Yardbarker: Dmitri Young

All Fat Guy Baseball Team

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:24:01 -0500

The all fat guy team at every position in the majors. See who made the cut

Pelfrey has to be sharp tonight - Pelfrey vs Nationals

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:33:03 -0500

Big Pelf has to get the Mets on the right track. Mike has not won since 8/25. Is he throwing way too many pitches??

Here is his numbers on the road, vs the Nationals, and in Sept.:

Next Game: Tue, Sep 16 at Washington Nationals
SPLITS	ERA	W	L	Sv	SvO	GP	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Road (2008)	5.14	5	3	0	0	12	12	0	68.1	87	39	39	6	28	35	.322
vs. Was (2008)	2.75	1	1	0	0	3	3	0	19.2	16	6	6	1	7	8	.232
Sept. (2008)	5.25	0	1	0	0	2	2	0	12.0	12	8	7	2	4	4	.261

Mike's numbers against the Nationals batters:

OPPOSING HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Ryan Zimmerman	20	5	1	0	0	2	1	2	.250	.286	.300	.586
Austin Kearns	16	5	0	0	1	4	1	3	.313	.389	.500	.889
Ronnie Belliard	15	3	1	0	0	0	0	4	.200	.200	.267	.467
Cristian Guzman	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.300	.300	.300	.600
Lastings Milledge	7	1	1	0	0	0	2	1	.143	.333	.286	.619
Wily Mo Pena	5	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.200	.333	.200	.533
Dmitri Young	4	1	0	0	0	1	2	1	.250	.500	.250	.750
Willie Harris	4	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	.250	.200	.250	.450
Ryan Langerhans	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.200	.000	.200
Jesus Flores	4	2	1	0	0	1	2	0	.500	.667	.750	1.417
Aaron Boone	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.333	.667
Odalis Perez	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Wil Nieves	3	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	.667	.667	1.000	1.667
Kory Casto	3	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Matt Chico	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Joel Hanrahan	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	1.333
Emilio Bonifacio	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
Nick Johnson	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.500	.667	.500	1.167
Jason Bergmann	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Elijah Dukes	2	2	1	0	1	1	0	0	1.000	1.000	3.000	4.000
Justin Maxwell	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.333	.000	.333
Pete Orr	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000
Roger Bernadina	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.500	.000	.500
Totals	120	33	6	1	2	15	12	17	.275	.353	.392	.745

