Today's Fantasy Rx

Note: The beginning of most stat lines includes data for H/AB for BA/OBP/SLG.

Anaheim: Alex Ochoa, OF
68/265 for .257/.356/.396 with 8 HR, 29 RBI, 38 R, 10/17 SB%, and 39:35 BB:K.

He hasn't made a particularly strong free agent push since the Angels acquired him from Milwaukee, but with a career-best 1.11 BB:K, along with a solid .15 walk rate and 3.72 #P/PA, he's maintaining his already respectable credentials. At age 20, Ochoa's unlikely to find a starting job for more than another year or two, although he offers a nice power-speed combo as a fifth outfielder on fantasy teams. While recognizing that he's uncertain to stay in the AL, acquire him since he should play regularly down the stretch.

August Underachiever: Troy Glaus, 3B
Old stats: 108/438 for .247/.350/.438 with 21 HR, 82 RBI, 75 R, 6/9 SB%, and 68:114 BB:K.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 21/83 for .253 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 13 R, 4/4 SB%, and 14:18 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Tim Salmon, OF; May: Brad Fullmer, DH; June: Darin Erstad, OF; July: Scott Spiezio, 1B.

Baltimore: Chris Richard, 1B/DH
31/124 for .250/.307/.427 with 4 HR, 19 RBI, 13 R, 0/2 SB%, and 10:21 BB:K.

Shoulder surgery kept him out the first four months of the season, and since returning in August, he's simply not providing adequate production at either first or DH. At least we can expect him to develop next season after managing career-best marks of .85 G-F, 3.66 #P/PA, and .48 BB:K. For now, you should probably wait if needing help this year even though he's a good target for rebuilding teams.

August Underachiever: Tony Batista, 3B
Old stats: 117/457 for .256/.318/.475 with 22 HR, 67 RBI, 72 R, 5/8 SB%, and 36:76 BB:K.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 27/111 for .243 with 7 HR, 15 RBI, 13 R, 0/1 SB%, and 8:15 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Chris Singleton, OF; May: Mike Bordick, SS; June: Brook Fordyce, C; July: David Segui, 1B/DH.

Boston: Benny Agbayani, OF
29/129 for .225/.284/.357 with 4 HR, 23 RBI, 13 R, 1/1 SB%, and 11:36 BB:K.

While he's only batted 12 times with Boston thus far, Agbayani should continue producing in a limited role through the end of the year. Like Alex Ochoa before him, he just didn't adapt to the benefits of Coors, but hitting off the Green Monster should allow him to boost his BA back into the .280 range. I'm not sure where he'll play next year, although teams needing any BA help might look to acquire Agbayani.

August Underachiever: Johnny Damon, OF
Old stats: 135/469 for .288/.358/.446 with 10 HR, 56 RBI, 93 R, 26/31 SB%, and 50:50 BB:K.
Recommendation: wait.
Stats since recommendation: 27/101 for .267 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 15 R, 3/3 SB%, and 10:12 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Trot Nixon, OF; May: Tony Clark, 1B; June: Rickey Henderson, OF/DH; July: Manny Ramirez, OF.

Chicago White Sox: Magglio Ordonez, OF
174/551 for .316/.379/.574 with 32 HR, 121 RBI, 106 R, 6/11 SB%, and 52:73 BB:K.

He's made incremental gains this year in the power categories, but his speed's disappeared as the White Sox de-emphasized running after the leadoff slots and kept Ordonez behind Frank Thomas or Carlos Lee for much of the year. I'm continually amazed that Jerry Manuel wastes two dozen or more at-bats each year by refusing to move Ordonez to the #3 hole. However we probably jumped the gun on predicting a power surge for him, as his 1.37 G-F from 2001 was an increase from his 1.26 G-F the year before. Fortunately he's fallen to a 1.18 G-F this season, so while his plate discipline hasn't been this bad since 1998, we still like his overall chance for improvement, making him a solid player to acquire.

August Underachiever: Jeff Liefer, UT
Old stats: 25/123 for .203/.256/.301 with 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 R, 0/0 SB%, and 9:33 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal.
Stats since recommendation: 12/49 for .245 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 10 R, 0/0 SB%, and 7:18 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Carlos Lee, OF; May: Royce Clayton, SS; June: Ray Durham, 2B; July: Frank Thomas, DH.

Cleveland: Milton Bradley, OF
79/313 for .252/.320/.415 with 9 HR, 38 RBI, 46 R, 6/9 SB%, and 31:55 BB:K.

