Future First Rounders

Jay Bruce's Replacement

2009-07-12T08:17:00.004-04:00

Jay Bruce has fractured his right wrist sliding for a ball in RF and will most likely miss the rest of the 2009 season. For owners in non-keeper leagues this may be good news as you now can justifying dropping the .200 BA from your team as you waited for his BAIP to correct itself. I am a huge Jay Bruce fan and I think he is going to be a fantasy stud but he needs to make more contact on a regular basis. Derek Lee owners know how serious a wrist injury could be so depending on how bad the fracture this injury could effect his 2010 season. Assuming the Reds fill the position in-house they have two good looking prospects currently in AAA Louisville in Chris Heisey and Drew Stubbs. They have been reports that Stubbs may get the first crack at replacing Bruce but Heisey is the better fantasy option. Below is a little bit about each player

Chris Heisey 6'0 200 lbs (24 Yrs Old)
Heisey, from Lancaster, Pa, was on nobody's radar prior to this season but he is having the best season of any Red's prospect. Heisy was rewarded by being named to the 2009 Futures Game that is being played today in St. Louis. Heisey has displayed a nice power speed combo and has demonstrated great plate discipline with a 42:37 K:BB ratio. 2009 stats are listed below:

AVG: .350
HR: 15
RBI: 53
K:BB: 42:37
SB: 15
OPS: 1.005

Drew Stubbs 6'4 205 lbs (24 Yrs. Old)
Stubbs lacks the power and plate discipline of Heisey but he is a terror on the base paths with 33 SBs already this season. If Stubbs gets the call this season he could be a nice speculative SB source going forward. His 2009 stats are listed below:

AVG: .283
HR: 2
RBI: 25
K:BB: 71:40
SB: 33
OPS: .745

As you can see Heisy's numbers are much better and at this point translates into a more valuable fantasy option. If your league has a Minor League system or a deep bench I would grab Heisy before he makes a splash in Cincy.

Who is the Best Rookie Pitcher?

2009-07-11T07:44:00.003-04:00

There are some highly touted prospects pitching this season and below I will breakdown the stats for the top 5 in my opinion:

Tommy Hanson (20 Yrs Old):
4-0 with a 2.85 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 5.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. I think Hanson has the brighest future of this group but his numbers so far this season are smoke and mirrors. Hanson has a very low H% (% of balls hit into play that go for a hit) at 24% while the league average is 30%. Hanson is benefiting from stranding runners on base as 83% of the baserunners are stranded with a league average between 70-75%. As his H% corrects itself more of those runners will come around to score and inflate his ERA. I would expect some bumps in the road short-term and long-term I see him as a fantasy ace.

Brett Anderson (21 Yrs. Old):
5-7 with a 4.86 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 6.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Anderson has been over shadowed by fellow prospect Trevor Cahill but Anderson may be the better of the two for the long term. Unlike Hanson, Anderson has not been lucky as he has a 31 H% and only 69% of runners remain stranded. Anderson has been popping up on radar screens as of late becuase he has been striking out more batters in his last 2 outings with 7 vs. DET and 9 vs. Bos. On July 6th Anderson threw a CGSO in Fenway while only surrendering 2 hits. The Boston outing has increased his price but he will be a good speculative K source for the 2nd half of the season.

Rick Porcello (20 Yrs. Old):
8-6 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.46 WHIPm 4.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Porcello has been struggling as of late which made the Tigers skip his final start going into the ASB but Porcello could have a solid 2nd half as they will look to get him extra rest to limit his innings. It is hard to expect anything from a 20 yr old pitcher in the majors but his k/9 is dissappointing. As Porcello went flying through the Det system, his K/9 was low and the organization was saying that they were limiting what pitches he could throw and that was the cause of the low K figures. After seeing him for the 1st half of this season I am having a hard time with his Josh Beckett comparison. He is only 20 and he will develop into a great fantasy pitcher but I don't think it will be this season

Rickey Romero (24 Yrs. Old):
7-3 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Romero has performed the best of these 5 pitchers and he is my favorite to win the AL ROY. Romero was selected with the #6 pick in the 2005 draft by the Jays. The 2005 draft was loaded with #1 Justin Upton #2 Alex Gordon #4 Ryan Zimmerman #5 Ryan Braun #7 Tulowitzki #10 Maybin #11 Andrew McCutchen #12 Jay Bruce #23 Ellsbury #25 Garza and #28 Colby Rasmus. For 2009, I think Romero has the most fantasy value of this group but I just wish he pitched in a different division.

David Price (23 Yrs. Old)
3-3 with a 4.70 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9. I don't care how good you are or how many hittesr you K, if you walk 6.3 batters per 9 you are going to get crushed. Price performed great in last year's post season and that just added to the hype machine but it looks like Price needs a little more seasoning. I thought Price would be more polished at this point being he attended college for 3 years at Vandy while Porcello, Hanson, and Anderson went to the minors from high school. It is obvious that Price can miss bats and also the strike zone but when he gains command of the stike zone he will be an elite pitcher. If I were building a "real" team I would take Price over Hanson due to Price being left handed but from a fantasy perpective I would take Hanson.

I guess Jonathan Sanchez really wants to stay in the rotation as he threw a 11 K 0 BB no hitter last night against the helpless Padres. Sanchez was recalled from the minors to fill in for Randy Johnson who is on the DL. Even with this outing Sanchez has had a terrible year posting a 3-8 record with a 4.69 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9 in 78.7 innings. There was some hype surrounding the 26 year old Sanchez coming into this year becuase he is young and strikes out a lot of batters but his numbers have never been good and in 2008, which was his first full season, he killed your ERA and WHIP by posting a 5.01 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 158 innings. You can expect the FAAB bidding to get crazy for Sanchez after this performance and I would reccomend you save you $ and your ratios and stay clear from him.

Other News:
Vald and Hunter could miss a month
Vasquez to miss start
Mets aquire Francoeur and Braves get Church
Jordan Schafer could miss rest of year
James McOwen's hit streak snapped at 45

BA Mid-Season Top 25

2009-07-10T11:49:00.002-04:00

Baseball America has released its mid-season top 25 prospects list. The prospects who were called to the majors this season are not included. I was surprised to see Smoak at #4 and the #2 ranking for Stanton is a little aggressive in my eyes. Phillies fans will be please with #17 Brown, #23 Taylor and #24 Drabek and hopefully Brown and Drabek are property of the Jays in exchange for Halladay. Two of the top three pitchers are from the Baltimore organization and it is likely that we will see Tillman this season and Matusz in 2010. I have a hard time with them ranking Montero over Posey as Montero is going to eat himself into a 1B very soon. So far this season Posey is hitting .321 with 12 HRs, 52 RBIs and 6 SBs compared with Montero who is hitting .330 with 13 HRs, 52 RBIs and 0 SBs but Montero is playing in AA while Posey is in high A. They both are great hitters and Posey is better behind the dish and the fact that Montero may not be a C for the long term makes me like Posey more.

1. Jason Heyward, of, Braves
2. Mike Stanton, of, Marlins
3. Jesus Montero, c, Yankees
4. Justin Smoak, 1b, Rangers
5. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants
6. Buster Posey, c, Giants
7. Carlos Santana, c, Indians
8. Chris Tillman, rhp, Orioles
9. Brian Matusz, lhp, Orioles
10. Logan Morrison, 1b, Marlins
11. Freddie Freeman, 1b, Braves
12. Jarrod Parker, rhp, Diamondbacks
13. Neftali Feliz, rhp, Rangers
14. Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers
15. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Reds
16. Wade Davis, rhp, Rays
17. Dominic Brown, of, Phillies
18. Desmond Jennings, of, Rays
19. Jason Castro, c, Astros
20. Tim Beckham, ss, Rays
21. Brett Wallace, 3b, Cardinals
22. Matt LaPorta, 1b/of, Indians
23. Michael Taylor, of, Phillies
24. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Phillies
25. Michael Saunders, of, Mariners

Smoak Promoted to AAA

2009-07-05T02:07:00.003-04:00

The Rangers have promoted top prospect, Justin Smoak, to AAA and this makes it clear that he will see time in the majors this season. The Rangers have been using Blalock at 1B with Andrew Jones serving as the DH. Spo far this season Smoak is hitting .339 with 8 HRs and has shown great plate discpline with 40 BBs and only 36 Ks. Smoak is still having trouble hitting LHP with a .196 avg but he is hitting .379 against RHP. If the Rangers continue to remain in the race, Smoak may up very soon as he has nothing else to prove in the minors and has college experience. I highly recommend that you allocate some FAAB dollars for this kid when he comes up in all league formats.

With the injury to Uehara, the Orioles may be bringing up one of their top prospects in Chris Tillman. So far this season Tillman is 6-5 with a 2.69 ERA and has fanned 82 batters in 80.1 innings. The Orioles are loaded with young arms with Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz getting ready in the Minors.

During the All-Star Break, the 2009 Futures Game will be played in St. Louis. The Futures Game is meant to bring the best up and coming talent in the minors together in a USA vs. the World format. Per the rules of the Futures Game, each MLB team must have at least 1 player and the max per team is 2 prospects. I think that the 2 max is too restrictive as some teams have more the 2 "Future Stars" and some don't have any. The two biggest players that were left off the the US roster were Buster Posey and Justin Smoak. Posey was left off because the World Team needed a 1B and they selected Giants prospect Angel Villalona and Madison Bumgarner was a no-brainer for the US which gave the 2 prospects already in the game. Smoak has left off becuase he had an injured oblique when the teams were selected. The US pitching staff is loaded with Bumgarner, Drabek, Latos, Matusz, Parker and the above mentioned Chris Tillman. You can view the full rosters for the Futures Game here. You can listen to Minor League Notebook's podcast previewing the Futures Game here.

While listening to Bill Simmon's podcast with guest Keith Law, they mentioned that since Albert didn't hit in the Minors makes his listed age of 29 more believable. They has been speculation that Albert is 5 years older and that would have made him 25 when he spent his only season in the Minors. Phat Albert hit .314 with 19 HRs, 96 RBIs, .920 OPS and an impressive 46:47 BB:K ratio and he was only 20 years old in his only season in the Minor Leagues. I am not sure how those numbers are considered to be "not hitting". So far in 2009, Pujols is hitting .336 with 31 HRs, 82 RBIs, 64:34 BB:K ratio and an OPS of 1.208 in 81 games. Pujols is leading the league in Runs,HR, RBIs, BB, OBP, SLG, OPS, IBB and Total Bases. Pujols has 30 more BBs then Ks and has only 3 more Ks then HR. I don't care how old this Latin beast is and I plan to ride his un-documented ass to a NFBC title!

Other News:
Wang is injured again
Alex Gordon goes 1-3 in AAA rehab game

Albertin Chapman Defects from Cuba

2009-07-03T20:16:00.002-04:00

While the Cuban National Team was playing the Netherlands, Chapman left his team and is on his way to Miami. Now that he has defected from Cuba he will be availble to the highest MLB bidder. In order for Chapman to avoid the draft and become a free agent, he must establish legal residency in a country outside of the U.S. or Cuba. Chapman will be the most sought after FA this off season with his fastball being clocked in the 100's, being 21 years old and that he throws from the left side. Below are articles about Chapman:

Fangraphs article about Chapman
Yahoo article on Chapman

Scott Boras is up to his usual antics as he is saying that Strasburg may play in Japan to achieve his mega payday in 2010 by avoiding the draft.

Video of Albertin Chapman from the WBC

2009-07-03T20:15:00.000-04:00

Posey to Skip AA and Alonso Breaks Hand

2009-06-24T07:42:00.003-04:00

Buster Posey may not be teaming up Bumgarner and Alderson in AA becuase it is being reported that Posey is going to bypass AA and gostraight to AAA Fresno. So far this season Posey is .328 with 11 HR and an impressive 36:39 BB:K ratio whhile hitting .458 in last 10 games. It is now certain that Posey will be the starting catcher for SF in 2010 as Molina will be a type A free agent but SF may not want to risk offering him arbitration. Phillies fans can relate to this when they offered Arb to Polanco with Utley waiting in the wings and he accepted the offe. The giants have some real good looking young talent with Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain, Posey, Alderson and Bumgarner. With expectations that Posey will be starting next seaon I expect to see him the September when the rosters expand.

Quote from the Mucats Website:
"Yonder Alonso has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with a broken hamate bone in his right hand. Alonso suffered the injury taking a swing on a 3-0 fastball in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader against Tennessee. Alonso will be further assessed in the coming few days to determine the course of action for healing and rehabilitation. There has been no timetable set for Alonso's return as of yet. Alonso was the Reds' first round pick (#8 overall) in last year's draft, and entered the season as Cincinnati's top-ranked prospect by Baseball America. Alonso left the Florida State League leading the circuit in RBI while hitting .302 with seven home runs. In Alonso's time with the Mudcats, he was hitting .246 with one homer and eight RBI, although his numbers didn't adequately reflect how well he was hitting the ball."

The Cincy paper is saying that Alonso is out for 6 weeks

Smoak Returns with a Bang
Justin Smoak returned to action on June 21st and went 3-3 with 2 HRs. His rehab assignment was in the Arizona Rookie League but he has since returned to AA. So far this season Smoak is hitting .344/.460/.563 with a 33:32 BB:K ratio. When you combine the blistering start from Smoak with the embarrasing antics of Chris Davis who is hitting .196 with 102 Ks in 225 ABs you get yourself a new 1B in Arlington. The only people who want Davis to stay in the Majors is Adam Dunn and Ryan Howard.

Byrce Harper to Enroll in JUCO this August

2009-06-19T12:02:00.003-04:00

Just a couple weeks after being pimped on the cover of SI, Harper has elected to skip his final 2 season of High School and gain his GED to enroll in Junor College this August. This moves makes him available for the 2010 MLB draft and that means that the Nationals are going to have another fight with Boras this time next year. Keith Law was quoted saying that if Harper was in this year's draft, he would have gone #2 over Ackley. I have no idea how you can project a 16 year old to the majors but scouts have gone straight bananas over this kid. I will keep you updated on everything Bryce Harper going forward.

Brian Matusz Dominates Reading Phillies

Matusz was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the fourth round (133rd overall) of the 2005 amateur entry Draft but he declined the offer and decided to play college ball art San Diego. The Baltimore Orioles selected him in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2008 amateur Draft. Matusz made his AA debut against a very good hitting Reading Phillies team and he limited them to 3 hits over 6 innings with 1 BB and 10 Ks. This performance has lowered his ERA below 2.00 (1.98) and he has recorded 85 Ks in 72.2 IP this season.

Hanson Improves to 2-0

Hanson's record is much better this his numbers suggest. So far this season Hanson was thrown 17.2 innimgs with a 12:10 K:BB ratio a 4.08 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. In his last 2 outing, which he has won both, he has walked 9 batters and only struck out 7. Hanson will settle down very soon and should be an above average pitcher for the rest of this season and an elite pitcher going forward.

Sean Rodriguez Gets the Call

2009-06-16T23:28:00.002-04:00

Sean Rodriguez (2B) has been recalled from AAA Salt Lake to take the place of Howie Kendrick who was demoted. Rodriguez was drafted in the 3rd round in the 2003 draft by the Angels out of high school in Miami. So far this season Rodriguez is tearing up the hitter friendly PCL by hititng .273 with 21 HRs, 60 RBIs, 68:20 K:BB ratio and has added 6 SBs to go along with his power. In 2008, Rodriguez had a solid year hitting .306 with 21 HR, 52 RBIs and posted a monster 1.042 OPS. I love Rodriguez's skills and I highly reccomend that you own him if you have a deep bench or a Minor League Sysyem, but why in the hell isn't Brandon Wood playing 3B and Figgins at 2B? I am positive that Brandon Wood got caught sleeping with the Skipper's wife and that is why they refuse to play him. In 2008, Wood had 31 HRs and this season he is hitting .302 with 15 HRs, 40 RBIs, 39 Ks and has an OPS of .991. In typical Mike Scioscia form, Maicer Izturis has been getting PT at 2B showing that Scioscia is loyal to a fault to his veteran players.

Around the Minors:
Madison Bumgarner- 7-2, 2.01 ERA, 55 Ks in 58.1 IP
Buster Posey- .324 with 10 HRs, 37 Ks, 34 BB and 5 SBs
Austin Jackson- .348 with 1 HR, 27 RBIs and 12 SBs
Josh Vitters- .320 with 13 HRs, 39 RBIs and 3 SBs
Cameron Maybin- .284 with 1 HR, 17 Ks and 3 SBs
Matt LaPorta- .317 with 8 HR, 25 RBIs and a .938 OPS
Neftali Feliz- 3-4 with a 3.83 ERA and 45Ks in 49.1 IP
Brian Matusz- 4-2 wit ha 2.16 ERA and 75 Ks in only 66.2 IP

Player Spotlight: Edwin Jackson

2009-06-11T22:47:00.002-04:00

Edwin Jackson is taking the American League by storm and he has caught most fans and fantasy owners by surprise. Jackson is 25 years old stands 6'3, he tips the scale at 190 LBs and throws from the right side. Jackson was born in 1983 in West Germany. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th rd in the 2001 draft. The Dodgers traded him to TB in 2006 for Danny Baez and Lance Carter, then the Rays traded him to Detroit in 2008 for Matt Joyce. Jackson has never had great numbers and I wouldn't expect this current pace to hold up.

2007
IP- 161
W- 5
L- 15
ERA- 5.76
WHIP- 1.76
K/9- 7.2

2008
IP- 183.3
W- 14
L- 11
ERA- 4.42
WHIP- 1.51
K/9- 5.3

So far this season Jackson is 6-3 in 83.3 innings 62 Ks with an impressive 2.16 ERA. He has been throwing 97 MPH in the 9th inning as he is striking out 6.7 batters per 9. Control has been a major issue for Jackson the past couple of seasons and I believe that has been the biggest factor in his turn around as Jackson is only issuing 2.1 free passes per 9. The one concerning stat for Jackson is that only 25% of balls hit into play are falling for hits and that is proving that he is getting lucky so far. The past 2 season his H% was at 30% and 35% so expect that ERA and WHIP to rise as his H% normalizes.

