Kevin Millwood

[johnd2442]

What is the Mastersball experts view on this guy? I'm in an endgame slow auction right now and I am between proposing, for $1, Millwood, Ronny Cedeno of Pittsburgh because I could use a reserve SS or a reliever like Jason Frasor. I only have $1 left anyway...so it will be my last roster spot.

I am really intrigued with a guy like Millwood even though he had a bad year last season. Though if went to St. Louis, maybe Dave Duncan could turn him around?

[Trav The Ump]

Depending on your league rules on replacements, I'd much rather gamble on a much higher upside guy than Millwood. His best year will be a mediocre pitcher you're okay with having on your staff. Otherwise he's fodder, take a shot at someone coming back from an injury or who has some bigger upside. Josh Outman?

[deansdaddy]

Frasor was more interesting before Toronto obtained Dotel, Francisco and Rauch. Just don't think saves are in his 2011 future.

Millwood - he doesn't inspire me too much - but I guess a move to the NL (and Duncan) might be worth a buck.

Cedeno might be the best out of those three - but there isn't any upside for him. What you've seen is what you get with him.

Any other names out there to consider???

[Todd Zola]

As has been implied, it really depends on what you are looking for.

In a mixed league where you can spot start guys with strong matchups, Millwood at $1 in St Louis is a great option. But it's not like he is suddenly going to be a Cy Young candidate so the upside for anything more is limited. I don't think Duncan will "turn him around" so much as get the most out of him, which is likely just picking semantic nits.

If you want your $1 guys to be potential keepers and/or trade bait for teams rebuilding, then Millwood is not so attractive.

[johnd2442]

wow guys, thanks so much for your insanely prompt and helpful responses.

here's my deal...and i'm a bit ashamed to admit it. i really haven't been following MLB much over the past 5 years and have taken this team over as a favor to a friend largely because i love his league's system with points based scoring, auction values, contracts, etc.

so, i wish i could give you some names that have upside, but i have absolutely no clue of these dagnabbit dern young players after 2007 or so. i mean, names that i have read about a little are sergio romo (RP), nick masset (RP) and then has beens like cristian guzman (SS). i am going to have to take this season to really learn about up and coming players through mastersball which is why i signed up again (i was a member here around 2005). this board has treated me well in the past so i came back. and like todd said, i certainly do want keepers, but um...i'm kinda dumb right now in terms of young MLB prospective keepers. so i overpaid for some crappy players like aramis ramirez simply to build a squad that wouldn't clinch last place by may. hopefully i can trade off some players and acquire some undervalued, attractive players for the seasons ahead, and i am positive that i will be utilizing this board a lot.

i reckon a $1 scrub at the end of my bench won't make or break my squad, but i'll steer clear of millwood as well as frasor. i'm likely operating in a 2005-2007 mindset where he wasn't all that bad and likely, things have drastically changed. i'll go with cedeno since i only alex gonzalez at SS right now (blech).

sorry for the rambling post, but again, i really appreciate you guys helping out. it was a huge help. i never expected to get not just several responses, but several very helpful responses so quickly. mastersball shows me the way...yet again!

p.s. todd - i sat in on an auction for you in cambridge, ma back in 2004 i think it was. you probably don't remember, but we met up after and you were extremely gracious and i never forgot that. so, even if you don't remember, i do!

[Todd Zola]

FWIW John, I indeed do remember and hope you can become as involved in the forums as much now as you were then.

[johnd2442]

thank you, todd. i hope to get more into fantasy baseball again and be active on the boards. i'll likely take a step back and read a lot on the forums so i can learn some things.

above everything, i appreciated that you didn't take me to task on the lousy job i did with that auction. jeremy reed for about $17...i'll always remember that stumble.

and i went with ronny cedeno thanks to all of your inputs. maybe he won't stink too bad this season.

[johnd2442]

dean and trav - i didn't mean to gloss over your posts by the way.

dean, i think i sort of addressed your question about whether there was anyone else worthwhile to grab, answering that...um...i have absolutely no clue, but i'm sure there is. that said, while saves are big in our league, holds are also worth 5 points so middle relievers can actually be worth quite a bit.

and trav, you are so right. i should take someone with higher upside albeit with a bit of risk like josh outman rather than a scrub like millwood. problem? i have no idea who guys on par with outman are right now. it stinks. so, i'm going to have to re-educate myself this season, read rotoworld MLB updates (which i've ignored for the past several years) and read mastersball articles and the boards here.

so you know what? i took nick masset and frasor as end game guys for a buck apiece. but i think you've convinced me. i have my eye on a guy like nick hundley (C-SD) but i'm going to seriously consider dumping a guy like frasor for outman. i only have 9 pitchers right now, and my anal-retentiveness likes to fill out my roster somewhat evenly. but i'm still going to probably do it. thanks again for the nudge.

[Captain Hook]

okay, late to this party but obviously suggestion don't help much because we don't know who is available......also I may have missed this in a quick read but are these for LIVE roster spots or bench players? BIG difference

And I don't want to rag on Trav's Outman suggestion - personally I love Outman if/when he gets the chance but right now he is not a starter for the A's so Harden would have to stay injured (certainly a good bet) and then Outman would have to win the spot in the rotation to have value. Is that the best SP in waiting for your team? quien sabe?