September Baseball Preview: American League

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:45:09 -0500

Now that the Labor Day weekend is over and we are all stuck inside waiting for Hurricane Hannah to pass and Hurricane Ike to make its way up the coast, us sports fans are also settling in for the most exciting couple of months of sports of the year. Football starts this weekend with hockey and basketball right around the corner. But before we get too immersed in those other diversions, we have the most exciting month of sports right here and now. That's right folks, it's September Baseball. It's been a season full of twists and turns (especially if you're a Phillies fan), surprises and disappointments, as well as a little history. We've seen the emergence of the Tampa Bay Rays as perhaps the best team in the major leagues, the fall of the mighty Yankees who may not make the playoffs for the first time in well over a decade, and the Washington Nationals continue to be one of the worst teams in baseball (except for when they play the Phillies). So join us as we go through the major leagues conference by conference, division by division and predict with uncanny prescient wisdom how the rest of the season and the postseason will turn out. We start in the American League. American League East The Rays are certainly the biggest story of the 2008 season as they currently hold a two and a half game lead over the reigning MLB Champion Boston Red Sox and eleven games over the beleagured Yankees. Led by Scott Kazmir, their young lefty who continues to baffle American League hitters with a dizzying aray of pitches, the Rays have been atop the East for most of the season. Despite only have 11 wins this season, due to a stint on the disabled list, Kazmir is in the tops of the league in ERA with 2.99, K/9 of 10.00 and a WHIP of 1.22. On the hitting side, the Rays are led by one of the youngest and most talented lineups in the majors in a long time. Carlos Pena leads the team in homeruns with 27 and RBIs with 82, and is backed up by Evan Longoria at thirdbase and B.J. Upton in the outfield. This team has endured through its share of speed bumps this season, including injuries to Kazmir, Longoria, and veteran leader Carl Crawford and have maintained their first place lead throughout most of the year. They have been able to fend off charges by the Red Sox and the Yankees and appear to be finally earning the respect of the baseball world. The Red Sox continue to be one of the best teams in the league and are making a strong run at the first place Rays. Despite being two and a half games back, the Sox have won four games in a row and were bolstered by the return of staff ace Josh Beckett, who threw five scoreless innings in his return from the disabled list on Friday. Despite losing Manny Ramirez in a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the trade deadline, that pain has been eased by the addition of Jason Bay (batting .274 with three home runs and 23 RBIs in his last 30 games) and Big Poppy David Ortiz appears to be back in form, batting .314 with 20 RBIs of his own over the same period. That being said, there are significant questions that plague the Sox. J.D. Drew is on his annual trip to the disabled list, and Beckett, Tim Wakefield and third baseman Mike Lowell are just coming off of stints of their own and it is unclear yet if they will be able to maintain a 100% level of play the rest of the season. Curt Schilling is, of course, out for the season and this is of course the time of year in which he is at his best and is most valuable. The Yankees are out of it at this point. They are eleven games out of first and have lost two in a row. They are going nowhere fast, which is unfortunate as this is their last season in the House That Ruth Built. This will be the first time in almost fifteen years that the Yankees have not made the playoffs. In the end I think the Rays win the division. Despite having to play each other six more teams, I do not think the Red Sox will be able to make up enough ground during those games and beyond it. The Sox still have to play Cleveland, who are one of the hottest teams in the majors right now, and the Yankees, who despite having a poor season always play them strong. The Rays, on the other hand, hanve handled the Yankees pretty well this season and Minnessota is the only real strong team left for them on the schedule. AL Central Speaking of the Twins, they are making a run at the White Sox for first place in the Central, just one and a half games back as of Saturday. Despite losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana in the offseason, the Twins have defied all expectations behind the play of Kevin Slowey and Santana, Jr. Francisco Liriano, as well as closer Joe Nathan who has 36 saves this season with a 1.07 ERA. Former MVP Justin Morneau leads the team with 22 homeruns and 113 RBIs with a .311 batting average, supported by Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer, and Dmitri Young. They are chasing after the White Sox who held reign over the Central for the better part of the season, largely uncontested with the Indians and Detroit Tigers having such disappointing seasons. Carlos Quentin is the current front runner for AL MVP with 36 homeruns and 100 RBIs. Jim Thome continues to defy age and time with 29 home runs of his own, as does Jermaine Dye, who has 32 homeruns and 83 RBIs of his own. On the pitching side, the White Sox are led by an unexpected young former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Floyd has 15 wins with a 3.61 ERA. This comes as quite a surprise to us Phillies fans, who vividly remember Floyd being absolute garbage. Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras round out a veteran staff who understands what is required to compete in September baseball. White Sox win the Central. AL West The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the best team in baseball and the rest of the division is garbage. Need I say more? No, but I will anyway. The Angels continue to dominate the AL West despite many predictions that the Seattle Mariners would finally wrest the title away from them this season. (The Mariners, by the way, are the worst team in the American League) Ervin Santana, John Lackey, Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, and Jered Weaver make up one of the most dominant pitching rotations in the majors. Francisco Rodriguez is having perhaps the greatest season in history for a closer, with 54 saves and a 2.43 ERA. K-Rod has 68 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched with a WHIP of just 1.23. Year after year the Angels are the most complete baseball team in America. They pitch well, they play small ball, they run the bases, and they can still hit for power. They are led, of course, by Vladimir Guerrero, who is batting .295 this season with 23 homeruns, 79 RBIs and an OPS of .863. Recently acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira has 29 homeruns and 104 RBIS, Torii Hunter has 20 homeruns and 72 RBIs of his own and Chone Figgins again has 30 or more stolen bases. The next best team in the West is the Texas Rangers and they are 17 games back. Needless to say, the division is in the bag for the Angels. Angels win the West. Despite the recent surge by the Twins, I still think the Wild Card comes out of the East. Whether the Rays or the Red Sox take East, the other will take the Wild Card. The Twins are five and a half games back in the Wild Card race and the Red Sox are just too good for them to make up that much ground. Red Sox win the AL Wild Card. Check back tomorrow as we preview the National League and make our playoff picks.

MLB Fantasy Minute - Week 20

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:52:29 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon breaks out his famed MLB Fantasy Minute and breaks down the MLB's top five fantasy-related stories. Believe it or not, both Upton's suddenly find themselves struggling. Relievers have proven they can start -- but can they keep it up?. And we're still keeping an eye on both C.C. Sabathia and Roy Halladay. Mr. Yoon has all if it covered and much more.

Fine, We Admit It.

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:04:02 -0500

I've been reluctant to admit that Kevin Youkilis is more than a poor man's Casey Blake for most of his career. Maybe it's because the boys at the World Wide Leader were always telling us how great he is. Maybe it's because he doesn't look the part of an everyday major leaguer. Maybe it's because the Red Sox shuffle him around from 3rd to 1st to the outfield. Maybe it's because at the plate, he's best known for his on-base percentage. In my head, he's always been an over-glorified utility player.