Who the hell is Barbaro Canizares and why is he hitting clean-up?
The Braves promoted the 29 year old Canizares to play 1st base and tonight he was hitting clean-up. He is slow, can't field his position and doesn't hit for power so the Braves put him at a power position and bat him clean up! The Braves offense is so bad and as a Vasquez owner I would rather have the Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro playing 1B for this pathetic squad.

Drew Storen could be Nats closer by Year End
The #10 pick in the this years draft, Drew Storen, has already signed, $1.6 million, and been assigned to A ball. Storen emerged as a premier closer in his freshman campaign with eight saves. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 34th round in 2007, but he did not sign. In 28 appearances in 2009, Storen was 7-1 with seven saves. In 42 2/3 innings, Storen permitted 18 earned runs on 34 hits with eight walks and 66 strikeouts. If your league has a deep bench I would aquire him for possible September save opportunities.

Other News:
1 More Rehab Start for Smoltz
Snider struggling in AAA
Jake Arrieta tearing up AA

2009 Draft Recap

2009-06-09T23:04:00.002-04:00

FIRST ROUND
1. Washington Nationals -- Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State
2. Seattle Mariners -- Dustin Ackley, OF, Univ. of North Carolina
3. San Diego Padres -- Donovan Tate, OF, Cartersville (Ga.) HS
4. Pittsburgh Pirates -- Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
5. Baltimore Orioles -- Matt Hobgood, RHP, Norco (Calif.) HS
6. San Francisco Giants -- Zack Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS, Dallas, Ga.
7. Atlanta Braves -- Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt
8. Cincinnati Reds -- Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State
9. Detroit Tigers -- Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis, Mo.
10. Washington Nationals -- Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford
11. Colorado Rockies -- Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif.
12. Kansas City Royals -- Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
13. Oakland Athletics -- Grant Green, SS, University of Southern California
14. Texas Rangers -- Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS, Spring, Texas
15. Cleveland Indians -- Alex White, RHP, Univ. of North Carolina
16. Arizona Diamondbacks -- Bobby Borchering, 3B, Bishop Verot School, Fort Myers, Fla.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks -- A.J. Pollock, CF, Notre Dame
18. Florida Marlins -- Chad James, LHP, Yukon (Okla.) HS
19. St. Louis Cardinals -- Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood (Texas) HS
20. Toronto Blue Jays -- Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State University
21. Houston Astros -- Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS, La Verne, Calif.
22. Minnesota Twins -- Kyle Gibson, RHP, Univ. of Missouri
23. Chicago White Sox -- Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU
24. Los Angeles Angels -- Randal Grichuk, LF, Lamar Consolidated HS, Rosenberg, Texas
25. Los Angeles Angels -- Mike Trout, CF, Millville (N.J.) HS
26. Milwaukee Brewers -- Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana Univ.
27. Seattle Mariners -- Nick Franklin, SS, Lake Brantley HS, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
28. Boston Red Sox -- Reymond Fuentes, CF, Fernando Callejo HS, Manati, P.R.
29. New York Yankees -- Slade Heathcott, CF, Texas HS, Texarkana, Texas
30. Tampa Bay Rays -- Levon Washington, OF, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, Fla.
31. Chicago Cubs -- Brett Jackson, OF, Univ. of California
32. Colorado Rockies -- Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State

-The draft is so hard to predict and in many cases it will take years to fully understand the value of this year's draft. Tyler Matzek, LHP, he was regarded as the best LHP in the draft and the Braves went with the safe pick in Mike Minor LHP out of Vanderbilt with the 7th pick. The most interesting aspect of the draft is going to the the negotiations between Strasburg/Boras and the Nationals. Baseball Amercia has a full scouting report of all the 1st rd players here.

Hanson and Wieters..... Welcome to the Show!
The hype machine was working overtime with Hanson, Wieters and Price all in the majors, but Hanson and Wieters found this game isn't as easy as they were making in seem in AAA. Wieters is hitting .143 (4/28) with 0 HR or RBIs while sporting a .422 OPS. The Orioles are going to give him a long leash so there is no reason to grab Zaun at this time. Tommy Hanson made his MLB debut on Sunday going 6 IP giving up 6 hits, 6 ERs, 5 Ks, 1 BB and taking the loss against MIL. Ryan Braun took him deep twice which happens to the best of veteran pitchers. Hanson has a tough road ahead with BALT on Friday, CIN next Thursday, NYY the following Tuesday and Boston on that Sunday so we will see what he is made of very shortly

Use FAAB to Aquire Carlos Gonzalez
The Colorado Rockies have recalled top prospect, Carlos Gonzalez and manager Jim Tracy stated he didn't call him up to sit the bench. This move may signal the end for Brad Hawpe but use some FAAB $ if he is available in your league. So far this season in AAA, Gonzalez was hitting .339 with 10 HR, 59 RBI and 6 SBs in 192 ABs. In 2007. Gonzalez was the traded from ARI to OAK in the Haren Deal and then in 2008 he was dealt to Col in the Holliday deal.

Other News:
Brad Lidge to the DL
White Sox call up Poreda from AA
Jesse Litch need Tommy John
Jordan Zimmerman scratched from start
Hamiliton to miss 4-6 weeks

Bryce Harper: The Chosen One?

2009-06-04T22:42:00.002-04:00

Sports Illustrated has 16 year old phenom Bryce Harper on this week's cover. Tom Verducci wrote the cover story and it is really amazing what this kid can do i.e 570 ft HR to go along with a 96 MPH fastball. I think it is crazy that his parents are going to have him graduate early and enroll in a JC which would make him available for the 2010 draft instead of 2011. Harper is be advised by Boras and you can bet if anyone could find a loophole it would be him. MLB scouts state that if he was draft eligible this year, he would go #2 behind Strasburg. Sports Illustrated has been known to throw around the term "The Chosen One" loosely but from all accounts he is the real deal. Imagine if Harper is available in 2010, the Nationals could have Strasburg throwing to an 18 year old catcher in front of the 598 fans they have.

Smoak is Struggling Against Lefties:
CBS Sportsline is reporting that the Rangers are thinking about promoting Smoak sometime this season to replace free swinging Chris Davis. Smoak is killing RHP hitting .370 in 108 ABs but LHP are holding him to a .209 clip. Smoak is only hitting .256 in his last 10 games and it is being reported that he is battling some injuries as of late.

Austin Jackson:
NY Yankees top prospect, Austin Jackson, is quietly having a great season for AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Jackson is hitting .348 with 1 HR, 26 RBIs and he is 11-11 in SBs. He has been abusing RHP and LHP equally as he is hitting .364 vs RHP and .343 vs RHP. Jackson profiles as a plus defender with excellent speed that will be the lead off hitter for a MLB club in the very near future.

Other News:
- Tommy Hanson's MLB debut has been pushed to Sunday
- Andrew McCutchen went 2-4 with 3 runs, 1 RBI, BB and a SB in his debut.
- The 2009 MLB Draft starts on Tuesday and will air on the MLB network
- The Sox have promoted top Prospect Gordon Beckman

Breaking Down the McLouth Deal

2009-06-03T19:55:00.002-04:00

The Pirates traded CF Nate McLouth to the Braves for 3 Minor League prospects. The best part of this deal for the Braves is that Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward or Kris Medlen are not part of this deal. The 3 prospects are Gorkys Hernandez, Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke.

YTD Stats:
Hernandez (AAA)- Hitting .316 with 0 HR and 19 RBIs
Charlie Morton (AAA)- 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA with 55 Ks in 64.2 IP
Jeff Locke (A)- 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA with 43 Ks in 45.2 IP

I was sure that the Braves were displaying Chris Medlen for trade bait and that was why they didn't recall Hanson at first but they just robbed the Pirates blind and they still may move Medlen later.

Other roster moves around this deal include the Braves releasing Tom Glavine and recalling top prospect Tommy Hanson to start on Saturday. The void in CF for the Pirates will most likely be filled by Top Prospect Andrew McCutcheon who had a great spring the the Pirates before being sent to AAA.

When I first heard of the deal I assumed that the Pirates were dumping salary but after looking at McLouth's contract that isn't the case:
2009: 2M
2010: 4.5M
2011: 6.5M
2012: 10.65M (Club option year with a 1.2M buyout)

If I were a Pirates season ticket holder, I would visit that big yellow bridge that leads to the stadium and jump off.

Time to trade Haren?

2009-06-02T20:25:00.002-04:00

When you are looking for a player to sell high, look no further then Dan Haren. So far this season Haren is 4-4 with a 2.54 ERA, .90 WHIP and 71 Ks in 71 IP. From 2006-2008 Haren's production has dropped off each year post All-Star.

2006
1st Half ERA: 3.52
2nd Half ERA: 4.91

2007
1st Half ERA: 2.30
2nd Half ERA: 4.15

2008
1st Half ERA: 2.72
2nd Half ERA: 4.18

I would have a real hard time trading Haren away, but the numbers show that he is due to be less productive from the ASB on. You can find plenty of 4+ ERA guys on the waiver wire and Haren could land you a major player for your team.

Jordan Schafer sent Packing:
After hitting a HR in his first AB, it has been pretty slow going for the young lad. YTD Schafer is hitting .204 with 2 HR, 8 RBIs, and 2 SBs. The scaring thing about his average is it still had room to drop as he had a friendly .311 BABIP (Average is .300). He needs more time in AAA to tune his hitting skills.

Other News
Hamilton to DL
Volquez to DL
Soria Returns from DL
Does Beltran has Swine??

Wieters, Martinez and Price Impressive

2009-05-31T07:44:00.003-04:00

David Price recorded his first regular season win last night going 5.2 IP giving up 1 ER and striking out 11 Twins. For the season Price has 9 IP and 17 Ks but he also has 7 BBs. Wieters got his 1st MLB hit last night going 2-4 with a 2B and a 3B both off Verlander. Fernando Martinez also recorded his first MLB hit yesterday going 2-5 with a 2B and a RBI.

Baseball America on Kyle Skipworth:
"Kyle Skipworth, C, Marlins: Scouts who have seen Skipworth play in the minor leagues have come away scratching their heads over a player they liked as an amateur. The sixth overall pick last year out of a California high school, Skipworth has had trouble making contact with even marginal pitches as a pro. Scouts who saw Skipworth, 19, hit .208/.263/.340 with 46 strikeouts in 176 plate appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League were confused, and those concerns are only getting greater with Skipworth struggling to a .167/.221/.292 start with 38 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances for low Class A Greensboro. Even as Greensboro tagged Lake County righthander Alex Perez for eight runs (including four homers) in three innings, Skipworth struck out swinging in both of his at-bats against Perez, whiffing at five of the six pitches he swung at."

Texas Baseball Coach Trying to Kill Senior Pitcher
Yesterday Texas and Boston College played the longest game in NCAA history, 25 innings, and Texas pitcher, Austin Wood, threw 169 pitches over 13 innings. Per Keith Law, this kid is going to get drafted and I understand the "win at all cost" mentality but this is crazy. Source: Keith Law

-In case you missed the majestic Grand Slam Ryan Howard hit last night please do yourself a favor and watch this clip.

Other News:
Vote for Manny Website
Sizemore may go on DL
VMART leaves game after fouling ball off leg
Wieters vs Mauer
Quentin to the DL with bad foot

2009 Disappointments

2009-05-30T09:16:00.004-04:00

The season is just over 25% complete and it is about time to start worrying about some slumping stars. When the phrase slumping stars is stated the first name that popped into your head.......David Ortiz. David's collapse is a perfect storm of age (he is probably older then he says), Drug Testing and the loss of Manny. So when you combine all these factors you get the shit sandwich called "Big Papi". I find it funny that nobody wants to accuse Papi of steroids but look at his HR totals the past 3 seasons: 2006-54, 2007-35, 2008-23. He is one of the nice guys in the league so people are hesitant to state the obvious that he either A) sucks really bad or B) was a cheater like tons of other players. The reason why I point out Papi is that he went on a crusade against steroids this off season and now he is embarrassing himself with every AB. Ortiz is not the only player that stinking up the joint and below is a short list of struggling players:

Davis Ortiz: .189 AVG with 1 HR, 18 RBIs and Juan Pierre like OPS of .576
Josh Hamilton: .235 AVG with 6 HR, 22 RBIs and a weak .751 OPS
Jimmy Rollins: .227 AVG with 3 HR, 17 RBIs and 8 SB
Grady Sizemore: .223 AVG with 8 HR, 30 RBIs and 7 SB
Nate McLouth: .250 AVG with 8 HR, 31 RBIs, and 7 SB
Jose Lopez: .218 AVG with 4 HR, 22 RBIs and a .583 OPS
Stephen Drew: .210 AVG with 2 HR, 15 RBIs and 0 SB
Troy Tulowitzki: .224 AVG with 5 HR, 15 RBIs and 4 SB

Francisco Liriano: 2-6 with 47 Ks in 54.7 IP and a 6.42 ERA
Scott Baker: 2-6 with 39 Ks in 52.7 IP and a 6.32 ERA
Scott Kazmir: 4-4 with 35 Ks in 45.7 IP and a 7.69 ERA
Brad Lidge: 0-2 with 10 Saves in 14 opportunities with a 8.44 ERA
Rickey Nolasco: 2-5 with 37 Ks in 43.7 IP and a 9.07 ERA

In February, I posted that it makes no sense to draft Sizmore with an ADP of #6 when you can get McLouth at #59. They both are struggling right now McLouth is still getting the better of Sizemore in 4 of 5 major categories and I predict he will finish the season as a more valuable fantasy option.

Virigina beats Strasburg
Last night, Strasburg took his first loss of the season going 7 IP, 2 ER and striking out 15. Virigina also beat the #2 college pitcher Alex White from NC, 11-1 in the SEC tourney. Strasburg better get used to giving up 2 ER and losing as the Nats are real good at not scoring.

Justin Smoak Come On Down!
Yesterday Chris Davis (TEX) went 0-7 with 6 Ks in a double header. Davis does have 12 HRs but he is hitting only .194 with 77 Ks in 165 ABs. Contact is a real issue for Davis as he is only hitting the ball 53% of the time and compare that to Pujols who makes contact 90% of the time. I am by no means comparing the two players but I wanted to demonstrate the drastic difference from an elite hitter to a .194 Hitter. To makes matters worse for Davis is Justin Smoak is ripping the ball in AA hitting .325 with 6 HR and he has 32 BB and only 30 Ks. Smoak is struggling against LHP hitting .209 but he is straight abusing RHP hitting .370. When you mix the 195 degree temps in August and this kid's power.......watch out.

Wieters goes Hitless:
Just about every male under the age of 78 in Baltimore was in Camden Yards to witness Wieters go 0-4 last night. I only watched his first AB where he had a pitch up in the zone to hit and he hit it hard to RF. Wieters is going to be a monster real soon but expect some bumps along the way.

- Alcides Escobar (Mil SS) is now taking GBs at 2B and could be the replacement for Weeks in the short-term. I think this would be a mistake because Weeks looked real good before the injury and he is the long-term solution for the Brewers at 2B. So when you move Escobar to 2B this season you are setting his development back a year at SS and he a no where near ready to hit MLB pitching.

- Eric Young, Jr. (2B Col)- If you are speculating for SBs and have a deep bench, I would pick up Eric Young, Jr who may get called up sometime this season for Colorado. Young has 27 SBs already this season and scouts believe he is the best pure base stealer in the Minors.

-Beerleaguer.com examines the internal options for the Phillies to replace Myers

Wieters and FMart are Here

2009-05-29T09:35:00.002-04:00

Tonight is the night Baltimore fans have been waiting for since they passed on Tim Lincecum for Billy Rowell in the draft. Matt Wieters is making his MLB debut tonight vs. Willis and he has lofty expectations as some are comparing his offense to Piazza and his defense to Pudge. Anyone who follows prospects has to be excited to finally see this kid play against the top competition. Wieters went on a tear in his final 10 AAA games hitting .368, including a 4-4 night in his last AAA game, pulling his overall average to .308.

The Mets have called up top prospect Fernando Martinez to replace Church, who is on the DL, in RF. I think that this move is temporary until they get healthy but if he hits Church could lose his spot or at least some ABs.

With the movement of Wieters and Price, the demotion of Matt LaPorta and Travis Snider slipped many radar screens. Both were struggling as LaPorta was hitting .190 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and a .547 OPS while Snider was hitting .242 with 3 HR, 12 RBI and a .686 OPS. I was very surprised to see the Jays demote Snider because he is a major head case and this may rattle him a bit.

Other News:
Brett Myers may be out for the year
MLB.com predicting top 20 picks in June Draft
Posada to return on Friday

Either Really Missing Manny

2009-05-25T19:15:00.003-04:00

When Manny went down I wrote that Either would struggle and Kemp would benefit and that is exactly what is happening (full disclosure I also thought Hudson would struugle and he has done just fine). Either exploded when the Dodgers landed Manny last season and now he just isn't getting the same pitches without him in the line-up. Since May 7, when Manny was busted popping fertility drugs, Either is 8-56 for a .142 AVG, 0 HR, and 3 RBIs. Kemp is hitting .313 sine May 7th but his still isn't hitting for power.

Fernando Martinez May Be On His Way
"Ryan Church is set to have an MRI on Monday to find out if he has a strain in the right hamstring. He could be headed to the DL either way. A source toldthe NY Daily News. that almost certainly would result in Martinez’s promotion since regular playing time would be available."

YTD Martinez is hitting .291 with 8 HR and a 31:11 K:BB ratio.