In the meantime, relievers who get Holds (especially if they have any shots at saves) seem as valid as any for Active roster spots. I wouldn't waste the time/spot on Cedeno - if your starting SS went down you would want to find a better option anyway (for instance if Scutaro is not ready to go by opening day, Jed Lawrie gets huge and will have some value regardless and there are probably better options, just an example off the top of my head)

[johnd2442]

perry, you're not late to the party. i appreciate your input very much.

i definitely didn't clarify much in my previous posts. these are just for reserve spots, but depth helps me sleep better at night. and you're right - cedeno stinks, but it makes me feel good knowing i wouldn't have to scramble immediately if alex gonzalez, my starter at SS and not a very good option himself, got hurt.

i'll try to look over the ultra fabulous mastersball sheets and try to pick out who is a free agent after some research. incidentally, rich harden is actually being auctioned off right now and he's at $1. he's probably only worth $1 though. more than likely though, there may be other good options at SP. i just don't know of them.

one guy i realize i can dump now that our main auction is over (now it is just regular free agency) is OF david murphy. i have him on a non-guaranteed contract so i can dump him and he is at $8 which seems crazy since he doesn't look like he'll get that much playing time. so that opens up a spot. i was considering a guy like nick hundley? he seems like he may have some upside as the starting catcher for the padres and had some power last year?

thanks again for your thoughts, perry.

[Captain Hook]

perry, you're not late to the party. i appreciate your input very much.
one guy i realize i can dump now that our main auction is over (now it is just regular free agency) is OF david murphy. i have him on a non-guaranteed contract so i can dump him and he is at $8 which seems crazy since he doesn't look like he'll get that much playing time. so that opens up a spot. i was considering a guy like nick hundley? he seems like he may have some upside as the starting catcher for the padres and had some power last year?

John - I would NOT drop David Murphy - look at the number of AB he got last year when it looked worse for him - and returned a nice profit for people who owned him.

IF (okay capital I and capital F) the Rangers actually do make another mistake and trade Michael Young, Murphy becomes the left handed part of the DH platoon with Napoli. That and the DL bent of Hamilton and Cruz mean he will get well over 400 at bats again this year - IMHO

[johnd2442]

perry, you're not late to the party. i appreciate your input very much.
one guy i realize i can dump now that our main auction is over (now it is just regular free agency) is OF david murphy. i have him on a non-guaranteed contract so i can dump him and he is at $8 which seems crazy since he doesn't look like he'll get that much playing time. so that opens up a spot. i was considering a guy like nick hundley? he seems like he may have some upside as the starting catcher for the padres and had some power last year?

John - I would NOT drop David Murphy - look at the number of AB he got last year when it looked worse for him - and returned a nice profit for people who owned him.

IF (okay capital I and capital F) the Rangers actually do make another mistake and trade Michael Young, Murphy becomes the left handed part of the DH platoon with Napoli. That and the DL bent of Hamilton and Cruz mean he will get well over 400 at bats again this year - IMHO

fair point, perry. though at $8 he is virtually untradeable. i may try to release him and then get him back at a cheaper salary. mastersball's projections for him kinda bummed me out with 242 at bats. i'd love to get rid of him, but then again, i don't know. it's a long season!

thanks again for the input perry. i kind of assumed, with the mb projections, you guys simply didn't like him. now i guess i better rethink that.

EDIT: Perry, who would you prefer regardless of position - David Murphy or Nick Hundley of San Diego?

[Captain Hook]

NOT Even CLOSE - Murphy all the time - the only reason Hundley would EVER make a team is in large two catcher leagues.

Murphy appears to be less because he is not a full time player - BUT those AB are low
Still - if you can dump him and use the money on a better player or more needed position (and then maybe get Murphy back as a reserve) THAT would be a good way to go.

[johnd2442]

NOT Even CLOSE - Murphy all the time - the only reason Hundley would EVER make a team is in large two catcher leagues.

Murphy appears to be less because he is not a full time player - BUT those AB are low
Still - if you can dump him and use the money on a better player or more needed position (and then maybe get Murphy back as a reserve) THAT would be a good way to go.

wow, ok thanks a ton perry. i did read kind of the same thing in the player profile on murphy - that his projected AB's were kind of low. i may take a chance and waive him and try to get him back very cheap. $8 is kind of killing me to look at.

gee, now that i notice it, we kind of strayed from the millwood talk!

[brian]

OK, I will come back to Millwood. The Cardinals probably won't need him. Unless Kyle McClellan pitches poorly in camp, he should get Adam Wainwright's rotation spot in St. Louis. Millwood has lost a couple of MPH off his fastball in the last couple of years. I don't see any reason to bother with him on a speculative basis.

[johnd2442]

OK, I will come back to Millwood. The Cardinals probably won't need him. Unless Kyle McClellan pitches poorly in camp, he should get Adam Wainwright's rotation spot in St. Louis. Millwood has lost a couple of MPH off his fastball in the last couple of years. I don't see any reason to bother with him on a speculative basis.

thanks brian. after a few years away from the hobby, millwood is a poster child of what i'm having trouble with. a name that is very, very familiar, his glory days way past him...but yet i have a lingering memory of them. i don't look at the putrid year he had last year, though i should. if he was any good, wouldn't he have had a better year than that last season? not only that, and maybe it is posturing, but tony larussa has also said that the wainright solution is on the team already. maybe he doesn't want millwood.