Fantasy Baseblog

Hot Stove Rehash: Soriano to the Yanks

2011-01-14T01:40:00.004-05:00

The offseason is flying by. Pitchers and catchers are a month away from reporting. So let's get started with some of the Hottest Stove action of the new year.

Rafael Soriano: Hot off the presses, Soriano signed a $35 million, 3-year deal with the Yankees to set up Mariano Rivera. Pretty sweet gig. Deal includes player options after 2011 and 2012. Yanks wanted Soriano to feel comfortable signing, so they gave him two outs. And 35 million reasons to be satisfied as a setup guy. Of course, he inherits the Yankees closer gig in 2013 if all runs smooth. Spin: Soriano has career 2.73 ERA and 1.00 WHIP numbers and over a K an inning, including a sick 1.73/0.80 line last year with the Rays. He'll be one of the few useful setup guys and Rivera isn't getting any younger...

Adrian Beltre: In an odd move, the Rangers, fresh off a runner-up Cliff Lee shopping spree, doled out $80 M over 5 years for the third-base whiz, although it remains to be seen what happens to Michael Young. First thought was, he'll tackle Texas' DH spot. But now, Nolan and Co. are talking to Jim Thome, meaning Young would split DH at-bats and become a utility IF. Spin: What? Sure Young's not buying green bananas, but he's only 35 and coming off a 21-HR, 91-RBI, 99-run, .284 campaign. Oh, and he's owed $16 M per. Beltre has been one of the most inconsistent hitters and while he's likely to repeat his Boston numbers in the hot Arlington summers, and that will be a stacked lineup, but Young is one of the top 10 pure hitters in the game and is still a must-star in all formats.

Trevor Hoffman: The right-hander change-up magician retires with 601 saves. First-ballot HOF. Great first name.

Kyle Farnsworth: From one of the most deceptive throwers to one of the least, The Farns somehow signed a 3.25 M deal with the Rays. Spin: For a guy who has switched teams 11 times in the past 7 years and a career 4.39 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, all I have to say is how to I sign with his agent? To get this contract on a team that's pinching pennies is almost as impressive as Farnsworth pitching a 1-2-3 inning. He's always been able to throw through a brick wall, the question is, which building? Don't look for him to close.

Fred Lewis: A one-year deal with Cincinnati for $900K barely gets a brief, but despite a crowded OF in Cincy, don't sleep on Lewis and his career .348 OBP. Plus, he's the only lefty bat in that OF besides Jay Bruce. But the right injury or two and he's hitting ahead of Votto and Phillips. Spin: Thin deep, deep sleeper.

Matt Garza: Yes, it's a bit old but how can we not wax over one of the biggest off-season deals. In the same day, two different analysts on XM's MLB channel both absolutely ripped Tampa Bay and later the Cubs for the deal. Never have I heard of such a mixed reaction. Here's what I know. Garza is close to a K/inning guy who had a sub-ERA in the AL East this past year. He's very reasonable, under team control for the next three years (owed in the$6 million range) and he could slip to a below-3.50 ERA guy in the strikeout-happy NL Central.

Now to the prospects: Chris Archer is definitely the gem of the bunch coming off a great year, but his control is an issue. Sam Fuld may forever be a fourth OF. Brandon Guyer is another sell-high guy coming off a phenomenal AA season (.344/.398/.588) and swiped 30 bases but the Cubs like Brett Jackson better and were able to keep him and 3B prospect Josh Vitters. Robinson Chirinos was reportedly key to the deal and is phenomenal handling pitchers, but is 27 already. Hak-Ju Lee is said to have a top-notch glove and arm at SS, but what do you do with Sterlin Castro? Lee was at least two, maybe three years away. The Cubs gave up 4 of their top 12 prospects. A lot? Sure, but Garza's ceiling, cost and World Series experience make the gamble worth it. Yes, I said World Series.

Here's the final out of Garza's no-hitter.

On Santo, Werth, Jeter

2010-12-06T01:15:00.003-05:00

Baseball lost one of its most devoted and lovable icons this past week when Ron Santo lost his battle with bladder cancer on Dec. 2 at age 70.

In fact, his cancer had come back several months ago, according to longtime teammate Glenn Beckert, but he swore his family not to tell anyone.

Widely known as one of the top 3 third-basemen during his generation (after Mike Schmidt and Eddie Matthews), baseball's Hall of Fame has continued to pass over Santo.

While this blog could be devoted entirely to reasons why Santo should be in the Hall, that drum has been beaten to death and frankly, the Veteran's Committee blew it. No post-death induction will make up for that.

Forget Ernie Banks, Santo was Mr. Cub. His blood quite possibly was Cubbie Blue, although it can't be proven.

He played for 12 years with Diabetes before anyone found out, then later had to have both legs replaced because of the disease. Yet, year after year, I'd see him walking out to his car after a Cubs spring training game in Mesa, using two prosthetic legs.

But besides all his on-field contributions, Santo endeared himself to Cub Nation -- if that's such a word -- with his ultra-homeristic calls on WGN radio. Thanks to XM radio, I was fortunate to share many of the Cubs' heartbreaking moments with Ronnie.

It's not just your typical hometown whining with Santo. He feels every bad play deep within the recesses of his soul to a point where you as a fan don't feel nearly as bad about it.

Ohhhhhhh, noooooooooo. Jeeeeeeeeeee, whiiiiiiz!!!!!! Oh my Goaaashhhhh!!!

I'm convinced that at least 10 times a game, Cubs broadcaster Pat Hughes has to hit the cough button on Santo's mike, as the bemoaning would just be too painful for a mainstream audience to hear.

Here's a classic call from Sept. 23, 1998 as the Cubs were in a Pennant race and OF Brandt Brown dropped a routine flyball, giving the game to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here's another one against the Phillies that is self-explanatory.

Lastly, a nice Ron Santo tribute, including many celebrities talking about what Santo means to them. Worth a watch.

Is he Werth it? Jayson Werth signed with the Nationals for 7 years and $126 million dollars. What?!?

Are you kidding me? A guy who turns 32 in May, who has only had a regular gig for three years -- and was platooned at one point in 2009 -- is worth $18 million a year?

I only have one word for this: Boras. Actually five. Boras is ruining the game. He's driving up prices to a point where teams have to raise ticket prices to a point that an average family can no longer afford to take in a game.

Ironically, Barry Zito and Vernon Wells signed exact same contracts. Oh, and both have the same agent.

To steal a joke from a Twitter post, I thought Washington was trying to reduce the National deficit.

Jeter signs with Yankees: This is a day or so old, but still newsworthy. Derek Jeter signs with the Yankees for 3 years and $51 million.

This is a rare situation in sports where both the player and the team desperately need each other. Jeter certainly needs the Yanks, but what would the pinstripes be without their "Captain."

It's a little much for the production Jeter brings to the table, but this contract is far more than just the numbers he brings to the table. At least half of it is for Jeter's star power, image and marketability he portrays with the Yankees.

If the Boss was still alive, Jeter may have pocketed an extra 10 or 15 million on this deal. But in the end, not an unfair deal on either side.

Don't count Rangers out quite yet

2010-11-01T01:56:00.004-04:00

Sure, it doesn't look good, Texas fans.

Down 3-1 isn't usually the recipe to a World Series title. But it just might be this year.

So, 38 of the previous 44 teams up 3-1 have closed out the deal. So, what?

All that stands in the way of the first Rangers World Series championship is a 3-game sweep. That's not impossible.

And they're in a perfect spot with Cliff Lee on the bump tonight. Before the Game 1 debacle, Lee was easily the ace of the playoffs. He had allowed 1 ER in six of his past seven starts, including 24 innings of 2-run dominance.

Baseball is a funny sport. Momentum can swing on one crack of the bat, as it did Sunday with Aubrey Huff's monster shot to right.

But a strong Lee performance sends them back to the Bay, where C.J. Wilson faces Matt Cain. The entire series would hinge on that game and even though Cain has been unhittable in his previous two starts, nobody will confuse him for Nolan Ryan, who up until now has made all the right moves, and based on his first-pitch, could probably still throw an inning or two of scoreless inning in relief.

Wilson was strong in Game 2, giving up just 2 runs, 3 hits and 2 BB in 6 IP and his 2010 splits were actually better on the road (2.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). The Rangers clearly need to get the bats rattling or else this is a moot point, but a Lee win and the Giants start thinking a little. A win over Cain and they're nearly toast. Baseball is a game best served up loose (just like a Maid-Rite sandwich).

Technically, anyone could win Game 7, but the "grizzled veteran" Colby Lewis is the guy I want on the mound over lefty Jonathan Sanchez.

So if you hail from Texas, fear not, as everything is bigger, including, in this case, World Series comebacks.

Andre Johnson inactive; Steve Smith injured

2010-10-03T15:35:00.004-04:00

It's not looking good for Andre Johnson owners this week. Even worse for Steve Smith owners.

And as the case in the Observer league, if you are one and the same, well, our condolences.

Steve Smith was carted off the Panthers game with an ankle injury. Carted off. Never a good phrase to read as an owner. Word is, he couldn't put pressure on the ankle. That could mean anything. But one thing's clear, until Jimmy Clausen gets more seasoning, Smith is no longer a top WR option. You could argue he's not even worth starting at all.

Brandon Lloyd (another 100-yard game today) or the aging Derrick Mason (80 yards, 6 catches) would make a nice fill-in for Smith if either guy is hanging on your wire.

Texans WR Johnson has been declared inactive, which means Jacoby Jones will start on the outside. Jones, seemingly a good play, will likely draw shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha, so on paper, he's not a good play. Slot guy Kevin Walter, however is.

If you need a quick sub out, kick the tires on Arizona Cardinals WR Stephen Williams (filling in for Steve Breaston) or the Raiders Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was targed 11 times last week (so what if he only caught 3 passes) and draws the league's worst pass D in Houston.

I just ordered me a side of Heyward-Bey and plugged him into my lineup, so we'll see how tasty that ends up being.

-- Trevor Freeze

On Torre, Jeter, Josh and Big Z

2010-09-18T21:45:00.002-04:00

Some quick notes over the past few days that are begging for some commentary:

Joe Torre: The long-time Yankee skipper turned Dodgers manager said he's calling it a day in L.A. And when you're a dozen games out of the division race, who can blame you.

This opens the door for Don Mattingly, who hopes to last longer as Dodgers manager than his restaurant did in Evansville, Ind.

Donny Baseball will bring the mechanics of one of baseball's sweetest swings and if Hollywood is lucky, he'll bring back his infamous mustache, one of the all-time greats in the game.

Derek Jeter: And the Oscar goes to ...

The Yankees Derek Jeter did his best Tom Hanks this week in Tampa, faking a hit-by-pitch with one of the most convincing selling jobs I've seen.

The ball hit the handle of the bat, but Jeter flailed in apparent pain, which led to Joe Madden arguing the call and ultimately his ejection. Watch for yourself:

"It's really a big deal being made out of nothing," Jeter said on Friday. "I had nothing to do with the call. The umpire called it from the get-go. I didn't do it. I didn't tell myself to go to first base."

True. But some think Jeter went over the "Gamesmanship" line with his charade. Third word. Sounds like ditch.

Just as the Yankees would be furious if Evan Longoria tried such a stunt, the Rays have a right to be mad at Jeter. Technically, there was no rule broken and it's true his job is to get to first anyway possible, but this gives new meaning to beg, borrow or steal.

Guess that's what you'll resort to when you're hitting .261.

Josh Hamilton: It's officially time to get worried, Rangers fans. And if you had hoped for Hamilton to come back and push your fantasy team to the finish line, it's not looking good.

Hamilton said Saturday his ribs have not responded to two cortisone ejections earlier in the week. Not that this is a surprise.

Hamilton is nearing a modern-era record for cortisones, totaling five so far this year. He had a chance to hit for the Triple Crown (.361, 31 HR, 97 RBI) but won't get there.

Even Hamilton himself says getting back on the field a week before the season ends is not looking good, so you should probably cut him loose. And frankly, it might be time to cross him off next year's cheat sheet, unless he falls considerably. Just too brittle.

Let someone else take him late in the first round.

Carlos Zambrano: Despite unforeseen success this year or any year recently (6-0, 1.59 ERA since joining the rotation), the Cubs' Zambrano is talking retirement. Again. Only he'll play out his lucrative contract that pays him nearly $36 million over the next two years.

Cubs fans, with their ears perked on the news of Big Z's retirement, were let down to hear he's planning on playing out one of the worst contracts dished out by a team in this century.

If he's still dangling on your wire, he's worth a shot in almost every format right now, especially if you're league's turned into Streamsville, USA, like our Observer league unfortunately has.

Great Moments in Lou Piniella History

2010-08-23T03:15:00.004-04:00

Lou Piniella may not have invented arguing with an umpire. But he sure perfected it.

But on Sunday, five weeks earlier than anyone expected, Piniella retired, pulling the plug on 48 years of baseball, both as a coach and a player. He moved up his retirement date to be with his ailing mother and his final post-game press conference was quite emotional. Read about it here.

Piniella, a likely managerial Hall of Famer, finished with 3,547 wins (14th all-time) and 1,705 hits.

