John Lannan is a Menace

by Lunchbox, Pyle of List

Yesterday, in a savage display of reckless pitching during his rookie debut, Nationals pitcher John Lannan had a wee bit of difficulty controlling his pitches. He beaned All-Star second baseman Chase Utley in the hand, breaking it, (and seriously putting a damper on my fantasy team's championship prospects!) and then hit reigning NL MVP Ryan Howard in the back. Lannan was promptly tossed by the home plate umpire. But the damage was done.

Utley was a first round pick in most fantasy leagues. Some people even took Chris Carpenter after him in the second round. Man, that must suck for those owners. In a related story, I hate my life. Utley was optimistic that he would not be out for long, as little as three weeks even. Four to six weeks minimum is a more realistic prognosis though.

The Phillies will have Abraham Nuñez, of the .256 BA and 13 RBI in 180 AB acumen, starting at second base until Chase returns. Expect the Phillies entire offense to take a big hit. Howard still has his pop, but his average is pretty skunky overall this year. Aaron Rowand has been a nice surprise for the team, earning his first All-Star appearance. Jimmy Rollins has a lot of power for a leadoff hitter, but he may not see as many pitches without Utley in the hole behind him. The Phillies are in trouble after they had finally started to live up to pre-season expectations following a poor start to the season

What are fantasy owners going to do? It depends on the size of your league, I guess. Maybe Kelly Johnson is available. He's not exciting, but he has a pretty good average. Or, if you want to honor one of the great 2B's of our time as he winds down his career, you could pick up Craig "I Dare You to Bean Me" Biggio. Maybe you were fortunate enough to have a reliable backup riding the pine for you, like Freddy Sanchez. He's eligible for almost every position but catcher, so that would be nice. It's a tough situation no matter how you slice it. Everyone knows that second base is the thinnest position in fantasy baseball.

So, Utley owners, Phillies fans, and fans of tight division races can send their hate mail to:

John Lannan
C/O Washington Nationals
RFK Stadium, Gate F
2400 East Capitol Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003

Mets fans and Braves fans can also use that same address to send Lannan love letters.