By DREW LOFTIS
Posted: 3:44 am
July 6, 2008
THERE used to be a time when it was good to have an ERA that resembled the price of a gallon of gas. Nowadays, that kind of number will get you demoted.
Just ask struggling Phillies starter Brett Myers. The former ace, former closer, former major leaguer is now an IronPig. We're not calling him names, we're saying he is now playing for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Myers isn't the only bona fide preseason fantasy prospect who is now swimming in alphabet soup. Let's take a look at some guys who are headed back to the bus leagues:
Brett Myers, SP, Phillies - A 5.84 ERA, a 3-9 record, one win in his past 13 starts. No wonder he's playing in the Philly suburbs. Myers has the talent and the stuff to succeed on the mound, but he seems to lack the mental toughness. He could provide some late-season punch in the Phillies' weak rotation. If you have the roster space, don't drop him yet. If you have to let him go, keep an eye out for his return. We still would rather have Myers on our roster than someone like Gil Meche.
Jeff Francoeur, OF, Braves - Halfway through the season, his average was down 60 points from last year, his RBIs down about 20 percent, his home runs off by almost 15 percent, and he was on pace to have about 40 fewer hits. And that was all before he booked a trip to Jackson, Miss. Expect Frankie to spend a few weeks in "Deliverance" country before returning to the ATL (and yes, we know "Deliverance" was filmed in Georgia, but doesn't it seem like it should have happened in Mississippi?). He still is worth hanging on to in deep leagues. If he comes back strong, you win big.
Joe Borowski, RP, Indians - Was barely better than even money in save situations (6-of-10) before being demoted. Even when he led the AL in saves last season, he was dicey - allowing far too many baserunners and carrying an ERA (5.07) much too high for a "reliable" closer (but stellar in comparison to his 7.56 this season). His luck has run out. It looks as if the Indians are content to do a closer by committee. Between Rafael Betancourt and Masa Kobayashi, we prefer Kobayashi.
dloftis@nypost.com