But more than those stats, he'll be remembered for his on-field antics. Going nose-to-nose with an umpire. Throwing a base into the outfield grass. And, of course, kicking dirt on an umpire's shoes.

Here's a couple classic Lou tirades to warm your soul on a Monday.

WITH THE CUBS

WITH THE MARINERS

STEVE STONE COMMENTS

Lee trade signals winds of change at Wrigley

2010-08-19T04:50:00.004-04:00

Well, if you know anything about this blogger, it's his passion for the Cubs.

As much as I try to hide it (not that much), Wednesday was a sad day for the Chicago Cubs (not really).

There was a small pit in my stomach when news broke that Derek Lee had been traded to the Atlanta Braves for three mediocre low-level pitchers. This wasn't about the minor-leaguers.

It was about starting over for the Cubs. This is the twing in the gut part.

Not too long ago, the Cubs were annual threats to win the NL Central. A powerhouse, if there is such a thing in that division.

The core of Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Derek Lee and Carlos Zambrano were going to help them break that 100-year World Series. Or so we believed.

Then, they got old. Together, Soriano (34), Ramirez (32) and Lee (34) brought to the plate a century worth of years to the plate. And who knows what happened to Big Z. Probably too much e-mailing his brother.

But this is what happens when you hand out long-term contracts like full-size Snickers at Halloween. Eventually someone gets the circus peanuts. And that's the Cubs right now.

Nobody knows what they're doing. Lou's retiring. They're trying to play the young guys, although Tyler Colvin has now sat out three straight games.

Shedding their aging, big-money contracts gives fans hope, as they make room for younger guys like Micah Hoffpauer, who seemed more than ready after the 2009 Spring Training.

Between Colvin, rookie SS Starlin Castro, Hoffpauer, Randy Wells and Carlos Marmol there is a youth movement starting to creep into Wrigley.

The sad part is a true youth movement takes years to mature and pay off.

Look for Ryne Sandberg to get the managerial gig, if Joe Girardi spurns their advances (and why wouldn't he).

But there's still a lot of dead weight in that lineup.

Derek Lee was the lightest. Sure, he was hitting .250, but he just raked 4 HR in the Cardinals' series. He's a "professional hitter," as some would say.

He will be missed. A quiet leader, Lee never really took over that position, but he was a stand-up guy and one of the fan favorites on the North Side.

So much so, that someone put together this little ditty:

Fantasy Spin: Lee's value probably gets a kick up in Atlanta. Presumably, he'll hit 3rd or 4th with the Braves, who desperately need the Gold-Glover's service. Lee has a way of hitting HR in bunches when he's healthy. A wrist injury limited him a couple years ago, but it's been the back that has kept him off the field. Still, if he's around your wire, snatch him up. Double-digit HR are not out of the question. Since when has a pennant race not help energize a slugging hitter?

Slowey's no-no broken up by manager

2010-08-16T01:22:00.002-04:00

Here's one you don't hear every day.

In the year of the pitcher, the Twins' Kevin Slowey's near no-hitter may be the most bizarre of them all.

Slowey was breezing along with seven no-hit innings against the A's when it was abruptly broken up -- in the dugout.

That's right. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire pulled the plug after Slowe had thrown 106 pitches.

"They said we'd love it for you, but we can't do it," Slowey said of the dugout conversation. "Gardy specifically said, 'Liston son, I can't throw you back out there. I'd love to, but I can't look myself in the mirror and say I threw him back out there."

Why not? The rationale was that Slowey's last start had been skipped because of elbow tendinitis. I get that.

But pitch counts can be one of the most overrated statistics managers use. Slowey was breezing and a majority of his pitches were stress-free. Had Slowey felt anything, sure, take him out. But he could've breezed through the 8th and 9th in 20 innings.

At the very least, I think you leave it up to the pitcher. After all, it's Slowey's future earnings at stake.

"I would do it a thousand times the same way, because Slowey is just coming off an elbow injury and we're not about to e en come close to risking this guy," Gardenhire said. "I know I'm responsible for this young arm."

ESPN agreed with Gardenhire's decision and it's definitely the cautious approach. But this may be a real turning point in the game of baseball. Where the business side has overtaking the fun side.

Sure, the Twins don't want to lose their pitcher to an injury in a stretch run. But what about the 30-some thousand home fans, all wanting to be apart of history.

Instead, they were apart of the color beige.

Fantasy spin: Slowey owners who have hung on for dear life this year, your patience has been rewarded. Slowey showed signs a couple years ago to breaking through to that near-elite status, only to fall way back in 2009. Keeper leaguers, especially of the AL-only variety, take special notice. Slowey could be in for huge things this decade, pitching at the spacious new Target Field. Keep him in mind for a mid-round sleeper in next year's draft. His final numbers will not show up on a lot of radars.

10 observations at trading deadline

2010-08-01T01:39:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts at baseball's trading deadline:

Yankees get richer: There's no way around this. We say this every other year. We moan about the bottomless wallet. The free-spending pinstripes were at it again, snatching up a DH (Lance Berkman), a setup man (Kerry Wood) and bench depth (Austin Kearns).

Berkman's fantasy value gets a lift in the Yankees' wind tunnel (for lefties), Wood loses value and Chris Perez inherits the Indians' closer job and is the only decent pickup here.

None of these can be pointed as impact moves, but together they might be. And baseball economics aside, you have to hand it to the Yanks for trying to overpower the Rays, Angels and Rangers.

Spending is Bigger in Texas: The story is similar in Arlington, where Nolan Ryan and company has decided to go for it all. After all, with Vlad and Cliff Lee free agents at the end of the year, this may be their window.

Cliff Lee a few weeks ago was the big splash, but they put a little window trimming at the deadline by adding the Marlins' Jorge Cantu, Benji Molina and Christian Guzman. You can officially start the eulogy for Chris Davis, the latest Ranger with the AAAA tag. Cantu's value gets a boost, playing in the Texas air and Guzman's drops to a utility role, so if by chance you had him manning a MI spot, go ahead and cut the cord once Ian Kinsler comes off the DL.

Phillies add another Roy: By throwing prospects at the Astros, Philly now has both Halladay and Oswalt, not to mention Cole Hamels for possibly the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball. The biggest concern is getting Rollins, Utley and Victorino back in time to squeak into the playoffs. Oswalt's value gets a small bump in the wins, but the ERA/WHIP may take a hit in a smaller park.

Cubs can't unload the right guys: Getting Blake DeWitt and prospects for Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly isn't exactly the Cubs fans' idea of blowing up the team and starting over. Theriot had found Lou Piniella's dog house and at the bottom of the lineup, playing sparingly, his value had almost vanished. Lilly, however, gets a boost, pitching for a contender in a hitter-friendly park. But why the Cubs didn't deal Kosuke Fukudome or Carlos Zambrano is a mystery. Actually, they probably couldn't find a taker with their huge salaries. You have to wonder when the rebuilding truly begins here. Or how.

Twins lose faith in closer: Jon Rauch evidently blew up one too many times for the Twins brass. Minnesota paid retail and then some for the Nats closer Matt Capps, in the currency of highly-touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Sure, he was going to rot behind Joe Mauer, but they could have fetched a quality starter or position player to help fill a more obvious need. After all, Joe Nathan's back next year. Drew Soren of the Nats is the obvious add here, while Rauch hits the cutting room floor, unless your league for some reason counts holds (yes, I'm in one of those. Somehow).

Padres going for it all: Nobody believes San Diego is for real. That's fine. They went out and shored up their lineup. Or at least tried. Adding Miguel Tejada will move Chase Headley to the OF and give them another professional bat in a lineup seemingly held together by smoke and mirrors. Tejada may be rejuvenated in San Diego and playing in a pennant chase. He's hitting cleanup, which bodes well if you need RBI. Don't look for too many HR in that cavern called Petco Park.

Red Sox quiet: Boston, without doing so, raised the white flag on the season when they didn't go after any big, medium or even small names a the deadline. Disappointing season gets an exclamation point. Too many injuries.

Cardinals add Westbrook?: Cincy fans have to look at the Cards move (dealing Ryan Ludwig and adding Jake Westbrook) and breathe a sigh of relief. That's all they've got? Jake Westbrook? And they give up one of their top 4-5 bats to do so? That could be game over for the Reds.

Dunn stays home: Washington said all along they weren't going to trade Adam Dunn without getting the right package. Message received. The best hitter on the market wasn't going to come cheap and so he didn't come at all. Interesting strategy. We'll see if Dunn resigns to play in Washington now next year.

Angels going after it again: Two words: Dan Haren. These guys don't know how to give in. You have to like that about any franchise.

Dawson, Piniella and trade rumors

2010-07-26T01:22:00.002-04:00

Andre Dawson: Congrats goes out to the Hawk for being elected into the Hall of Fame. Finally.

Dawson was a true 5-tool player, with an arm in right field that could gun out anyone at any time. No particular stat jumps out at you, but when you look at all of them, you get a complete picture of the complete player he was: 438 HR, 1591 RBI, 314 SB, .279 avg.

Playing 11 years in Montreal, MLB decided Dawson would be inducted as an Expos. Dawson wanted to go in as a Cub. After all, he won his lone MVP award in 1987 on a last-place Cubs team. Of course, he also hit 49, when 49 meant something.

LOU HANGING IT UP: Earlier this week, Lou Piniella decided that at age 67, it's time to hang it up. One of only two men to rack up 1,800 hits and 1,800 wins (Joe Torre is the other), Piniella may have felt that the Cubs' window of opportunity has temporary closed.

"Sweet Lou" will forever be remembered for countless tirades, including this classic during his stint with the Cubs:

So, who will replace Piniella as Cubs manager next year? Names like Bobby Valentine, Fredi and Bob Brenly have been floating aroud. But my money is on Ryne Sandberg.

Ryno may not be the best Xs and Os guy with only four years of minor league managing experience, but he does have the Iowa Cubs in first place. And frankly, he'll excite the fan base. Ryno's a no-nonsense manager, who connects with the fans. And above all else, he's the only Hall-of-Famer managing in the minors.

Trade Talk: The second big deal of trading season shook down today as the Diamondbacks traded Dan Haren to Anaheim for Joe Saunders and minor leaguers Rafael Rodriguez and Patrick Corbin.

So, who's next? Roy Oswalt's going somewhere. My money's on St. Louis. The Detroit Tigers love Adam Dunn. There's better odds Jayson Werth is not a member of the Phillies by Thursday's deadline. Stay tuned for the latest as news happens.

Rough week for Yankee fans

2010-07-14T15:39:00.003-04:00

To say it's been a rough week for the Yankees is as much of an understatement as the franchise normally overpays for free agents every year.

In the span of about five days the pinstripes have suffered several major blows.

1). First, on the doorstep of trading for this year's trading-deadline prize of LHP Cliff Lee, the Texas Rangers upped their offer on Friday and yanked lee out from underneath, like the tablecloth underneath a table full of dishes set for thanksgiving dinner. Fantasy Spin: Lee may get more wins in Texas, but his numbers will suffer across the board when he pitches in Arlington. He's still a Top 10 option.

2). On Sunday, the Yankees family lost long-time announcer Bob Sheppard. And when I say long-time, I'm talking 57 seasons-worth. Sheppard started announcing Yankees games in 1951 and did so until 2007.

His style and voice was so crisp and unique that Derek Jeter has requested a recording of Sheppard announcing "No. 2, Derek Jeter...No. 2" be played when he bats. Players have often said they never truly felt like they made it to the big leagues until Sheppard, also known as "The Voice of God" introduced them as a batter.

Here's a quick clip of Sheppard reading a farewell poem during the final game at Yankees Stadium:

3). The final crushing blow was a big surprise as long-time owner George Steinbrenner died Tuesday of a heart attack. Love him or hate him (and most people where in the latter camp), "The Boss" brought back the Yankee Legacy, bringing seven world championships and 11 pennants to the Big Apple during his tenure (1973-2009).

The biggest rap against Steinbrenner was he was too competitive, always wanting his teams to win championships, and paying whatever it took to get them. But don't blame George. He was playing well within the free-agency rules that baseball agreed to long ago.

Personally, the bigger crime would be for Steinbrenner to hoard the money he makes from the Yankees cash cow and not reinvest it into the team. There's no crime in wanting to win as an owner. Even before his death, this tribute ran on the Yes network, and the common theme you hear from his players was that above all else George cared deeply. About baseball. About winning. About his players.

There's a lot to be said for that.

Newsday: LeBron leans toward Miami

2010-07-08T02:39:00.006-04:00

OK, so this isn't baseball news, but it's huge.

The LeBron decision that most of us are sick of hearing about has happened. Well, pretty much. Sorta. Depending on who you believe. But yeah, here it goes.

According to Newsday.com, LeBron James will join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and sign with the Miami Heat. Although currently the terminology is "leaning toward choosing the Heat," although that may also be changing by the hour.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer was also reporting the Newsday story that LeBron was gone. ESPN's Chris Broussard says "sources with knoledge of the situation" said LeBron is headed to Miami "barring a late change of heart."

Definitive? Well, this isn't exactly water-tight conclusive reporting, but it's also something. The first real smoke signal of what's going on inside LeBron's head.