Nats Overpay for Fat SS, Trade Best RP

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:10:54 -0500

The Nats love rewarding overweight 30-somethings in the midst of late-career years with new deals (see: Dmitri Young, Ronnie Belliard), and by giving Christian Guzman a two-year, $16 million contract it's evident they'll continue buying high and keeping expectations low. The other big news of the day is they shipped Jon Rauch to Arizona for switch-hitting [...]

Da Meat is Off Da Hook!

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:20:52 -0500

Photographer: "Ok, Dmitri, for this shot just look like a silly bastard. Perfect."

Top 11 MLB players that should be traded

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:23:44 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

11. Rich Harden, SP, Oakland A's. He's dominant when healthy, and not nearly healthy enough for the small market A's to make a commitment to. Even though the team is 7 games above .500 and has an outside chance at the post-season this year, the plan is for 2009, and considering that they've got Chad Gaudin in the bullpen, Harden will go to a rich contender that's willing to overpay for a guy whose shoulder gives off a ticking sound. There's also this: his home park makes him look better than he is, not that he's not filthy.

10. Adrian Beltre, 3B, Seattle Mariners. He's better than you think -- it's no fun to be a right handed power hitter on a Mariner team that seems to be allergic to getting on base, and he's been battling nagging injuries to boot. Despite that, he's got 14 homers, plays very good defense, and even runs a little. If Ortiz and Youkilis are both out in Boston, he'd be a fine stopgap solution, and the Mariners are more than happy to move assets right now.

9. Ken Griffey Jr, OF, Cincinatti Reds. It's Fire Sale Time in Cincy, with everything but the youngest SPs wearing a red tag. Griff has hit his 600th, so there's no more attendance boost to get from him being around. With the team 13.5 games back, he's a prime target to go to any team that thinks he'll be rejuvenated by a pennant race. The only problem is that his .760 OPS might convince many that he's already done.

8. Randy Wolf, SP, San Diego Padres. Another historic injury risk, but a heck of a lot cheaper on the wallet and prospect list. Wolf could be especially effective in the AL, where they haven't seen him much before, and a once around the league novelty burst might give his new team a lot. The Padres being in last in the crowded NL West also might loosen their hold.

7. Erik Bedard, SP, Seattle Mariners. This spring's shiny new penny -- albeit one that took an ungodly amount of time to acquire -- is now the most attractive albatross on a team that loses two out of every three games and has just lost its general manager and coach. Moving Bedard now is sending him out at low value, but he's a proven AL East talent with a lot of upside. Besides, no one wants Carlos Silva.

6. Matt Holliday, OF, Colorado Rockies. The biggest hitter on the list is kind of like this year's Mark Teixeria -- a plus hitter from a hitter haven who's actually still really good. The only thing keeping him in Colorado is the plummeting Diamnondbacks, who have kept every team in the division in the hunt; the Rockies might just hang on to everyone and see if the return of Troy Tulowitzki can get them back in the race. In another week or so, we'll know if Holliday walks before his contract expires.

5. AJ Burnett, SP, Toronto Rockies. The Jays are a hard team to figure. On the one hand, you've got to think that general manager JP Riccardi is on thin enough ice that he's not interested in going out with kids and prospects. On the other, Burnett is clearly not getting better here, and the Jays are 10.5 back in what might be the toughest division in baseball. Burnett has always been a poor man's Josh Beckett, so maybe another team makes Riccardi an offer he can't refuse.

4. Adam Dunn, OF, Cincinnati Reds. Everything you can say about Griff goes double for the Three True Outcome hero, whose .219 batting average masks his reasonably useful .876 OPS. Even Dusty Baker has to be getting tired of playing veterans and ready to give the team entirely over to Jay Bruce and Joey Votto by now, right? Dunn seems to me to be the kind of guy that can help a team provided he's hitting 6th or 7th, and you just aren't counting on him carrying your team. (I realize Dunn is a sabermetric hero, but doesn't it matter that his teams never, ever win?)

3. Dmitri Young, 1B, Washington Nationals. A nice guy and a reasonable stick, but he makes no sense here, especially with Aaron Boone giving them good at-bats and Ryan Zimmerman eventually coming back from injury. By the time the Nats are in a playoff race, Da Meat Hook could be pushing 350 pounds, and probably still putting up above average numbers. The potentially season-ending injury to Nick Johnson (gosh, who saw that coming?) could keep him here, though.

2. Huston Street, RP, Oakland Athletics. Billy Beane loves to move closers for more then they are worth, and that really describes the ex-phenom, whose 4.32 ERA, good defesne and pitcher's park seems to say overrated... but his K/BB numbers, pure stuff and low HR allowed numbers could easily convince a team in need that he's just been pitching in bad luck. The A's have never bought into the ideat that pitching in the ninth is all that different from any other inning, and they'd happily go with Keith Foulke and Alan Embree if someone wants to put prospects in front of them.

