Call To The Pen–Blue Jays, Orioles and Others

Written by: Paul Greco on 15th May 2009

Call To The Pen--Blue Jays, Orioles and Others | read this item

BY Michael Muschiano of FantasyPros911.com

His return to the Blue Jays is just a few days away, but his old job is gone. When B.J. Ryan is activated from the disabled list today, it will not be as the closer. General Manager J.P. Ricciardi said on Tuesday that the team will continue to use Scott Downs in the ninth inning even after Ryan rejoins the team.

So, now what?

Well, if you’re like me, and own both Ryan and Downs, it’s somewhat of a predicament. On one hand your obvious self is saying drop Ryan. On the other, you’re skeptical of the decision and mull over how long Downs keeps the job.

The ultimate answer is going with your instinct, and dropping Ryan. Besides his last outing, Downs has been lights out this season. Since installed as the team’s closer, Downs is three-for-four in save chances and had not allowed a run until his first blown save which came on May 9. Downs is sporting an absurd 20:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In last week’s blown save, Downs was roughed up for three runs on five hits. If not for that, Downs ERA would be 0.59. There is no guarantee that he holds onto this job long-term, but it’s the best bet if you are a betting man.

Before being shelved on April 23, Ryan struggled with his velocity, consistency, command, and overall effectiveness. Ryan’s ERA ballooned to 11.12 in his last outing before being put on the disabled list, and has walked more hitters than he’s struck out. In addition, there is really no way to tell that he’s righted the ship either. In his minor league rehabilitation, Ryan threw a total of three innings and allowed a hit, a walk, and a run. Not a bad stint, but these were against minor league hitters at Single-A Dunedin. It’s questionable how he will do against major league hitters again next week.

It’s important to remember how quickly things can change, and that Ryan is the first in line to claim the role if Downs should falter. But, it’s more important to utilize your roster spots. If you are in a deeper league with a deeper bench, it may be worthwhile to hang on to Ryan. Otherwise, it is time to move on.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the league in some of the regular weekly sections of the ‘Pen. Not many pitchers sounding the alarm this week, which is probably a good thing. But a lot of pitchers seem to be gaining a second wind after losing their jobs.

Check out the rest of the Call To The Pen article over at our #1 source for Fantasy Basebal — FantasyPros911.com

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Topics: Andrew Bailey, B.J. Ryan, Brandon Morrow, Chris Ray, closers, david aardsma, George Sherill, jim johnson, Joakim Soria, joel hanrahan, Juan Cruz, scott downs