So, why am I blogging about basketball on a baseball blog? Good question. But this is one of those stories that has crossed over sports, the first free agent bonanza that may change the way other sports look at free agency. The New York Yankees have been crucified for years for trying to buy their way to a championship, which didn't exactly work for a decade.

Except in the NBA, it's all about the stars and 2 or 3 players can dominate an entire league. Baseball can't say that. Football certainly can't.

The general feeling I get is this new Big Three would be anywhere from bad to extremely bad for the NBA. Where's the competitive balance? And will the public opinion of LeBron be forever that he had to team up with two other superstars, including a mega-superstar in Wade, to ever win that elusive ring. Couldn't do it on his own. That the title is hollow and manufactured.

And maybe he doesn't care what public opinion is. Although perception often times is reality.

Sure, Jordan had Pippen. And Kobe has Gasol. But to have two superstars along side you, including a consensus Top 5 player? And the other 23 other teams around the league, left holding the bag, don't even have one...?

Or maybe this report is completely false. Early reports have a way of coming up empty.

All I know is 9 p.m. can't come quick enough tonight. Let's get this over with already.

And back to baseball.

Braves' Infante the most surprising All-Star ever?

2010-07-04T22:55:00.003-04:00

Omar Infante? Really?!? The super-utility guy for the Atlanta Braves an All-Star?

There are almost no words for such an obvious puzzling choice to this year's NL All-Star squad.

Joey Votto? Ryan Zimmerman? Where for art thou, Charlie Manuel?

The problem is, Infante, a nice Swiss Army Knife type of a player, is, well, not even a full-timer on his own team.

For Manuel to skip over obvious All-Star-deserving players like Votto (19 HR, 57 RBI, .313), who might be the N.L.'s first-half MVP, or Zimmerman (13, 40, .280) or teammate Adam Dunn (17, 49, .276) is not just a cause for concern.

It may be a cause to change the way All-Stars are chosen.

Yes, the fans vote in the starters and we've often thought that to be mostly a popularity contest. But even the fans wouldn't have whiffed so bad on this one. Check out the full rosters here.

So, what's so wrong with tabbing Infante? Let's look at his numbers:

1 HR, 22 RBI, 23 runs, .311, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 3 SB.

Get your science lab microscopes out, scrape off the sodium phosphate debris there, and tell me if you can find anything that says All-Star.

Maybe I need my prescription triple-checked by Clark Kent's eye doctor.

But the most startling number is 164: number of at-bats, or about half what most every-day players have.

This head-scratcher will go on for some time. May live in infamy. Even Infante, when he got the call, thought first that he was traded and secondly that it was a joke.

Other notable omissions who likely have been keeping your fantasy team afloat: Mat Latos, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Marmol, Jered Weaver and Andy Pettitte.

Who do you think was 2010's biggest snub?

What to do with Upton, Big Z?

2010-06-29T06:57:00.005-04:00

I like B.J. Upton's upside. Always have. But this weekend may have tarnished his image, not just in baseball, but in fantasy circles as well.

How many times can a player dog it, before getting called out? Whatever that number, Evan Longoria felt lighting had struck twice and not in a good way. Longoria dialed up Upton's number in the dugout, unleashing a good old-fashion tongue-lashing for not hustling on two plays in a recent Rays game.

Good for Longoria. Nothing's worse than seeing a guy not hustle. Here's the chewing-out session.

Fantasy spin: This may finally shake Upton to be the player everyone though he would be. But I doubt it. Generally, guys are hustlers or they're not. Upton's history of going less than full-speed has been well-documented and Joe Madden may want to end this experiment with an off-season (or trade deadline) deal, depending on if they can resign Crawford. Any system short of the Angels would mean a decrease in Upton's steals. But that aside, Upton's average has been hovering around the Pena, er, Mendoza Line for too long now to take him serious as a fantasy star anymore. If you can get a Top 75 value for him, it's probably worth it.

Zambrano suspended after blowup

A unremarkable Cubs season unraveled on Saturday as Carlos Zambrano blew a major circuit with Meltdown No. 78 over his Cubs career.

If the Cubs unofficial mantra is "Wait 'til Next Year," most Cubs fans would settle for "Wait 'til Big Z is traded."

Zambrano's big beef was that Derek Lee, playing with a bad back, didn't dive on a ball down the line hit by the White Sox's Juan Pierre. Lee had little to no shot at the ball, but Big Z thought otherwise and went all John McEnroe in the dugout before being separated from Lee.

If you've been living under a rock, here's some video footage:

This seems to be the last straw for Jim Hendry and the Cubs, who suspended Zambrano and are ordering evaluation and anger-management treatment. And when Big Z returns, sometime after the All-Star break, it will be in the bullpen.

It's also the final verse for most Cubs fans, who find themselves humming "Go, Carlos, Go."

But how do the Cubs get rid of a loose-cannon such as Zambrano? If this was football, he would be on careerbuilder.com by now. But his 5-year, $91.5 million contract signed in August of 2007 makes waiving him about as improbable as Harry Caray making it to the 7th-inning stretch without a cold Bud.

The Cubs will try to quickly rehabilitate his image and hopefully Milton Bradley Zambrano, as in trading him to any taker out there for an equally bad contract. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a contract in the same stratosphere as Zambrano's, now that Vernon Wells has revived his career from the dead. Maybe for Carlos Lee perhaps? The Yanks' Kei Igawa?

All the so-called experts say the Cubs need to blow this team up, if not now, after the season and start from scratch.

Whoooooooooo dere. Not so fast. This is MLB not slowpitch softball.

How in the name of Bob Brenly will the Cubs be able to find takers for guys like Alfonso Soriano ($72 million, 4 years left) and Aramis Ramirez (owed a minimum $16.5 million for one more year)? Not to mention Zambrano.

This is Hendry's mess and he's gotta find a way out of it and his job might depend on it. But this is far worse than the Milton Bradley catastrophe of 2009. This is multiple players with bloated salaries who are not living up to expectations.

Good luck with that.

Or as Cub fans might be thinking: "Wait 'til 2014."

Fantasy Spin: Most owners have ridded themselves of Big Z (only 33 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues) and those who still have him might be either on vacation or asleep. Once a top-tier SP option, Big Z will be in the bullpen for likely the rest of the year. His value is almost zero. As for Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, etc., there seems to be little life left in the Cubs' well right now. A momentary surge on Sunday was met with a 2-1 loss to the juggernaut Pirates. Harumph. Best thing to do is try to limit the number of Cubs as possible. The trio of Lee, Ramirez and Soriano are all borderline droppable in very shallow mixers, but I can't recommend that. Not yet anyway. Too much track record to go cold turkey.

Buy low or sell high (hitters)?

2010-06-23T23:53:00.000-04:00

Playing the stock market perfectly is fairly impossible. Same could be said of trading players in fantasy baseball.

Or could it?

A lot can be learned over the years. Knowing which guys are historically slow and fast starters helps, but common sense can yield helpful tips.

Here's a list of under/overachieving hitters and what you should do, whether you own the player or not.

Albert Pujols: Can we really complain about Pujols' production this year? Yes. And as a Cubs fan, I urge you to do so at every possible moment. 15 HR, 50 RBI and .311 for most any player is a career year. For Pujols, it's run-of-the-mill. The RBI will probably be in the 110-120 range by year's end, but the long balls are on a much slower pace this year, unless you factor in 2007, when Pujols only hit 32. And Pujols is a career .333 hitter. Verdict: Buy-low. Matt Holiday is heating up and that will give Pujols more protection and some extra fastballs moving forward.

Chase Utley/Ryan Howard: Both players are underperforming with regards to expectations. Utley quite a bit worse (11 HR, 33 RBI, .265) Howard, until last week, would have been a prime buy-low candidate, but has woken up the past 5-6 games and is now up to 14 HR, 52 RBI, .297. Of course, Howard is a perennial slow starter, so a savvy league would not have discounted him much. Verdict: Surprisingly, I'm going to say sell-high on both. Sell high? My gut feeling is something isn't right in that Phillies clubhouse. Almost to the day of MLB busting Philly for stealing signs, their run production has been cut in half. Coincidence? Can't all be. But both Utley and Howard have perceived bargain-bin numbers, they might actually be overhyped in the end, if an owner is factoring their big second halves that will bring them back to their normal numbers. If you can still get late-first-round/early-second-round value, by perhaps the diehard Phanatic in your league, I'd definitely sell.

Mark Teixeira: Always, always, always a slow starter. Always. His career April average is 40 points less than any other month and the April home run numbers are half what Aug. and Sept. are. Verdict: Time to go shopping on the clearance rack. And if you have time, get your inseam measured for this Teix. That window, however, may have gotten a little snugger with the Grand Salami.

Prince Fielder: Stat of the year. In the last month, Fielder has actually hit for decent power (6 HRs), but the RBI (8) are on the back of a milk carton. It's nearly impossible to accomplish this feat from a cleanup hitter, but alas, the doubles just don't seem to be coming this year. For the season, Prince has 13 HR and 27 RBI, hitting a pedestrian .257. Verdict: Early in the season, there where whispers that Prince had a wrist thing. Makes sense. Nothing concrete on that injury, but something clearly is affecting his swing. Not playing like $20 guy, let alone a $40 guy. The looming contract might be playing with his mind. If you can get third round value or better, I'd sell now. Something not right.

Ian Kinsler: Possibly the granddaddy of all fantasy disappointments. I'd make Kinsler a buy-low. His value, other than playing in Arlington, has really dropped off the shelf. Just 1 HR 19 RBI, 6 SB from a guy who has hit mostly 3rd in the Rangers lineup. If it wasn't for the speed, Kinsler would be unownable right now in most mixed leagues. Verdict: Kinsler could still hit 25, but I'm not expecting more than 15 this year. If you know the Kinsler owner is beside himself, making him pull out his hear, this is the perfect opportunity to offer him Uggla, Weeks or Stewart and see what happens.

Jose Lopez: Raiser your hand if you've taken a flyer on Lopez in your league. His 25 HR and 96 RBI in 2008 has pretty much flown the coup. But a 2008 return to form is possible (17/89/.303) would keep the locals happy. Verdict: Buy low off the 25 percent off shelf, but don't give up too much. Lopez doesn't swing like the same player from last season and he's being yanked all over that lineup, which can't help his cause either.

Jim Joyce honored by MLB players

2010-06-15T17:56:00.004-04:00

Like him or hate him, Jim Joyce has become a household name in baseball.

The umpire who botched one of the biggest calls in recent history was given an honor recently, voted MLB's best umpire by major leaguers in an ESPN poll.

Of course, this vote came just days after Joyce blew a call at first base that literally cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

Here it is one more time if you have been living under a rock the past two weeks:

Of course, immediately what comes to mind is that players gave Joyce the vote because they felt bad for the guy. Nobody seemed to take the blown call worse than Joyce, who was as professional as they come, apologizing to both Jim Leyland and Galarraga just minutes after he saw the replay.

He even gave Galarraga a hug, tearfully regretting his mistake.

But in two previous Sports Illustrated polls, Joyce was ranked 2nd among all umpires in both 2003 and 2006, so the ESPN results do have some merit.

I, however, like to look at this as a reward for being a stand-up guy. Yes, Joyce is one of the best umpires from a technical standpoint, but even moreso, he represents what is right about sports.

He admitted his mistake immediately and confronted a very tough situation, apologizing to both the manager and player he had wronged. Still probably didn't sleep well that night, but the outpour of support he received in the following days was reportedly overwhelming to the 22-year veteran umpire.

One last parting word about sportsmanship. Young Galarraga, who was robbed of the perfect game, did not argue the call. He didn't make any gestures. Didn't say a word to the umpire.

If only our kids playing little league -- and even adults playing softball -- could learn from this example of playing the game the right way, we would all be better for it.

By the Numbers:

0.32: ERA of Reds RP Arthur Rhodes, who according to the MLB network today said he's either 56 or 57 years old. His nickname is "Moses," as most players think he's been around since the beginning of time. Rhodes now has 26 straight scoreless innings. Has only given up 1 run all year, in his second outing in April. No wonder the Reds are in first. Fantasy spin: Rhodes is worth a flier in very deep leagues or those with a hold wherever those may be (although somehow, I happen to play in one).

6: Consecutive games Carlos Pena homered in last week, hitting 7 total. Remarkably, those 7 HR accompanied just 10 RBI. Still, if you traded Pena or dropped him before the surge, you probably kicked yourself with every click of the Rays box score. But that's Pena for ya. Fantasy Spin: Now would be about the worst time to deal for this guy. Sure, pick him up if he's somehow still around on your wire, but he hits in streaks and after an 0-for-4 day Sunday, it appears this one has run its course. But sell-high if you can. Maybe you can package him to the Ryan Howard owner in your league.

1-for-27: David Ortiz's latest slump, dropping his average from .275 to .237 in less than a week. Big Papi responded with a 6-for-14 weekend vs. Philadelphia and is back over .250. Fantasy spin: Ortiz's big number days are over. Might wanna hit the eject button on the next mini-power surge, if you can get a taker.

