Pierre and Ethier Still in Fantasy Flux

April 2, 2008 @ 08:15:16

By Richard Garcia
Edited by Tim Heaney

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre announced Sunday, March 30, that outfielder Andre Ethier would be starting the season in left field instead of Juan Pierre. Ethier was competing with Pierre to be the starting left fielder to begin the season after the Dodgers signed Andruw Jones in the offseason to play center field.

However, in the Dodgers' second regular season game, Torre threw fantasy owners a curveball by inserting Pierre in left and Ethier in right, giving starting right fielder Matt Kemp the night off.

Fantasy owners thought this situation was sorted out, but now it might become a guessing game for when to play Pierre. However, he might be looking for a way to balance out playing time between the two; Ethier will also reportedly be given some reps at first base so Torre could spell starter James Loney. In this event, Pierre likely would take Ethier's left field spot, and Kemp would then start in right field.

Left Out?

The decision to insert the 25-year-old Ethier over Pierre in the opening day lineup was partially a result of their performances this spring. Ethier was one of the club's leading hitters, finishing with an average of .377, a team-high six home runs and 18 RBIs. Pierre, on the other hand, finished with an average of .188 with six stolen bases in 25 games. In the end, Torre said he wanted to see more of Ethier, who he said was able to hit both right-handed and left-handed pitching this spring.

When questioned about benching Kemp in favor of Pierre, Torre told reporters that he saw a favorable matchup for Pierre against Giants right-hander Matt Cain. More evidence of this surfaced when Kemp pinch-hit for Pierre against Giants southpaw reliever Jack Taschner in the sixth. Torre also told the press that he likes to involve all of his players early in the season.

Ethier

Ethier was originally signed by the Oakland Athletics and spent his first three professional seasons in their system. In 2005, he was named the Texas League Player of the Year at Double-A Midland, where he hit .319 and set career highs in runs (104), doubles (30), home runs (18) and RBIs (80). Ethier came over to the Dodgers prior to the 2006 season in a trade for Antonio Perez and Milton Bradley (knee). Ethier was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas before eventually finishing the season in the majors, ending the year with a .308 average and 11 home runs in 396 at-bats.

He followed up a successful rookie year with a strong sophomore season where he appeared in 153 games - the second-highest on the team. He set career highs in virtually every offensive category while playing 60 games in left field and 102 games in right field.

Ethier is more of a well-rounded player than Pierre; his balance of offense and defense contributed to Torre's decision. He hit second in the order on Monday, March 31, but went 0-for-4 in his season debut. Ethier's value could spike if he were to become eligible at first base in fantasy leagues.

Pierre

Pierre was signed by the Dodgers to a five-year, $44 million contract prior to the 2007 season to be the team's starting center fielder. He finished the year with a .293 average and 64 stolen bases, which was one away from tying a career high.

Los Angeles is Pierre's fourth team in eight major league seasons. He started his career in 2000 with the Colorado Rockies before heading to the Florida Marlins in 2002. In his first season with the Marlins, he would go one to be named their most valuable player by the South Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He would finish the year with a .305 average and a career-high 65 stolen bases in leading the Marlins to their first World Series championship.

Pierre has averaged about 60 stolen bases over the last three seasons, but his major knocks have been his subpar on-base percentage (.326, .330 and .331 in the last three seasons) and his weak throwing arm. Managers - in both fantasy and reality - often have had to make the sacrifice by trading his speed for his declining ability to reach base. 

Pierre did not do much with his starting opportunity, going 0-for-2 while hitting seventh in the order before Kemp took his place in the batter's box. 

Kemp and Jones

Kemp is another youthful outfielder getting his first chance to start full time for the Dodgers. He is relatively unproven, but he is coming off a season where he hit .342 with 10 home runs in 292 at-bats. This spring, he has looked just as impressive as he did in his short stint last season. He finished spring training with a .313 average, three home runs and tied for a team-high 18 RBIs.

Jones, who was acquired by the team during the offseason, is locked into the center field position. However, he is coming off his worst season in the majors in which he hit a career-low .222 and managed only 26 home runs in 572 at-bats. Jones has the veteran leadership that Torre looks for and is one of the soundest defensive center fielders in the game.

Fantasy Outlook

Torre might be willing to start both players at the corner outfield spots to load up on lefties against right-handed pitching, which would allow Kemp to rest once in awhile. Ethier was the opening day starter, though, so he might have the upper hand when it comes to facing left-handers.

However, Pierre, who seemingly is good at wearing out his welcome, has been the subject of trade talks this spring. Pierre has hinted that he would waive his no-trade clause, but general manager Ned Colletti is on the record saying that Pierre is a strong asset to the team. Torre seems to agree thus far, given his efforts to keep Pierre in the outfield rotation. There is also speculation that Colletti may be unwilling to admit defeat after signing Pierre to what many feel was an exorbitant deal.

Fantasy owners shouldn't be quick to drop Pierre in mixed leagues and especially not in NL-only leagues, but Ethier remains the better option because he was the opening day starter. This might not become a trend, but any further instances of Torre playing both Ethier and Pierre certainly allows both players to retain fantasy value, especially if Ethier spends significant time at first. Additionally, even if the team decides on Ethier for the full-time spot, Pierre could wind up having value in the blink of an eye through a trade. The key for now is to be patient. Look at the season as a marathon and not a sprint.

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Richard Garcia
Garcia served as a managing editor for KFFL. Prior to his time with KFFL, Richard worked in managerial roles with both Frito-Lay Inc. and UPS. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in public relations from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and fulfilled his internship requirements with the Los Angeles Kings Hockey organization in 2001.

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