By: Adam Forsyth
WaiverSharks newest feature, headed up by analyst extraordinaire, Adam Forsyth, shouldn’t be confused with analytics by Google. Fantalytics name was inspired by the Google traffic analysis tool, but our articles intend to be stat driven comparisons. Our goal is to assist you with any challenging “Photo Finish Fantasy Baseball decisions!”
Read Adam’s introductory post for more. Or, since you’re here - jump right into Fanalytics’ first tough call of the 2009 Fantasy Baseball season.
Fantalytics Volume 1
Josh Johnson VS Brandon Morrow
When it comes to comparing these two young-guns you may have to assume a couple of things. First, is that there aren’t any health concerns going into the season with Josh Johnson. The other is that you have faith in Seattle bench boss Don Wakamatsu’s commitment to Brandon Morrow being a part of the M’s starting rotation on a full-time basis.
The Case for Josh Johnson
After an impressive 2006 rookie season, an irritated ulnar nerve, followed up with Tommy John surgery, held up the development of the big 6 foot 7 inch righty. With only four starts over the course of the next season and a half, some wrote off the youngster. A mid-July 2008 return allowed Johnson to pay back fantasy slappy’s who didn’t prematurely write him off by going 7-1 and looking extremely sharp in the final 2.5 months of the season. Jo-Jo’s impressive K/BB ratio of 3.08:1 left owners salivating and imagining what could be if he were able stay healthy for an entire season. Perhaps 2009 is the year! Fantalytics certainly hopes so!
The Case for Brandon Morrow
After starting the season in a middle relief role, followed up with a brief but impressive 10-save stint as the closer when the reliable J.J. Putz fell to injury, Morrow ended the season by auditioning in a five game sting as a starter. The impressive thing about Morrow is that no matter what situation he was placed in, he handled with a calm, cool and collected approach and continued to frustrate batters to the tune of over 10.49 K’s /9 innings. Morrow has got the stuff to be a dominant starter and sure mid-level pick, (even on a weak Mariners’ roster) to win 10+ games in 2009 with great upside and an even brighter future ahead.
FANTALYTICS FINAL CALL
Even with the injury concerns, I still have to lean towards Josh Johnson being the guy that has the greater potential as a starter. The Marlins are a better team than the Mariners, and I have a bit of concern that the experiment with Morrow can easily be modified on the fly throughout the season, due to the fact that he was extremely effective as the closer. Expect a 14 win season from J.J. with 170+ K’s, respectable sub 3.00 ERA and a respectable 1.35 or lower WHIP.
Analytics of 