Last 10 pickups (in a 11-team mixed league):

Mitch Talbot

Jason Vargas

Freddie Garcia

Tyler Clippard

Placio Polanco

Juan Rivera

Pedro Alvarez

Kevin Slowey

Felipe Paulino

Jason Hammel

Strasburg, Stanton here to save the day

2010-06-08T16:02:00.004-04:00

Step aside politics. There's a new Super Tuesday in town.

And both campaigns are in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

What are the chances that both Steven Strasburg and Michael Stanton make their debuts on the very same night?

In the same state? At 7:05 p.m.?

This is not just a big night in fantasy baseball history, but baseball lore as well. The two mega-prospects will debut 309 miles apart, connected by baseball enthusiasts and Interstate 76.

If you have a pulse at all and have not been hanging out, eating bugs in a cave, you surely know about the Strasburg story.

He dominated AA and AAA with Tim Lincecum-type numbers. In six AAA games, he posted the following numbers: 33 1/3 IP, 38 Ks, 1.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP. The biggest news came in his last start, when Strasburg and his triple-digit heater gave up his first home run. That's right, 1 HR in 55 minor league IP.

Some experts think he may be baseball's best pitcher already. High and lofty praise. And certainly there will be an adjustment period. But his dominance in college and the minors made him worth adding back in March.

Through the wonders of technology, we even know how he'll fare against his first batter:

But then there's Stanton, who you may not know as much about. If your team lacks power, you may have latched onto him already. Somehow, he's still only 43 percent owned in Yahoo leagues. Although, that's up from 7 percent not even a week ago.

Stanton, 20, is young, which makes you wonder if he'll be able to make the leap as successfully as Strasburg. I say yeah. Look at what he did in AA Jacksonville.

In 52 games: 21 HR, 52 RBI, 41 runs, .311 avg., .441 obp.

You won't get the average from Stanton, who has struck out 53 times this year. But don't let that sway you. The power is legit.

Folks who have seen him talk endlessly how the crack off Stanton's bat is different. Judge for yourself. Here's a Spring Training HR off one-time stud pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.

With every once-in-a-decade type prospect, there's an equally legendary story to go with him. Stanton's is a 500-plus-foot home run in the first week of May that turned him from just another top prospect to The Prospect in the minors.

Florida RP Dan Meyer, on a rehab assignment with the Jacksonville Suns, was on hand for the mammouth HR that cleared the scoreboard. There's no available footage of the blast, but listen to Meyer describe the shot.

It's hard to predict how the debuts of each player goes tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if Strasburg threw a 4-hit gem, striking out 8, while Stanton went 2-for-3 with a HR and 4 RBI.

But they both could bomb under the intense pressure. Still, both are must-adds in any format, even a 6-team league, if such a thing exists. Very soon, possibly even next spring, these guys may be first or second round picks.

Strasburg, Stanton, Heyward....you are seeing the next wave of youth movement spring up before our eyes, an exciting time in baseball.

Even better if you can latch on to one of these guys at the ground floor.

Griffey retires; Detroit pitcher robbed of perfect game

2010-06-02T21:05:00.015-04:00

Just when you thought you've seen everything in baseball.

Not even a couple hours after Major League Baseball was shocked with the news of Ken Griffey Jr. retiring, an even more stunning development happened in Detroit.

Detroit Tigers RHP Armando Galarraga sent 26 batters back to the dugout when Jason Donald, Cleveland's No. 9 hitter came to the plate.

Donald hit a slow chopper to 1B Miguel Cabrera, who threw it to Galarraga covering first.

Galarraga clearly beat Donald to the bag on a close play.

Perfect game!!!!.......Tiger fans go crazy ..... whoa, dere .... wait just a minute.

Inexplicably, first base umpire Jim Joyce, a 22-year veteran who is widely considered one of the best umps in the business, called Donald safe, effectively robbing Galarraga from tossing just the 21st perfect game in baseball history.

Here's a twitpic that's crystal clear. And here's the video:

To Joyce's credit, he quickly admitted being wrong and regretted the call.

"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce told AP. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."

Jim Leyland, never shy about giving an umpire an earful, argued after the play, then really gave Joyce the business after the game ended one batter later on a harmless grounder to third.

But the damage was done.

"I don't blame them a bit or anything that was said," said Joyce, who was voted by the players twice in a Sports Illustrated poll as the 2nd best umpire in all of baseball. "I would've said it myself if I had been Galarraga. I would've been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me."

Benefit of the doubt clearly went out the window on this call. Tie goes to the runner? Usually. When a perfect game is on the line? Uh, yeah. And then some.

But as critical as many will be about Joyce's missed call, plenty of credit should be due to how he handled the aftermath. Joyce personally went to both Gallaraga and Leyland and offered a heartfelt apology. Reports were that Joyce hugged Galarrag and was even tearing up when offering his apology.

According to Galarraga, Joyce told him "I'm so sorry in my heart," The Free-Press reports. "I don't know what to tell you.

"He feels so bad," Galarraga continued. "He's sitting in there in his whole uniform."

Galarraga responded kindly, telling Joyce, "Nobody's perfect."

And on this night, unfortunately, that included Galarraga.

His 1 hour, 44 minute gem would have been the third perfect game in the past month with the Phillies' Roy Halladay spinning one Saturday and Oakland's Dallas Braden doing the same in early May. By comparison, there has been only one decade (1990s) that have seen three perfect games.

So, yeah, the debate is effectively on. Should instant replay be expanded to all field calls in baseball? This sure adds a couple logs to the fire. And maybe a gallon or two of gasoline. I'm still not in favor of expanding it, but the case could clearly be made tonight. And I'm finding less reasons to argue against it.

Some say another perfect game -- the fourth in less than a year -- would have been even bigger news than an umpire costing a pitcher the same feat.

I guess we'll never know.

Griffey retires: After 22 years and 630 home runs, Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirment from baseball Wednesday. Griffey, who started in Seattle, then later moved to Cincinnati, returned to Seattle last year but injuries and age (40) finally caught up with the 1997 MVP.

Many of us first were introduced to Griffey's star power with the hype of his rookie baseball card, a 1990 Upper Deck card that was as simple as it was hugely popular.

Recently, Griffey had gone a week without playing and after a report of Griffey falling asleep in the Mariners clubhouse during the late innings of a game, there was tension in the clubhouse about whether or not he would get regular at-bats.

Here's a shoutout to Griffey, the .284 lifetime hitter, who played the game the right way, helped bring baseball back in the 90's and led countless thousands to fantasy titles throughout the past two decades.

First-ballot Hall-of-Famer, no questions asked.

Observations (by the numbers)

2010-05-29T01:34:00.003-04:00

Scanning the baseball globe, numerically.

1: Number of hits Matt Cain gave up over 9 innings vs. the D'backs. The Giants RHP added 9 Ks and lowered his ERA to 2.50. Almost as shocking, the Giants scored five runs.

3: Number of home runs by Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera against the A's in a losing effort. Cabrera now has 13 slow trots and a league-leading 44 RBI.

5: Orioles OF Adam Jones was detained for several hours early Friday morning until 5 a.m. at the Torono Airport. Jones was told he had a "criminal record." It was unknown whether authorities were looking for former Cowboy Adam "Pacman " Jones. And there's no validity that the crimes were related to his rise in strike outs (39) or drop in on-base-percentage (.278).

8: Nationals Savior RHP Stephen Strasburg's uber-anticipated (if that's a word) debut is all but certain for June 8. If he's not taken, grab him, but if that's the case you're league is not any fun because you're probably lapping the field.

11: Earned runs given up by Tim Lincecum, matching his previous 8 outings. Do I need to hire a sky-writer with a buy-low sign to fly over Charlotte Motor Speedway? His price may never be lower.

18: Home runs hit this year by Jacksonville Suns' Michael Stanton, called the best Marlins prospect since the aforementioned Cabrera by all the important people in South Florida who would know these things. Stanton, 20, who hit 37 HR as an 18-year-old, hit one earlier this year that went an estimated 500 feet. The current Florida Marlins OF has a combined 10 HR and 54 RBI. Stanton now has 47 RBI.

30: Number of consecutive scoreless innings by the Phillies offense before Raul Ibanez's triple in the fourth inning Friday. Proof that anything can happen in baseball.

51: Hitting streak by Florida Internationals' Garrett Wittels that's still alive, just seven games short of Robin Ventura's Divison I 23-year-old record. This may be the most PR Ventura has gotten in a decade.

.286: Highest average for any Angels regular (Kendry Morales). In fact, five starters are hitting .258 or less. Think they miss Figgy and Vladdy?

.278: We're almost two months in and guess who leads the America League in hitting. That's right. The Royals, buoyed by Billy Butler (.349) and Mike Aviles (.341). What is this season coming to?

Should we send interleague out to pasture?

2010-05-24T16:20:00.003-04:00

Interleague play has always been a little strange. But this weekend, so many things happened that borderlined on the ridiculous you wonder if baseball should do away with this 15-year experiment.

Attendance, sure, is great. And frankly, that's why we'll probably never see interleague go away. And actually, I like the natural rivalries (Cubs-Sox for one) that we'd never see otherwise (I know, baseball purists will shoot me down for this).

But from a fantasy perspective, everything we've known to accept as truth have shaken our core a little. Mainly from the top-shelf pitching department.

Seven of the preseason top 10-ranked pitchers (according to Yahoo), gave up at least 4 earned runs over the past three days. Several were lit up for their worst outing of the year. Here's just a sampling.

Roy Halladay: Normally untouchable, was rocked by the Red Sox: 5 2/3 IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 6 ER, 2 BB.

Zack Greinke: Rocked by Rockies in K.C. Just 3 1/3 IP, 9 hits, 8 runs, 7 ER,

C.C. Sabathia: Was hit by the Subway in Queens: 5 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs, 5 ER, 2 BB.

Cliff Lee: Wait. This was against San Diego. At home? 6 1/3 IP, 11 hits, 8 runs, 7 ER.

So what can we surmise? A couple things.

For starters, each blowup was accompanied by at least one error, which may have been from a little added juice from the game. Certainly the Subway Series and the Phillies-Red Sox had playoff-type atmosphere in May. Not sure folks were patting down the goose bumps in the hyped Padres-Mariners duel.

Secondly, fuggetaboutit. Interleague throws a lot of things out of whack. Teams may be facing the opposing team's stud for the first time for several years. They may have to hit without the DH. There is added pressure that they weren't prepared for. The list goes on.

It's more than a coincidence, that almost all the top-flight aces in the league scuffled.

But it does open just a crack into a potential buy-low trade window. Just that seed of doubt that the owner may have now. Wouldn't hurt to float a decent offer to the Grienke owner in your league who may be short on power. Maybe a serviceable sell-high pitcher like Ricky Romero or Matt Latos and a near-top tier hitter like Kendry Morales or Pablo Sandoval.

Think outside the box. This may be the only bad outing these guys will have all year.

Dice-K Revival? If for some reason you were still clinging to hope with Daisuke Matsuzaka, congrats on the near-no hitter Saturday night. But don't be fooled. Dice-K threw four balls and had a couple spectacular fielding plays go his way (one that he made a nice move to cover first base). Yes, it was the Phillies, but I still don't trust him. The WHIP (1.28) hasn't killed you so far, but facing the Blue Jays, Rays and Yankees a million times down the stretch will kill his ERA. Find a taker, if you can.

Waiver Wired: Here's the last 10 pickups in my 11-team league. Mike Napoli, Travis Hafner, Casey Blake, Gio Gonzalez, Alexei Ramirez, Howie Kendrick, Jon Garland, Kris Medlen, Carlos Villanueva, Carlos Santana.

Lima Time over: Jose Lima, the high-energy closer for the Dodgers, Astros, Royals among other teams, died of a heart attack Sunday.

Sure, Lima may have been misunderstood, often times having a spirited two-way conversation with himself in his glove around the pitcher's mound, countless reporters have talked about how vibrant a character he was and the impression he put on the game.

Here's a good read from the Seattle Times' Larry Stone.

Sporting News releases Top 50 Player List

2010-05-20T15:53:00.002-04:00

Albert's done it again.

As a surprise to almost no one (who follows baseball, anyway), Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols has repeated as the top vote-getter on Sporting News list of the 50 greatest players in baseball today.

Pujols grabbed 67 first-place votes, while Joe Mauer, the Twins new $23 million/year man, was second with 41 first-place votes.

Two Yankees (Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter) along with Tim Lincecum rounded out the Top 5.

The award is selected by a panel of 125 Hall of Famers and other decorated baseball players (for a full list scroll below).

SPORTING NEWS’ TOP 50 PLAYERS

1 Albert Pujols, Cardinals
2 Joe Mauer, Twins
3 Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
4 Derek Jeter, Yankees
5 Tim Lincecum, Giants
6 Roy Halladay, Phillies
7 Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
8 Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
9 Chase Utley, Phillies
10 Ryan Howard, Phillies
11 Mariano Rivera, Yankees
12 Felix Hernandez, Mariners
13 CC Sabathia, Yankees
14 Evan Longoria, Rays
15 Zack Greinke, Royals
16 Mark Teixeira, Yankees
17 Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
18 Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
19 Justin Verlander, Tigers
20 Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
21 Prince Fielder, Brewers
22 Ryan Braun, Brewers
23 Justin Morneau, Twins
24 Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
25 Carl Crawford, Rays
26 Matt Kemp, Dodgers
27 Johan Santana, Mets
28 Matt Holliday, Cardinals
29 Cliff Lee, Mariners
30 Andre Ethier, Dodgers
31 Torii Hunter, Angels
32 Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
33 Derrek Lee, Cubs
34 Todd Helton, Rockies
35 Josh Johnson, Marlins
36 Josh Beckett, Red Sox
37 David Wright, Mets
38 Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
39 Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
40 Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
41 Brian McCann, Braves
42 Pablo Sandoval, Giants
43 Manny Ramirez, Dodgers
44 Bobby Abreu, Angels
45 Aaron Hill, Blue Jays
46 John Lackey, Red Sox
47 Jason Bay, Mets
48 Dan Haren, Diamondbacks
49 Jayson Werth, Phillies
50 Carlos Pena, Rays

SPORTING NEWS’ PANEL

HALL OF FAMERS
Yogi Berra
Gary Carter
Orlando Cepeda
Bobby Doerr
Dennis Eckersley
Rollie Fingers
Goose Gossage
Ferguson Jenkins
Al Kaline
Harmon Killebrew
Ralph Kiner
Paul Molitor
Joe Morgan
Jim Palmer
Nolan Ryan
Red Schoendienst
Earl Weaver
Dick Williams

CY YOUNG WINNERS
Mark Davis
Doug Drabek
Tom Glavine
Pat Hentgen
Orel Hershiser
LaMarr Hoyt
Randy Jones
Denny McLain
Don Newcombe
Steve Stone
Bob Turley
Frank Viola

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
Don Baylor
Phil Cavarretta
Steve Garvey
Dick Groat
Fred Lynn
Al Rosen
Bobby Shantz
Larry Walker

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
John Castino
Alvin Davis
Ben Grieve
Ron Hansen
Mike Hargrove
Gil McDougald
John Montefusco
Wally Moon
Gregg Olson
Gary Peters
Tim Salmon
Don Schwall
Roy Sievers
Ted Sizemore
Bill Virdon

BATTING CHAMPS
Bill Buckner
Ralph Garr
Al Oliver

HOME RUN CHAMPS
Dwight Evans
Graig Nettles
Gorman Thomas

SILVER SLUGGER WINNERS
Will Clark
Cecil Cooper
Darren Daulton
Damion Easley
Javy Lopez
Hal McRae
Lloyd Moseby
Lance Parrish
Frank White

GOLD GLOVE WINNERS
Gene Alley
Glenn Beckert
Ken Berry
Del Crandall
Steve Finley
Ray Fosse
Bud Harrelson
Don Kessinger
Jim Landis
Sixto Lezcano
Mike Matheny
Mike Mussina
Amos Otis
Jimmy Piersall
Joe Rudi
J.T. Snow
Mike Squires
Mickey Stanley

ERA CHAMPS
Mike Boddicker
Bob Friend
Joe Magrane
Dennis Martinez
Stu Miller
Frank Tanana

WORLD SERIES MVPS
Scott Brosius
Ron Cey
Bobby Richardson
Ralph Terry

RELIEVERS OF THE YEAR
Jeff Brantley
Jeff Montgomery

MANAGERS OF THE YEAR
Jim Frey
Tom Kelly
Jack McKeon
Buck Rodgers
Buck Showalter
Jeff Torborg
Eric Wedge

EXECUTIVES
Frank Cashen, former Orioles and Mets G.M.
Fred Claire, former Dodgers G.M.
Dallas Green, former Cubs G.M.
Peter Ueberroth, former commissioner
Fay Vincent, former commissioner

MEDIA
Steve Hirdt, Elias Sports Bureau
Bill James, writer/historian
John Kuenster, Baseball Digest editor
Will Lingo, Baseball America co-editor
John Manuel, Baseball America co-editor
George Will, author

TEAM BROADCASTERS
Bert Blyleven, Twins
Tom Candiotti, Diamondbacks
Jim Deshaies, Astros
Ricky Horton, Cardinals
Jeff Huson, Rockies
Dave O’Brien, Red Sox
Pat Tabler, Blue Jays
John Wehner, Pirates
Chris Welsh, Reds

After no-hitter, Strasburg is a must-add

2010-05-12T23:46:00.001-04:00

You've heard about the 103 mph heater. The No. 1 pick in last year's draft. The big contract. The hype.

So, how good will Stephen Strasburg be? This year?

According to Curt Schilling, Strasburg may be MLB's best. Right now.

Can that be true? And if it is, does it make any sense for Strasburg to be toiling away in AAA, where he no-hits teams over 6 innings, like he did tonight?

No. Not one bit.

Although it does make cents. And that's why Washington is going through one of the most painful penny-pitching episodes we've seen. The Super 2 rule is keeping the young phenom in Syracuse right now pitching for the Chiefs.

Most conventional wisdom think Strasburg will start three more games with Syracuse, with an extra day of rest in between each start and make his debut on June 4 to kick off a homestand against Cincinnati. He'll then be able to pitch another home game against Pittsburgh.

But in the meantime, it's time for you to act. If you're still skeptical, look at Strasburg's minor league numbers. Hint: You'll need a microscope to locate his ERA and WHIP.

Go grab him from the wire, if he happens to be still sitting around. According to Yahoo, he's only owned by 72 percent of owners with some 9 percent already starting the future National.

Those 9 percent are likely leagues without a bench spot. The 28 percent of leagues that he's not owned may be primarily leagues without a spot to stash him away. Or perhaps a league without a pulse.

In any case, he's worth riding in a live spot for 3 weeks, I'm almost certain.

And if he's not available, make his owner an offer right now. Offer him any hitter outside a third-round value and see what happens. This kid has a plus fastball, change and curve.

Sure, he could get lit up like Tim Lincecum did in his 2007 debut. But the Nationals are a solid team, with a fine back end of the bullpen (see Tyler Clippard) and even in 17-18 starts, Strasburg could post 10-12 wins along with 120Ks, if Washington keeps his innings down like they say they will. He'll almost certainly lower your ERA and WHIP as well.

The real shame will be if to the Nats fans, if they miss the playoffs by a handful of games or less and Strasburg had 10 starts in the minors before they promoted him.

Remember, their reason: He needs to work on his stretch delivery? Ha. Yeah. Sure.

Here's a clip from his San Diego State University days when he struck out 23 in a game.

Yup, 23.

Publish Post

Starlin gives Cubs jolt with 6-RBI debut

2010-05-07T23:53:00.003-04:00

Barely 20 years old, Starlin Castro made his MLB debut to give the Cubs a much-needed jolt.

Consider the Cubbies fully zapped with defibrillators.

Castro, on his first major league swing, mashed a 3-run home run, then added a 3-run triple on his way to a 6-RBI debut.

Quick, go pick him up. Oh wait. He's not on Yahoo's waiver wire yet.

Yahoo (in the voice of Seinfeld's "Newman).

He will be soon, and if you're struggling at short, he's worth a flier. But be cautious. Moderate power and speed contributions are about all you can expect from Castro, who is a 5-tool guy, who is being rushed to the parent club because of a combination of offensive struggles and lack of energy/excitement.

Putting Big Z in the bullpen gave the team a charge but lasted only about a half hour. The Castro movement will hopefully last a lot longer. Take a look at the pedigree:

In 3 levels of minors, Castro hit .302 with a .349 on-base-percentage. Then in the fall league he hit a cool .376 over 101 at-bats. That's against some of the best young pitching prospects.

Castro did swipe 22 bags in 358 at-bats at Class A Daytona and hit six extra-base hits in 35 spring training at-bats this spring before posting 8 doubles, 5 triples and a HR (and 20 RBI) in 109 AA at-bats at West Tenn.

And, did I mention he was hitting a cool .376 before Friday's call?

He's been compared to a lighter-hitting ARod. And who gave Alex Rodriguez his call, as a 19-year-old with Seattle.

Sweet Lou Piniella.

Maybe he's onto something.

On Jake, Joe, closers

2010-05-05T00:03:00.005-04:00

If you hung onto Jake Peavy long enough to take interest in Monday night's gem, congrats. Both of you.

Peavy whirled 99 mostly-masterful pitches Monday, 66 of them strikes, and finished with a line of 9 Ks, 1 BB, 4 hits, 0 ER and most importantly, the win.

"Just have the season start from May on," Peavy said.

Of course, that doesn't quite work in Fantasyland. You were on the hook for that horrendous April. But Monday showed more than signs of life, even if it came at the expense of the Kansas City Royals, who has possibly the lightest hitting bottom third of any AL team in recent memory.

"We ran into the wrong Peavy," Royals manager Trey Hillman said.

So what changed? Those at the game said Peavy just looked different. He wasn't trying to coil his delivery, as if he was trying to throw every pitch through a brick wall.

Peavy tweaked his delivery after injuring his ankle last year and has been trying to get back to his pre-tweak delivery this spring, using more of his legs.

If you're an owner, be encouraged, but don't consider Peavy fixed unless he does this sort of thing 2-3 more times.

Joe Mauer: The report from Twins Nation (if there is such a thing) is Mauer's heel is improving, but still sore. An MRI proved no structural damage. If you're in a league without a bench, this situation is possibly the definition of worst-case scenario. Day-to-day is what they're calling it, but three factors lead to Mauer missing at least another week in my opinion.

1). The Franchise: He's their money player and they don't want to rush him back and have him deal with the injury all year.

2). Wilson Ramos: Backup catcher pounded 7 hits in his first two games, reason enough not to rush Mauer back.

3). The Orioles: It's a small thing but having struggling Baltimore on the schedule makes it even less imperative to expedite Mauer's rehab.

Be patient, Mauer owners, as hard as it may be. Remember last year, when Mauer missed all of April then hit 28 HR? Just because he's missing time, doesn't mean he won't produce in the end. We haven't seen the power this year yet, but we want a near-100 percent Mauer out there, even if it cost us a couple weeks. Exhale....

Closer report: Lots of closing situations that are fluid right now. Here's a quick update.

Texas: As close to a 2-headed monster as there is, but Neftali Feliz still has the upper hand. Feliz closed 2 of 3 vs. Seattle over the weekend, then came on Monday night and closed out Oakland for his first back-to-back saves. More importantly, Frank Francisco gave up two runs in 1/3 of an inning in the 8th.

Pittsburgh: Evan Meek picked up a save over the weekend, but only because Octavio Dotel was unavailable. Dotel closed off the Cubs on Tuesday after missing a few days to be at the birth of his child, so there's no real controversy. Meek, however, is the Pirates closer of the future and could be worth an add in NL-only leagues and pick up a handful of saves as they groom him for the job.

San Francisco: Guillermo Mota closed off Tuesday night's extra-inning affair in Miami, but only because Brian Wilson (groin) pitched a tied 9th inning.

Milwaukee: Trevor Hoffman grabbed the save Sunday after one of his worst months of all time. Look for Hoffman to keep his job, but NL-only teams could add LaTroy Hawkins if you're looking for a speculative pick. Sure, Hawkins hasn't been great and middle reliever Carlos Villanueva has been lights out. But Hawkins did well in the role with the Astros last year and has nailed down 87 saves over his career while Villanueva has just five.

Philadelphia: Brad Lidge is back and the Phillies are easing him back into the roll. With Ryan Madsen on the shelf, look for Jose Contreras to get a save chance or two, while Lidge gets up to speed. If Lidge falters, then reshuffle the deck. Contreras got the win last night, pitching the 10th after Lidge pitched a fairly clean 8th.

Is it time for a clean break with Jake?

2010-04-30T23:15:00.006-04:00

You've broken my heart so many times this year. And we're still in April.

I keep forgiving you, Jake. I take you back. And what do you do???

You give up five runs in the FIRST INNING. That outing on Wednesday should've been it. Most owners would have broken up right there.

It's not you, Jake, it's me. Only this time, it's all you.

Of course, we're talking about Jake Peavy. The former San Diego stud pitcher who has turned into a White Sox goat, seemingly overnight. Sure, there was going to be an NL-AL correction. And The Cell is certainly no Petco.

But a 7.85 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP? Nobody has been given a longer leash than Jake. It feels like he's cheated on us by pitching for the other team. Like he's throwing BP.

If you sat Jake down, looked him in the eye and asked him why you should give him one more chance, what would he tell you?

That he's been broken, but he's about to be whole again? That he's a changed man? That he's finally found his way?

And would you believe him? Because that's his story:

''I just found my mechanics of where I needed to throw it,'' Peavy said after Wednesday's game in Arlington. ''The bottom line is I'm still searching, but it's coming. The end result is not about finding it, though."

It's possible that late Wednesday night, you finally hit your breaking point. Quite possibly it was after that atrocious five-run first inning that sent you to your room in tears.

If you're like me, you had your finger on the waive button. Although hopefully you're not like me and own him in multiple leagues. The heart can only take so much.

But then something happened in that second inning. It's like a switch flipped and he stopped those wandering pitches.

Five straight innings of no-hit, two-walk amazement from Jake. He even fanned six batters during this stretch.

Is the old Jake back? And does he still want you to wear his letterman jacket?