David Price Evaluation:
IP: 3.1
K: 6
BB: 5
H: 4
ER: 2
PC: 100 (57 for Strikes)

It was good to see the Rays stretch him out with 100 pitches but this was a start where he couldn't get out of his own way. 100 pitches in only 3.1 IP is very inefficient as I didn't see his start but from his line he seemed very wild. I wouldn't hit the panic button just yet and in a non-keeper league I wouldn't be buying either.

According to the St Petersburg Times, "LHP David Price's promotion won't be official today as the Rays shuffle their planned roster moves following Akinori Iwamura's injury. But when he takes the mound tonight in Cleveland, the Rays expect it to be the start of something long-lasting and special. "When you develop a player like David Price, you always try to pick your spots so that when he arrives, he stays," manager Joe Maddon said. Price will get the chance, as he takes Scott Kazmir's spot in the rotation unbridled by the 75-pitch limits and cautious handling the Rays had him under in the minor leagues. Maddon said Price, 23, will be treated like the other starters, with an adjustable limit of 90-100 pitches. "It's kind of like taking a race horse out there and always holding him back a bit," Maddon said. "Now we're going to kind of let him go." Price was a postseason sensation in relief, but the Rays didn't think he was ready for starting duty at the beginning of the season. They sent him to Triple-A Durham and he went 1-4, 3.93 in eight restricted starts, and got better as he went, working five no-hit innings with nine strikeouts in his last outing."

Other News:
Lidge's job is safe for now
Iwamura out for the season
Hafner has set-back
Soria ready for assignment

Future First Rounders as been added as a link to www.27pitches.com so check it out.

Ordonez's Contract Clause

2009-05-23T04:50:00.002-04:00

The rumblings that the Tigers may cut Magglio is due to the contract vesting clauses, listed below, in Magglio's contract with the Tigers:

2010 option guaranteed at $18M if Ordonez has:
135 starts or 540 PAs in 2009, or
270 starts or 1,080 PAs in 2008-09

2011 option guaranteed at $15M if Ordonez has:
135 starts or 540 PAs in 2010, or
270 starts or 1,080 PAs in 2009-10

Crawford Running Wild:
The fear that Carl Crawford will not run as much as 2006-2007 is officially over. Crawford is 25 for 25 in 2009 and that matches is SB total for all of 2008. These SBs are needed as the power just isn't there from Crawford. After his 2006 season when he had 18 HRs and 58 SBs, he vaulted into the 1st round in many fantasy leagues in 2007. He only hit 11 HR in 2007, 8 HR in 2008 and he currently has 1 HR in 173 ABs this season.

David Price Replacing Kazmir

2009-05-22T22:01:00.004-04:00

The Tampa Tribune is reporting that David Price will start on Monday in place of Scott Kazmir, who has been placed on the 15 day DL with a quad strain.

As it has been noted Price has really struggled so far this season but I really think he will right his ship in the majors.
W:1
L:4
ERA: 3.93
IP: 34.1
BB: 18
K: 35

-Last year in the regular season Price pitched 14 IP with a 1.93 ERA striking out 7.7 per 9 and he was straight nasty in the playoffs.

-Lou Piniella is thinking about moving Soriano back to 2nd base to make room for Micah Hoffpauir

-Gerardo Parra, ARI CF, is hitting a .344 this season since being promoted and he is a great power/speed combo that will get a bunch of ABs this season. If he is still available in your league I would spend the FAAB to get him. In the minors this season he was hitting .361, 3 HR with 22 BBs and only 13 Ks. He is killing RHP hitting .390 and had 7 SBs before making the big leagues.

Draft Facts:
With the talk of Boras asking $50 Million to sign Strasburg, if you are wondering why they don't trade the pick away to the Yankees or the Redsox the reason is you are not allowed to trade picks in the MLB draft. Actually a player must remain with the team that signs them for 1 year to prevent teams from drafting a player and unloading them to the big money teams. In the Peavy deal, there were talks of Gordon Beckman going to SD, but he would need to be the player-to-be-named-later in the deal until he reaches the 1 mark with Chicago.

Other News:
Strasburg left game with cramps
Harden back home on the DL
Peter Gammons talks UNC baseball
Buster Posey vs. Santana
14 Minor League Pitchers who have 30% K-Rates
Spotlight on Desmond Jennings
Peavy says no to the Windy City
LIMA Plan examined

Jacob Turner

2009-05-20T10:34:00.001-04:00

Mock Draft

2009-05-20T09:31:00.002-04:00

Below is a Mock Draft on the 2009 June MLB Amatuer Draft.

1. Nationals -- RHP Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
2. Mariners -- RHP Jacob Turner, Westminster Christian Academy
3. Padres --1B Dustin Ackley, University of North Carolina
4. Pirates -- RHP Alex White, University of North Carolina
5. Orioles -- LHP Tyler Matzek, Capastrano Valley HS
6. Giants -- RHP Tanner Scheppers, St. Paul Saints
7. Braves -- OF Donavan Tate, Cartersville HS
8. Reds -- RHP Kyle Gibson, University of Missouri
9. Tigers -- RHP Shelby Miller, Brownwood HS
10. Nationals -- RHP Matthew Purke, Klein HS
11. Rockies -- 1B Rich Poythress, University of Georgia
12. Royals -- RHP Aaron Crow, Fort Worth Cats
13. Athletics -- SS Grant Green, University of South Carolina
14. Rangers -- RHP Zach Wheeler, East Paulding Co. HS
15. Indians -- RHP Mike Leake, Arizona State University

Grant Green going #13 is a huge drop off for him as he was the favorite to follow Strasburg when the season began. 11 of the first 15 picks are pitchers as this draft is thought to be very pitching heavy.

Strasburg Update from 5/14 outing:
7IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 10K. On the year now - 12-0 with a 1.34 ERA, 18BB/174K, and a .167 BAA in 94 1/3IP.

Other News:
Washington Post Article on Strasburg
D-Train looks solid in 2nd game this season

Gamel and Reimold Get the Call

2009-05-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

Matt Gamel (Brewers) and Nolan Reimold (Baltimore) have been promoted to the majors. Both of these guys are off to blazing starts in AAA and should be considered in deep fantasy leagues. With interleague play coming up, the Brewers will probably use Gamel as the DH and see how he takes to MLB pitching. The Orioles have some injury concerns with Adam Jones and Luke Scott so Reimold will get plenty of ABs early and he could stick around if he performs well. The knock on Gamel is that he has bricks for hands at 3B but he can rake with the best of them. This sounds very similar to when the Brewers called another butcher of a 3B who could hit......Ryan Bruan. I think the success of Braun will create interest in Gamel. Below are the YTD stats for both players

Gamel- .336 with 8 HR, 31 RBI, 1.075 OPS and he is hitting .425 vs LHP.
Reimold- .394 with 9 HR, and has 6 SBs.

Random Rant of the Day:
It bothers me that the Giants intentionally walked Zimmerman in the 7th inning in the middle of a 30 game hit streak. I fully understand that the Giants are trying to win the game and Zimmerman is the best hitter in the line-up but there are unwritten rules like don't bunt late in the game if the other pitcher has a no-hitter and there are others. Zimmerman got another AB and his streak was snapped at 30 games, so now there is no reason to check Washington's boxscores.

Twitter:
I am a self proclaimed fantasy news whore and I have found a new channel to feed my obession and that is Twitter. Twitter was foregin to me until Mnday when I kept seeing it all over ESPN and decided to see what the hell it is. To my surprise you can get all kinds of instant info from this site. You sign on to "follow" certain people and you recieve their messages throughout the day. The article here, from Hardball Times, list some of the best baseball sites to follow. Here is the site that compiles all the sports figures that use Twittwer

Who am I Answer??
The winless prospect that I was refering to was Msx Scherzer. This really surprised me becuase I assumed that he got a W got he busted on the scene last season. Scherzer averages more pitches per batter then any other pitcher in the National League.

Other News:
Lackey and Erv are joining Angels rotation
Manny drops appeal
MLB.com clip with Strasburg
No Structural Damage for Soria

Later this week I am writing a detailed post about David Ortiz and his terrible start to the season. If you have suggestions or comments emial me at www.futurefirstrounder@gmail.com or leave a message in the comment field.

Down on the Farm as of 5/11/2009

2009-05-12T06:28:00.004-04:00

Hitters:
Justin Smoak-.355 AVG, 5 HR, 24 BB, 18 K. Smoak is hitting .219 vs LHP and .410 vs RHP
Matt Wieters- .301 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 15 BB, 18 K and hitting .364 in last 10 games
Austin Jackson- .360 AVG, 0 HR, 13 RBI, and 7 SBs
Buster Posey-.299, 5 HR, 19 K, 14 BB and hitting .179 in last 10 games
Matt Gamel-.339 AVG, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 33 K, 19 BB and is hitting .425 vs LHP
Nolan Reimold-.381 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 5 SBs and is hitting .536 vs LHP
F. Martinez- .278 AVG, 3 HR, 24 K, 7 BB, and 0 SBs
Yonder Alonso-.279 AVG, 5 HR, 18 K, 12 BB
Jason Heyward-.261 AVG, 4 HR and 2 SB

Pitchers:
David Price-1-4 with a 4.74 ERA, 27.2 IP, 21 K, and 16 BB
Madison Bumgarner-3-1 with a 1.48 ERA, 24.1 IP, 23 K, and 10 BB
Tommy Hanson-1-3 with a 1.99 ERA, 40.1 IP, 57 K, and 13 BB
Daniel Bard- 1.13 ERA with 6 saves in 16 IP and 29 K
Carlos Carrasco-0-3 with a 5.46 ERA, 31.1 IP, 34 K, and 6 BB

The biggest surprise so far this season is the performance (or lack thereof) of David Price. Maybe Price is bored with the minor leagues after closing out game 7 against the Redsox to go to the World Series last season for the Rays. Price will be in the majors this season and I am by no means worried about him but he is showing cracks in his armour.

Who am I?
I am a highly touted prospect who is only 24 years old. I have started 13 games, pitched in relief as well, totaling 87.2 IP and 95 Ks. I have a WHIP of 1.278 and 9.8 k/9 rate. The most intresting fact is that I am winless for my career at 0-7. Who am I??

Other News
Jon Mayo on the upcoming Draft
YTD scouting report for Rick Porcello
Maybin sent down to AAA

Strasburg No-Hits Air Force

2009-05-11T14:59:00.003-04:00

Strasburg No-Hit Air Force on Friday night in his final home start of his college career.
Final line: 9-0-0-0-2-17

On the season, he's now 11-0, 1.24 ERA, 87.1 IP, 48 H, 17 BB, 164 Ks. This kid is the most hyped prospect ever in the draft era. It is being reported that Boras is going to ask $50 million for the Nats to sign him which is 5 times Mark Prior's record in 2001. Scouts say he could be an immediate impact player in 2009 if the Nats are willing to use him after the June draft. I doubt they are going to mess around with that giving the amount of money they are going to invest in him. You can listen to Baseball America's draft podcast here.

Evidence that Baseball Scouting is like playing darts:
This is straight from Baseball America's scouting report for Grienke in 2002
"He commands all three pitches very well, and scouts like his poise and mental toughness"

Draft Term:
Unprotected Pick: An Unprotected pick is one that is a compensatory pick from the previous draft for not signing a player. For example the Nationals have 2 picks in the top 10 (first time this has happened in the draft era) because they didn't sign 2008 1st round pick Aaron Crow, so if they don't sign the player they take with the 2008 compensatory pick, they will not receive an extra pick in 2010. This is why you will see them take a very safe player who is willing to sign for slot or below slot money.

Other News:
Baseball America Weekly Prospect Hotsheet
Minor League Notebook weekly Podcast
Alderson and Bumgarner Promoted to AA
Redsox promote RP Bard
Soria Placed on 15 Day DL

Manny......Gone

2009-05-07T09:15:00.003-04:00

I am sure everyone already has heard that Manny will miss the next 50 games for using PEDs. In my opinion, except for Manny himself, Either and Hudson are the biggest losers and Kemp will be the biggest winner from this suspension. Below is an excerpt from a previous post about the arrival of Manny and the impact on Either's performance.

Andre Ethier was having a pretty average year before Manny came on board as he hit .271 with 7 HR in the first half and then exploded after Manny protected him in the LAD line-up. Manny came over to LA on July 31 and lets examine his numbers on a monthly basis:

Pre Manny
April- Avg: .329 HR: 7 SLG: .482
May- Avg: .292 HR: 2 SLG: .416
June- Avg: .195 HR: 3 SLG: .390
July- Avg: .281HR: 4 SLG: .490

With Manny
August- Avg: .292 HR: 7 SLG: .615
September- Avg: .462 HR: 2 SLG: .692

To sum it up, after Manny arrived in LA Either hit .367 with 9 HRs with a SLG % of .643 and an impressive OPS of 1.08. Ethier is 26 and will be entering his prime hitting age in 2009 and I think a breakout season is in store for Either.

Kemp for some odd reason is batting 6th/7th and he will obviously move higher in the line-up which will give him more RBI opportunities. I would not be selling Eitherduring these 50 games especially in a keeper league but if he does slip up I would be actively trying to aquire him close to July when Manny returns.

Random Rant:
I can't stand the fact that everytime a closer gets shit-blasted in an outing they always say they are hurt. Matt Capps is the lastest closer who got shelled and then sprinted to a MRI machine. Capps will be fine for this upcoming weekend series but I compare these guys to young kids who screw up and act hurt to deflect the attention to the fact they were caught stealing to lose the damn game.

Examining Bullpens

2009-05-06T09:53:00.002-04:00

Whenever a cloer loses his job or is on the brink of losing it owners go bananas on the Waiver Wire to grab the replacement (i.e. Huston Street went for $496 out of a $1000 annual budget in my NFBC league!). A lot of times the next guy isn't worth owning and will hurt your ERA and WHIP just you grab a few saves. I suggest that you get ahead of the curve and target pitchers with the best "skills" within the bullpen and not always the annointed back-up closer. The Florida Marlins are a prime example of this situation as most people think Nunez is the guy after Lindstrom but in reality Kiko Calero has been much more effective this season with a 2.08 ERA, 12.5 K/9, and a 4.5 K:BB ratio. As for Nunez he has a 2.84 ERA, 6.4 k/9 and a 1.5 K:BB ratio. when you just look at the 2.84 ERA, for Nunez, it can be misleading as only 21% of his balls hit in play are falling in for hits and when this number normalizes his ERA will be corrected. The Twins Bullpen has no issues with a closer but they have a young LHP fireballer who is worth a look in Jose Mijares. Mijares has only pitched 4.7 IP this season but has a 15.4 K/9 and a K:BB ratio of 8, 0.00 ERA and a .64 WHIP. The goal of this post is to get ahead of other owners so if something were to happen to Nathan the bidding on this guy would go crazy. He is also a type of pitcher that you can throw in your line-up and not be worried and about damaging any of your categories. The Oakland A's have two pitchers that should be on your radar for speculation and they are Andrew Bailey and Mike Wuertz. I have zero faith in Ziegler and I predict one of these guys start to grab saves from him very soon (Wuertz already has 2 saves). Wuertz has pitched 13.7 innings with 8.6 Ks per 9, a 1.98 ERA and a WHIP of .88. Bailey has thrown 17.7 IP has recored 3 Ws and has posted a 1.53 ERA and .74 WHIP. Wuertz has better control then Bailey but Bailey strikes more people out, so both guys could get a chance at saves this season.

Charlie Manual is concered about Myers:
"His fastball, it doesn't have the velocity it used to have, it doesn't have the movement," Manuel said. "He has to locate it. . . . He topped out around 87-88. . . . I'm concerned about it.

Other News:
Hamiliton at 85%
Joba's mom dealing Meth to Cops
Buster Olney think Crawford could get 100 Bags
Utley out with sore foot
Mike Lupica on Joba's outing
Rick Porcello impressive vs Twins
AROD goes 3-6 with 2 Bombs
Posada goes on the DL with Hamstring injury

Grienke's Meds are Working

2009-05-05T09:50:00.003-04:00

Until last night, I have completely ignored the start by Zack Grienke because I don't own him in any league and I was praying he would go away. Donald Zachary Grienke RHP is 25 years old and was born in Orlando, Fl. He is listed at 6'2 185 lbs and was selected 6th overall by KC in the 2002 amateur draft Since Pundits are comparing him to Bob Gibson, I decided to watch his start last night and my conclusion is that this kid is for real. The hits that he did give up were broken bats and bloops singles and he was always ahead in the count which had the Sox completely guessing. The complete Pitch F/X data for his start last night can be seen here. Grienke is a fastball-slider pitcher and he has amazing command of both pitches and he mixes in a curve/change-up to make it interesting. His FB is clocked at 94-97 MPH and his slider is his out pitch. During his start last night he threw his slider for a strike 86.67% of the time. Grienke is extremely efficient with his pitches as the most pitches he threw in an inning last night was 14 and he had under 10 pitches twice. Looking over his splits the season you have to swing early in the count if you plan on reaching base: Opponents are hitting .368 with a 0-0 count, .077 with a 0-1 count, .071 with a 0-2 count, and .067 when he runs the count full. He has only gone to 3-1 five times this season and batters are hitting .400 off him. Grienke starting to show off his skills in the 2nd half of last season but nobody could have predicting this, except for the many voices that are roaming in his head.

2009 YTD:
Wins: 6
Losses: 0
IP: 45
K: 54
BB: 8
ERA: .40
WHIP: .84
BB/9: 1.6
K/9: 10.8

The combination of walking 1.6 per 9 and fanning 10.8 is a recipe for success. He can't keep this pace up but fantasy owners are sure enjoying that mid-round pick for now.

