Klassenforum » game, put the ball in Darren McFaddens

Opening Day brings with it reason for hope as players and teams embrace new opportunities. Here are some of the more interesting players getting new opportunities in the 2014 season: Grady Sizemore, CF, Boston - One of my favourite stories from the spring is the return of 31-year-old Sizemore, who was a cornerstone of my fantasy teams from 2005 through 2008, when he was ripping off 20-20 (HR-SB) and one 30-30 season before injuries limited him to 210 games between 2009 and 2011. Then, he sat out all of 2012 and 2013, at which point the baseball world would have been ready to leave him in the rearview as a player with great potential who didnt achieve greatness due to ongoing injuries. But a funny thing happened on the way to the glue factory: Sizemore won the starting centre field job for the defending World Series champs, hitting .310 with a .784 OPS in the spring. I dont know how long it will last, but Ill enjoy this resurrection. Jesse Chavez, RHP, Oakland - Acquired from Toronto in May of 2012 for cash, Chavez wasnt a particularly effective reliever, with a 5.48 ERA in 191 major-league appearances (189 in relief), but was decent in AAA Las Vegas in 2012 when he got a chance to start (8-5, 3.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 86 K, 95 IP) and then, last season, was good (2-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 26 K, 30 IP) in a handful of starts with AAA Sacramento. When the As rotation was hammered by injuries to Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin in the spring, that opened the door for Chavez to get a look in the rotation and he was good (2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 25 K, 28 1/3 IP) in the spring; good enough to see if the 30-year-old has the stuff to hold a starting job. Dustin McGowan, RHP, Toronto - Oh, what might have been. There was a time, say 2007, when McGowans electric stuff looked like it belonged at the top of a big-league rotation. Then, the arm troubles hit and hes been crawling his way back to the bigs, pitching 46 2/3 innings over the past five seasons. When he pitched out of the bullpen last season, McGowas was effective (2.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 26 K, 25 2/3 IP) and was throwing heat, with an average fastball clocked at 94.7 MPH, the same as it was in 2007. McGowans now 32-years-old and gets a shot in the Blue Jays rotation. His perseverance makes him easy to root for, yet his medical history makes it easy to expect that he wont survive the demands of starting every fifth day. Mike Morse, LF, San Francisco - Its hard to imagine that the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Morse was a shortstop when he first arrived in the big leagues in 2005, but he was, and its been an uneven road since. His high point came in 2011, when he hit 31 home runs, with a .910 OPS for Washington, and thats the kind of production that the Giants would love to add to their outfield on an everyday basis. Last seasons .651 OPS in Seattle and Baltimore, however, is decidedly less appealing, so the Giants will hope that last seasons down year helped make the price reasonable for a 32-year-old with an .808 career OPS. Mike Olt, 3B, Chicago Cubs - Acquired from Texas as part of last summers Matt Garza trade, 25-year-old Olt had eye problems (that have since been rectified) and then missed time this spring because of shoulder trouble, but he mashed five home runs, with an .886 OPS in 63 plate appearances and made the Cubs roster. With Luis Valbuena the incumbent at third base, its no surprise that Olt is going to get a good look for the Cubs. Brett Anderson, LHP, Colorado - In 2009 and 2010, when he was 21 and 22-years-old, Anderson had a 3.57 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 49 starts, striking out 225 in 287 2/3 innings. Then, the arm trouble started. Hes still only 26-year-old and going to Colorado isnt exactly a dream scenario for a pitcher trying to regain his form, but Anderson has a spot in the Rockies rotation. He has to be better than he was in the spring (3.27 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11 K, 22 IP), but staying healthy is the first order of business. Jesus Guzman, 1B, Houston - A 29-year-old who has been a part-time player in San Diego for the past three seasons, Guzman has hit 18 home runs in 575 at-bats over the past two seasons, which is okay, but nothing earth-shattering, yet after a spring in which he hit .189 with a .753 OPS in 46 plate appearances, Guzman gets the nod as the Astros starter at first base. Hes been much better against left-handers (.818 OPS) than right-handers (.695 OPS) throughout his career, so it will be interesting to see if Guzman hits enough to keep an everyday job, even for the Astros. Drew Hutchison, RHP, Toronto - Coming back from Tommy John surgery, 23-year-old Drew Hutchison took his lumps in the minors last season (4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 35 1/3 IP) following surgery, but hes been much sharper this spring (1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 19 K, 15 IP). Thats obviously a small sample and the Jays are not likely to be good enough to warrant rushing Hutchison, but he was well on his way to being a major-league starter when he first suffered the injury, so its not unreasonable for him to find a spot in a shaky Blue Jays starting staff. Usage will be the big issue as he has yet to throw 150 innings in pro season. James Paxton, LHP, Seattle - Young pitching is going to be vital for the Mariners and 25-year-old, Richmond, B.C. native Paxton is one of their more promising arms. He was impressive in a four-game audition (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21 K, 24 IP) last season. Command is the issue; so far its been good in the bigs, but he walked 112 in 252 innings at Double-A and Triple-A over the past two seasons. Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis - The 22-year-old who, to this point, might be best known for getting picked off to end Game Four of the 2013 World Series, gets the nod to start for the Cardinals after a strong spring (.375 AVG, 1.080 OPS, 53 PA) and an injury to veteran Mark Ellis. Wong didnt hit when he joined the Cardinals late last season, but he hit .301 with an .811 OPS in the minors and swiped 20 bases on 21 attempts at Triple-A last season. Dee Gordon, 2B, Los Angeles - The Dodgers signed Cuban import Alexander Guerrero to a four-year, $28-million contract in the off-season, but their starter at second base is former shortstop Gordon, the 25-year-old wh has a .620 lifetime OPS, but he has also stolen 66 bases in 183 career games, so if he can get on base even a little bit, Gordon has a chance to put up big numbers on the bases. Corey Hart, DH, Seattle - The 32-year-old missed all of last season with a knee injury and hes probably not right back to full speed after a spring in which he posted a .390 OPS in 43 plate appearances. He also hit at least 20 home runs in five of the previous six seasons and the Mariners could sorely use his right-handed power to help balance out their lineup. Casey McGehee, 3B, Miami - Back from a year in Japan, 31-year-old McGehee is starting at third base for the Marlins. He had some productive seasons in 2009 and 2010 with Milwaukee, but his last two major league seasons werent good. After 28 home runs and and .892 OPS in Japan last year, he gets another shot. Joakim Soria, RHP, Texas - Once a very effective closer for the Royals, 29-year-old Soria missed all of 2012 following Tommy John surgery before getting into 26 games with the Rangers last summer (3.80 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 28 K/14 BB, 23 2/3 IP). His velocity was off a bit and he was throwing more breaking pitches, but his command was better this spring (0.93 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 8 K/0 BB, 9 2/3 IP) and hes poised to take over for the departed Joe Nathan. Drew Smyly, LHP, Detroit - 24-year-old Smyly wasnt bad when he started as a rookie a couple of years ago, but was bumped to the bullpen last year, where he was dominant (2.37 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 81 K, 76 IP), using his cutter more frequently and effectively, and now Smyly returns to the rotation after Detroit sent Doug Fister to Washington. Phil Hughes, RHP, Minnesota - Its not exactly the tale of a plucky underdog when a 2004 first-round pick of the Yankees moves on to a new team, but after a rough 2013 season (4-14, 5.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP), a fresh start somewhere else might make some sense. Also, given last years results, maybe more curves and fewer sliders should be part of Hughes plan of attack. Felipe Paulino, RHP, Chicago White Sox - A 30-year-old with 61 career major-league starts (and a 4.93 ERA), Paulino is getting a turn in the White Sox rotation after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery. Its tough to look at potential for a 30-year-old, but Paulino looked like he was figuring things out in Kansas City (3.55 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 158 K, 162 1/3 IP in 28 games, 27 starts) before getting hurt. He also brings the heat, with a fastball consistently over 95 MPH. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Sam Darnold Jersey . Canada wasnt in the game from the outset. Head coach Dan Church left Calgary in the morning without addressing the players. He told The Canadian Press he felt the organization lacked confidence in his ability to defend the Olympic gold medal in February. Trenton Cannon Jersey . Of all the names out there who could realistically be dealt by Wednesdays deadline, Ryan Kesler remains No. 1 on the most desired list. And while were not sure if theyre any closer to a deal, we now have a defined price. http://www.authenticjetsfanatic.com/c-10-customized.aspx.com) - There may be a debate in Philadelphia about who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles. Chris Herndon Jets Jersey . Ive said it before, Ive worked with top pros and I could have made my own program. Isaiah Crowell Jets Jersey . -- Terrelle Pryor took the opening snap of the game, put the ball in Darren McFaddens belly and saw LaMarr Woodley crash down.The Vancouver Whitecaps ended their four-game scoring drought on Wednesday night at BC Place, where they defeated the struggling San Jose Earthquakes by a score