He scuffled a little in the seventh and Ozzie rightfully gave him the quick hook. But the damage was done. Both to our hearts and to our ERA/WHIP.

"I feel a little bit better about him," coach Ozzie Guillen said after. "but getting in the win column is what will really help him."

Spoken like a true cliche twirler. And he's probably right.

Although that's little consolation. You probably spent about $15 bucks on Jake or took him in the late single-digit rounds of your draft. Guys like that just don't get waived. Not in April. Or do they?

Several thousand Yahoo owners shed Jake on Thursday morning, deciding that he's fooled around one too many times.

If you haven't by now, you probably won't. And I'll give you two words why:

Kansas City.

Jake has the Royals twice in his next three starts, including Monday night at the Cell. His control has been awful. A mind-boggling 12 walks in the last two outings? That's not Jake.

But if he's still can't locate on Monday. If the Royals, a perfectly average hitting team, gets to Jake like the Rangers did in that first inning Wednesday, you have my full permission to kick him to the curb.

Tear up his phone number. Unfriend him from Facebook. Don't return his text.

Your heart can't take it.

Where there's Smoak, there's a pickup

2010-04-23T01:00:00.002-04:00

Arlington is a long way from Goose Creek, S.C.

But that's the new home for Justin Smoak, the former South Carolina baseball star, who grew up just north of Charleston, S.C., and got the long-waited "call" to join the Texas Rangers Thursday night.

Ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the minors by mlb.com, the switch-hitting Smoak hit .290 over 386 at-bats in the minors last year, hitting 12 HR and driving in 57. Those numbers won't send you rushing to your computer to hit the "add player" button.

But look a little deeper. Smoak's laser-like pitch selection racked up a .410 on-base-percentage. In 46 at-bats this year, Smoak is hitting .326 with 2 HR and a .500 OBP at AAA Oklahoma City.

Oh, and the power is there. You might not see 30 bombs this year, but one day you will. In 2009 IBAF World Cup, Smoak smack 9 HR in 55 at-bats.

Playing half his games in Arlington is just the ticket to put up 20 HR, 85 RBI and a .295 average the rest of the way. Who couldn't use that?

Of course, all of this was made possible by a second straight Chris Davis flameout. Davis did the limbo with the Mendoza Line, dropping to .188 Thursday night with an 0-for-3 night and 2 Ks, giving him 17 whiffs in 15 games.

If you wanna catch a minute or so of Smoak hitting BP, click the triangle below. He's hitting off Neftali Feliz, albeit not his usual triple-digit gas.

DL updates: Berkman, Cameron, Fuentes

2010-04-20T16:13:00.003-04:00

There's plenty of DL news as I settle in, back from a much-needed post-Madness vacation.

Lance Berkman: If you've been holding out waiting for Lance to rescue your team (I hope not), good news. The Astros activated Berkman today so get him in there. I think the power has been sapped, but he'll hit in the middle of the order, albeit one of the worst in the big leagues. He's no longer a top-10 first-baseman. Sell-high window?

Mike Cameron: From passing kidney stones to an abdominal strain, things keep getting worse for Cameron. He's probably only owned in AL-only or deeper leagues, but despite his awful average, Cameron is/was still useful. Boston put its CF on the 15-dayer and a sports hernia surgery might be needed (4-to-6 week recovery), which would all but make Cameron droppable. Jeremy Hermida probably gets most of Cameron's at-bats, but Bill Hall could also worth an AL-only add.

Brian Fuentes: Thanks for the memories, Fernando Rodney. The Angels closer (back) is being activated and shuffled right back to the 9th-inning role. Even after Rodney went 4-for-4 in Fuentes' absence. Get him in there. Rodney is immediately droppable in almost every format.

Mike Gonzalez: According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles closer is visiting Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his shoulder. Usually any update with the words Dr., James and Andrews in consecutive order is cause for concern, but lately we're seeing more players go for just another opinion. Still, this news has to boost Jim Johnson's value a notch. Gonzo is said to be out 2-3 more weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's longer. Might wanna use this news to shop Johnson today.

Edinson Volquez: Rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last August, Volquez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has been suspended 50 games. He can serve the suspension while on the DL, but loses the pay. Volquez set the fantasy world on fire in 2008, but it appears his 2010 campaign is all but lost. Still worth keeping around in very deep keeper formats.

Reyes back; Lee not close; Stubbs kills Cubs

2010-04-09T23:01:00.006-04:00

Good news Jose Reyes owners. Not as much, you Cliff Lee die-hards.

Reyes will reportedly be back in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals. And not a moment too soon. The anemic Mets offense could use a boost and Reyes stole two bases in an extended spring training game on Monday (no word on who the extended spring training catcher was).

Still, you should expect Reyes to find his legs and get active on the base paths. I'm guessing he'll steal 48 this year. Good, not great. But if he regains the power stroke from 2006-2008 (an average of 16 HRs), you should be plenty satisfied for what you paid for the shortstop.

Meanwhile, Lee will be on the shelf at least until May, but can you be that surprised? Don't be surprised if this lingers to June. I'm not saying bail on Lee right now, but if you can get anything Matt Garza or above in value in the next two weeks, take it.

Someone in your league owned him the past two years and just might overpay. Just use the ol' "his value will never be lower than this" line. Rarely works. But it could in your league.

Quick hits: Drew Stubbs a 30/30 guy? Nobody outside the "other" Queen City will put an Abraham Lincoln on that bet. But it sure was nice of former Reds skipper Lou Piniella to leave rookie pitcher Esmailin Caridad in there after he loaded the bases with two walks and a bunt single. Maybe "Sweet Lou" still has a sweet spot for those Cincy fans. I would take the over on Stubbs going 20/20 this year. ... Jon Rauch picked up his 3rd save for the Twins tonight vs. the White Sox. That noise you heard was the For Sale sign coming out of Heath Bell's front yard in San Diego. ... No, there's no closer controversy in Toronto. Not yet anyway. Just because Jason Frasor blew the opener, doesn't mean Kevin Gregg's got the gig. Frasor was busy saving the last two Blue Jays games. Still, keep one eye peeled. ... Let's see, Joe Maddon leaves his young pitcher David Price in 'til the 8th, racking up despite a 9-2 Rays lead. Paging, Dusty Baker. ... Rick Ankiel goes 4-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBI as the Royals rally past the Red Sox. Somewhere Cheryl Crow is humming "a change will do you good." And you could do worse on your waiver wire. ... Andre Ethier out for a second game with a sprained ankle, and not Joe Torre just trying to spell his regulars. Although I'm hearing Manny is well-rested after sitting out already in Thursday's Game No. 3. ... The one-man air conditioner Jack Cust accepted a minor league assignment after blasting the A's after his surprise release. Essentially he had $2.5 million reason to do so. ... Don't make any stupid drops or trades tonight. We're roughly just 1/50th of the way through the season.

Globetrotters honor Buerhle for play (video)

2010-04-06T14:19:00.006-04:00

White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle has had plenty of highlights in his career. A no-hitter. A perfect game. But what he did Monday may have topped everything.

A hard-hit comebacker smacked off his foot, bouncing harmlessly toward foul territory. Most pitchers would've given up on the play. But not this Gold Glover.

"I take pride in fielding my position as good as I can," said Buehrle, whose ended up with a bruised foot out of the deal.

After chasing it down, Buehrle grabbed the ball with his glove and in one motion flipped it between his legs -- blindly -- to Paul Konerko, who bare-handed it to get Indians catcher Lou Marson by a quarter of a step. Watch for yourself:

"You see the play happening, you run over there saying, 'Do I slide and spin, or do I grab the ball and throw it?"' Buehrle said. "I think every thought went through my head. It just happened the way it did."

Buehrle deservedly received a long standing O from the sellout U.S. Cellular Field crowd.

"Probably one of the top two or three plays I've ever seen," said catcher A.J. Pierzeynski, playing his 13th season.

The Harlem Globetrotters honored Buehrle's play, calling it "Globetrotter-esque." The award called the "Trotter Tribute" launched last month, honoring collegiate and professional plays that are reminiscent of the Globetrotters. Not sure the ol' water gag yuckity-yuck qualifies.

Incidentally, the first honoree was former Charlotte Bobcat Flip Murray, who sank this unbelievable acrobatic shot for the Chicago Bulls that barely came after the buzzer last week.

Still, it's a shot that Meadowlark Lemon would definitely approve.

7 things to know for draft day

2010-03-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

You don't want to be that guy at the table.

The one who doesn't know that Joe Nathan is out for the year. Or that Cliff Lee is battling abdominal pains. Again.

So before you embarrass yourself by being uninformed, here are 10 things you should definitely know, headed into your draft.

1. Lance Berkman: The first-baseman who is on the downside of his career gave owners another reasons to shy away: arthroscopic surgery on his knee to clean out debris. He'll start the year on the DL, but may only miss a week or two. Still, this guy has been living on reputation for quite some time. The 1B position is too deep to waste on this guy.

2. Cliff Lee: The Mariners have shut Lee down for five days, hoping that his strained abdomen heals. If this isn't a red flag, it's certainly orange. Move Lee a couple rounds down on your draft board and $7-10 in an auction draft. He's had history with these types of injuries and you don't want to pay too much for possible damaged goods, regardless of the upside.

3. Brian Roberts: Finally, the Orioles 2B took the field on Friday without much fanfare: 0-for-3, with 3 Ks. Roberts has been dealing with a bad back all spring and is showing signs of aging. Throw in the fact he went 50-40-30 in steals the last three years, Roberts is no longer elite. Although a shallow 2B keeps his value up. I'd personally take Martin Prado over him.

4. Jason Heyward: Nov. 9, 1989: Remember where were you were when the Berlin Wall fell? Heyward probably didn't. He was 2 months old. Yup, still just a pup, the 20-year-old has broken Braves camp as their starting RF. This isn't shocking news. Heyward has been very impressive this spring (hitting .366), but he has less than 1,000 minor league ABs. Despite the legendary batting practice bombs that broke sun roofs out in the parking lot, Heyward's minor league numbers project a low-20-HR guy this year, who hits around .300. Worth owning? Absolutely. Worth a top 10-round pick? Only if you're drinking the Kool-Aid. Or in a keeper league.

5. Derek Lee: First it was the Sammy Sosa sneeze. Then, the Carlos Zambrano e-mail elbow. Then the Ryan Dempster celebration toe injury. You can add Derek Lee's chair collapse during a pre-game meal to the list of freak Cubs injuries. Hopefully this one won't keep him out long, but he has a history with back problems and this should be taken into account, if only slightly. Translation, if you were baking off Lee with Justin Morneau, Billy Butler or Adam Dunn, this could be the tie-breaker.

6. Phil Hughes: If you're looking for that sleeper pitcher to round out your staff -- and by the draft's 3rd hour, who isn't -- you might be looking at your draft book, trying to decide between Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, but missed the announcement that Hughes won the 5th starters job. Small detail, but it could end up having huge fantasy implications. Unless your team has holds -- and yes, I'm in one of those, somehow -- Joba's value has plummeted worse than Palm smart phones.

7. Jose Reyes: Thyroid problem? Yes, it's true. Diagnosed at the beginning of spring training, Reyes has taken three weeks off of all activity to get his THS levels under control. Never before has the Thyroid been such a talked about organ in sports circles. Believe me, as one who has a thyroid condition -- hypothyrodism to be exact -- this is nothing to be alarmed about. Shoot, I've had doctors who barely want to talk about it. Controlled by a little blue daily pill, once it's regulated, it's no big deal. What is a big deal is Reyes being inactive for three weeks and trying to be ready for opening day with limited swings or running. This should take 10-15 percent off his value, but don't slide him down too far, as just a year ago folks were debating this guy as a No. 1 overall pick. The real gamble is on his health, but if you can stomach that, take him in the 4th or 5th round and cross your fingers. Might not hurt to get those THS levels checked while you're at it.

Mauer, Twins agree to $184 million deal

2010-03-21T19:17:00.004-04:00

Recession? What recession?

In a win-win-win deal that all parties desperately wanted, catcher extraordinaire Joe Mauer agreed to an 8-year, $184 million deal on Sunday.

The fourth-largest deal in baseball history is a big deal for all fans living in and around the Twin Cities. Mauer, a local prodigy, is revered as almost a cult figure and letting him go to the Red Sox or Yankees would have soured the Minnesota fan base.

Ironically, the announcement came on the same day that the club announced star reliever Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss all of the 2010 season.

Does Mauer deserve $184 million in this economy? That can be largely debated. But considering it was widely known that Mauer had a strong desire to stay with the Twins, $23 million seems a little steep on a mid-market team.

Although the Twins are moving into new Target Field this year, which should provide additional revenue streams for years to come.

And yes, Mauer is an absolute hitting stud, a career .327 hitter, who ran away with the batting tile with a .365 average last year, while launching a stunning 28 home runs despite not playing all of April.

Still, 2009 was by far a career year for Mauer, who had never hit more than 13 home runs in any other season. Plus, he's battled injuries throughout his early career and at 6-foot-5 with quad issues, Mauer may end up being forced to switch to first or third base, somewhat minimizing his value as a catcher.

But I applaud the Twins for not being cheap, for locking up their homegrown star. It's a rarity in this day and age.

