -- his first in pro ball -- he split his time almost equally between high-A ball and double-A. The numbers I'm about to give you are combined from both levels, and please take note that he was close to identical at both levels (1.024 OPS in high-A and 1.085 OPS in double-A).

Anyway, in 130 total games, Wieters hit .355 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI. He walked more times than he struck out. He had 22 doubles, two triples and scored 89 runs. He even stole two bases.

The best part about Wieters is the fantasy-sparse position he plays. You know, the position where there are only like five good fantasy players, and the rest are only owned because of their position. While it's true you can find some sleepers at the end of the draft, the types of guys who can make an offensive difference on your team -- Brian McCann, Joe Mauer, Geovany Soto, Russell Martin -- are few and far between.

The Orioles are presently planning to wait until about mid-May to call Wieters up to the big club. If you have enough bench spots in your yearly leagues, he's most certainly worth a draft pick. I'd even pick him before your stop-gap catcher and just sit on him for six weeks. If you are playing in a new keeper league, he needs to picked quite high, because this kind of a heavy-hitting catcher is a rare commodity.

No matter what type of a fantasy league you play, Matt Wieters will be a commonly used name by the end of the 2009 season -- just like Evan Longoria before him.

Dynasty Diaries: Matt Wieters is 2009 Version of Evan Longoria originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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