of 2-0. The Whitecaps got goals from Pedro Morales, who converted a penalty kick in the first half, and Kendall Waston, who scored a diving header from a Morales corner kick in the second half to secure the three points. THE FORMATIONS For the second game running, Vancouver lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield. Head coach Carl Robinson made two changes to the line-up that drew 0-0 with DC United on Saturday - Erik Hurtado replaced Darren Mattocks in attack and Steven Beitashour replaced Ethen Sampson at right-back. The Earthquakes made one change to the team that drew 3-3 with the Portland Timbers on the weekend, with J.J. Koval replacing Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi in midfield in head coach Mark Watsons 4-4-1-1 formation. THE GAME Vancouver dictated the tempo of the game for large stretches, as San Jose offered very little going forward. The Earthquakes seemed content to get as many as 10 players behind the ball in order to frustrate the Whitecaps with only Chris Wondolowski remaining in an advanced position. For much of the first half, this tactic worked for San Jose. Vancouver was unable to break down the Earthquakes, despite enjoying the lions share of possession and camping out in the Earthquakes half. Whenever Vancouver did manage to find a way to goal, San Jose had Jon Busch in place to bail them out with a save. One could sense the tension creeping into the crowd at BC Place as Vancouvers struggles in front of goal continued in the first half. So when the referee pointed to the penalty spot in the 39th minute after Waston had been shoved in the back by Victor Bernardez, a palpable sense of relief washed over the home crowd. While it was a soft penalty to concede, Pedro Morales made no mistake from the spot, side-footing into the bottom left corner beyond the reach of Busch. Waston powered home the second Whitecaps goal in the 56th minute, diving to head home a Morales corner kick. Waston has already shown in his short time in Vancouver that he is a real threat from set pieces. If the delivery from Morales and Mauro Rosales remains consistent, expect Waston to find the back of the net on a frequent basis for the Whitecaps. Aside from the two goals, there was much for Robinson to be pleased with on Wednesday night. The midfield diamond formation worked very well against San Jose. Ive written recently about the difficulty of finding a role for Russell Teibert in Vancouvers 4-2-3-1 formation, but he was excellent on the left side of the diamond midfield.dddddddddddd He covered an incredible distance as he protected the back four and his use of the ball was very good. Perhaps this formation is the key to maximizing Teiberts abilities; where he isnt required to beat defenders 1-on-1, and can instead come inside to link with Laba and Morales, freeing up space for Jordan Harvey to come forward from the full-back position. Harvey had a field day for the Whitecaps on the left, and put in another solid performance. He was always an option to switch the point of attack, and when he received the ball he kept Vancouver in possession. The front two of Sebastien Fernandez and Hurtado worked hard all night, and Fernandez, in particular, linked very well with Morales and Rosales. Hurtado had a glorious chance to make it 3-0 for Vancouver, but he snatched at his breakaway and fired wide of the net when he had more than enough time to settle himself and beat Busch in goal. The miss simply underlined what Robinson has known for quite some time: If Vancouver is going to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference on a yearly basis, they need a striker of Moraless caliber leading the line. THE GOOD The midfield diamond worked very well for Vancouver, and given the personnel that Robinson has at his disposal just now, it may be the formation that sees the Whitecaps through the rest of the season and into the playoffs. It was an excellent all-around performance from Vancouver with David Ousted and the back four looking solid all evening. Waston was immense and he is quickly building a strong partnership with Andy OBrien. It was Ousteds ninth clean sheet of the season a€“ the most in Major League Soccer. THE BAD San Jose offered very little to the game aside from a commitment to defend in numbers. Once the first Vancouver goal went in and San Jose had to come out of their shell, they were unable to live with the Whitecaps. Their league position, second from bottom in the Western Conference, is an accurate reflection of their ability. If they do not strengthen in the offseason, San Jose will be in danger of missing out on the playoffs next year as well. THE STAR MAN Waston was fantastic for the Whitecaps, as was Teibert, but Morales was again at the heart of everything that Vancouver did offensively. When Morales plays well, so, too, do the Whitecaps. The victory put Vancouver into the playoff picture in fifth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Portland Timbers. Up next for the Whitecaps is a trip to Texas on Saturday to take on FC Dallas (You can catch the action live on TSN 2 at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt). 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