Despite suffering from no less than four nagging injuries, most recently a strained left oblique suffered last Tuesday, Bradley has shown moderate power and speed while developing more plate discipline. Avalon Hill's .56 BB:K and .10 walk rate are easily the best marks he's managed since reaching the majors, and a 1.62 G-F indicates more power potential than the 1.90 G-F from last year. I'm also pleased with his .735 OPS, and considering Parker Brothers never surpassed .620 in either of the past two seasons and he just turned 24 in April, Hasbro should continue improving if he can stay healthy. While the oblique strain might keep Bradley out for much of the rest of the season, he's a solid long-term target to acquire.

August Underachiever: Travis Fryman, 3B
Old stats: 72/337 for .217/.301/.340 with 9 HR, 44 RBI, 37 R, 0/0 SB%, and 38:64 BB:K.
Recommendation: wait.
Stats since recommendation: 9/37 for .243 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 0/0 SB%, and 1:8 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Ricky Gutierrez, 2B; May: Brady Anderson, OF; June: Einar Diaz, C; July: Matt Lawton, OF.

Detroit: Rob Fick, OF
141/531 for .266/.325/.429 with 16 HR, 60 RBI, 63 R, 0/1 SB%, and 43:88 BB:K.

As Fick's already 28 and severely regressed this season after a decent .815 OPS and respectable skills in 2001, I doubt his ability to remain a successful major league contributor if these trends continue. He's slipped to a .50 BB:K and .08 walk rate after reaching a .62 BB:K and .10 walk rate last year, and while he owned a .79 career G-F prior to 2001, he's averaged a .95 the last two seasons. His #P/PA has even fallen to 3.95 after he averaged 4.15 from 1998 to 2000, and while a 3.95 is respectable, I don't see improvement anywhere in his skills. Considering his drop in value now that he'll no longer qualify at catcher and the toolsy players rising in the Tigers' organization, explore a deal if someone else is interested in Fick.

August Underachiever: Bobby Higginson, OF
Old stats: 99/343 for .289/.357/.431 with 8 HR, 51 RBI, 40 R, 11/16 SB%, and 35:32 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal.
Stats since recommendation: 23/85 for .271 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 1/1 SB%, and 6:9 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Jose Macias, 2B/OF; May: Craig Paquette, 3B/UT; June: Chris Truby, 3B; July: Damion Easley, 2B.

Kansas City: Carlos Febles, 2B
78/333 for .234/.325/.339 with 4 HR, 24 RBI, 42 R, 15/20 SB%, and 38:58 BB:K.

The perpetually incompetent Kansas City management demoted Febles instead of his severely worse double play partner for bizarrely punitive reasons even though he finally managed to stay healthy this year. While Febles is already 26 and neither a .66 BB:K nor a .11 walk rate are particularly good given his lack of power, he's holding a 75% SB success rate and still could develop if he continues to play regularly. The Royals are guilty of expecting too much from Febles given his lack of playing time over the last two seasons. Unfortunately his G-F jumped to 2.44 after a career-best 1.92 last year, so we can't expect any power development, leaving Febles worth more in roto than playing in the majors. Wait if you still own him, since I at least expect him to reach double-digit value next year as long as he changes organizations as we expect.

August Underachiever: Mike Sweeney, 1B
Old stats: 119/335 for .355/.425/.603 with 18 HR, 57 RBI, 60 R, 6/11 SB%, and 42:31 BB:K.
Recommendation: wait.
Stats since recommendation: 25/90 for .278 with 5 HR, 21 RBI, 12 R, 0/2 SB%, and 9:11 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Brent Mayne, C; May: Raul Ibanez, DH; June: Chuck Knoblauch, OF; July: Mark Quinn, OF.

Minnesota: Denny Hocking, UT
63/248 for .254/.309/.327 with 2 HR, 25 RBI, 26 R, 0/2 SB%, and 22:44 BB:K.

He hasn't failed to reach at least 325 at-bats in each of the last three years, but new manager Ron Gardenhire wisely kept Hocking on the bench instead of starting him whenever anyone suffered an injury. This change in tactics from the Tom Kelly days hasn't actually reduced Hocking's value, however he's also stopped stealing. Hocking averaged eight steals a year the past three years, and now he hasn't stolen a single base, dropping his effective fantasy value to near zero. Although his skills are closer to his 2000 peak than most other years of his career, he's still not someone I want to own, making him a prime candidate to deal or cut unless you believe he'll somehow see more PT over the last two weeks because the Twins clinched.

August Underachiever: Luis Rivas, 2B
Old stats: 55/213 for .258/.310/.390 with 3 HR, 27 RBI, 34 R, 7/10 SB%, and 13:37 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal.
Stats since recommendation: 14/71 for .197 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 1/2 SB%, and 5:10 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Cristian Guzman, SS; May: Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B; June: David Ortiz, DH; July: Corey Koskie, 3B.

New York Yankees: Rondell White, OF
99/423 for .234/.285/.359 with 13 HR, 56 RBI, 55 R, 1/2 SB%, and 24:83 BB:K.

