Just drove back from visiting the family for Easter (5+ hour drive) so I’m a bit wiped out. Thankfully, I don’t have any plays for Mondays games so I’m holding over the Tuesday-Friday recommendations until Monday. I need sleep. I did have time to put together the Week 3 results, though. Let me start by saying that Fausto Carmona will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever be picked as a spot starter again. I don’t care if he’s facing the kids of the blind elementary school in your neighborhood, I’d rather recommend Javier Vazquez throwing on 1 day rest in Yankee Stadium against a team of MLB All-Stars. I crush that guy for the garbage that he is and when I finally buy in just a shred, he goes back to being his Hefty Cinch Sack self. Unbelievable.
Without him polluting the numbers, the results were still underwhelming as the collective ERA would have been just below 4.00 with a WHIP topping 1.30 and a strikeout rate failing to reach even 6.0 K/9. With his six runs and 11 baserunners in five innings shellacking, things were much worse as you might have guessed.
A mixed bag for sure as it took until Thursday to even notch a win. As I doubt anyone actually picks up every single one of these guys, I hope you were lucky enough to get at least a couple of the six worthwhile gems within the bunch. I know the results won’t always be like Week 2’s 3.08 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, but I’m definitely hoping for more good than bad as I’m not just throwing darts here. Even with the down strikeout rate, at least the group still managed a 2.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Gem of the Week:
Oakland’s Brandon McCarthy is the GotW as he should be picked up permanently in all formats assuming he hasn’t been already. His first start was the worst of his four and it was hardly awful as he went eight allowing four, but striking out just two. Since then he has allowed just three runs in 22 innings striking out 18 and walking just a pair. He’s got the talent, defense, home ballpark and health to finally pay dividends on the early career promise that earned him the 49th ranking in Baseball America’s Top 100 list back in 2005.
Baseball By Paul 
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