Monday, May 4, 2009

Zambrano to be shelved?

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano will likely hit the disabled list regardless of today's MRI result on his injured hamstring. If Zambrano is out for a prolonged period of time, look for Jeff Zamardzija to get a chance at a few starts.

Fantasy Impact: Samardzija was a candidate to make the Cubs rotation to start the year. If Zambrano misses two to four weeks, Zamardzija could get his chances. Zamardzija will not be the first horse out of the gate, however, as he hasn't started in 17 days.

Parker promoted to Double-A

Jarrod Parker pitched a ho-hum Double-A debut on Saturday for the Mobile BayBears. The Arizona farmhand, considered one of the top prospects in baseball, wasn't expected to make the majors this year. With Brandon Webb on the DL, however, and the Diamondbacks struggling to compete, a mid- to late-season call-up is not out of the question.

Fantasy Impact: Stash the young man on your watch list. He's exciting, although he's probably a year or year-and-a-half away from making a significant impact.

Young arms in Baltimore?

Baltimore owns a number of young guns that are set to make major impacts at the big league level. Brad Bergesen has already arrive. Chris Tillman and David Hernandez would appear to be next in line.

Tillman started the year with Norfolk of the International League, and he's dominating the competition through four starts. He's 2-0 through four starts with a 2.77 ERA. He's struck out 21 batters in 19 innings, but he needs to work on his command having walked nine batters.

Hernandez hasn't shown the same kind of success in certain areas: 1-1, 4.58 ERA in four starts, but in others he's excelled. Hernandez owns 32 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched.

Fantasy Impact: It's a bit early to expect the trio of Bergesen, Tillman and Hernandez throwing in the majors together soon. Bergesen is the obvious choice to pick up as he's already working for the Orioles, but Tillman and Hernandez certainly can't be that far away. The youngters are looking up at a terrible MLB rotation that is currently rounded out with Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson. Both have struggled badly. We suggest that you keep a close eye on Baltimore. If the O's continue to look like a last-place team, the cavalry may come in the form of both Tillman and Hernandez.