Fantasy spin: Ouch on the Nathan news. Not that it's surprising. Jon Rauch, who has closed for 40 innings, has to be the front-runner to take over, but Pat Neshek isn't a bad late-round option. As far as Mauer's prospects, it's hard to believe he's suddenly a 35-HR guy after no signs of this his previous five major league seasons. The average will always anchor your team and he's clearly the best catching option, but think low 20's in the power department when you're drafting this year. He'll probably go for low-to-mid $30-dollar range in auction drafts. Late first or early second should be the earliest you'd consider him in conventional drafts, unless you have strong Minnesota ties, in which case, take him first overall and enjoy the ride. Why not.

Top 100 (with auction values)

2010-03-19T13:44:00.003-04:00

(Auction values based on a $260 budget)

1. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals ($42)
2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins ($39)
3. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies ($37)
4. Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers ($37)
5. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees ($36)
6. Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants ($34)
7. Matt Kemp, OF, Dodgers ($34)
8. Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers ($32)
9. Joe Mauer, C, Twins ($31)
10. Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies ($31)
11. Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays ($30)
12. Roy Halladay, SP, Phillies ($29)
13. Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees ($29)
14. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers ($28)
15. Matt Holliday, OF, Cardinals ($27)
16. Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners ($26)
17. Zack Greinke, SP, Royals ($26)
18. CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees ($24)
19. Carl Crawford, OF, Rays ($24)
20. David Wright, 3B, Mets ($24)
21. Grady Sizemore, OF, Indians ($23)
22. Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers ($23)
23. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies ($22)
24. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres ($22)
25. Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers ($22)
26. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox ($22)
27. Justin Upton, OF, Diamondbacks ($22)
28. Dan Haren, SP, Diamondbacks ($21)
29. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals ($21)
30. Curtis Granderson, OF, Yankees ($19)
31. Adam Lind, OF, Blue Jays ($19)
32. Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox ($19)
33. Jason Bay, OF, Mets ($19)
34. Johan Santana, SP, Mets ($18)
35. Jon Lester, SP, Red Sox ($18)
36. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees ($18)
37. Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins ($18)
38. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees ($18)
39. Mark Reynolds, 3B, Diamondbacks ($18)
40. Cliff Lee, SP, Mariners ($18)
41. Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels ($17)
42. Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies ($17)
43. Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals ($17)
44. Victor Martinez, C, Red Sox ($17)
45. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Giants ($17)
46. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds ($17)
47.Josh Johnson, SP, Marlins ($17)
48. Brian McCann, C, Braves ($17)
49. Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox ($17)
50. Aaron Hill, 2B, Blue Jays ($17)
51. Chris Carpenter, SP, Cardinals ($16)
52. Jose Reyes, SS, Mets ($16)
53. Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers ($16)
54. Manny Ramirez, OF, Dodgers ($16)
55. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners ($16)
56. Chone Figgins, 3B, Mariners ($16)
57. Nick Markakis, OF, Orioles ($16)
58. Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds ($16)
59. Jayson Werth, OF, Phillies ($15)
60. Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox ($15)
61. Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Indians ($15)
62. Yovani Gallardo, SP, Brewers ($15)
63. Javier Vazquez, SP, Yankees ($15)
64. Nelson Cruz, OF, Rangers ($15)
65. Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees ($15)
66. Bobby Abreu, OF, Angels ($15)
67. Carlos Lee, OF, Astros ($15)
68. Ben Zobrist, 2B, Rays ($15)
69. Jonathan Broxton, RP, Dodgers ($14)
70. Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Rockies ($14)
71. Derrek Lee, 1B, Cubs ($14)
72. Tommy Hanson, SP, Braves ($14)
73. Shane Victorino, OF, Phillies ($14)
74. Brian Roberts, 2B, Orioles ($14)
75. Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers ($14)
76. Jonathan Papelbon, RP, Red Sox ($14)
77. Adam Dunn, 1B, Nationals ($14)
78. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Cubs ($13)
79. B.J. Upton, OF, Rays ($13)
80. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers ($13)
81. Jake Peavy, SP, White Sox ($13)
82. Cole Hamels, SP, Phillies ($13)
83. Jason Bartlett, SS, Rays ($13)
84. Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros ($12)
85. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates ($12)
86. Billy Butler, 1B, Royals ($12)
87. Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins ($11)
88. Alexei Ramirez, SS, White Sox ($11)
89. Matt Cain, SP, Giants ($11)
90. Adam Jones, OF, Orioles ($11)
91. Torii Hunter, OF, Angels ($11)
92. Hunter Pence, OF, Astros ($11)
93. Carlos Quentin, OF, White Sox ($10)
94. Gordon Beckham, 3B, White Sox ($10)
95. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles ($10)
96. John Lackey, SP, Red Sox ($10)
97. Garrett Jones, OF, Pirates ($10)
98. Raul Ibanez, OF, Phillies ($10)
99. Carlos Pena, 1B, Rays ($10)
100. Jair Jurrjens, SP, Braves ($10)

Knights to host White Sox in exhibition

2010-03-03T22:27:00.002-05:00

Welcome Paul Konerko.

And you too, Juan Pierre.

Alex Rios, Carlos Quentin, Gordon Beckham ... lemme get the door for you.

Yes, the parents are coming to town (aka the Chicago White Sox) to scrimmage your very own Charlotte Knights. On April 1 at 7 p.m., you'll be able to watch big league baseball right here in Charlotte.

Well, Fort Mill. But it's so close, you won't know you've crossed the state line.

And who knows, you may even catch Jake Peavy on the mound, although being the Thursday before opening day, it will probably be one of Chicago's back-end rotation guys.

It's only the second time the ChiSox have come to Charlotte to play the Knights. In 1999, to kick off their new affiliation with the Knights, Chicago came down for a friendly. The last time MLB held an exhibition game was 2001 when the White Sox played the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) in front of over 12,000 fans.

Tickets are $12-$19 and can be bought at charlotteknights.com or at 704-357-8071.

Hot Stove winners: American League

2010-02-24T15:47:00.006-05:00

The skies are sunny. The mercury is rising. Pitchers and catchers have settled into their routine.

Baseball is back. And so is the fantasy baseblog, after an off-season hiatus.

Obviously, we've got a lot of ground to cover. And fast. Over the next week or so, we'll break down the winners and losers this off-season from both leagues.

We'll start with American League Winners:

1. Seattle Mariners: If the M's only would have added Cliff Lee to their rotation, I would probably have made a spot for them on this list. He's a bona fide No. 1 on a team already blessed with one of the top arms in all of baseball. Oh, and while they were at it, Seattle locked up their ace Felix Hernandez to a five-year, $78 million contract that may look like a genius move a couple years from now. Either pitcher would look nice anchoring your rotation.

But the Mariners didn't just upgrade their rotation. Adding Chone Figgins in lieu of Adrian Beltre was smart, even if he was a tad pricey (4 years, $36 million). Hitting ahead or behind Ichiro is a recipe for fantasy greatness, so don't shy away from Figgy, even if he's leaving base-swapping haven Anaheim.

One move I didn't like is adding Milton Bradley, not so much because of chemistry issues, but because MB is never healthy. But they shed Carlos Silva, signed to possibly the worst pitching contract in baseball history, so that move is a wash.

Adding Casey Kochman and Ryan Garko at 1B doesn't isn't going to keep the turnstiles cranking, but I do like wrapping up promising young outfielder Franklin Guiterrez to a long-term deal. Keep a close eye on him, especially in keeper leagues.

2. New York Yankees: The rich get richer. The poor get kids. An old family joke there. But seriously, we've all heard this song before. Sure, they said goodbye to Hideke Matsui, Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera, but in return they added Curtis Granderson, Randy Winn, Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez.

Cash register receipt, please. Yup, Yankees came out ahead. Again.

If you're a Boston fan, obviously you're not happy, but I give them credit for not resting after winning it all this off-season. The biggest add here is Granderson and hitting in the top of that lineup in that park, I don't need to tell you that he should be on your radar as a top-tier OF. Yes, 30/30 with 100 RBI and 120 runs is possible, if Girardi gives him the full green light.

Johnson and Winn won't be huge fantasy contributors, but Johnson, if he hits in the top 5, could be a sneaky late-round pickup as that porch in right field is awfully short (just ask Johnny Damon). Keep Johnson's name handy.

Vazquez is the interesting subject. After a fantastic 2009 with the Braves (15-10, 2.87 ERA, 238 Ks), he returns to the scene where his fantasy reputation was almost permanently damaged in 2004. But consider he did have back issues he pitched through the second half of that season and maybe it wasn't that he couldn't handle the bright lights. I'm guessing someone will overpay for him this year, as he'll struggle to repeat those numbers in the A.L. East.

3. Minnesota Twins: Love the J.J. Hardy-Carlos Gomez trade. If anything, the Twins don't have to keep reminding themselves what an awful move they made in the Santana Sweepstakes (think that Jon Lester/Jacoby Ellsbury package is looking good right about now?). Gomez may never quite pan out as an everyday start, forget about a fantasy elite guy, but he gets a change of scenery. Hardy could put up big numbers in a deceptively powerful Twins lineup and SS is a skimpy position this year.

Yes, the Twinkies added Jim Thome and brought back Carl Pavano, but I don't want either guy on my team. Just not a believer in Pavano, even after a very solid 2009. Thome won't get the ABs, unless there's an injury. Did really like the Orlando Hudson signing and he's a nice middle infielder option (2B is way too deep of a position to have the O-Dog as your guy, unless your league is 14-teams or bigger).

The internet was ablaze earlier this month about Joe Mauer and the Twins agreeing on a 10-year deal. Seems like that was just a rumor, but don't be surprised if something gets hammered out soon. Both parties want this to happen. And bad. The fan base is begging for it. Just don't be duped into bidding $50 or more for Mauer in an auction. Yes, he's the best catcher, but he doesn't have the power track record to back that up.

Honorable Mention: The Chicago White Sox. Their only significant add was Juan Pierre, which could turn into the CF/leadoff guy they've been desperately craving. But baseball's Frenchman turns 33 in August. Not to mention his arm strength is fallen off so bad, Johnny Damon is calling him up to go to the radar booths at the county fair.

OK, I'll get to the point. The Pale Hose, as my Jacksonville buddy likes to call them, potentially upgraded significantly at the trading deadline last year. Trading for Jake Peavy and Alex Rios were two gutsy move. Both guy's stock had dipped into a dangerous territory, but still have tremendous upside. If Peavy can get right again, the White Sox are instant favorites.

And for those of you who want a good laugh every now again, check out manager Ozzie Guillen's Twitter page, with Tweets in English and Spanish. He's promised Kenny Williams he'll keep it unsalty.

2010 Keepers: Catcher

2009-10-21T20:11:00.003-04:00

Paging Matt Wieters, paging Matt Witers...

If there ever was a thin position in a keeper league, the 2010 catcher crop is it.

Which is where Wieters becomes very much an enigma. So much promise, yet so much disappointment until the middle of September hit.

Wieters ripped off 4 HR and 16 RBI in the final 19 games, including five games with three hits.

Significant? Perhaps.

Wieters was hitting .239 on July 18, but finished with a strong .288 average.

I've got him as a definite maybe, but if you have a man crush, then go ahead and retain his services.

Definite Keepers
Joe Mauer
Victor Martinez

Definitely Maybe
Brian McCann
Jorge Posada
Matt Wieters

Only in Deeper Leagues
Benji Molina
Kurt Suzuki

2010 Keepers: 3B

2009-10-20T18:45:00.003-04:00

Two thrilling walkoff HRs in one night?

You can't beat playoff time.

Unless your favorite team and fantasy both tanked and have moved quickly onto football.

But let's stop for a second and talk about third. As in the hot corner.

Who do you keep and who do you throw back? It's fairly straightforward as we look forward to the 2010 draft.

Definite Keepers (10 team, 6 keeper league)

Miguel Cabrera

Mark Reynolds

Alex Rodriguez

Evan Longoria

Ryan Zimmerman

David Wright

Kevin Youkilis

Definitely Maybe

Chone Figgins

Pablo Sandoval

Only in deeper leagues

Michael Young

Commentary: Chipper Jones, Mike Lowell and Scott Rolen, you are honorably dismissed from the third base keeper discussion. You all served this position well, but age and injury have caught up to you and you're no longer keepable. Keeper is largely based on youth and projection of stats, not what you've done for me lately -- or two years ago. There will likely be little argument with anyone on this list. Each definite keeper finished in the top 40 of Yahoo's ranking this year with the exceptions of ARod and Wright, who both missed time. Wright could be moved to the maybe list, if you honestly believe his power has been zapped, but I don't think that's the case. A return to 25 HR is likely and I wouldn't be surprised if they moved the fences in at Citi. Young, if he was 5 years younger, would be definite material, but he's not, so he's not. Figgins and Sandoval are both tough calls. Consult your roster for final verdict. If you have no other speed, go ahead and retain Figgy's services. Sandoval just turned 23, folks, making him a very tough call and I would definitely keep him in 12-team or greater formats. The hot corner is just not that deep.

