Today's Fantasy Rx

Anaheim: Kevin Appier, RH Starter
6-6 on a 47:34 K:BB in 86 IP over 17 GS
with 96 H, 15 HR, and a .72 G-F; 5.44 ERA.

Appier's skills look like a faint echo of his performance last season as his strikeout rate(4.9 '02; 6.3 '03), walk rate(3.1 '02; 3.6 '03), and especially his homer rate(1.1 '02; 1.6 '03) significantly worse than his 2002 marks. Yet I'm most concerned regarding a drop in his ground-fly ratio from a previous career-low .83 G-F to an even worse .72 this year, a growing problem that suggests his homer rate will continue elevating his ERA. A current five-start QA log of 34050 demonstrates both his latent skill and obvious downside, yet only owners who can afford a qualitative hit in exchange for a few extra wins should wait on Appier.

June underachiever: Francisco Rodriguez, RH Reliever
Old stats: 4-1 and 1 Save on a 31:17 K:BB in 33.1 IP over 24 G
with 22 H, 4 HR, and a 1.00 G-F; 4.32 ERA.
Recommendation: acquire.
Stats since recommendation: 1-1 on a 19:3 K:BB in 18.2 IP over 11G
with 9 H, 2 HR, and a .96 ERA.

Previous Underachievers: April: John Lackey; May: Mickey Callaway.

We'll continue tomorrow with NL underachieving pitchers.

Today's Fantasy Rx: While yesterday's trade opens up outfield at-bats for a couple veterans in Pittsburgh, Reggie Sanders, Matt Stairs, and even Brian Giles seem likely to find new homes by the trading deadline. The beneficiaries of the move should be the current members of the Nashville Sounds' outfield, J.J. Davis, Tike Redman, and Tony Alvarez. All three players own the skills necessary to succeed in the majors, although only Redman looks ready to star. Expect to see all three outfielders in the majors no later than September, and if you're looking towards next year, they each appear possess a greater chance of starting in the Pirates' 2004 outfield than anyone currently on the Pittsburgh big league roster.