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According to history, those who don’t learn from the past
are doomed to repeat it. That is why I have compiled the National
League version of the “Non-Stars,” a list of players
largely responsible for your first-half fantasy demise (the
American League version ran on July 4). Without a doubt, these are
names you’ll learn to hate, and whether you give them a
second chance in 2002 depends on both their post-All-Star break
performance and your forgiving nature. Now, without any further
delay, I give you your:
NL Non-Stars
Hitters C ““ Todd Hundley, Cubs. A
sub-Mendoza-line .179 batting average, four home runs and 19 RBIs
in 46 games is a far cry from the .284-24-70 numbers in 2000. At
least he’s on the DL with a back injury, and on most
people’s bench, where he belongs. 1B ““ Mark McGwire,
Cardinals. Those spring training reports of a healthy knee were
premature, and an injury-plagued season has resulted in .184-8-21
numbers. Take away a 4-for-5, two HR, 5 RBI game and those numbers
look even worse, if that’s possible. 2B ““ Edgardo
Alfonzo, Mets. Batting over .300 in 1999 and 2000, while averaging
26 HRs and 101 RBIs a year, many thought the ‘Fonz was on the
upswing. A back injury, .233 average and 25 RBIs says otherwise. SS
““ Barry Larkin, Reds. A model of consistency for the past
decade, Larkin might be down and out for the season with a torn
groin muscle. There’s a joke in there, but I just don’t
want to touch it. 3B ““ Fernando Tatis, Expos. How the mighty
have fallen. An explosive .298-34-107 season in 1999 with McGwire
protecting him has turned Tatis into more hype than reality, and a
leg injury has left him with only a pair of HRs and 11 RBIs. OF
““ Ken Griffey Jr., Reds. Deemed healthy by some at spring
training, the torn hamstring he suffered at the end of the 2000
season kept him out of action for most of the first half of this
year after he re-aggravated it. His numbers stand at .227-4-12 at
the All-Star break. OF ““ Steve Finley, Diamondbacks. This one
is rather inexplicable, as 69 HRs and 199 RBIs the past two years
cemented Finley as a viable option. His current .233-5-33 numbers
have left most as perplexed as me. OF ““ New York Mets.
Whoever was expecting major contributions from the likes of Jay
Payton, Benny Agbayani, Tsuyoshi Shinjo or Darryl Hamilton never
really had a chance of competing from the start.
Pitchers SP ““ Rick Ankiel, Cardinals. The
Chuck Knoblauch of the pitching world, Ankiel is the reason why
plexi-glass was installed for the protection of fans. With 25 walks
in 24 innings this season, he was sent down to the minors for some
seasoning. SP ““ Livan Hernandez, Giants. 17 wins, a 3.75 ERA
and 1.36 WHIP in 2000 had washed away rumors of a dead arm and
catapulted Livan to ace status. All of a sudden he’s down to
six wins with an alarming 6.07 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. SP ““ Darren
Dreifort, Dodgers. After being signed to a $55 million five-year
contract, Dreifort struggled through an inconsistent season before
requiring a second reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow.
Ouch. CL ““ Matt Mantei, Diamondbacks. He managed two saves
before a “pop” from his elbow caused him to shut it
down for good. With the D’backs in first place, that’s
a lot of lost saves for a beleaguered fantasy owner.
BREAKING NEWS: JAGR TRADE ANALYSIS Jaromir Jagr
is headed from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Washington Capitals
for three prospects. Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals With a list of free agents
that includes Alexei Kovalev, Robert Lang and Darius Kasparaitis,
the Pens just couldn’t afford to keep Jagr and his $20.7
million salary for the next two seasons.Of the three prospects they
receive for Jagr, Canadian center Kris Beech is considered the most
talented. Beech was drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in the 1999
NHL entry draft and is close to being ready to make a splash in the
NHL. At 6-foot-3 and 192 pounds, the 20-year-old is an
exceptionally fast skater and has great hockey sense. Last season,
with Calgary of the Western Hockey League, Beech had 22 goals and
44 assists in 40 games. Beech fits the Jeremy Roenick mold.Two more
20-year-olds round out the deal for the Pens. Michal Sivek (6-4,
203) is an enigmatic figure who could play center or wing. The past
few seasons he’s been playing at his home, the Czech
Republic, but is about to make the transition into North American
hockey. Ross Lupaschuk (6-2, 212) is an offensive-minded defenseman
with a mean streak. In the NHL, money and good drafting can buy the
top scorer in the league. This was certainly a win-win proposition
for Washington. Teams like the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and
Los Angeles Kings were rumored to be pursuing Jagr, but the Caps
seemingly came out of nowhere to complete the deal.Jagr has won the
NHL scoring title the last four seasons, and Washington general
manager George McPhee made it an offseason priority to add more
scoring to the 13th-ranked offensive team in the league.Jagr, age
29, scored 52 goals and tallied 69 assists last season. His
relative youth and explosiveness left Washington with no second
thoughts about trading three of their top prospects for this proven
commodity.With the addition of Jagr, the Caps are now capable of
throwing together a power play line of Jagr, Peter Bondra (45 goals
and 36 assists last season) and Adam Oates (13, 69), plus
defenseman Sergei Gonchar (19, 38) at the point.Also coming to
Washington in the deal is defenseman Frantisek Kucera, who joins a
crowded blueline. Web graphic by STEPHEN WONG/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff