{"id":581479,"date":"2010-05-27T13:28:15","date_gmt":"2010-05-27T17:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,yhoo:20050301:fantasy,article,yhoo-ept_sports_fantasy_experts-244135:1"},"modified":"2010-05-27T13:28:15","modified_gmt":"2010-05-27T17:28:15","slug":"lames-aramis-ramirez-fantasys-uncharming-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/581479","title":{"rendered":"Lames: Aramis Ramirez, fantasy’s uncharming man"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
<\/p>\n

Want to slam the Noise for his Clayton Kershaw<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> analysis
\nor misguided projections? Humiliate him in 140 characters or less on Twitter<\/a>. And click here to follow Roto
\nArcade on Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\nPanic on the streets
\nof Chicago<\/a>. <\/em>
\nPanic on the streets
\nof Wrigleyville. <\/em>
\nI wonder to myself. <\/em>
\nCould life ever be
\nsane again? <\/em><\/p>\n

No blessed DJ who constantly fills the airwaves with "Go Cubs Go!"
\nshould feel safe walking North Side streets. <\/p>\n

The Cubs, inching their way to another year of World Series futility, are
\nquickly losing pace behind the punchless Cardinals and surprising Reds in the
\nNL Central. Three games under .500, their seesaw performance has squelched fan
\noptimism and transformed Lou Piniella into an expletive-spewing Santa Claus<\/a>.
\nAnd it’s not even June. <\/p>\n

Several reasons dominate Chicago’s
\ndisparaging play. Terrible middle relief, defensive miscues (Soriano!!!) and an
\noccasionally slumberous offense are just a few. But one individual
\ndeserves far more responsibility for the organization’s latest demise – Aramis Ramirez<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

Entering the season, the respected third baseman was
\nexpected to be an infield cornerstone. His consistent returns combined with his
\nprime age and entrenched RBI-collecting spot in an above average lineup boded
\nwell for the two-time All-Star. His fantasy reputation was destined to be
\nupheld. However, an epic slump to begin 2010 has left a very bitter taste (No,
\nit’s not the Old Style). Due to the organization’s urgency to win, trade rumors
\ninvolving Mike Lowell have even surfaced<\/a>. Two months ago those whispers were
\nunthinkable. <\/p>\n

Through 40 games (156 at-bats), fantasy’s "Top Kill" is
\nbatting a sickening .160 with four homers 20 RBI and 15 runs. Currently he
\nranks No. 47 at his position in the Y! game, behind such perennial Supermen as
\nWilly Aybar<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Adam Rosales<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Jamey Carroll<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> Now nursing a bothersome thumb
\ninjury, the cold corner’s chances for a rebound are becoming increasingly
\nhopeless. Though he is slated to return to action by Saturday<\/a>, a two-week
\nmental vacation might be the best medicine.<\/p>\n

Unlike some slumping players, pinpointing the source of
\nRamirez’s troubles is relatively easy. Examining his profile, an extreme
\nupswing in strikeouts (0.35 BB\/K) and fly-ball percentage (0.40 GB\/FB) clearly
\nexplain the prolonged drought. Strangely, he’s made more contact on outside
\nand less on wheelhouse offerings, which is atypical of most hitters.
\nOften, the underperforming will jab weakly at offspeed junk outside the zone. For
\nthe maligned Cub, just the opposite has occurred. Inside fastballs, which he’s
\nhistorically crushed, have baffled him. Renowned hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo
\nbelieves the necessity to perform combined with timing issues have caused the
\nmalfunction. From ESPN Chicago<\/a>:\n<\/p>\n

\n

Ramirez has been a little too quick at times, rushing to
\nswing at pitches outside his comfort zones. Is it because he’s overanxious,
\ntrying too hard, having trouble with pitch recognition or feeling a need to
\n"cheat" to catch up with the hard stuff? No one has been able to
\nsolve that Sudoku puzzle.<\/p>\n

"It’s basically the same thing," Jaramillo said. "His timing
\nis off, and he’s not letting the ball get deep enough [in the strike
\nzone]."<\/p>\n

Jaramillo refers to that phenomenon as "backing the ball up." The
\nprecious milliseconds sacrificed through excessive jumpiness can mean the
\ndifference between a productive at-bat and a lost cause.<\/p>\n

