Kuzul

Watching Mets' closer Frank Francisco pitch is like playing Russian Roulette. On the one hand, he can fire bullets right past hitters.On the other, he can blow a lead and make you want to blow your own brains out.Doubts about Francisco's closing ability have been common all season. It's not so much that he blows saves. He's got 18 saves on the season, and 3 blown saves.But, every outing is an adventure.Look at his 17th save of the season, for example. Francisco preserved the Mets' lead as they beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3. Looks good on paper.Here's the reality. Francisco saved his own skin as much as the game. The Mets went into the ninth leading 4-2. Francisco faced seven batters, threw 33 pitches—closers who throw more than 20 pitches an inning are usually in trouble—gave up two hits, two walks and an earned run before getting the third out.That's ...

The New York Mets have done surprisingly well so far this season, and as June nears, there are whispers of a playoff run.They have the tools at the plate. David Wright has an all-multiverse batting average of .373, and the Mets have been pleasantly surprised by the output of Mike Baxter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Daniel Murphy and others once considered little more than fill-ins.Props also go to the starting pitchers. Any lingering concerns about Johan Santana's surgically repaired shoulder were erased in his complete game shutout of the San Diego Padres last week. R.A. Dickey is having an All-Star season.Props are also due to closer Frank Francisco—for his last few outings, anyway. A change in his bullpen sessions has improved his pitching tremendously after a very shaky start to the season. At one point, his ERA was above 8.00 and he was consistently throwing more than 20 pitches an inning. That ...

The “Fabulous Foursome” is a new column here at Rotoprofessor that we are going to run once a week focusing on four players fantasy owners should be looking to acquire for various reasons (for example, a new closer, prospect on the verge of a recall, buy-low candidates, etc.). Let’s take a look at who you should be targeting this week:1) Eric Hosmer—Kansas City Royals—First Baseman He was impressive in his rookie season (.293, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 66 R, 11 SB in 523 AB).  That’s what makes his early season struggles so surprising.  Would anyone have expected him to open the year hitting a measly .174 over his first 144 AB? Yes, he’s added 5 HR, 18 RBI and 16 R, but it’s not hard to imagine owners in your league not being willing to overlook the pathetic average that is staring them ...

Earlier this week, during baseball's Winter Meetings, super agent Scott Boras categorized the New York Mets as a team that is normally in the "steaks section," but now find themselves in the "fruits and nuts category a lot."Any Mets fan will admit there are plenty of nuts running around the organization at the moment.It's far too late to claim that fans want a contender—they're dying for one.In the wake of Jose Reyes signing with the newly-christened Miami Marlins, the only thing the Mets can do is shop around in the bargain bin and find any way to keep butts in the seats while their better prospects develop.General manager Sandy Alderson, completely unwilling (and rightfully so) to concede anything, including the upcoming 2012 season, hopes to build a long-term contender no later than 2014. And with prospects like Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia, Matt Harvey and Brandon Nimmo in the ...

After the Toronto Blue Jays acquired power arm Frank Francisco from the Texas Rangers, it became a possibility that the Jays could run well into the season with a 13-man pitching staff. Even though running eight relievers seems like the perfect insurance to a very young rotation, it begs one question: Even though there's quantity, do the Jays have quality in their 'pen? Well, I thought, what better way to answer that question than to compare the Jays' relief corps to those of their major competitors in the AL East, and those who are also thought to have solid relievers—the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox? Answering the question won't have the best answer due to the fact that injuries, slow starts, etc. will all have an effect on the bullpen's seasons, but looking deep into the statistics should help us understand who is projected to have the stronger ...

Mike Napoli was a member of the Blue Jays just long enough for most of the team's writers and fans to get familiar with his capabilities and salary situation and come to a conclusion as to where he would fit in with the club. Napoli seemed to fit as the team's primary DH, which caused a chain effect with the rest of the position players. All that needs to be revisited now though as Napoli has already been spun to the Texas Rangers for reliever, and potential closer, Frank Francisco. He is the latest new arm to a bullpen that will be stocked with new faces come Opening Day. The Jays have already added Carlos Villanueva, Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch and Chad Cordero this offseason and figure to welcome back Jason Frasor and David Purcey as well. Francisco is the fifth arm added and he also figures to be the best of the bunch as ...

First reported by Ken Rosenthal, the Toronto Blue Jays traded the recently-acquired Mike Napoli to the Texas Rangers in exchange for reliever Frank Francisco and cash considerations. Napoli was acquired just a few days ago in the blockbuster that saw long-tenured Blue Jay Vernon Wells shipped to the Los Angeles Angels. Juan Rivera was also sent to the Jays in that swap. Napoli was thought to be a perfect fit for Toronto, who needed help at catcher, first base and designated hitter—three positions that Napoli has experience at, which makes this trade surprising. What makes the deal even more surprising is that Francisco is yet another right-handed reliever added to a right-heavy pitching staff. Both players have arbitration hearings set in March, after both of them had struggles in reaching a new deal with their former clubs, the Angels and Rangers. Francisco all around ...

So Alex Anthopoulos has found a manager in John Farrell. Now he has to continue upgrading his team through trades and free agency. The first thing to note is that it is highly unlikely Anthopoulos signs a Type A free agent. This is because his first-round pick is not protected, and that is what he would have to give up to sign them. So Manny Ramirez is out of the question. The second thing is that Anthopoulos has stated he is willing to go after Type A free agents if the price is right. I understand this, but it is highly unlikely that will happen. Type A free agents almost always get big money. If they are not worth a lot of money, then teams would not want to give up the draft pick, either. As a result, I see them targeting players that are not on the Type A free-agent list. The needs of this team ...

The Rangers seem to have the AL West all but locked up. They have by far the largest lead in any division in baseball, yet some things just don't seem right at the moment.With Ian Kinsler and Joaquin Arias on the disabled list, the Rangers are a little thin at second base. Ron Washington seemed to think that we may need a bit more help in that area so Christian Guzman was introduced as a Ranger. Nice acquisition, right? Starting shortstop for the Washington Nationals since 2005, averaged .328 and .316 in 2007 and 2008 respectively! That's actually pretty impressive! So why do I get this sinking feeling when I watch him play? Well, lets review how his play has been on the Rangers. Since becoming a Ranger, Guzman has had numerous fielding errors, is hitting .103, and is below average in speed. This shows the signs of a slumping player, not a ...

  What I’m Reading • The Rangers are sticking with Neftali Feliz, Frank Francisco, and their two-closer system for the time being. Good. Because these situations alway pan out favorably. • Twinjury update: Joe Mauer received some good news about his bruised heel , but J.J. Hardy will be missing a few games with a sore wrist . • Not quite an “Ankiel-ian” transformation, per se, but the Royals’ mandated switch of Alex Gordon to the outfield is a sign of things to come. • The Braves currently employ a guy with one of the coolest baseball names around—Jair Jurrjens. Unfortunately, due to several nagging injuries his next start has been pushed back to Saturday . And thanks to a pesky abductor muscle, Yunel Escobar has been placed on the 15-day DL . • To semi-quote George Costanza, “He’s back, BABY!” Yes, Kevin Millar is back . And not just with any old team. Millar has ...