The 30-year-old RonDL hasn't actually left the Yankees' active roster this season, despite missing games due to a sore left calf and a ruptured tendon in his left middle finger. Perhaps these problems caused his largely abhorrent performance, as he's simply posting the worst all-around numbers of his career. His speed, plate discipline, and even power all appear mostly gone, and considering the negative effect of Yankee Stadium on most right-handed batters, he also might not rebound next year. Look to deal him for almost anyone with good health and a little potential.

August Underachiever: Jason Giambi, 1B
Old stats: 135/443 for .305/.424/.576 with 30 HR, 94 RBI, 92 R, 2/4 SB%, and 86:86 BB:K.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 25/78 for .321 with 6 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 0/0 SB%, and 21:19 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Bernie Williams, OF; May: Nick Johnson, 1B/DH; June: Shane Spencer, OF; July: John Vander Wal, OF.

Oakland: Eric Byrnes, OF
21/83 for .253/.304/.422 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, 21 R, 3/3 SB%, and 4:16 BB:K.

After a scalding hot winter ball season, Oakland didn't create room for Byrnes in the lineup and sent him to AAA for the first five weeks of the year. Unfortunately Art Howe almost exclusively limits him to late-inning replacement duties despite the upside he's displayed in the minors. Byrnes' 83 at-bats in 80 games simply aren't enough chances for him to display his talents, and given that he hasn't batted in almost a month, deal or cut him unless completely rebuilding.

August Underachiever: Eric Chavez, 3B
Old stats: 119/444 for .268/.341/.14 with 26 HR, 77 RBI, 62 R, 4/6 SB%, and 49:92 BB:K.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 32/95 for .337 with 6 HR, 26 RBI, 19 R, 2/3 SB%, and 10:17 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Ramon Hernandez, C; May: Terrence Long, OF; June: Jermaine Dye, OF; July: David Justice, OF/DH.

Seattle: Desi Relaford, UT
83/296 for .280/.353/.399 with 6 HR, 41 RBI, 53 R, 9/12 SB%, and 31:46 BB:K.

Jeff Cirillo remains in the lineup due to his expensive and lengthy contract, but Relaford's outperformed Cirillo even as his skills continue to develop. A .67 BB:K and .10 walk rate are relatively decent considering his inconsistent playing time, and a 75% SB success rate is actually slightly worse than his career mark. His .95 G-F is the best ratio of his career, suggesting he could reach double-digit home runs with a little more playing time in a park friendlier to hitters. Seattle should play him more as they desperately try to remain in the race, making him a respectable target to acquire under nearly any circumstances.

August Underachiever: Ben Davis, C
Old stats: 43/167 for .257/.321/.674 with 2 HR, 26 RBI, 15 R, 1/2 SB%, and 16:40 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal.
Stats since recommendation: 9/29 for .310 with 4 HR, 14 RBI, 6 R, 0/0 SB%, and 0:11 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Jeff Cirillo, 3B; May: Bret Boone, 2B; June: Mike Cameron, OF; July: Edgar Martinez, DH.

Tampa Bay: Jason Conti, OF
56/218 for .257/.316/.381 with 3 HR, 21 RBI, 25 R, 4/6 SB%, and 18:55 BB:K.

Tampa's amazingly deep group of outfield prospects began matriculating to the majors this year, so Conti likely missed his best opportunity to establish himself as a respectable big league regular. His MLEs don't indicate incredible potential, but we at least expected him to post a .700+ OPS with more impressive power numbers. As he'll turn 28 in January, we don't believe he'll receive another extended chance as anything more than a reserve, leaving him as someone you likely should deal or cut.

August Underachiever: Steve Cox, 1B
Old stats: 121/454 for .267/.339/.416 with 14 HR, 61 RBI, 55 R, 5/5 SB%, and 46:98 BB:K.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 19/85 for .224 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 0/0 SB%, and 10:13 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Greg Vaughn, OF; May: Toby Hall, C; June: Brent Abernathy, 2B; July: Ben Grieve, OF.

Texas: Mike Young, 2B
136/515 for .264/.312/.398 with 9 HR, 57 RBI, 70 R, 6/12 SB%, and 38:102 BB:K.

He only managed to improve his contact rate from .76 to .80 and his #P/PA from 3.66 to 3.97, and neither of these gains indicate he's a capable starter for the Rangers. While he maintained a .275 BA or better at every level of the minors, he never posted an OBP over .368 after A-ball, so Texas shouldn't be surprised at his complete failure as a leadoff man. He should develop into a nice backup and may succeed as a starter in a few years, but he doesn't deserve another 400+ plate appearances in the near future. We expect to see either Hank Blalock, 2002 1st round pick Drew Meyer, or someone from outside the organization wind up as the long-term solution here, so hopefully Texas will consider moving Young while his value is high. He's still a decent fantasy middle infielder, although you shouldn't expect more than minor improvement in 2003. Likely look to deal him to someone with more faith in him rediscovering the speed necessary for the 30 steals he posted at A+ Dunedin back in 1998.

