http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/327 Recent articles about Bobby Jenks en-us This week's fantasy dish is going to be different than that of previous ones. I am going to be giving out awards for the 1st half of the fantasy baseball season. These awards will be for both the good and bad performances so far this season. Let's get things started with the first award of the half-season…. The Lance Berkman Award for a player not showing up in the first half and expected to have a big second half goes to…… Mark Teixeira 1B ATL- Tex got off to an atrocious start this season and only recently has begun to start raking in the Homeruns and RBI's. Last season Teixeira's numbers were decent at the midway point. Right now at 16 HR and 62 RBI, Tex is already on pace for a better year than last year. His .276 Batting Average is low for him but he should perform better in the 2nd half of the season. You need proof? After the all-star break last season Tex hit 6 more HR and drove in 23 more runs in less games than he did before the break. This season he has only started to inflate his stats with a 3 HR game a week ago and a couple more dingers spread out. In 2006, Tex's post all-star break numbers dwarf his numbers before the break. He hit an outstanding 15 more HR in 14 less games. The Scooby Doo Award for biggest "mystery" of the fantasy season goes to….. Miguel Cabrera 1B,3B DET- Miggy was supposed to push the Tigers from being a contending team in the putrid AL Central, to the best team in the galaxy. With only 11 HR and 48 RBI, fantasy owners are furious with the 1st round picks they spent on the youngster. There hasn't been many signs of him turning around and I don't think he will push his numbers to the point where he is a 1st round pick. In Yahoo! he is ranked 120th overall. Ian Kinsler was the runner up to this award because he is a player i just can't figure out. Is he the number 2 ranked player in fantasy baseball? Or will he drop out of the top 25 like Jude Law out of important movie roles. The Ben Sheets Award for a player who is injury prone and has stayed healthy so far this season but in the end will finish the year on the DL goes to…. Ben Sheets SP MIL- I think Sheets has won this award about 4 times in his career and he hasn't turned 30 yet. So far this season Sheets has stayed relatively healthy, and being dominant as usual. When he isn't dominating the 60-day DL, Sheets usually dominates on the mound. So far this season, Sheets is 9-2 with a 2.83 ERA a 1.07 WHIP and 91 K's. He has also thrown in 3 Complete Games and 1 Shutout. Be patient Sheets owners, you will have to save a spot for him on the DL at some point this season and the good news is, Mark Mulder pitched last night so pick him up!!!!! Once Sheets gets hurt of course. Would it be nuts to say Ben Sheets could be one of the greatest pitchers of our generation if he wasn't hurt all the time? I don't know, I probably shouldn't have even brought that up. This next award is called the Most Likely To Become Archie Bunker Award and the winner is… Bobby Jenks RP CWS- Just looking at this man, it is hard not to think that he will become Carol O'Conner in about 15 years. Jenks is listed at 275 pounds but i don't think that's right. Nonetheless, if Archie Bunker could throw a baseball like Jenks, maybe he wouldn't have sat in his chair all day. Jenks has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA and 19 K's. With the White Sox scoring more and more runs lately, Jenks opportunities may dwindle but he should still get his 35 saves. The final award is known as the Justin "Fans Want to Have Your Children" Timberlake Award, one of the most prestigious in fantasy baseball. This year's award goes to… Evan Longoria 3B TB- David Wright and Grady Sizemore were close to taking this award away from Evan "I'm not married to Tony Parker" Longoria. The reason why he wins is because of how he and his fellow Rays have helped bring Tropicana field to life. Longoria attracts women to the ballpark which could alone double the attendance of last seasons Ray's home games. With 15 HR, 47 RBI, and 41 runs scored, Longoria is also performing very well in his rookie season. Watching him play is like watching a smooth jazz player going off on a riff on his saxophone. He is a big time celebrity in Tampa and this may sound cheesy but the sky's the limit for this kid and his devilish smile. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:58:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284649 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284649 Injuries have created new ninth inning situations in both Seattle and Atlanta. Brandon Morrow steps in for the Mariners while the Braves welcome back an old face who should step right into the closer role. Also, there is a shake-up at the top of the rankings in this week's Closer Report. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:42:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279463 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279463 Brandon Lyon hasn't given up a run since April 6. J.J. Putz suffered another injury, and Troy Percival is set to return. Find out where these three rank, and expanded middle reliever rankings in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:04:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277332 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277332 Brandon Lyon hasn't given up a run since April 6. J.J. Putz suffered another injury, and Troy Percival is set to return. Find out where these three rank, and expanded middle reliever rankings in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:59:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277331 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277331 Could it possibly happen? The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox meet in this year's World Series? Believe it. It could very well happen. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:47:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276499 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276499 John Smoltz lasted just one game before electing to undergo season-ending surgery. Rafael Soriano, coming off his own injury, takes over for the Braves who also await the return of Mike Gonzalez. Most other bullpen situations have stabilized for now, but some players will be prime candidates to be traded to contenders very soon. Find out who in this week's Closer Report plus rankings for middle relievers. Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:07:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274414 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274414 Joe Borowski makes his return to the Cleveland bullpen, and Salomon Torres has taken control of the situation in Milwaukee. Old stand-bys Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, and Mariano Rivera are proving they still have it and John Smotlz could be poised to make his return as well. All that plus more in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 29 May 2008 15:19:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272173 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272173 You know, I'm not sure where this is going so I'm just going to start writing and see where it takes me. First of all, let me start with this - the Tribe is 15-9 in the last 24 games, so they're doing something right. While I'm still in a positive mood, I don't think we can give Masa Kobayashi the thumbs-down just yet. Not after one blown save, no matter how spectacularly it was blown. Having said that, the Tribe has lost two straight and the fan in me has some venting to do as result. It's been nearly a week since Jhonny Peralta was inserted into the No. 2 hole in the batting order. That's nearly a week too long. He's 6-24 batting second, with 1 walk and 7 k's. The guy's on-base percentage so far this year is under .300 for God sakes. Just what about Peralta's skill set at the plate says No. 2 hitter to Eric Wedge? If there's anyone on this club who is the antithesis of the No. 2 guy - the slap-at-the-ball, move-the-runner-over type of hitter - it's Peralta. When all is said and done at year-end he gets his 20 dingers and hits a little over .250 but he piles up his numbers in short bursts of offense in between long stretches of offensive ineptitude. I didn't see today's game, but from what I'm reading about it, and from what I've seen over the past several seasons, Peralta's clearly not in there for his defense. Or his hustle. If the Indians are going to rely even more heavily on pitching to win this year, it's time to consider making a change at SS. Asdrubal Cabrera/Jamey Carroll is clearly a better option than Peralta/Cabrera. And in addition to what Carroll brings to the table defensively, he clearly is a better option in the No. 2 hole than Peralta. And then there's David Dellucci. He deserves some props for being one of the few bats to make any noise early on in the last homestand. But he is 1 for his last 14. Someone should let the manager know that Dellucci has cooled off. Get him the hell out of the number three hole. Ben Francisco - hitting. Ryan Garko - hitting. As long as we're going to throw a different batting order out there every night (and believe me I understand Wedge is simply trying to find something that works), the manager ought to move the guys up who are hitting and move down the ones who aren't, no? Call me crazy. Which brings us to the biggest question of the night. Does the Tribe have closer on the staff? Borowski's due back in a week or so. But was his awful start injury-related? Or has he lost what little he had left that allowed him to wriggle his way through last season? I think Borowski will come back as the closer - for about 10 days, assuming the Tribe is ahead in a few games and he gets some more save chances to blow. In other words, I think Borowski is toast and that will become obvious quickly. Raffie Betancourt? The knock is he can pitch in the eighth but not the ninth. Frankly I think it is more problematic than that. Betancourt has been inconsistent since Opening Day. Relievers have up years and down years - usually related to how many appearances they made the year before. I'm not sure Raffie Right is going to be as dependable in either role this season as he has been in the last couple. Which leaves us with Kobayashi. Masa got off to a slow start while getting adjusted to his new country, his new team and the major leagues. He has pitched well of late though, this afternoon notwithstanding. He's shown he can do the job, having been one of the top closers in Japan. While I'm not convinced he's the answer, I think Kobayashi is the Tribe's best bet for now. Having said that I would suggest the Tribe consider taking a page from the Yankees playbook (as much as it kills me to say that). The pitcher with the best stuff in their organization is not in their rotation. He's not even their closer. He pitches in the eighth inning. Of course I'm talking about Joba Chamberlain. If I'm the Indians, I'm giving serious thought right now to shortening up Adam Miller and getting him ready to pitch out of the pen. And like the White Sox did with Bobby Jenks in 2005, I'd move Miller along quickly and hope he's ready to pitch the back end of games by the time the Tribe heads into the stretch. If not, I think the Indians will have to roll the dice with Kobayashi. Sat, 17 May 2008 21:43:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268164 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268164 There are new closer situations in St.Louis and Milwaukee, and a pitcher in Philadelphia returns to the ranks of the elite. Get the lowdown on all the bullpen situations including new middle reliever rankings in this week's edition of the AccuScore Closer Report. Tue, 13 May 2008 17:17:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266582 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266582 A month into the season, FIO co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter takes a look around the league at bullpens and closers. Helping you look in the right direction for your fantasy roster, this comprehensive article includes: Closer News & Notes, Closer DL Report, Middle Relievers/Setup Men, and Closer & Reliever Rankings. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:37:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261597 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261597 Big name struggles and injury concerns are creating bullpen issues for several major league teams. AccuScore analyst Jonathan Lee has it all sorted out for you in this week's Closer Report. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:13:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/253568 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/253568 Here's a look at the top 10 closers in fantasy baseball through Wednesday night's games. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:49:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/240744 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/240744 Teams all over the majors have bullpen issues due to injuries and just plain ineffectiveness. AccuScore analyst Jonathan Lee ranks the closers so you know who to rely on for your fantasy teams and who to avoid. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:33:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/238085 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/238085 Each week, FSE takes a look at the closers around the majors breaking down the top 10 as well as guys that are struggling, injured and next in line to close. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:11:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236406 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236406 AccuScore analyst Jonathan Lee puts baseball's closers under the microscope. This weekly report will take a look at each position and rank the best to worst on a weekly basis. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:44:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232738 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232738