Related Grienke Articles:
Grienke shuts out Sox
Grienke is Magic
Grienke is helping all Royals

Other News:
Big Z hits the DL
Posada leaves game and will get MRI
How Sebieu Lions spent Dice-K posting fee

I will Resume Posting this Weekend

2009-04-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

I am in AC for the week on business and I will continue to post this weekend.

Wieters is Human

2009-04-27T12:54:00.003-04:00

Matt Wieters has returned to action and he is showing his inexperience at AAA. This season he is hitting .720 with 1 HR and a 8:13 BB:K ratio. Wieters is know for his exceptional plate discipline and this ratio is telling. Wieters is a switch hitter but he is struggling against LHP as he is batting .143 against them.

If Matt Gamel didn't have 2 concrete blocks for hands this kid would be playing 3B for the Brewers instead of Bill Hall. So far this season he is hitting .403 (.400 vs LHP; .404 vs RHP) with 6 HR and 24 RBI. Gamel has amassed a 1.287 OPS so far and will be in the majors before long.

Davis Price isn't lighting the world on fire for AAA Durham. Price is 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 IP. He has fanned 20 and walked 8 so far. Interesting stat with Price is that his ERA when he is behind in the count is 13.50 and 0.00 when he is ahead in the count. My advice for Price: THROW STRIKE 1! This performance worries me none and I would be actively trading for him after you tell his owner how bad of start he is having.

Strasburg is at it again against #16 TCU. Friday night Strasburg pitched 7 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 14 and only walking 1. So far this season he is 9-0 1.54 ERA with 135 K's and 13 BBs in 70.3 innings. This guy is straight nasty and if your league allows minor leaguers go and get him ASAP before the draft hype puts him on everyone's radar screen.

The Indians’ Matt LaPorta (1B, CLE) continues to rake for AAA Columbus. On the year he is hitting .400 with 7 BBs and only 5 Ks. He has displayed great plate discipline along with amazing power as he has 5 HR YTD. The Indians are going to have to get this guy in the line-up in the OF, DH, or at 1B when Victor is behind the plate. I am not high on Garko and I think he is the odd man out in this situation.

I can across this bit of information on baseballHQ forum about the movement of Porcello's FB:

"Brandon Webb, is possibly the greatest sinkerball starter of alltime. (His fastball moves 9.3 inches on average. The average pitcher's fastball moves 6 inches. Porcello so far: 9.6 inches! Porcello's fastball is also a few MPH faster than Webb's at 92.4 (compared to Webb's career average of 88.5)."

Other News:
Jokim Soria is experiencing shoulder sorness and is expecting to miss a few games. This news scares me and Soria owner's need to pick up Cruz and stay away from Farnsworth. Remember Webb's injury started as just sorness and now he is out until June.

AROD could return May 9th

Derek Holland's Pitch F/X data from debut

Rickey Romero on DL with strained right oblique muscle

Whos is Rickey Romero?

2009-04-22T20:35:00.004-04:00

Many owners are rushing to bid for the 24 year old Rickey Romero in fantasy free agent pools. Ricardo "Rickey" Romero is a 6'1 200 lb lefty from the Toronto organization. Romero has spent 4 season in the minors from 2005-2008 and most of his time was spent in AA.

Career Minor League Stats:
W: 16
L: 22
ERA: 4.33
IP: 415.2
K: 324
WHIP: 1.465
K/9: 7.0
BB/9: 3.8

2009 YTD Stats
W: 2
L: 0
ERA: 1.71
IP: 21
K: 13
WHIP: 1.10
K/9: 5.6
BB/9: 1.7

Romero is having more control in the majors then he did in the minors and once that corrects itself his numbers will come back to earth. The scary part is he is only striking out 5.6 per 9 so he is giving up K's for more control. Usually pitchers don't magically change from the minors to the majors so once hitters see him a couple of times I think he is going to get pounded pitching in the AL EAST. He is only 24 so and maybe he improved his mechanics but only time will tell. So I wouldn't be using a lot of FAAB $ on him and if he has a few more quality starts, I would sell high Martha Stewart style of this guy. Here is the complete Pitch F/X data for his MLB debut.

Quote from link above about Romero's movement on his fastball:

"His fastball lacks serious sink IMO and, at least of this day, appeared to be fairly flat. It did have some late in the zone downward movement but nothing indicating too much sink."

Other News:
Cubs recall Samardzija to help Pen

Kelvim Escobar out until June?

Derek Holland solid in debut

Hamilton sits with sore ribs

Nady avoids TJ surgery and expected back in 4-6 weeks

Doumit has pins put in wrist, out 8-10 weeks

Thames out at least a month with strained ribcage

Hamilton has Awful 2nd Week

2009-04-22T00:43:00.005-04:00

If you are in a weekly league and own Josh Hamilton, you know where I am going with this post! In week 1 he was fine but he has decided to suck real bad real quick once that 2nd Monday came around. From the reports on him that I read, he is swinging at the first pitch too much and breaking balls are making him consider calling his dealer. I think he is going to be fine but if you can find an owner in a league starting to panic, I would buy low on him before he turns it around.

First week: 21 ABs, .286/.385/.524; 1 homer, 1 triple; 3 walks/2 ks.
Second week: 27 ABs, .185/.185/.222; 0 homers, 1 double; 0 walks/10 ks.

EPSN reported that Wang would have to pitch 47.67 scoreless innings to get his ERA back to his career average of 3.93. Speaking of Wang, pundits all over the country are calling the new Yankee Stadium the Coors of the Northeast, I think the pitching has been terrible and we need a larger sample size to make any conclusions. I think the Yankkes are going to come up with some lame injury for Wang because he is out of options and would be claimed even with his historic start. To get ahead of the curve, I would pick-up Phil Hughes because his chance will come real soon.

I watched Jordan's Zimmerman's debut and he was really impressive getting ahead in the count and keeping the Braves off balance. 71% of his pitches were for strikes and 16% were swinging.
Here is a complete breakdown of his start with Pitch F/X

Other News:
Hamels Explains Bad Start

Matt Wieters has been out since the 19th with a Hamstring injury

O's recall Montanez as Freel goes on the DL

Mauer to return May 1

High School Pitcher Throws 4 straight No-Hitters

Minor League Draft Rd. 8

2009-04-22T00:20:00.003-04:00

This round really turned out to be a pretty good late round. I love Kyle Gibson from Missouri at pick #104. I was targeting power hitting catcher J.P. Arencibia, who ended up going #100, but I went with Poreda, who is a tall lefty for the White Sox, and to be honest I am not really crazy about this pick but he had the highest ceiling for pitchers on my board at the time. Hind sight I would have loved to get RHP Aumont, I didn't have the luxury to see him pitch in the WBC. The reason why I think Brignac fell this far is the arrival of Tim Beckham who was the 1st pick in the 2008 draft. Once Beckham is ready, I assume Brignac will be dealt.

Round 8
99. Scott Elbert, Los Angeles Dodgers
100. J.P. Arencibia, Toronto Blue Jays
101. Adys Portillo, San Diego Padres
102. Reid Brignac, Tampa Bay Rays
103. Fautino De Los Santos, Oakland Athletics
104. Kyle Gibson, Missouri
105. Kentrail Davis, University of Tennessee
106. Kyle Skipworth, Florida Marlins
107. Adrian Cardenas, Oakland Athletics
108. Chris Coughlan, Florida Marlins
109. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays
110. Aaron Poreda, Chicago White Sox
111. Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds
112. Phillippe Aumont, Seattle Mariners

I Hate Chien-Ming Wang

2009-04-19T07:39:00.007-04:00

First, I must start by stating that I am a Wang owner and that S.O.B. is on a mission to personally ruin my team's ERA and WHIP. I can't put it in words the pure hate I have for this guy and it is obvious what his problem is as 42.6% of his pitches are considered up or high in the zone compared with 31.1% from 2008. His average velocity is also trending downwards for the past 3 season so when you combine lower velocity with less sink and balls up in the zone you get the shit sandwich called Chien-Ming Wang. You see view a complete breakdown of his pitches for the past 2 seasons here. I thought it was an accomplishment to shoot a round a golf below your age, I will be happy when Wang's ERA gets below his age (29 years old vs. 35.50 ERA).

Your time to "sell high" on Emilio Bonifacio or Jordan Shafer is officially over. These two young lads came out firing on all cylinders this season but they have been brought down to reality in hurry. Over the past 4 games, Bonificio is 1-16 with 9 K's and only 1 BB while Shafer is went 1-21 with 13 Ks and 1 BB for a season average of .225. I never bought into Bonificio but I was drinking the Shafer Kool-Aid early. This could be a buy low opportunity on Shafer.

Pitching Prospects in the Minors (Data from http://www.minorleaguenotebook.com/):

Tommy Hanson fanned 17 batters and walked just 4 in 10 innings while allowing just 1 run.
David Price has 10 strikeouts and 3 walks in 8.2 innings over 2 starts with a 2.08 ERA.
Madison Bumgarner has 9 strikeouts and 2 walks with a 0.00 ERA over his two starts.
Derek Holland has 5 strikeouts and 3 walks in 4 innings in his only start of the season.
Neftali Feliz has 9 strikeouts and 8 walks in 9 innings with a 2.00 ERA.
Jarrod Parker has 11 strikeouts and 1 walk over 9 innings with a 0.00 ERA in two starts.
Brian Matusz has 10 strikeouts and 5 walks over 9.2 innings with a 4.66 ERA.
Jhoulys Chacin has 8 strikeouts and 2 walks over 10.2 innings with a 2.53 ERA.
Chris Tillman has 5 strikeouts and 3 walks in 4 no hit innings.
Tim Alderson has 8 strikeouts and 1 walk in 8.1 innings with a 4.32 ERA.
Brett Cecil has 1 strikeout and 2 walks in 4 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Jordan Zimmermann has 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in 5.1 innings and a 5.06 ERA.

Stephen Strasburg continues to make a mockery of NCAA baseball. He is 8-0 with 121 Ks in 63.1 IP with only 12 BB. His ERA is 1.28 and he is on pace to demolish the NCAA record for K/9 of 16.8 as he currently is at 17.19 Ks per 9.

Prospects in MLB through 4/18:

Colby Rasmus- Rasmus is off to a rough start hitting .235 with only 1 XBH for a SLG% of .265
Cameron Maybin- He is porting a 14:1 K:BB ratio and hitting .206 with only 1 SB
Dexter Fowler- He is hitting .308 with 2 HR and 2 SB. He also has an impressive OPS of .934
Kendry Morales- He is batting .244 with 0 HR and only 3 RBI. He has K'd is every game but 1
Pablo Sandoval- He is below the Mendoza line at .195 with 0 HR and 1 RBI.
Travis Snider- He is hitting .321 with 3 HR and 9 RBI. His OPS is 1.173 and has 6K and 3BB.
Trevor Cahill- he is 0-1 with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 17.3 IP but he has 13 BB and 5 K
Rick Porcello- He is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP after 1 start.

Other News:
Rangers call up Pitching Prospect Derek Holland

Vlad out for a month with torn muscle in chest

Alex Gordon out until June with torn labral cartilage in his right hip

BA Midseason All-American Team

2009-04-13T23:52:00.007-04:00

Hitters
C- Tony Sanchez, BC AVG:.381 HR: 12
1B- Dustin Ackley, NC AVG: .411 HR:10
2B- Phil Gosselin, Vir. AVG: .375 SB: 12
3B- Tom Mendonca, FS. AVG: .327 HR:12
SS- Bryant Hernandez, OK AVG: .433 HR:6
OF- Jason Kipins, AS AVG: .429 HR:9
OF- Kent Mattes, Ala AVG: .394 HR:17
OF- Brett Nommensen, EI AVG: .516 HR:11
DH- Rich Poythress, GEO AVG: .443 HR:13
UT- Brooks Raley, A&M AVG: .358 SB: 17

Pitchers
SP- Stephen Strasburg, SDS 6-0 ERA: 1.40 K:BB Ratio: 94:10
SP- Mike Leake, ASU 7-1 ERA: 1.29 K:BB Ratio: 62:13
SP- AJ Morris, KSU 8-0 ERA: 0.83 K:BB Ratio: 55:18
SP- Josh Spence, ASU 6-0 ERA: 1.17 K:BB Ratio: 72:16
RP- Kyle Bellamy, MIA 3-0 ERA: 1.52 K:BB Ratio: 41:13 Saves: 9
UT- Brooks Raley, A&M 5-1 ERA: 2.51 K:BB Ratio: 50:12

The 2 players that you need to pay attention to is Stephen Strasburg (obviously) and Dustin Ackley from NC. Ackley is hitting .411 slugging .734 with an OBP of .520. Ackely has also stole 7 bases and has walked more then he has K'ed this season. Both Ackley and Strasburg should be top 5 picks in this year's draft.

Other News:
Marlins Prospect Fractures Thumb

Tom Glavine Experiences Setback

Balt Sun Article about Markakis

Escobar has a "Bump in the Road"

OC Register Article about Angels Promoting from Within

Interview with Ranger Prospect Justin Smoak

2009-04-13T02:03:00.003-04:00

I would be willing to bet a whole lot of money that Smoak's career HR total will be greater then his SAT score.

Minor League Draft Rd. 7

2009-04-12T04:18:00.004-04:00

This picked look real good until about 4 days ago when Motte got his first chance to close for STL and then he got rocked Barry Zito style. I now have Motte along with Perez, who is starting the season in AAA, and Tony is running a bunch a veteran clowns out to save games. I think one of the two will be the closer by the end of the season but this is frustrating as I need a save source ASAP. To be perfectly honest this was a pretty boring round. The pick that I like the most is Ryan Perry who was closer stuff and is pitching for Detroit's bullpen right now. Max Ramirez is an interesting player if he doesn't eat himself into a 1B because his value is much greater a catcher. Pick #95, Kyle Blanks from San Diego, has huge power potential but is blocked by Adrian Gonzalez until 2010 and it will be interesting to see what the Padres do with Adrian's 2011 club option $5.5 million. Brett Lawrie has recently changed his position from catcher to 2B so I am not really sure that it alters his value much at all.

Round 7
85. Greg Halman, Seattle Mariners
86. Tyler Matzek, Capistrano Valley HS
87. Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals
88. Christian Walker, Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic HS
89. Michael Bowden, Boston Red Sox
90. Max Ramirez, Texas Rangers
91. Brett Lawrie, Milwaukee Brewers
92. Ryan Perry, Detroit Tigers
93. Ben Revere, Minnesota Twins
94. Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles Angels
95. Kyle Blanks, San Diego Padres
96. Michael Saunders, Seattle Mariners
97. Jake Arrieta, Baltimore Orioles
98. Daniel Bard, Boston Red Sox

Minor League Draft Rd. 6

2009-04-12T04:02:00.005-04:00

As I stated before I got a little CF crazy and I did it again with Austin Jackson from the Yankees. I like him but with my depth in CF I am going to look to trade him. One thing you have to watch out for is the "NY Hype" (i.e. Fernado Martinez) and I think Jackson gets a boost due to playing for NY. The exact opposite is Jordan Zimmerman from the Nationals who would be more known except he plays for a team that has roughly 37 fans. Zimmerman is my favorite pick of this round and he has made the roation as the 5th starter for the Nationals. Zimmerman had a amazing Spring and has the luxury of playing in a pitchers park in Washington. Going into this round I wanted to get Darvish knowing that he is going to come over sooner or later. I think this kid is going to be lights out for the Yanks or Red Sox when he comes over (they are the only teams that will be able to afford the posting fee). Darvish has stated that he wanted to become the greatest pitcher in Japan's history before coming to the Majors but with the recession, I could see his team selling his ass to the highest bidder real soon.

Round 6
71. Yu Darvish, Japan
72. Alex White, UNC
73. Jeremy Jeffress, Milwaukee Brewers
74. Jose Ceda, Florida Marlins
75. Tyler Flowers, Chicago White Sox
76. Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays
77. Jordan Walden, Los Angeles Angels
78. Jeff Samardzija, Chicago Cubs
79. Aaron Crow, Fort Worth Cats
80. Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
81. Gio Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics
82. Austin Jackson, NY Yankees
83. Chris Carter, Oakland Athletics
84. Martin Perez, Texas Rangers

ESPN Poll Day After Adenhart's Death

2009-04-12T03:12:00.006-04:00

You would think someone in Bristol would get a clue and not reference the injuries of the Angels pitching staff related to winning a pennant when a member of thier team was killed the night before.

What the Hell is Going on with Webb

2009-04-12T00:16:00.003-04:00

I know that Webb isn't a prospect, but I own him in a league and I would have loved to know that he visited Dr. Doom back in December! It looks like Webb is going to start on Friday but Webb's health shut down contract extension talks and this quote below explains why:

According to Rosenthal's sources, "Webb couldn't reach the standard of health required for an insurance company to provide several million dollars worth of coverage. After Webb failed several physicals, apparently in June, the team apparently broke off contract negotiations and yanked their three-year, $54 million offer off the table".

I have read articles blaming his velocity on his struggles but looking at historical Pitch F/X data, that isn't the case. I have pulled data from his start this season, his first start in 2008, and a start late in the 2008 season:

4/6/2009- Avg Fastball Speed:87.56 MPH with a Max Speed of 88.6 MPH
4/5/2008- Avg Fastball Speed:88.15 MPH with a Max Speed of 89.8 MPH
8/5/2008- Avg Fastball Speed:87.54 MPH with a Max Speed of 89.4 MPH

As you can see his velocity is very consistent from last season. In April of last season he pitched 35 innings going 5-0 with an ERA of 1.80, so he isn't known as a slow starter and his MPH is there so I guess it has to be the movement of his sinker that is the problem. One thing to watch is his K rate as the season progresses as the final 3 months of 2008 his K/9 declined:

July: 7.7 K/9
Aug: 7.1 K/9
Sept: 6.0 K/9

Other News:
The #1 prospect for the Seattle Mariners, SS Carlos Triunfel, broke his Tibia and could miss the rest of the season.