1. C.C. Sabathia, SP, Cleveland Indians. Don't let the slow start fool you; he's been very solid recently, and he's an unrestricted free agent next year. With the Tribe 6.5 out and in fourth place in the Central, they are 1-2 weeks away from pulling the chutes on this deal and moving the big lefty for maximum benefit. Ceec is a horse, but he also eats like one, and that next contract is going to be costly.

Edwin Jackson Has S#!t Taste In Movies

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:41:58 -0500

Apparently even s#!ttier than Dmitri Young's. Extra Mustard had eight questions for International Man Of Awesome Edwin Jackson and three other less awesome players from less awesome teams like the Cardinals. Most of the IMOA's answers I'm cool with. He digs Lisa Raye, the Fugees and white t-shirts, fine. But then there's the cinema question: Zohan or [...]

Bat’s Not Broken, Da Meat’s Just Growin’

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:42:15 -0500

(Photo via the AP. New low via the San Francisco baseball Giants.)

This is why baseball players aren't athletes: Dmitri Young running

Tue, 27 May 2008 18:10:03 -0500

I have always given baseball players a hard time; they are not athletes, they're very specialized individuals with excellent coordination. However, out of all the major sports, baseball players are the least athletic of the bunch. This is evidenced by the speed (or lack thereof) of Washington's Dmitri Young. Check out the video to see the flash!

Top Pickups Around the Diamond- Week 8

Tue, 20 May 2008 21:41:48 -0500

We go around different fantasy leagues to see who some of the most added players are. We look at the numbers and history to determine if this player is worth it or not.

Dmitri Young, The God Father?

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:49:58 -0500

Dmitri Young has had to battle his demons. In 2006 while playing for the Tigers he disappeared; evading police on assault charges. No one knew where Dmitri was; not the Tigers, the police, or even most of his family. Dmitri was in rehab, at the Betty Ford clinic. Whether or not he was there by his choice is up in the air. What is known is that when he found himself with his hands around his wife's throat, Young had hit rock bottom. After his stint in rehab the Tigers released him. Dmitri had lost his family, his dignity, and now baseball. Some don't make the choice to collect everything and rebuild after hitting the low of lows, But Dmitri did. In 2007, with clean blood and a clean head, Young signed a minimum contract with the only team that would take him, the Washington Nationals. While physically he wasn't his old self, mentally he was stronger then ever before. As Yogi Berra once said, "90 percent of this game is half mental." Young exploded after earning a starting spot with the Nationals. He led the National League in batting for much of the first half and earned an all star spot in San Francisco. It was the perfect situation fro the Nationals. They signed a player as a gamble for next to nothing only to have his value sky rocket. Young could now be traded to a team he could actually help get to the playoffs and in return the Nationals could get something they could actually use, prospects. As with Soriano the year before, the trade deadline came and went and found Jim Bowden sitting at his desk, deal-less. Once again a brilliant, or perhaps lucky, move on Bowden's part turned useless as he was unable to pull the trigger on a deal to further the future of his young franchise. Young of course stayed on the Nationals, completed an excellent season and won the National League Comeback Player of the Year award. In the off-season he resigned with Washington, and will likely finish out his career there. While Dmitri will likely never help the Nationals make a playoff push, his value can now be measure in a new way. Stan Caston has asked Dmitri to show two other troubled young ball players through the darkness of troubled times, Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge. So far it appears his wisdom has paid off as neither player has yet to cause any distractions. Milledge has been the best all around player for the Nationals and Dukes hopes to provide a spark when he comes back from his strained hamstring. While Young has yet to play this season, as he is in a tough battle with diabetes, his impact on this franchise may be greater then anyone could ever have thought. The Big Teddy bear may end up being the godfather for the next generation of Nationals baseball.

Spring Training Position Battles - Winners, Losers, Fantasy Impact

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:59:12 -0500

The Red Sox exciting 6-5 win over the A's this morning in Japan officially kicked off the 2008 season. With Spring Training winding down and opening day for you favorite club less than a week off, teams are starting to set their final lineups, rotations and bullpens. Over the past few days, several hotly contested position battles have been settled. In this piece, we will highlight the winners and losers and provide the fantasy impact.

Nats actively pursuing trades

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:58:28 -0500

The Washington Nationals are actively pursuing trades for infielder Felipe Lopez and possibly 1B Dmitri Young. Over the past week or so, Lopez has done quite a bit of complaining that he doesn't want to be with the team if he's not starting. He's retracted the statements at times, but then later goes back to his originally thinking. The Nats who are opening up a new ballpark this season, don't want to deal with all that non-sense, so you have to believe they'll look to make a move. Well today, team GM Jim Bowden sent a message to players who were formerly starters.