August Underachiever: Juan Gonzalez, OF
Old stats: 78/277 for .282/.324/.451 with 8 HR, 35 RBI, 38 R, 2/2 SB%, and 17:56 BB:K.
Recommendation: wait.
Stats since recommendation: No stats since he's out for the year with a strained right thumb ligament.

Previous Underachievers: April: Carl Everett, OF; May: Frank Catalanotto, 2B/OF; June: Gabe Kapler, OF; July: Ivan Rodriguez, C.

Toronto: Vernon Wells, OF
152/559 for .272/.303/.444 with 20 HR, 89 RBI, 74 R, 9/13 SB%, and 25:85 BB:K.

Eric Hinske currently leads the Blue Jays with 13 steals, a shockingly low number for a team playing their home games on turf. Last year, they stole 156 bases at a 74% success rate, and now they're down to 68 bases at an 80% success rate; at least they're theoretically giving themselves a better chance to score runs, likely a product of J.P. Ricciardi's control over the organization. Wells' young legs at least deserve a chance to run, but unless Ricciardi leaves, likely for Boston, I'll be surprised if Wells breaks a dozen steals next year. I'm also not pleased with his lack of development, as none of his skills or stats are appreciably better than his MLEs from the last two years. Toronto rushed Wells up the majors and he's seemingly stagnated, so while we hope he'll continue developing, he shouldn't exceed numbers near his current marks in the near future. You can wait if you already own him, although we won't specifically seek him when looking for young studs for our squads.

August Underachiever: Shannon Stewart, OF
Old stats: 128/429 for .298/.360/.436 with 6 HR, 39 RBI, 69 R, 8/8 SB%, and 35:43 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal.
Stats since recommendation: 28/94 for .298 with 2 HR, 2 RBI, 22 R, 4/6 SB%, and 16:11 BB:K.

Previous Underachievers: April: Darren Fletcher, C; May: Raul Mondesi, OF; June: Jose Cruz, Jr., OF; July: Carlos Delgado, 1B.

Today's Fantasy Rx: I can't recall any major publication suffering as many severe hits as the Chicago Tribune's faced over the past few years. The Sports' section alone lost Jerome Holtzman to the MLB office and Skip Bayless and Bernie Lincicome to western papers, Bayless replacement Michael Holley returned to Boston after an extended bout of homesickness, and we're stuck with Phil Rogers as the national baseball writer, whose column remains one of the commissioner's primary outlets for the MLB party line.

Elsewhere in the paper, the biggest loss was probably film critic Gene Siskel's death in 1999, but they appear to have lost the fight, led by architecture critic Blair Kamin, against the Soldier Field remodeling, the Trib receives most of the blame for the Cubs' troubles, and they even cancelled the gossip column several months ago.

Now, over the last three months, "Ann Landers" columnist Eppie Lederer died, "Dear Abby" columnist Pauline Phillips completely turned her column over to daughter Jeanne, and yet Sunday we discovered perhaps the most stunning publishing story in Chicago since the Trib ran "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN"!

Veteran Tribune columnist Bob Greene resigned from the paper Saturday night after the Trib discovered he'd engaged in an "inappropriate" relationship with a teenage girl who'd met Greene while working at the Trib on a school project. While the girl was over the age of consent at the time, Greene's been married since 1971 and has two children.

Greene championed children's rights throughout his career. While we've only consistently read his columns for the past three years, he's continually featured the failures of the DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) in Illinois and surrounding states. He specifically recounted horrifying tales of torture involving parents and guardians brutalizing toddlers with available tools such as cattle prods, rallying public outcry to help prevent these poor kids from returning to their abusive homes. Of course he's likely more famous for his books and columns featuring largely random meanderings about the male mid-life crisis, as well as general nostalgia for anything dated to his childhood and earlier eras.

Now this revelation of another facet of Greene's mid-life crisis has shoved an emotional cattle prod into his legions of readers, and even beyond the effect of his conduct on his family and the life of his theoretically responsible and consenting one-time companion, Midwestern children have lost a vital ally. We regularly read about DCFS neglect and mistakes, and losing Greene's voice is terribly unfortunate after a round of budget slashing from Illinois and our neighbors, a situation compounded by the distribution of practically worthless state and federal tax "rebates".

More than any other event of which we've heard, Greene's conduct proves that the so-called "age of irony" remains at the forefront of American culture even though his story is certainly more literally ironic than anything named in the Alanis Morissette song. However we prefer our irony limited to the intentionally humorous instead of betrayal from self-appointed paragons of personal responsibility.