Pitch F/X data for Brett Anderson's Debut

Madison Bumgarner was impressive in 1st start of the season going 6 innings giving up 2 hits and fanning 5 for the San Jose Giants.

Wieters faced David Price in Durham today and he struck out and walked vs. Price and went 0-4 in the game with 2 K's. Price went 3 2/3, 4 H, 2BB, 2 ER, 4 K, 1 HR, 74 pitches. This may knock these two superstars back to reality for a brief moment.

Really funny Matt Wieters Facts Blog

Time to Roster Dotel?

2009-04-10T22:47:00.007-04:00

Bobby Jenks is that guy who always ends up on one of my fantasy team every year. Going into this year I really didn't want to own him , but I had him in a keeper league so I am stuck with him for now. After looking at his number overt the past 3 years it seems like Jenks is due to explode very soon. Let look at his figures for the past 3 seasons:

Note: XERA is a Baseball HQ figure that displays what an ERA should be with a pitcher's given ratios.

2006: IP: 69.7 SV: 41 ERA: 4.00 K/9: 10.3 XERA: 2.79
2007: IP: 65.0 SV: 40 ERA: 2.77 K/9: 7.8 XERA: 3.24
2008: IP: 61.7 SV:30 ERA: 2.63 K/9: 5.5 XERA: 4.01

On the surface his ERA has declined 3 years in a row but it is really tough for a closer to suceed in an extrexe HR park with a K/9 rate of 5.5. His K rate has almost cut in half since 2006 and his XERA has gone from 2.79 to 4.01. I believe it is time to sell on Jenks and if you own him it would be wise to grab Dotel as Plan B. Last season Dotel fanned 74 in 56 innings of work posting an ERa of 3.86.

The Norfolk vs Durham game was postponed due to rain and that game was going to feature David Price vs Wieters for the first time since college.

Tim Beckham goes yard in opener for the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Brett Wallace sending message to Tony going deep twice and driving in 6 runs while going 4-5. This may be guy to pick up now as the 3B position seems to be in serious limbo in STL.

Pedro Alvarez impresses in debut going 3-4 with 4 RBIs and falling a triple short of the cycle

Tommy Hanson fans 10 in 4.1 innings for AAA Gwinnett

Texas Top Pitching prospect, Neftali Feliz, issued 6 walks in AAA debut. With Kris Benson in the Texas rotation, this kid may not have much time to learn in AAA.

Jason Motte's time as closer may be running out fast as he was pulled from tonight's game in the 9th inning after he surrendered 2 hits to Pudge and Keppinger. He did get Bourn to fly out to center but K. Mclellan relieved Motte and recorded the Save by striking out Matsui and getting Pence to ground out. This is not good news for Motte owners and I have no idea what Tony is going to do but after reading this article, it seems like Perez is going to get another shot at closing games for the Cards sometime this season.

Other News:
Tribute to Nick Adenhart

Trevor Cahill's Pitch F/X data for MLB debut

Rick Porcello's Pitch F/X data for MLB debut

AROD to resume Baseball activities on Monday

Finally the Games Count!

2009-04-06T12:55:00.002-04:00

Well, Derek Lowe looked like Sandy Kofaux last night against the Phils but I want to touch on the fact that Jordan Shafer was Intentially walked in the 3rd AB ever! I know the pitcher was up next but I bet this may be a record for earliest IBB in MLB history. Shafer also became the 99th player to hit a HR in his first AB as he finsihed 2-3. Brett Myers was throwing watermelons up to the Braves but he hit that ball a long way. I think Shafer had his welcome to the Bigs moment when he faced Brad Lidge in the 9th as Shafer look extremley over matched against his slider but so does the rest of MLB. His K rate is one thing to watch but this kid is going to have a great season. Click here to see his PitchFX data from last night's game. You can really see the pitch from Myers that he hit out has right down the pike

Prospect Watch:

Keep your eyes on Ryan Perry from DET who has made the Opening Day Roster and has closer stuff. He will be valuable in leagues where Holds are counted and he is an outside saves source.

Tuesday: Trevor Cahill goes Tuesday against the Angels
Thursday: Rick Porcello goes against Thursday against TOR

Other News:
Article about Strasburg's recent outing

Samardzija sent to AAA Iowa

Later this week I will post about the 1st week of FAAB for NFBC leagues

Minor League Draft Rd. 5

2009-04-02T11:55:00.002-04:00

Round 5

I went into this draft wanting to upgrade CF and as you will see later I went overboard on them. I was very excited to land Schafer especially now that is is the starting CF for the Braves. I think he has a great mix of power and speed and his defense will keep him in the MLB if his bat slips. I think Schafer is going to be the best player within this group for a least the next 3-4 years. The Inoa (I think he changed the spelling to Yona) pick is major/risk reward as he only just turned seventeen. The most interesting pick of the round was Bryce Harper who is only a sophomore in HIGH SCHOOL right now but this kid can straight up rake the baseball. Click here to watch video of Harper. Ike Davis 1B from the Mets was really a stretch in the 5th round but what the hell do I know as a drafted Perez in the 3rd!

57. Michael Inoa, Oakland Athletics
58. Dominic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
59. Jordan Schafer, Atlanta Braves
60. Hank Conger, Los Angeles Angels
61. Wilmer Flores, New York Mets
62. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
63. Jose Tabata, Pittsburgh Pirates
64. Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado Rockies
65. Bryce Harper, Las Vegas High School
66. Kila Ka'aihue, Kansas City Royals
67. Angel Salome, Milwaukee Brewers
68. Michael Taylor, Philadelphia Phillies
69. Ike Davis, New York Mets
70. Daryl Jones, St. Louis Cardinals

Other News:
Madison Bumgarner K's Manny in Spring game

Leyland names Rodney closer to start the year

Joba bounces back just hours after I post about being worried!

Projected Standings for Tout Wars

Is it Time to Worry About Joba?

2009-03-31T12:35:00.005-04:00

Below is a quote from a NY Post article about Joba's lack of MPH's on his heater:

"Scouts who have watched Chamberlain this spring are puzzled with his lack of velocity. In his last outing against the Phillies, the fastball was clocked between 88 and 92 mph. He labored so much that one scout wondered if Chamberlain was healthy, or concerned that a shoulder problem that landed him on the DL last year was going to resurface. Another scout noticed Chamberlain slowing down as he was ready to uncork a pitch. "

As a Joba owner this news makes me very worried and I wish they would just put his fat ass in the bullpen already. With Rivera's age one would think that Joba is the closer of the very near future for the Yankees. I know that the Yanks have Mark Melancon, who has the stuff to be a closer, but Joba has proved he can deliever. The brain trust that runs the Yankees want him to be better then Beckett so much I think they have become short-sighted about how to maximize Joba's value.

Other News:

SFGATE.com article about A's Bullpen situation

Brandon Morrow heads back to the Pen

Tigers release Sheffield who has 499 HR and no team

AROD aims for May return to Yanks

Jordan Schafer's Time has Come

2009-03-30T16:49:00.004-04:00

The Braves traded Josh Anderson to Detriot for Rudy Darrow. This opens the door for Schafer who is raking the ball this spring hitting .386 in 57 ABs. He also has shown some good speed with 5 SBs in the spring. He was suspended for 50 games last season for PEDs and went into a massive slump after he returned which dipped him under the Heyward shadow even further. His defense is excellent and that should make him the CF in Atlanta for a long time.

Other Moves:

As everyone knows, Wieters and Price were sent down to AAA and I don't understand why pundits/fans are upset with their respective clubs. Both of these teams play in the AL East where they print $$ and if they can delay ARB years on the 2 best prospects and save some cash they absouletly should send them down. I would also love for GMs tp be honest and stop saying that they need "seasoning" in AAA. If Price needed "seasoning" why in the hell was he closing out game 7 of the ALCS against Boston. This was the same issue with Longoria last season and you can see the "Super 2" rules here

Chris Perez was optioned to AAA which makes Motte the likely closer for St. Louis

Andrew McCutchen was Optioned to AAA after going 5-5 against the Phils

Minor League Draft Rd. 4

2009-03-30T11:08:00.005-04:00

Round 4
43. Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles
44. Dustin Ackley, University of North Carolina
45. Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins
46. Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
47. Casey Weathers, Colorado Rockies
48. Logan Morrison, Florida Marlins
49. James McDonald, Los Angeles Dodgers
50. Tim Alderson, San Francisco Giants
51. Matt Dominguez, Florida Marlins
52. Jesus Montero, New York Yankees
53. Adam Miller, Cleveland Indians
54. Taylor Teagarden, Texas Rangers
55. Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays
56. Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays

I was dead set on getting a catcher this round and I really wanted Montero who went 2 picks prior. I am not crazy about Teagarden but I think that his defense wil lkeep him in the MLB. The 1 negative on Montero is that his catching days seem to be limited by his build. No that is not a typo someone selected Casey Weathers with the 47th overall pick. The pick that I like the best is Tim Alderson from SF. He is only 19 but his stuff is nasty and combined with Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner the future looks bright for the Giants.

Other News:
Brett Gardner is starting CF for the Yanks

Gregg lands Cubs closer Role

Minor League Notebook Podcast

Rick Porcello Scouting Report

Strasburg Q&A with Baseball America

Minor League Draft Rd. 3

2009-03-21T22:46:00.003-04:00

I had the 3rd pick in the 3rd round and I think is pick is going to haunt me as Perez has been shut down this spring. This draft was before spring training and every pundit had Perez getting the closer role for St. Louis but that job looks to going to Jason Motte (who I drafted later). Looking back I wish I picked up an elite talent at SS with either Escobar or Triunfel. It is pretty clear that my Perez pick was the worst of this round and my favorite picks of the round were Alonso from the Reds and Carlos Santana (C) from Cleveland. Hind sight is 20/20!

29. Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati Reds
30. Josh Vitters, Chicago Cubs
31. Chris Perez, St. Louis Cardinals
32. Carlos Carrasco, Philadelphia Phillies
33. Jarrod Parker, Arizona Diamondbacks
34. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
35. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
36. Aaron Hicks, Minnesota Twins
37. Grant Green, USC
38. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
39. Alcides Escobar, Milwaukee Brewers
40. Angel Villalona, San Francisco Giants
41. Mat Gamel, Milwaukee Brewers
42. Carlos Triunfel, Seattle Mariners

PROGRAMMING NOTE: * I am traveling on business to Austin, Texas and will return posting regularly on Friday.

Baseball America's All-Winter Team

2009-03-20T01:58:00.006-04:00

Review of Baseball America's All-winter team

Starting Rotation:
Franklin Morales (SP) Col- 37 Ks and 13 BB in 53 IP
Carlos Carrasco (SP) Phi- 45 Ks and 13 BB in 47 IP
Travis Blackley (SP) Ari- 55 Ks and 19 BB in 63.67 IP
Ian Kennedy (SP) NYY- 31 Ks and 21 BB in 34.67 IP
Juan Gutierrez (SP) Ari- 5-2 record 2.63 ERA and 56 Ks in 65 IP

Closer:
Shawn Kelly (RP) Fla- 9-9 in saves and 21 Ks in 14.67 IP

Position Players:
Pablo Sandoval (3B) SF- .396/.449/.677 with 12 HR in 214 ABs *POY*
Luis Valbuena (2B) Cle- .304/.381/.483
Greg Petit (SS) As- .315/.386/.414 and 14 doubles
Fernando Martinez (OF) NYM- 18 XBH is 153 ABs
Sam Fuld (OF) Cubs- .322/.425/.513 with 25 XBH
Max Ramirez (C) Tex- .291/.391/.618 with 15 HRs in 220 PA
Juan Francisco (DH) Reds- .360/.419/.665 in 161 ABs
Jesus Guzman (3B) SF- .304/.381/.483
Gerardo Parra (OF) Ari- .329/.404/.504 with 7 HRs and 31 BB

Baseball Amercia selected Sandoval as the Winter Ball Player of the Year and below is a quote from the article describing the season Sandoval had this past winter:

"Playing in winter ball for Navegantes del Magallanes, Sandoval continued lambasting opposing pitchers. In 52 games Sandoval batted .396/.449/.677 with 12 HRs. He even drew 18 walks, though 8 of them were when the opposing team decided it was betterto intentionally allow Sandoval to trot down to first base rather than allow him to inflict more damage upon thier pitchers"

This was a quote by Ben Badler from BA and I love the use of the term "lambasting"

Other News:
Article about Ryan Ludwick's terrible Spring

Chris Perez sidelined with Shoulder issues

Carmona gets hit with line drive

Homer Bailey may be heading to the Pen

Josh Fields could lead off for the Sox

How Some Prospects are Handling the Spring

2009-03-18T19:52:00.007-04:00

Let's examine the current spring stats for some of the top prospects still playing this spring:

Jordan Shafer (ATL)- He is hitting .419 and has stole 4 bags. He has been over shadowed by his 50 game suspension from PEDS last season, but he could be the CF for the Braves this season.

Colby Rasmus (STL)- He is hitting .234 while only slugging .362. He plate displine was been horrible with 16 K with 6 BB. To make room for Rasmus, the Cards have moved Schumaker to 2B and that experiment is not working out. If he continues to suck, I see him in AAA and Skip back in LF.

Travis Snider (TOR)- He is hitting .361 with a .694 SLG and 3 HR. His plate displine has been ok as he has 9 Ks and only 1 BB.

A. McCutchen (PIT)- He is hitting .280 with 2 SB and 1 HR. His K:BB ratio is solid with 14 K and 9 BB. I really don't think he will ever hit for power and overall I don't like him from a fantasy perspective.

Smoak (TEX)- He is hitting .261 with 1 HR this spring and a 9:3 K:BB ratio. The experts say he is the next Teixeira, and with him hitting in steamy Arlington, he could put up sopme silly numbers down the road.

C. Maybin (FLA)- He is hitting .364 with 1 HR and a 9:4 K:BB ratio. One of the biggest knocks on Maybin is his ver high K rate and supressed BA. He has a very nice combo of speed and power and if he hits his potential we are looking at a top flight fantasy OF.

Josh Hamilton- I know he isn't a prospect but many people are predicting that he can't repeat last year performance. So far this spring in 41 ABs he is hitting .439 with a .829 SLG%. He has hit 3 Hr (one was a 450 Ft monster blast off Chad Billingsby) and 15 RBI. If you project 15 RBI in 41 ABs over 500 ABs you get 182 RBIs! I know the sample size is small but this guy hits in Texas all summer and has good protection, the sky is the limit.

From Today's Action:

Lincecum: 3.2 IP 7 H 4 ER 4 BB 6 K (He is human)

Tommy Hanson: 4.0 IP 3H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K

Other News:
Japanese Posting Rules

Joba will be the closer if something happens to Mariano

Pablo Sandoval takes ball in the Chops

K. Escobar almost ready to face hitters

College Prospects Through Week 4

2009-03-18T00:17:00.003-04:00

Below is a summary of how some of the top college prospects are faring this season through 4 weeks:

Hitters:

Grant Green SS- .298/.394/4.21 with 4 HR and 6:14 BB:K ratio. He is the presumed favorite to be the #2 pick in this June's draft.

Dustin Ackley 1B/OF- .426/.539/.721 with 4 HR and 14:8 BB:K ratio.

Josh Phegley C- .434/.547/.792 with 5 HR and 15:10 BB:K ratio. 792 SLG% is video game type stuff.

Kentrail Davis OF- .327/.507/.582 with 3 HR and 17:11 BB:K ratio.

Chris Dominguez 3B- .365/.474/.667 with 5 HR and 9:13 BB:K ratio.

Pitchers:

Stephen Strasburg- 27.1 IP with an 1.98 ERA and a 59:5 K:BB ratio.

Alex White- 23.1 IP with an 3.86 ERA and a 28:8 K:BB ratio

Kyle Gibson- 30 IP with an 0.90 ERA and a 38:8 K:BB ratio

Andy Oliver- 26 IP with an 5.19 ERA and a 33:9 K:BB ratio

Mike Minor- 24.2 IP with an 3.65 ERA and a 20:8 K:BB ratio

Other News:
Great Article on Wieters from the Baltimore Sun

MiLB Article on Marlins Prospect Dallas McPherson

Radhames Liz heads to Baltimore Bullpen

Wade Davis and Tim Beckham sent down

Minor League Draft Rd. 2

2009-03-16T17:40:00.002-04:00

Here are the results for the 2nd round of my Minor League draft. I really didn't need a pitcher but I love Cahill and never thought he would be available at the end of the 2nd round. The pick that I just don't like is Fernando Martinez from the Mets who went #1 in the second round and #15 overall. I think he is over-hyped becuase he is the top prospect for the Mets but that really isn't saying all that much. He has a history of injuries and already this spring he has been shut down. Dayan Viciedo, from the White Sox, is a very intresting pick and time will tell if the Sox hit gold 2 years in a year with a Cuban prospect (Alexei Ramirez). I pick that I like the most is Stephen Strasburg, out of San Diego St. University, who is the clear #1 pick in this year's draft. As noted in a previous post, this kid hit 102 MPH 7 times in one game. He is being "advised" by Boras so we will see if the National pony up for this prized pitcher come June.

