StarFantasySports.com: 4/7/2007 - A Look At Japanese Players Not Named Dice-K

Every day I will be looking over the performances & trends from previous baseball games to help you make educated decisions about your fantasy baseball roster. Here are a few players from yesterday’s action:

Jacobs putting last year’s April behind him. Last year, Mike Jacobs had a putrid April, hitting only .192 & almost lost his job at first base. This year, Jacobs is enjoying his April thus far, batting .412 with 3 extra base hits in 17 AB’s. At the age of 26, this may be his breakout year, but of course there are some red flags. Jacobs has the tendency to strikeout more than we’d like, which will affect his batting average & HR production. Last year he started taking more walks, which is a positive step towards plate discipline. So far, he only has 2 strikeouts this year, which is a very encouraging sign. The power is for real, but can he take that final step? Looks good so far, but if you roster him, you must monitor his strikeouts, which will be the key to his breakout. If he can strikeout less than 18% of the time, he’ll be a solid fantasy player.

Iwamura making a solid transition from Japan. While Dice-K may be getting a majority of the press (and rightfully so), another Japanese player making head way is Akinori Iwamura. Iwamura was 4 for 4 last night, including a solo homerun, his first in the big leagues & currently sports a .636 average. So how much upside does Iwamura have? During his last 3 years in Japan, he hit 30 or more HR & batted .300 or better. It’ll be interesting to see how his batting average transfers over, because he struck out quite a bit in Japan but walks a lot as well, showing both good & poor plate discipline. So far he has 0 strikeouts & 2 walks. You can probably expect around 20 HR this year, but you’ll have to monitor his plate discipline, which will be the key to his transition. Stash him on your bench if you can.

Oliver Perez looking to regain that 2004 form. Oliver Perez looked to be a young stud on the rise after his 2004 year, but completely fell apart the last two years. Perez took his first positive step last night, going 7 innings, striking out 6, while allowing only 5 hits, 1 run & a very impressive ZERO walks. Extremely high walk & homerun totals are what have doomed him in the past but his strikeout rate has still stayed excellent. The one run he gave up last night was a homerun, so he’s still having problems there, but not allowing a free pass is a HUGE step in the right direction. He’s most likely available on many waiver wires, so should you take the risk? Arggh….the choice is up to you. You know the risk as well as the reward. One outing doesn’t change the last 2 years, but it’s hard to ignore how good that 2004 season would look for your team this year. I’m a risk taker, so I’m going to grab him. Keep your fingers crossed.

Moseley pitches well in place of injured Weaver. With Jared Weaver still rehabbing his injury, Dustin Moseley got the start and pitched well. Moseley went 6 innings, only giving up 5 hits, 1 run & no walks while striking out 4. Is he worth a spot on your roster? The answer is an emphatic no…at least for now. Since 2004, Moseley has posted an ERA north of 4.60 in all his AAA campaigns. There are some positive signs though. Since 2004, Moseley has lowered his walk rate while upping his strikeout rate, finally reaching that all important 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio last year. It took him 2 years to figure out AA, so maybe it’s the same case for AAA. In either case, he’ll likely have only one more start before being sent down for Weaver. Avoid at this time until we see more consistency at both levels.

Kaz Matsui showing signs of life. After his lackluster performance in New York, Kaz Matsui, a star Japanese import, was considered a bust by many. When he got traded to Colorado & spent some time in the minors, he was called up late last year and played well, hitting .345 & slugging .504 with 8 stolen bags in only 113 AB’s. His success has carried over early this year, with Matsui going 3 for 4 last night, raising his average to .462 on the year (slugging is at .615), while swiping 2 bags as well. While he doesn’t walk as much as we’d like to see in a base stealer, he does make solid contact, which is essential for anyone with speed. He also qualifies at a shallow 2B position. He certainly deserves your full attention at this point & may quite well be this year’s version of Brandon Phillips. If you have a need at second base or if you need some speed, he’s most likely the best option on the waiver wire & worth the risk. There’s upside here.

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