"When you stay square and back the ball up, it allows you to make a
\ngood decision," Jaramillo said. "It’s something he has to work out as
\nhe goes. It can be mechanical, it can be mental, or it can be both."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ramirez claims he’s seeing the ball fine<\/a>, but right now, he’s swinging at olives
\nwith a toothpick. Until his thumb and cerebral strains fully heal, he’ll
\ncontinue to roundhouse owner midsections. <\/p>\n

Still, this is a buyer’s market. He’s
\nan established commodity who’s historically stumbled out of the gates. In
\nApril\/May his career average is .264. After June 1, it’s .291. July though
\nSeptember are usually his best power months (HR per 18.1 at-bats). Sunnier days
\nare on the horizon. <\/p>\n

The 79-percent owned Ramirez may be the boy with the thorn in his side<\/a>. But
\nas David Ortiz<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> owners can attest, patience should replace panic when debating
\ndealing proven players. <\/p>\n

Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 368
\nat-bats, .281 BA, 20 HR, 78 RBI, 67 R, 1 SB <\/strong><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

CATEGORY KILLER<\/strong>
\nVampiristic commodity sucking
\nthe life out of your team owned in competitive Yahoo! leagues<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Jose Lopez<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Sea,
\n1B\/2B\/3B (48-percent owned)<\/strong>: The versatile Mariner has remained out to sea
\nfor much of the season.  His .214
\nBA with just one homer and 16 RBI is in Ramirez’s ballpark. Another tortoise of
\nsorts, Lopez is a notorious slow starter. Recall last season in April\/May he
\ntallied a bland .229 BA, five homers, 26 RBI and 21 runs. Overall, his
\ncontact and batted ball profiles are in line with career averages which points
\nto a turnaround in the near future. If a Lopez owner is wallowing in the
\nbasement, fire a lowball offer. This week he was shipped for Kerry Wood<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Gordon
\nBeckham<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Raul Ibanez<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> in one-for-one Y! league trades. <\/p>\n

3…2…1…IMPLOSION!<\/strong>
\nWidely owned starter
\nwho will soon maim an innocent Gatorade cooler<\/em> <\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Matt Cain<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> SF (5\/28
\nvs. Ari, 95 percent-owned): <\/strong>Based on past performance, Cain probably
\ndoesn’t relish snake exhibits at the local zoo. The powerful Diamondbacks have
\nroutinely injected venom into the pitcher’s bloodstream. Last season in four
\nstarts, San Fran’s most unsupported starter notched a 5.16 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and
\none win against the division rival. Arizona’s
\nwhiff-happy ways suggest Cain could total admirable strikeout numbers, but his
\nwalks proneness coupled (3.34 BB\/9) with a .255 BABIP and skyward-leaning GB\/FB
\n(0.86) are tough to ignore. Keep in mind A.J. Hinch’s club is the current
\nNL pacesetter in runs. Fangless they are not.  <\/p>\n

SABER SLEUTH <\/strong>
\nUncovering fantasy’s
\nlucky bastards one decimal place at a time<\/em> <\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Jeff
\nNiemann<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> TB, SP (79-percent owned)<\/strong>: Our
\nlove for The Kraken is well-documented. We spewed over 1,000 words of hyperbole<\/a>
\nback in March predicting 2010 would be his breakthrough campaign. So far, the
\nprognostication has been spot on. Niemann is the 23rd<\/sup>-most valuable
\nstarter in fantasy according to Baseball Monster<\/a>. Still his 4.04 FIP and very
\nfortunate .244 BABIP imply an ERA spike is forthcoming. No monster, no matter
\nhow tentacled, can maintain a 14.9 line-drive percentage over an entire season.
\nBecause the Rays boast a juggernaut offense and marvelous bullpen, he’ll likely
\nfinish with 15-20 wins, but an ERA closer to 4.00, not 3.00, should be expected.
\nTake a profit.\n<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of the AP <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to slam the Noise for his Clayton Kershaw(notes) analysis or misguided projections? Humiliate him in 140 characters or less on Twitter. And click here to follow Roto Arcade on Facebook. Panic on the streets of Chicago. Panic on the streets of Wrigleyville. I wonder to myself. Could life ever be sane again? No blessed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5446,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-581479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5446"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}