15. Fernando Martinez, New York Mets
16. Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
17. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
18. Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers
19. Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox
20. Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State Univ.
21. Lars Anderson, Boston Red Sox
22. Brett Wallace, St. Louis Cardinals
23. Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies
24. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
25. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics
27. Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics
28. Derek Holland, Texas Rangers

Other News:

For those who are looking for the next contract year super star here are the potenial 2010 free agents

Cole Hamels sent back to Philly to meet with team doctors

MLB.com scouting reports for upcoming draft

Examining Nolasco's Splits

2009-03-13T04:05:00.005-04:00

Ricky Nolasco, 26 year old Florida Marlins Ace, had two very different halves last season. He has lost his "sleeper" status within most leagues but if he could possibly maintain his 2nd half figures, he could be a top fantasy pitcher in 2009. Let's look at his tale of 2 seasons:

2008 1st Half:
IP: 95.7
W: 8
ERA: 4.05
WHIP: 1.31
BB/9: 2.7
K/9: 6.3
GB%: 34
FB%: 45

2008 2nd Half:
IP: 116.7 (138.7)
W: 7 (11)
ERA: 3.09 (1.82)
WHIP: .93 (1.01)
BB/9: 1.0 (1.8)
K/9: 9.2 (8.6)
GB%: 43 (50)
FB%: 40 (28)

Nolasco posted an amazing WHIP of .93 in the 2nd half and shaved almost a full percentage point off his ERA. Keeping the ball on the ground is essential to post a top notch ERA, so his 9% increase in GB% along with his 5% decrease in FB% is encouraging for 2009. To put his 2nd half numbers into perspective lets compare them to CC Sabathia's 2nd half numbers who we all know had an amazing run down the stretch with the Brewers. Sabathia posted a 1.82 ERA with a WHIP of 1.01 compared to 3.09 and .93 for Nolasco. CC walked 1.8 and fanned 8.6 per 9. To make it easier I have put Sabathia's 2nd half numbers in ( ) next to Nolasco's. I am not saying that Nolasco is going to put up Sabathia type numbers for a full season, but he has the skills to be elite.

Other News:
Scouting Report for Missouri RHP Kyle Gibson

Free Press Enterprize Article about Rick Porcello

Jerry Crasnick article about the Oakland A's young prospects

NY Post on AROD's replacement Cody Ransom

MLB.com on Lincecum's outing vs. Japan

New Book about Manny

My Minor League Draft

2009-03-11T19:24:00.004-04:00

I am involved in a 6X6, HR, R, RBI, SB, OBP, SLG,QS(Quality Starts), K, SV, HLD, ERA, WHIP, with daily transactions, 2000 IP minimum, 40 man rosters (35 active) with a 20 man minor league roster. Over the next few weeks I am going to profile our minor league draft commenting on the best/worst picks in my opinion. My picks will be in bold and italics

Round 1
1. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
2. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
3. Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
4. Travis Snider, Toronto Blue Jays
5. Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
6. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals
8. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
9. Justin Smoak, Texas Rangers
10. Tim Beckham, Tampa Bay Rays
11. Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox
12. Matt Laporta, Cleveland Indians
13. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
14. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

I had the 3rd pick and I was praying that somehow Wieters or Price would slip but my prayers were not answered. In went into the draft looking to bolster my OF and C positions as they were my weakest. Looking back at the draft, I picked more on my current needs over the best overall prospect that was available. I think Heyward is going to be the best OF prospect in this draft but Maybin is close behind and will get playing time starting in 2009 which is what I need. Maybin has 30/30 potential but he has to reduce his K rate to maintain his position as the lead off batter for the Marlins. There were no real stretches in this round, so it is hard to select a worst pick, but the player I would never draft, in the first round, is Colby Rasmus from the Cardinals. With the #6 position I would have selected Justin Smoak from Texas instead who projects like Mark Teixeira. Tim Beckman, selected #10 was the first pick in last June's draft by the Rays, has a couple of road blocks in his way to the majors with the great season from Bartlett and with the Rays having Reid Brignac at AAA. I had no need for a pitcher in round 1 as I have Webb, Sabathia, Joba, Johan Santana, and Papelbon my roster but I think Tommy Hanson has the potential to have a John Smoltz type career.

Other News:
Podcast with Jeff Erickson and John Sickels discussing Minor League prospects

Ethier Happy to Have Manny Back

2009-03-10T23:48:00.004-04:00

Andre Ethier was having a pretty average year before Manny came on board as he hit .271 with 7 HR in the first half and then exploded after Manny protected him in the LAD line-up. Manny came over to LA on July 31 and lets examine his numbers on a monthly basis:

Pre Manny
April- Avg: .329 HR: 7 SLG: .482
May- Avg: .292 HR: 2 SLG: .416
June- Avg: .195 HR: 3 SLG: .390
July- Avg: .281HR: 4 SLG: .490

With Manny
August- Avg: .292 HR: 7 SLG: .615
September- Avg: .462 HR: 2 SLG: .692

To sum it up, after Manny arrived in LA Either hit .367 with 9 HRs with a SLG % of .643 and an impressive OPS of 1.08. Ethier is 26 and will be entering his prime hitting age in 2009 and I think a breakout season is in store for Either.

Other News:
-Grant Green, SS from USC, is stumbling out of the block this season. He currently is hitting .229/.341/.371 with 1 HR and 3 BB to 9 K's. I know it is early but many see him as the #2 pick in the upcoming draft so his progress from here on out will be interesting.

Keith Law on Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox

Ervin Santana will start season on DL

Article on Jose Ceda's shoulder injury

Minor League Notebook's Hot and Cold Prospect List

Minor League Notebook Weekly Podcast

How Many Johan's Does it Take to Pass a Physical

2009-03-08T15:46:00.010-04:00

This is not a good spring to be named Johan Santana, Ervin Santana's real name is Johan but in 2003 he changed it to Ervin so he wouldn't be confused with the other Johan Santana. Personally, if I were to change my name I would pick something much more intimidating the Ervin.

Ervin Santana injured his elbow while pitching in an intra-squad game on Tuesday and is expected to miss the beginning of the season. You can find the link to the OC Register here about Santana and Scioscia's comments.

Other News:

Tommy Hanson pitched today against the Phillies going 4 innings giving up 1 ER on 4 hits while striking out 7. In the same game Phillies top pitching prospect, Carlos Carrasco, didn't fare that well going 2 inning giving up 3 ER on 6 hits and had 0 strike outs. This performance pushed his Spring ERA to 7.71 and given the recent performance of J.A. Happ and Park, it looks like Carlos is going to start the season in Allentown.

ARod is going to have "hybrid" surgery and will be out 6-9 weeks

The best box score from today's action was from the University of Michigan vs the NY Mets because the mighty Wolverines blasted noted Phillie Killer, Tim Redding, for 5 ER in a 1/3 of an inning for an ERA of 135.

The WBC is Under Way

2009-03-08T08:11:00.003-04:00

I really didn't pay attention to the WBC in 2006 but this year the WBC seems to have a different feel to it. This is a great way to get a look at some prospects that are playing for their respective countries or getting more PT as teammates left for the WBC. You can view a list of all the WBC roster here. The first major upset occurred yesterday when the Netherlands, lead by Sidney Ponson, beat Edision Volquez and the Dominican Republic 3-2. The USA beat Canada 6-5 in what was a very intense game as USA looked to avenge the loss in the WBC from 2006. Joey Votto was 4-5 with a double and HR for team Canada. The USA will take on Venezuela tonight at 8:00 pm on ESPN. Team Japan has a couple of interesting players, Yu Darvish (SP) and Norichika Aoki (OF), that are worth keeping an eye on. Most people have heard of Darvish but Aoki is an Ichirio type player, he has a won batting title and set the Central League record for hits in a season with 202 in 2005, that could become a viable fantasy option if he makes it to the MLB. The current global economic slump may lead to more Japanese players coming to MLB because the teams in Japan are owned by corporations that may be in desperate need of cash and sending Darvish, who claims he has no ambition to play here, to the Yankees for $100 million could sure up a balance sheet in a hurry.

Phillippe Aumont- Seattle Mariners (RHP), ranked #93 on Baseball America's list of Prospects, looked pretty impressive in his appearance against USA yesterday. You can view his Pitch F/X which shows his movement, velocity and location of his pitches here.

I know I am a homer but John Mayberry Jr, of the Phillies, is making the case to be the right handed bat to come off the bench for the Phils. In 8 games, he is hitting .292 with a SLG % of .625 while hitting 2 HR and 8 RBI. Mayberry came from Texas in a swap of minor league players and he played his college ball at Stanford. He has the distinction of being selected in the 1st rd twice as he failed to sign out of high school. He is a giant at 6'6 and 230 LBS and has the ability to hit some deep HRs as he hit a ball over Frenchy's Bar in left field at Clearwater yesterday.

Other News:
Peter Gammons raving about Marlins prospect Mike Stanton

USA Today Fantasy Chat with Ron Shandler

Article about Mets pitching prospect Jon Niese

Article about Joba and a mechanical flaw in his delivery

MLB.com on Orioles System

MLB.com article about Mike Stanton and Matt Dominguez from the Marlins

Brett Gardner the next Ellsbury?

2009-03-06T16:41:00.004-05:00

Brett Gardner is in the middle of a position battle with Melky for the CF position of the Yankees. I am very high on Gardner this season and long term for that matter. He potentially could be the lead-off hitter for the Yankees for many years to come barring Austin Jackson doesn't explode. While Jacoby Ellsbury is a fantasy favorite due to his extreme speed, as he is going #57 per Mock Draft Central's ADP, Gardner is not in the top 418! To compare these two speedsters I will break down their final season in AAA:

In 2007 Ellsbury played 87 games and amassed 363 ABs in AAA.
Avg: .298
HR: 2
R: 66
RBI: 28
BB: 32
K: 47
2B: 14
3B: 5
SB: 33

In 2008 Gardner played in 94 games and he had 341 ABs in AAA:
Avg: .296
HR: 3
R: 68
RBI: 32
BB: 70
K: 76
2B: 12
3B: 11
SB: 37

They both played in the International League so you would assume that the competition would be similar from 2007 to 2008. Gardner did K more but his BB/K ratio was much better at .92 vs .68 for Ellsbury. Looking at these 2 stat lines it is hard to say Ellsbury or Gardner will be the better fantasy option, but they are much closer then most people think. We will have to wait and see if Gardner can translate these numbers into MLB success, but given his skills, I believe he presents a very profitable end game pick.

They are similar is size as well with Gardner listed at 5'10 and 180 LBS and Ellsbury is 6'1 and 185 LBS. The both throw and bat from the left side.

Other News:
John Maine is a head case

Joba gets Shelled in outing

Interview with Stephen Strasburg

Strasburg has 16 K's and touches 102 MPH 7 times

Fantasy Pros 911 Article about Future Closers in the AL

Keith Law on Top Prospects

Baseball America's Top 10 College Prospects

2009-03-02T22:33:00.006-05:00

1. Stephen Strasburg (RHP) - San Diego State
2. Grant Green (SS) - USC
3. Alex White (RHP) - NC
4. Dustin Ackley (1B) - NC
5. Kyle Gibson (RHP) - Missouri
6. Kendal Volz (RHP) - Baylor
7. Andrew Oliver (LHP) - Oklahoma St.
8. Mike Minor (LHP) - Vanderbilt
9. Jason Stoffel (RHP) - Arizona
10. Kentral Davis (OF) - Tennesse

The Nationals have the first pick in the upcoming draft and they would be nuts not to spend the $ to sign Strasburg who is being "advised" by Scott Boras. I will profile the draft later as it isn't until June.

Jeff Erickson, founder of Rotowire, conducts a radio show via blogtalkradio and every Tuesday he will have John Sickels as his guest for Prospect Tuesdays. Sickels is a leading authority on Minor League Baseball and his insight is valuable. You can find a link to the show here

Other News:
Article about Tim Linecum

MLB.com article about the Mets Farm System

Article about Red Sox prospect Junichi Tazawa

Baseball America vs. Baseball Prospectus Top 100

2009-03-01T20:49:00.004-05:00

Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have released their top 100 list for 2009. I was surprised to see Brett Anderson ahead of Cahill on the BA list and that Cahill fell to #23 on the BP list (Anderson #24). I disagree with Colby Rasmus at #3 and I think he will be a bust. He is going to get playing time this season because Skip Schumaker is moving to 2B so we will see if he has any skills. Most of these names are well known except Netali Feliz who came to Rangers from Atlanta in the Texieria deal. The biggest knock against Feliz is that he pitches in Arlington which is a bandbox and inflates ERAs.

Baseball America:
1. Matt Weiters
2. David Price
3. Colby Rasmus
4. Tommy Hanson
5. Jason Heyward
6. Travis Snider
7. Brett Anderson
8. Cameron Maybin
9. Madison Bumgarner
10. Netali Feliz

Baseball Prospectus:
1. Matt Weiters
2. David Price
3. Madison Bumgarner
4. Pedro Alvarez
5. Travis Snider
6. Neftali Feliz
7. Rick Porcello
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Buster Posey
10. Jason Heyward

Baseball America Top 100 Prospects for 2009

Baseball Prospectus Top 100 Prospects for 2009

Other News:
-Matt Wieters hit his first HR of the Spring and he is hitting .429.

-Watch Brett Gardner of the Yankees who fighting for the CF position with Melky and Austin Jackson. He is hitting .500 with a HR and has stole a few bags. He could have some value with his speed especially if he is batting at the top of the Yankees order.

-This is the time to really watch Spring Training as the big guns are leaving for the World Baseball Classic and the prospects will get the bulk of the playing time. I will be covering the WBC when the games begin.

Interview by Baseball America with David Price

Article about Oakland A's power hitting 1B Chris Cater

Sizemore vs. McLouth

2009-02-28T19:08:00.005-05:00

In order to land Sizemore on your team you will need to use a top 1st round draft pick to do so. According to Mock Draft Central's average draft position (ADP), Sizemore is going #6 overall in 5X5 mixed leagues. I really don't think he is worth the pick when you can land Nate McLouth at #59 and the fact that you have to pass on Cabrera and Braun as well to get him. Let's look at last season's numbers and 2009 projections from BaseballHq.com:

2008
Sizemore:
AVG: .268 HR:33 RBI: 90 SB: 38 R:101

McLouth:
AVG: .276 HR:26 RBI: 94 SB: 23 R:113

2009 (Projections from Baseball HQ)
Sizemore:
AVG: .275 HR:28 RBI: 88 SB: 30 R:103

McLouth:
AVG: .282 HR:27 RBI: 98 SB: 19 R:102

The only category that Sizemore has an advantage is SBs and they are much easier to fill late in the draft as it a cumulative category unlike batting average which is a ratio over 600 ABs for these guys. I highly suggest that that you skip on Sizemore (who is out of the WBC due to a groin) and go with Cabrera or Braun and target McLouth in the 4-5th round. I am not saying that McLouth will be more valuable or score more total points then Sizemore but in relation to where they are getting drafted, McLouth is the better value. The only warning on McLouth is that his numbers dipped slightly in the 2H after Nady and Bay were traded and some wonder that he has no protection in the line-up. The Pirates have McCutchen, Moss, Pearce, and Pedro Alvarez which could provide some protection for McLouth in the near future.

Other News:
Johan may miss Opening Day with sorness in left elbow

WFAN interview with Mets top Prospect Fernado Martinez

WFAN interview with Mets top pitching prospect Jonathan Neise

Article about Marlins top catching prospect Kyle Skipworth

Player Spotlight: Elvis Andrus

2009-02-27T21:17:00.004-05:00

Elvis Andrus was born is Maraacay, Venezula. He bats and throws from the right side and is listed as 6'0 and 185 lbs. He was signed by the Atlanta Braves as a non-drafted free agent on Jan.26, 2005

The Rangers are so confident in Elvis Andrus that they moved gold glove SS Michael Young to 3B and Hank Blalock to DH. Andrus is a shakeydefender as he committed 32 errors last season in 109 games as Young has only committed 81 errors in 787 games at SS. They brought in Omar Visquel to teach this young lad how to catch the damn ball and toss it over to 1B. His biggest asset is his speed but he gets caught stealing a ton (maybe they should bring in Rickey Henderson).

In 2006 he hit .265 with 3 HRs, 50 RBI, scored 67 runs, and compiled a poor OPS of .681. He had 23 SBS but was caught 15 times (60.5%).

In 2007 he hit .257 with 5 HRs, 49 RBI, scored 78 runs, and posted a .673 OPS. He had 40 SBs and was caught 15 times (72.7%).

In 2008 he had his best season hitting .295 with 4 HRs, 65 RBIs, scored 82 runs, and had an improved OPS of .713. He did swipe 53 bags in 69 attempts (76.8%)

He seems to be getting better on the bases as he rose through the ranks and gained experience, but in 2008 Winter Ball he only stole 6 bags in 10 attempts in 50 games. In my opinion, he projects like Jason Bartlett with a little more speed. The question is how much opportunity will he get to run with that line up with a stadium that plays like a little league park?

Other News:

MLB.com discussing prospects in Spring training
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902043797922

MLB.com discussing prospects in WBC
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902253963187

MLB.com on Wieters
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200901223763510

2009 Spring Training Begins

2009-02-27T20:37:00.004-05:00

With Spring Training starting, I thought it would be a great time to start posting on the blog. I plan on posting 3-4 times a week until the season starts and then I will pick up the pace. I have sent some emails around to popular websites attempting to get this blog added as a link on a major site (I will keep you updated). This winter I participated in a auction 6x6 league that had a 20 round minor league draft following the auction. I will detail each round and the best/worst picks as the other owners seemed very knowledgeable about Minor League players. I have added a link to the sidebar, Prospect Tube, which has You Tube clips on all the top High School/Minor League players. In the coming weeks I will be updating the play of the top prospects in Spring Training, providing list of the top prospects by position from a fantasy perspective, looking ahead to the 2009 amateur draft, providing player spotlights (which are detailed segments on a player), profiling the upcoming college baseball season, looking at how some of the top prospects finished 2008, and much more. If you have any suggestions please send an email.

Arizona Fall League

2008-08-10T06:41:00.002-04:00

Later this month the rosters for the AFL will be announced. Below is a basic description of how the league is structured:

Each August MLB clubs hold a position draft to determine the players who will go to Arizona. Most are Double-A and Triple-A Minor League players. Each club can opt to send one player considered a Single-A player. Only one foreign player is allowed, but only if that player does not come from a region that participates in winter ball. The league is designed for these prospects to refine their skills and perform in game settings in front of major and minor league baseball scouts and team executives, who are in attendance at almost every game. Play begins shortly after the end of MLB's regular season in early October, and ends in mid-November. The Arizona Fall League teams are not exclusive affiliates of any one team; instead, each Major League team provides six players who team up to fill the 30-man roster of each team. MLB teams also send coaches. The affiliations generally change every year.

Pirates and Pedro Talking

2008-08-08T16:56:00.005-04:00

The Pirates have restarted contracted talks with #1 pick Pedro Alvarez. His agent is Boras and he wants more money then the "slot" calls for. Why would the Pirates Draft a guy with Boras as an agent and not be willing to deply the capital to sign him. Did they think that Boras would take it easy on them becuase they are a small market club. Thery also traded for 3B LaRoche. I guess they could move Any to 2B, Freddy Sanchez blows, and have Pedro play 3rd. The article below is from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette talking about how the management of the Pirates has to sign him to send a positive message to the fans. The trade deadline is August 15th.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08218/901899-63.stm

Other News:

Tommy Hanson (Russ) has recored back to back 10 K performances.

David Price (Sperl) remains unbeaten at 11-0.

Travis Snider (Korn) was promoted to AAA

Matt Wieters (Jim) remains the hottest hitter in the universe hitting over .420 in his past 10 games.

Gio Gonzalez Gets the Ball

2008-08-06T07:25:00.004-04:00

The old "Prize" prospect of the Phillies, Gio Gonzalez (Kyle), will make his first MLB start tonight for the A's. I hope he fails becuase the Phillies lost him and Gavin Floyd to the White Sox in 2006 for Freddie Garcia. He was later traded to the A's as a part in the Swisher deal.

JOBA NEWS:

When you get a MRI and the next doctor's appointment you have is with Dr. Andrews, then you know that the MRI sent up a major red flag. This would elimnate the Yankees from the post season and put a mjor question in the fantasy value for Joba in the up coming years. Ian Kennedy will replace Joba in the roatation for the short term. Hughes (Sperl) is about 2-3 weeks away from being MLB ready.

Carlos Carrasco is an Iron Pig

2008-08-02T20:27:00.002-04:00

With Rudy Seanez going on the DL, the Phillies have a roster opening at AAA and prize prospect Carlos Carrasco (Sc0tt) got the call. I would not be surprized to see him this season in Philly when the rosters expand. Top catching prospect Lou Marson for the Phillies, who is currently playing for the USA in the Olympics, will probably get the call as well which would give the Phillies the ability to pinch hit Coste and not worry about using an emergency catcher (Jason Werth). If he doesn't get the call Jason Jaramillo from AAA could feel the viod but he is not the same caliber of a prospect as Marson.

Other News:

Jerry Manuel, NY Mets coach, is a graduate of Yale University

Triple Crown Watch: Luis Montanez who plays for the Bowie Baysox which is the AA team for the Baltimore Orioles is leading the Eastern League is Avg (.332) HR (25) and RBI (94). He is red hot rifght now going 21 for his last 42 and on August 1, he went 5-6 with 8 RBI and hit for the cycle!

This season Victor Martinez has hit 0 HR in 198 ABs while hitting .278 and Slugging .333. While his replacement, Kelly Shoppach, has hit 11 HR in 203 ABs while hitting .276 and Slugging .527. To put the lack of VMART's power in perspective, Juan Pierre has a slugging % of .319 which is only 21 basis points lower then Victor.

Kendry Morales may be the big winner in the Teixeria trade because he was blocked by Kotchman at 1B and Garret Anderson at DH. The Angles will probably not re-sign Teixeria and get their 2 top draft picks and move on.

Brad Ziegel

2008-08-01T23:46:00.002-04:00

Brad Ziegel, a RP for the Oakland A's, has pitched 32 straight scoreless innings this season. He has a .84 WHIP with 15 Ks and 8 BB. He has only surrendered 19 hits in the process. He attended the same college as Ryan Howard, SW Missouri St, and he lived in the same dorm.

Other News:

Only 33.33% (15 of 45) of Krods's saves this season have come of the 1-2-3 variety. Also, the sermon he gives on the mound after a save is a prayer to his late Grandfather who rasied him.

Howard Eskin has speculated that Cole Hamels has an elbow injury.

Clayton Kershaw has surpassed the 50 IP threshold and has graduated from the Farm System. My luck!

Andy LaRoche to the Pirates

2008-08-01T10:55:00.004-04:00

This deal really doesn't make sense to me for the Dodgers or the Pirates. The Dodgers have a glut of outfielders and they sent their #2 prospect (LaRoche) to the Pirates. I know the Dodgers have picked up Casey Blake but it is obvious that GM Ned Collotti is playing this year to keep his job. The Pirates selected 3B Pedro Alveraz with the #2 pick in the this season's draft and some scouts think he is major league ready (He spent 4 years at Vandy). I guess you can't count on prospects and the more the merrier but I thought the Pirates could have filled another hole in this deal. LaRoche is the winner in this 3 way deal because he will play a lot this season and he was blocked by Blake in LA. No other Prospect of note were moved but the waiver wire deals could have some guys switching cities. Stay tuned

Trade Deadline is Here

2008-07-31T10:51:00.003-04:00

The trade deadline is at 4:00 PM today but August 31 is the real deadline because a player has to be on a roster by August 31 to make the playoff roster. Every year you see a player traded after the July 31 deadline. A description of how the waiver process works is below

"The waiver wire is a secret within the personnel of the Major League Baseball clubs; no announcement of a waiver is made until a transaction actually occurs. Many players are often quietly waived during the August "waiver-required" trading period to gauge trade interest in a particular player. Usually, when the player is claimed, the waiving team will rescind the waiver to avoid losing the player unless a trade can be worked out with the claiming team."

Other News:

-SI has a story on David Price (Sperl) in this weeks issue. Price is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 7 starts at AA. He has let up a couple a HRs lately but they are the only hits he is giving up. He will up up for the Rays this season and it might be in the bullpen to start especially if the Rays don't get a lefty specialist before the deadline.

-On the front page of the Sports section of USA Today there is a story about how teams do not want to move top prospects in deadline deals. I think this stems from the success that so many young players are having early in their careers. Also, GMs don't want to look stupid when you trade Bartolo Colon for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips as the Expos did prior to the 2002 deadline.

- Max Ramirez (AP) was sent back to AA. He only amassed 43 ABs
- Phillip Hughes (Sperl) threw 3 scoreless innings on Tuesday during his rehab.
- Max Scherzer (Lotocki) has returned from the DL and is a contender to return to the rotation.
- Clayton Kershaw (Russ) got his first career win and is about to exceed the 50 inning mark.
- Fernado Martinez (Scott) is out again with the same hamstring problem that had him out 5 weeks earlier this season. The Mets say that he is "untouchable" but I think this kid is a bum and the Mets have one of the worst farm sysyems in the Majors need something of hyped prospect in their system.

I will keep you updated if any prospect worth mentioning is moved today.

2008 Olympic Roster

2008-07-27T13:37:00.004-04:00

Below is a link to the 2008 Olympic Roster and our farm system only has two representatives with Trevor Cahill and Matt LaPorta. Colby Rasmus was originally on the team but was replaced when he sprained a ligament in his left knee. Rasmus will be out 4-6 weeks with his injury. The Phillies have two players on the team with Lou Marson and Jason Donald making the trip to China.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/2008_olympic_roster.pdf

Other News:

Jose Tabata (NYY) was traded to the Pirates in the Nady/Marte deal. Tabata has been very disappointing this season but he is the 1st 19 year old Yankee to reach AA since Jeter. The Yanks have Austin Jackson (Chad) to become the future outfielder for New York.

Jeff Samardzija, yes that Samardzija who played for Notre Dame, was recalled by the Cubs and blew a victory for Dempster. I hate ND so much that I refuse to mention him any more. Brad Lidge is the only ND alumni I will root for in baseball.

Tim Beckman, who was the #1 pick in this years draft, is struggling at the plate to begin his career. He is hitting .195 with 3 extra base hits in 77 ABS. He is very young and watch to see if the Rays move SS Brignac (Naff) who sucked it up when he was called upon to replace the injured Bartlett.

The Pirates called up Steve Pearce to replace Nady. Pearce was the 2007 Minor League Player of the Year while hitting .328 with 31 HR 54 RBIs. This season he is hitting .258 with 11 HR and 54 RBIs in 93 games. With Jason Bay on the block I would expect Andrew McCutchen to replace him if he is moved.

2008 Draft Picks

2008-07-22T23:10:00.004-04:00

Below is a list of the 1st rd draft picks and their contract status. They have until August 15 to sign or they wait until next draft (college seniors), go to college, or college Jrs can go back to school.
Note: Lotocki owns #4 and #11

2008 Draft Update:
1. Tim Beckham (SS, TAM) Signed
2. Pedro Alvarez (3B, PIT) Unsigned
3. Eric Hosmer (1B, KC) Unsigned
4. Brian Matusz (LHP, BAL) Unsigned
5. Buster Posey (C, SF) Unsigned
6. Kyle Skipworth (C, FLA) Signed
7. Yonder Alonso (1B, CIN) Unsigned
8. Gordon Beckham (SS, CWS) Unsigned
9. Aaron Crow (RHP, WAS) Unsigned
10. Jason Castro (C, HOU) Signed
11. Justin Smoak (1B, TEX) Unsigned
12. Jemile Weeks (2B, OAK) Signed
13. Brett Wallace (3B, STL) Signed
14. Aaron Hicks (OF, MIN) Signed
15. Ethan Martin (RHP, LAD) Signed
16. Brett Lawrie (3B, MIL) Unsigned
17. David Cooper (1B, TOR) Signed
18. Ike Davis (1B, NYM) Signed
19. Andrew Casher (RHP, CHC) Signed
20. Josh Fields (RHP, SEA) Unsigned
21. Ryan Perry (RHP, DET) Signed
22. Reese Havens (SS, NYM) Signed
23. Allan Dykstra (1B, SD) Unsigned
24. Anthony Hewitt (SS, PHI) Signed
25. Christian Friedrich (LHP, COL) Signed
26. Daniel Schlereth (LHP, ARI) Signed
27. Carlos Gutierrez (RHP, MIN) Signed
28. Gerrit Cole (RHP, NYY) Unsigned
29. Lonnie Chisenhall (3B, CLE) Signed
30. Casey Kelly (SS, BOS) Signed Injuries:

Trevor Cahill joins High Heat

2008-07-20T10:47:00.002-04:00

Scott has picked up Trevor Cahill for his farm system. Every pundit compares him to Brandon Webb becuase he induces so many grounds outs as Webb does. Cahill was drated out of high school in the 6th rd in 2006 by the Oakland A's. He currently is playing for Midland RockHouds of the AA Texas League. So far this season he has posted a 9-5 record with a 2.76 ERA and has fanned 126 while walking 42 in 114.1 IP. He is a GB specialist and has 2.55X more ground outs then fly outs. In 2006 he was 11-4 with a 2,73 and had over a K per IP with 107 K in 105.1 IP. He pitched in the year's future game and has been selected to represent the US in the Bejing.

Other Notes

Rick Porcello (Russ) combined with his bullpen to throw a no-hitter against the Mets in single A. The game only went 7 innings.

Greta Van Sustern is a Packers shareholder and season ticket holder and maybe that is why he broke the story with her.

The Rays gave Tim Beckham, the overall #1 pick this year, a record $6.15 million dollar signing bonus. That is $500,00 more then the previous record held by Justin Upton in 2005

Austin Jackson is a Chili Dog

2008-07-15T02:10:00.003-04:00

Chad has picked up Austin Jackson for his Farm System. Jackson is a right handed outfielder from Denton, TX. He was selected by the Yankees in the 8th rd of the 2005 draft. He is currently playing for the Trenton Thunder of the AA Eastern League. Jackson is hitting .282 with 23 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 54 RBI. He has swiped 14 bags while getting caught 5 times. He is listed as the #1 OF prospect for the Yankees ahead of Tabata. In 2007 he hit .304 with 13 HR and 33 SBs. He also is improving his plate discpline with a 47:73 BB:K in 2008 compared to a 48:109 ratio in 2007. The Yankees seem more protective of their prospects as of late and with Damon nearing the end of his career it will be interesting to see who takes over in the OF for the Yanks with Jackson, Tabata and the current LF Brent Gardner all looking to earn the spot.

Switching Subjects:

How much $ did FoxNews have to pay Farve to have him break his silence to Greta Van Susteren? With all the great sports writers and TV hosts he picks a lady who looks like she got hit in the face with a bag of nickels and resembles the guys from the movie Mask!

World Tops Us in Futures Game

2008-07-15T01:17:00.002-04:00

The World team defeated the US team 3-0 in the Futures Game. Carlos Carrasco (Scott) got the win for the World team. The game was a bore and pitching dominated as there were only 2 extra base hits in the whole game. The World team attempted 5 SBs and were thown out 4 times. Fernando Martinexz (Scott) and LaPorta (Kyle) had a hit a piece. Below is a link to the boxscore.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/futures-game/2008/266509.html

Dallas McPherson is Going Deep Often

2008-07-12T14:32:00.002-04:00

Dallas McPherson leads all of the minor leagues in HR and he really doesn't make many headlines because he is 28 years old. He has spent time already in the majors, with the Angels, and I think he was rushed to the show. He currently is playing in AAA for the Pacific Coast Albuquerque Isotopes and has already has 31 HR this season. He is hitting .301 with 53 BB, 108 K and posting an impressive 1.093 OPS YTD.

Wade Davis (CO) will be promoted to AAA after he pitches in the AA All-Star game. I think he will be traded before the deadline and I think the Rays want to showcase him against better talent.

Travis Snider (Allied Powers) may get called up due to the injury of Wells but Adam Lind will see some of the ABs. He is only hitting .195 in his last 10 games. In my opinion he will be better served staying in the minors for the time being.

Colby Rasmus (Jim) was placed on the 7-Day DL with a strained groin. He has no chance to see any real time this season with Ludwig and Ankiel dealing for the STL right now.

Max Scherzer (Lotocki) has been shut down due to right shoulder inflammation and fatigue. This is a shame for ARI because they really could use bullpen help right now.

Adam Miller (CO) has been shut down with a serious finger injury.

Gio Gonzalez (Kyle) tossed a 1 hitter with 13 Ks on July 4th. Gonzalez has been up and down this season with his 4.56 ERA but has 110 Ks in 102 IP.

Wierd Fact of the Day:
Ervin Santana's real name is Johan Santana. Prior to 2003, Santana went by the first name Johan, but decided to change it due to the success of then Minnesota Twin Ace Johan Santana. According to Ervin Santana, "I just came up with Ervin...Ervin Santana, that sounds good

Dice-K Gets it All

2008-07-11T22:20:00.001-04:00

Below are the Perks that are spelled out in Dice-K's contract with the Red Sox:

perks: physical therapist, massage therapist, interpreter, 8 first-class round-trip airline tickets per year between Boston & Japan, spring training housing allowance of up to $25,000, Boston housing allowance of up to $75,000, one-time moving allowance of up to $35,000, use of Lincoln Town Car or similar car, Red Sox player ticket package, including 2 field box seats, team employee to assist Japanese media, uniform No. 18

Player to Be Named Later

2008-07-11T22:05:00.002-04:00

Below is the official rule on a Player to be Named Later:

Player To Be Named LaterA transaction including a player to be named later must be completed within six months. The player may not be an active Major Leaguer player during the interval between the trade and the date the player is named. As a result, most players to be named later are minor leaguers.At the time of a trade, clubs sometimes agree on a list of players from which the player to be named will be selected. They also may agree on an amount of money to be exchanged in lieu of a player.Clubs may include a player to be named later in a trade if a player is not eligible to be traded. For example, once a draft pick signs a professional contract, he may not be traded until an entire year has elapsed (the Pete Incaviglia Rule). Additionally, a player on a minor-league reserve list may not be traded between November 20 and the Rule 5 draft in December, so trades during that window may include a PTBNL.

Liriano Heating Up

2008-07-11T10:36:00.003-04:00

Francisco Liriano (Sperl) is starting to get his groove back in AAA while playing for the Rochester Red Wings of the International League. In his last 10 starts he is 7-0 with a 3.30 ERA in 62.2 IP. During this stretch he has fanned 64 while only walking 12 and surrendering 53 hits. He has been very tough against LHH as his ERA against them is .84. Liriano was the "Throw in" prospect that packaged him along with Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser to the Twins and the Giants received AJ Pierzynski in return. It is always funny to look back at trades and look at the prospects that are thrown into deals. This shows how much of a crap shoot scouting in MLB has become.

Other News and Notes:

Toronto sent its top executive to Reading to look at prospects. This looks like Allan James (A.J) Burnett may come to Philly. I would assume that the Phillies will not trade Carasco or Gregg Golson but reports are that the Blue Jays are looking a catcher Lou Marson and SS Jason Donald. The upside to this deal is that the Philles will upgrade their rotation but it will come at a price because Burnett is due $24 million over the next 2 years and he has the option to opt out of his contract after this season. Phillies GM Pat Gillick could care less about that becuase this is his last season with the club. This is the same GM that lead the Blue Jays in 1993 to a World Series victory over the Phillies and the Same GM who left the Orioles in 1998 after taking them to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997, the O's have not had a winning season since! Burnett has been in the NL East before and has had success with the Marlins and he has been pitching in the not-so-friendly AL East for the past couple of years. Burnett is a weird dude as he uses customized bats from Ozzy Ozbourne and Marilyn Manson and he comes out to the song Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson. He plays in a rock band called Mad Ink and used to wear nipples rings.

Ryan Howard will be the first player since 1948 to lead his league in HR and RBI and not make the ALL-Star game and I don't want to hear about his BA and K's because Varitek is hitting .218 and Jeter is having a terrible year. I am sounding bitter but Hamels should have made it as well over Aaron Cook who has an higher ERA and Cole has lowered his WHIP to .99 in 135 IP.

Also Von Hayes, former Phillie, is the coach of the Lancaster Barnstomers if anyone cares (The venue of our past draft.)

In Case You Were Wondering.....

2008-07-09T16:53:00.002-04:00

I hear a lot about how the Brewers will get 2 early draft picks in next years draft when they lose Carsten Charles Sabathia (not C.C.) at the end of the season. below is the official rule in why the Brewers will get extra picks:

"For Type A free agents, if the team that has the player offers arbitration and the player signs with another team, then the team losing the player gets the signing team's first round pick (if the team is picking between picks 16-30) or second round pick (if the team is picking between picks 1-15) as well as getting a supplemental pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. Type A free agents are the top 20% at their position (as defined by a set of ratings but they come out shortly after the season and are based on the previous two years performance).

For Type B free agents, if the team that has the player offers arbitration and the player signs with another team, then the team losing the player gets a supplemental pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. Type B free agents are the next 20% at their position.

If a team loses a Type A/B free agent but did not offer arbitration, they get no draft pick compensation.

Also, I was wondering what the rule is when one of your draftees decides not to sign (JD Drew) after the draft. If you have the 5th pick in the draft and that player doesn't sign, then you are rewarded the 6th pick in the following years draft. It really doesn't happen all that often.

Matt LaPorta to the Indians

2008-07-07T12:59:00.004-04:00

Matt LaPorta was traded to the Indians along with RHP Rob Bryson, LHP Zach Johnson, and a player to be named later for CC Sabathia. LaPorta is the keystone to this deal and may see time this season for the Indians. LaPorta went to college at the University of Florida and is a right handed power hitter who can play OF and 3B. He was playing in AA for the Huntsville Stars of the Southern league before he was traded.

2008 Stats YTD
AVG: .288
2B: 23
HR: 20
RBI: 66
BB: 45
K: 63
OPS: .978

I have seen him ranked as the 15th best prospect in all of minor league baseball and I am very surprised that the Indians didn't land Matt Gamel as well to replace Casey Blake at 3B. The Indians could also move him back to 3B instead because he was moved to the OF to make room for Gamel.

Jayson Stark was on the Jody McDonald show 950 ESPN and said that the Phillies wouldn't give up Carrasco or AA catcher Lou Marson to get the deal done. The Phillies don't have a position player in their organization that is even close to LaPorta right now. As a Phillies fan, I have no idea why they wouldn't move Carrasco and now we have to wait on Harden or Burrnett.

Wade Davis to Colorado?

2008-07-06T15:29:00.004-04:00

According to the Denver Post, the Rays are prepared to make an offer for reliever Brian Fuentes.The Rays have reportedly had scouts at Coors Field all weekend. Rays prospects Wade Davis (CO) and Jeremy Hellickson are mentioned in the article as possible trade bait.

The Rays have JP Howell who is a lefty specialist in the bullpen already and I think SP would be better for the Rays. The stock of Wade Davis would drop as he would have to pitch in Coors field.

The Sabathia sweepstakes is starting to pick up and the Dodgers and the Brewers have joined in the race. The Brewers have LaPorta (Kyle) and Matt Gamel to give to the Indians. The Phillies have entered the fold for CC and last night on Baseball Tonight they said the Phillies were the favorites to land him. Carlos Carrasco will only miss 1 start and there is no major damage to his shoulder. The deadline deals will affect the stock on the minor leaguers who are involved as playing time may come faster with a new ball club.

Reid Brignac (Naff) has been recalled by the Rays to fill in the Jason Bartlett who is on the 15-day DL with a sprained knee. He will be splitting time with Ben Zobrist.

Jacob McGee meets Tommy John

2008-07-04T10:39:00.004-04:00

Jacob McGee (Allied Powers), who is the #3 rated prospect in the Rays system is out for the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery on July 8th. This will push his timetable to reach the majors back to 2010. The injury came on June 22 during the second inning of his outing. This may not seem like a big deal for the Rays who own the majors best record and the best farm system in the league, but this injury is bigger then first thought. The Rays are probably going to make a move for a starter before the deadline (Sabathia, Burnett, Bedard, Maddux) and McGee has been getting scouted by teams that may become sellers as they fall out of contention. Now the Rays still have Price, Wade Davis, Jeff Neimann as pitching prospects to deal and I only think they move Price in a Sabathia deal. They also have Reid Brignac (Naff) to deal beacuse they drafted Tim Beckman with the #1 pick in this years draft.

Other Notes:
Clayton Kershaw was sent down to AA. He only threw 38 innings in the big leagues so he only has 12 innings until he would have to be removed from my farm system.

Carlos Carrasco (Scott) was scratched on Wednesday after he felt tightness in his shoulder during warmups. This would be a huge blow to the Phillies as they were looking to move him to get another SP before the deadline. JA Happ was recalled from Lehigh Valley to replace Brett Myers in the rotation.

Tom Verducci, SI senior writer, was on Mike and the Maddog 660 WFAN, and he thinks that Sabathia will go to the Rays and they will not have to give up Price (Sperl).

10th Annual Futures Game

2008-06-30T14:17:00.003-04:00

During the MLB All-Star festivities, the 10th annual futures game will be played at Yankee Stadium. There are not that many players from our farm systems in this game:

Laporta (Kyle)
Carrasco (Scott)
Fernando Martinez (Scott)
Henry Rodriguez (Naff)
Max Ramirez (Allied)

This game is formatted as US vs. The World and this is the first year that this game will be televised and go nine innings. Below is the link for the Baseball America Podcast discussing the Futures Game. You can also search Baseball America on ITunes for the podcast.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/media/podcasts/

Billy Beane Inks Inoa

2008-06-30T14:02:00.002-04:00

I wrote back in early June (Link Below) about Michel Inoa and how large this 16 year old's signing bonus would be. The wait is over and the Redsox and the Yankees were out spent by a crazy margin as the Oakland A's have signed Inoa and gave him a $4.25 million signing bonus. This is the richest deal ever for an international amteur that is not from Cuba. Billy "Moneyball" Beane sees something huge in this kid and he is one of the best at finding hidden talent. He is only 16 and it will be years to see if this investment will benefit the A's.

http://futurefirstrounders.blogspot.com/2008/06/time-to-doctor-those-birth-certificates.html

Tommy Hanson Tosses No-No

2008-06-27T23:30:00.002-04:00

I have tried to stay away from my players as much as possible in the previous posts but I have to mention the performance of Tommy Hanson on June 25th. He threw a no hitter and had 14 Ks in the process. He plays in the Southern League AA for the Mississippi Braves (Atlanta is the parent club) and has a record of 7-4 with an ERA of 2.80 combined from single A and Double AA. He is a strikeout pitcher with 98 Ks in 90 IP and has only 30 BB on the season. Opponets are only hitting .174 off of him. He stands at 6'6 and weighs 210 lbs and grew u pin Tulsa, OK. Many experts have him pegged for the 2009 Atlanta rotation as the Braves will probably have some openings.

Wieters Promoted to AA

2008-06-27T23:13:00.002-04:00

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Wieters will be promoted to AA Bowie. Wieters was killing A ball and this is probably his final stop of the season. Wieters is currently owned by Jim

David Price is a Montgomery Biscuit

2008-06-25T18:48:00.004-04:00

David Price (Sperl) has been promoted to AA as he will join Jacob McGee and Wade Davis with the Montgomery Biscuits. Price posted a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 IP in single A.

Jo-Jo Reyes (Chad) has surpassed the 50 IP benchmark for this season and will not be allowed to remain in Chad's farm system following this season.

Fernando Martinez (Scott) who has been out since May 14 has resumed baseball activities and will be playing in the Gulf Coast League before he heads back to AA.

Sports Illustrated had a 3 page article on Jay Bruce last week and for those he didn't get a chance to see it the piece basically stated how much the town of Cincy loves him and how much he loves Griffey Jr. He also talks about his 26 year old brother who is mentally challenged and how he helped his family when he received his signing bonus. It is a good read for those who subscribe. In the most recent SI issue they is an article featuring Dan Uggla.

Max Ramirez

2008-06-24T14:08:00.002-04:00

Maximiliano R. Ramirez (Max) was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela on October 11, 1984. He stands at 5'11 and weighs 175lbs and be bats and throws from the right side. Max was signed by the Braves as a non-drafted Free Agent on October 1, 2002. He was was traded to the Indians in 2006 for Bob Wickman and in 2007 he was moved to the Rangers for Kenny Lofton. It is rare to see a player in single A to get traded for a veteran straight up and it happened to him twice. Ramírez has been an All-Star selection in three different leagues - Appalachian (2005), Sally (2006), and Carolina League (2007). He also played in the 2007 Futures Game. He was named the Appalachian League Player of the Year in 2005. With Laird on DL for up to 6 weeks, Max is going to get his opportunity to impress. I am not sure how they will play this with Salty on the squad. I can see Salty getting more playing time at 1B and Max getting the time behind the plate. They also have the option of the DH. Max has been smashing hte ball this season for the Frisco Roughriders out of the Double-A Texas League. In 237 ABs this season he was hitting .363 with 16 2Bs, 17 HR, 50 RBIs, .457 OBP, .662 SLG, amd a OPS of 1.120. He also has ok plate patience with a 36:56 BB:K ratio. He was hitting .406 against LHP and and .356 against RHP. He was also stepping up in the clutch for the Roughriders as he was hitiing .394 with runners in scoring position. Ramirez has the tools to become a valuable fantasy option in the very near term. Max is currently owned by Allied Powers.

Site Updates

2008-06-24T13:52:00.004-04:00

I have updated the site with ESPN fantasy Podcasts that are updated automatically, I have put the links to all the Cape Cod teams and popular Cape Cod Blogs. The reason I put the Cape Cod links on there is because this is the #1 summer league for prospects. Many first rounders from this season's draft are alumni from the Cape Cod League. I have also put links to the major sports talk radio stations and all of them stream live. I am new to the podcast world and I will be expanding on these functionalities later. At the bottom left I will post a poll question that will run weekly. I also have submitted our Blog to run advertisements at the bottom our the page. If any money is generated from these ads, I will put all the money into our league. I know most of you play in other leagues, so let your other leagues know of the site so our Blog and league become more widely known. There is a site counter at the bottom as well and we can monitor the amount of traffic we are receiving.

Future First Rounder or Fantasy Champ?

2008-06-15T03:28:00.002-04:00

The little man located in the in the picture window is the newest member of the fantasy community. I have started a serious Sabermetric training plan for him and lets hope he has better luck then his dad.

Ask and You Shall Receive

2008-06-14T19:36:00.002-04:00

According to Rotoworld, Chase Headley will be called up before the game on Sunday. It is nice to know that the Padres are reading this blog. I bet he will be inserted as the starting LF very soon.

Time to Doctor Those Birth Certificates!

2008-06-14T01:44:00.002-04:00

Players who are 16 years old are eligible to sign with major league teams during the international signing period, which lasts from July 2 to Aug. 31. Players who turn 16 years old during the international signing period are eligible to sign with teams on their birthdays. The prize prospect is Michel Inoa a 6-foot-7, 205-pound righthander from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The current record for an international signing bonus is $2.44 million that Willy Mo Pena received from the Yankees in 1999. It is believed that Iona is asking for $3.5 million and of course the Yankees and the Red Sox are interested in this young gun. I will provide an update later this summer on the international signings.

When Duty Calls

2008-06-14T00:56:00.001-04:00

NORFOLK, Va. - A Naval Academy graduate drafted last week by the St. Louis Cardinals was denied a bid to play ball Thursday and ordered to report for duty. Mitch Harris, a newly commissioned ensign and Naval Academy graduate, must serve a five-year active duty commitment, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter ruled. “He will report to his ship as ordered,” Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman, told The Associated Press.Harris, a native of Ocala, Fla., who played high school ball in North Carolina, was selected in the 13th round with the 395th pick overall. The 22-year-old right-hander went 20-13 with a 2.51 ERA in four years at Navy, averaging 11.78 strikeouts per nine innings. He was the second-highest pick in program history.

Chase Headley is Ready

2008-06-14T00:12:00.003-04:00

I am back from my posting vacation and I have been out of the minor league loop for a while. The biggest surprize to me is that Chase Headley is not roaming the OF yet for the Padres. Chase Headley is 6'2 and weighs in at 230 lbs and he played college ball for Tennessee and he currently is playing for the Portland Beavers (AAA) from the Pacific Coast League. He was selected in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. He is a switch hitter who has played 3B before in his career. Most of his power comes from the right side of the plate with 11 of 12 of his HR are from the right side. For the season he is hitting .303 with 12 HR, 39 RBI, and a 31:63 BB:K ratio. He sports an impressive .926 OPS (.719 OPS from the left side and .996 from the right side). With Guert, Giles, and Hairston playing the OF currently, I think it is time for Chase to make the jump to the big leagues. In 2007 he had a .437 OBP which was the second highest is all the minor leagues. He was ranked #32 prospect by Baseball America before the season. Headley is currently owned by Kyle

Latest Jay Bruce Photo

2008-06-01T17:44:00.003-04:00

Carlos Gonzalez

2008-06-01T12:22:00.003-04:00

The Oakland A's have purchased the contract of Carlos Gonzalez before this weekend's action. Gonzalez is listed at 6'1 200 lbs and is from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He was playing in AAA for the Sacramento Rivercats and he was hitting .293 with 9 2Bs, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .351 OBP, .439 SLG, .790 OPS. He posted a 14:30 BB:K ratio in AAA. He hits and throws from the left side and has fared better against LHP, .318, then RHP, .283. He was originally signed by ARI but he was the key player for Oakland in the Haren deal. Oakland also got Dana Eveland and Greg Smith in the trade for Haren who are both in the rotation and doing pretty good. Gonzalez is still very young and needs to improve his BB:K ratio, but this was the negative on Bruce and he has a 5:1 BB:K ratio and a lofty 1.575 OPS for the Reds since his call-up. Don't expect another Bruce start for Gonzalez but he will be more then serviceable from a fantasy perspective. Gonzalez is currently owned by Scott.

2007:
AVG: .288
HR: 17
K: 109
BB: 38

Meet the Newest Tiger

2008-05-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Jeff Larish (1B, DET) -As Gary Sheffield heads to the DL, the Tigers have recalled the 25 year-old left-handed hitter. Larish, a 5th round pick in the '05 draft, has plus power and uses good bat speed and an uppercut swing to generate that power. While he can get pull-conscious, he does have all-fields power - he hit a career-high 28 HR in Double-A in '07. He also is willing to wait for his pitch and take a high number of walks. Despite his patient approach, he's only a career .267 hitter (.387 OBP, .511 SLG). Larish is a good defender at 1B with soft hands and an average arm. He has played some LF in the past, though he's stuck at 1B for all of '08. He will strike out due to poor plate coverage, but his power is good enough that he could land a starting role down the line.
STATS: Toledo (AAA) - 190 AB, .274/.369/.589, 10 2b, 16 HR

Source: BaseballHQ

Price beats Pedro

2008-05-29T08:32:00.003-04:00

David Price is about to jump back into the ultra prospect status with this performance and with Bruce and Kershaw in the majors. He out dueled Pedro last night and he did it in grand fashion going 6 innings giving up only 2 hits striking out 9 and surrendering no walks or ERs. Pedro wasn't bad either going 6 giving up 4 hits 2 ER while striking out 6. Attached is the link to the cover story on http://www.milb.com/ about his performance. I will continue to provide updates on his outings throughout the season.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080529&content_id=405285&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

Future vs. Past

2008-05-28T08:11:00.002-04:00

Tonight in Vero Beach, Fl David Price will be pitching against Pedro. Pedro is rehabbing with Port St. Lucie. Price, 6'6 225lbs, who was the #1 pick in 2007 by the Rays has the potential to be a #1 at the MLB level. He was drafted out of HS by the Dodgers but he elected to attend Vandy instead (smart move because he signed one of the biggest contracts in the draft's history 3 years later). In his final year, which was his Jr. yr) at Vandy he was 11-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 194 Ks in 133 IP. He was a Golden Spikes finalist piled on many post season awards. He was shut down early this season from elbow soreness but he has made 1 start in which he earned the victory going 5 innings striking out 4 with 0 ER and walking 1. I don't have enough data on Price to look at trends in his performance but the Rays, who are stacked at pitching, will not rush Price to the majors and he will only benefit from the extra time in the minors. Price is currently owned by Sperl. I will provide an update from this outing after the game is final

Bruce Delievers

2008-05-28T06:54:00.002-04:00

The much anticipated MLB debut of Jay Bruce lived up to the hype last night. Bruce went 3-3 with 2 singles and double with 2 BBs 2 RBIs, 2 Runs and a SB (12 Roto points). More importantly, he didn't have a K because his patience at the plate is his only negative to date. If you guys play in any other leagues and he is available, #1) that league is terrible and #2) pick him up ASAP. With Bruce making his debut and Cueto on the mound, the Reds only pulled 18,000 fans. Cueto got a cheap win and he didn't look as good as his line would indicate. He let up a bunch of hard hit FB and was on the right side of some great defense when Griffey threw out a runner trying to stretch out a double. The pitcher was up next and would have bunted to move the runner to third but with nobody on he struck out to end the inning. The following inning they hit for Cueto and then Dunn hits a ball that landed in Pittsburgh to give the Reds the lead. If you have any interest in MLB prospects the Reds are a great team to follow. I have attached a link to the 2 major newspaper in Cincy so you can get a feel for the hype that surrounds Bruce.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPT04

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/index/sports/pro/reds/index.html