2010 Keepers: SS

2009-10-09T12:29:00.003-04:00

For all you disgruntled Jose Reyes owners out there, take a deep breath.

Sure, you were burnt by a Top 5 pick this season. Reyes' hamstring issues probably kept you from contending all year, but if you're in a keeper league, do you still hang onto Mr. Excitement?

How could you not?

OK, there's the feat that he won't fully recover, but he's only having surgery to remove the scar tissue, not to repair the September tear, which tells me it's not as bad as some of his early-career hamstring woes.

Anyone with 70-SB, 15-HR potential has to be given a longer leash, even if he only had 147 at-bats this year.

My advice would be try to find the Reyes owner in your league right now and make a low-ball offer while his 2010 outlook is still somewhat murky. He may be thinking of throwing him back in the pot next year anyway.

As far as the rest of the SS position, it's pretty much slim pickens out there. Here's how I see it.

Definite Keepers

Hanley Ramirez

Troy Tulowitzki

Derek Jeter

Jimmy Rollins

Jose Reyes

Definite Maybe

Jason Bartlett

Michael Young

Only in deeper leagues

Yunel Escobar

Alexei Ramirez

Commentary: Outside of Reyes, Bartlett is probably the toughest call here. I would like to see more than one pretty good year to elevate him into "Definite" status. If you drafted him this year, you probably rode his 30 SB and .320 average to a high finish and may want to reward him. I have no prob with that. The average may be a one-time deal (career .298 hitter in the minors), and there's not a lot supporting his 14 HR this year, but the speed is for real. Rollins finished as a top-80 player after one of the worst starts in MLB history (17/14, .272 after the break), but I would understand if you lost faith in his elite status. Escobar reminds me of someone who's on the cusp of breaking out, but I'd still be surprised if it happened. I don't think we know what we have with Alexei, another big disappointment this year. Tons of raw talent, which makes you at least stop and think before sending his services back.

2010 Keepers: 2B

2009-10-06T16:41:00.002-04:00

Remember when this position used to be Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler and everyone else?

Those days are over.

Sure, Utley still is proably the king of second, but the gap is getting very, very thin with the emergence of Aaron Hill and Ben Zobrist.

So let's get down to brass tax.

Definite Keepers (based on 6 keepers in 10-team league):

Chase Utley

Ian Kinsler

Aaron Hill

Ben Zobrist

Definitely Maybe

Chone Figgins

Robinson Cano

Brian Roberts

Brandon Phillips

Only in deeper leagues

Jose Lopez

Dan Uggla

Chris Coughlan

Ian Stewart

Commentary: If there's anything to take away from this year, it's that the second base position is deeper than ever. Ideally, you grab one of the top 8, as there's a bit of a dropoff after Phillips, but even then, an improving Lopez or power-heavy Uggla isn't exactly a door-prize juicer. The real question is do you believe the hype with Hill and Zobrist? Hill has been primed for a breakout, but 36 HR? That's borderline ridiculous. But still, the runs, RBIs with a modest average is hard to ignore. And Zobrist, coming out of nowhere with a 27/17 season, has earned a spot as an everyday player in Tampa, so much so that there's rumors of the Rays dealing the disappointing B. J. Upton this offseason. Figgins, Cano, Phillips and Roberts all had nice rebounding seasons, but let the rest of your roster determine whether or not to bring back their services. Remember, in terms of depth, second base is the new first base

2010 Keepers: 1B

2009-10-05T18:20:00.002-04:00

With your season officially in the rear-view mirror and the MLB playoffs to look forward to, there's only one thing left to discuss:

How did this year's fantasy season go so bad...

No. It doesn't do any good to wallow in the past. Time to look forward.

Time to take an early look at next year, specifically those in keeper leagues.

Let's start at 1B and work our way around the diamond.

Definite Keepers (10 team, 6 keeper league):

Albert Pujols

Prince Fielder

Ryan Howard

Mark Teixeira

Miguel Cabrera

Adrian Gonzalez

Kevin Youkilis

Victor Martinez

Kendry Morales

Borderline

Derek Lee

Carlos Pena

Adam Dunn

Pablo Sandoval

Joey Votto

Michael Cuddyer

Only in deep leagues

Lance Berkman

Billy Butler

Jose Lopez

Commentary: Morales a keeper? Really, the only difference between him and Cabrera this year was 20 batting average points. Sure, Morales has only one full year of a track record, but he's still relatively young (26) and hits in a top 5 lineup. He'll be gone by the third round next year. Derek Lee not a lock? You have to look at his past 3 years and even with 35 HR this season, he's only averaging 25 a season. Plus he just turned 34. Adam Dunn's .267 average is a bonus, but he probably won't repeat that, knocking him down a notch. Same with Carlos Pena (.227), who tied for the AL home run lead (39) despite missing the final month. Both those guys drag your average down too much to be considered locks. And what happened to Lance Berkman? He'll be 34 this offseason and not only does the HRs trend downward, but he quit running (7 SB compared to 18 in 2008). This position will be way too deep in '10. Billy Butler, the man who hits everything, is showing real signs of life, but I'd like to see him take just one more step. And Mark Reynolds? Well, he won't qualify at 1B, or else the answer would be without hesitation, yes.

Thoughts?

Has Morales reached keeper status?

2009-08-31T00:58:00.002-04:00

If you saw this coming, raise your hand.

Very few even drafted Angels 1B Kendry Morales, and those that did, like in our 10-team Observer league, dropped him after a slow start.

He was picked up, dropped, picked up. I've traded him away and back twice.

But after Friday night's 5-for-5, 2 HR, 6-RBI, I think it's as clear as it is that the Cubs are out of the playoff chase that Morales is a 2010 keeper.

I'll explain on the other side of this video (Kendry's 2nd HR on Friday):

Entering 2009, Morales had 12 HR in 377 at-bats. So far, he's belted 30 HR in 454 ABs.

Surprising? Hardly.

Anyone who's followed Morales' power-filled minor league career knew that he brought 30-HR and 130-RBI power (over 162 games). Those numbers don't always convey, but often times they need no translator.

What's separating Morales from a lot of other power guys is he's hitting .311 this year. With 94 RBI already, we're looking at a likely 36-HR, 115-RBI season with plus-.300 average.

That's nearly Miguel Cabrera-esque.

Morales is a career .337 minor league hitter, so a dropoff to the .270 range in future years seems as unlikely as Scott Kazmir regaining his 2007/2008 form and playing up to the $21 million the Angels will owe him after picking him up for prospects. (Kazmir does start his first game with the Angels on Wednesday and could be a little better with a change of scenery).

Back to the keeper question. Sure, 1B is a deep position. I still wouldn't rank Morales ahead of the big 7 (Pujols, Reynolds, Fielder, Howard, Cabrera, Teixeira, Morneau), but I think he's every bit as valuable as Youkilis, Gonzalez, Dunn, Pena, Lee or Martinez.

Morales is still young (just turned 26 in June) and could be a 40/120/.310 guy for years to come in what should be a potent Angels lineup for the foreseeable future.

Rarely does one night in baseball elevate a guy into the keeper ranks, but in this case, i'll take a front-row seat on the Morales bandwagon.

Tips on finishing the year, and one great catch

2009-08-23T16:14:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the grind. Six weeks left in the season and you may find yourself toiling in the middle of the pack.

But now is not the time to pack it in. The guy one or two spots ahead of you might be turning his attention to football. How easy to look forward to a fresh start.

You, however, must stay hungry.

Just like the Cubs freshly called-up outfielder Sam Fuld, who was handed one start by coach Lou Piniella and he's playing so well, Piniella keeps sitting slumping Alfonso Soriano.

He's hungry. He wants it. Maximum effort. Hustling on the base paths. Battling each pitch at the plate.

And then there was this catch yesterday, one of the gutsiest plays of the season, risking his face just to catch a ball.

Let me give you three practical tips as we hit the home stretch.

1). Manage categories. This may seem like fantasy 101, but if you are so far out of it in power stats, don't keep picking up Hideki Matsui, trying to squeeze a few more HR and RBI when you can't realistically catch the next guy. If you can catch a handful of guys in speed, go grab the Rangers fleet-footed Julio Borbon.

2). Keep inventory on playing time. If you have borderline guys who are on teams that are out of the playoff race, it might be time to chuck 'em back into the waiver pile. Think the A's will keep giving Jack Cust at-bats, when they have all those young outfielders they'd like to take a look at? If you're still hoping Mike Jacobs gives you that late power, think again. The Royals likely have seen all they need of Jacobs and will be giving other prospects a cup of coffee. Likewise, if a team clinches a playoff spot, playing time might also become scarce (i.e. don't be afraid to sit Manny that final week if the Dodgers clinch).

3). Visit the stream room. It's not the most popular way to finish out a season, but you may be in a situation to start streaming starting pitchers, if the gains in Ks and Ws are greater than what you can (and will) lose in ERA/WHIP. Look at those specific categories right now and it might be time to use one or two of your SP spots as a revolving door. Take a look at the best options for the next day's pitchers and roll the dice on the best matchup. This doesn't always work, but it's a lot funner trying and failing than doing nothing. After all, half the fun of playing fantasy is having fun. So finish the year by having fun.

Wright, Kuroda, Kinsler suffer head beanings

2009-08-16T23:29:00.003-04:00

Two of the worst-looking head injuries in baseball happened on the same day Saturday.

Fortunately, both seem to be fine.

First, a 95-MPH fastball from the San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain got away from him, drilling Mets All-Star 3B David Wright in the head.

Wright was put on the DL with post-concussion symptoms after staying overnight in a Manhattan hotel.

Here's video. Queasy stomachs need not watch.

The second brutal head injury came when Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda was smacked on the head by a scorching line drive off the bat of Diamondbacks' Rusty Ryal.

Kuroda laid on the ground for several minutes, clutching his head, but never losing consciousness. A CT scan revealed no fractures or bleeding. Reportedly the first thing Kuroda asked at the hospital was, translated, "did they catch the ball that went off my head?"

Here's a clip of Kuroda. Again, women and small children may want to pass.

Ian Kinsler was also drilled in the head, although it did not seem as severe (and there's no YouTube video ... yet). Kinsler shook it off and stayed in the game. Earlier he homered and stole a base.

Read more about the status of Kinsler, Wright and Kuroda here.

Few good seats left for Peavy in Charlotte

2009-08-12T11:41:00.003-04:00

There are very few times when a Cy Young winner will pitch at Knights Stadium.

Thursday, however, Charlotte will be treated to 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy making a rehab start against Pawtucket in Fort Mill.

Game time is 7:15 p.m. and a few good seats remain although they're going quick.

Peavy, traded about 4 minutes before the trade deadline on July 31 from the Padres to the White Sox, has a 3.97 ERA, uncharacteristically high, although several of his starts came on a bad ankle.

Peavy strained a tendon in his ankle in late May and finally hit the shelf on June 9 after trying to be a warrior and pitch on in it a couple times. No dice.

As of 10 minutes ago, you could still get seats in the Field Box and Lower Reserve sections, although it was as far down the line as you can get. General Admission seats ($7) are also still available on the Knights web site.

Another possible rehab start on Aug. 18 would be in Durham, if it's with the Knights.

Fantasy spin: A long-time fantasy stud, Peavy went 19-6 in 2007, striking out 240 batters with a 2.54 ERA. Hopefully, you've either traded Peavy for something valuable shortly after he went down, or you've stashed him on your bench. Look for a boost to your strikeouts and wins, along with mild help to your ERA/WHIP as Peavy now pitches in hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Park. Don't trade him now, unless you can get 70 cents on the dollar.

Upton on DL; Cruz next? Bay hamming it up

2009-08-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

Just a couple quick injury updates to help you get through your weekend.

Justin Upton: Up 4-2 in the 9th on Wednesday, Upton tried stealing second and wouldn't you know it. The official diagnosis is straight right oblique muscle, but the AZ brass is hopeful Upton pops off the DL as soon as he's eligible.

Fantasy spin: Anytime a hitter with 20 HR and 16 bags, who hits in the heart of an order hits the shelf, the first trip to the waiver wire gives you the willies. D'Back reserve Alex Romero could be a decent fill-in for Upton. Another option that is Parra for the course (groan) is Gerardo Parra, who will give you the occasional steal or long ball, while racking up plenty of runs and a .280-ish average. If you need speed, take Lastings Milledge for a ride. Now, if power is your main need, your best bet is David Murphy, the best thing named Murphy since the bed, who's hitting third for the Rangers while Nelson Cruz likely goes on the DL (see below).

Nelson Cruz: If losing Upton hurts, losing Cruz may bring tears. It's not official that he's headed to the shelf, but Cruz couldn't even throw before Thursday's game because his sprained ankle was too tender. After a 25-HR, 17-SB season, this year's best offensive surprise not named Mark Reynolds has just screeched into a parking spot in the proverbial fantasy garage. The Rangers are trying to avoid the DL with Cruz, as they're still fighting for a playoff spot, but this weekend's looking like a no-go, so get ready for Plan B.

Jason Bay: Bay is likely out Friday and possibly longer as he is quoted on ESPN.com as saying he has "no idea how much time he'll miss" after injuring his right hamstring. Bay had slumped after a torrid start so a break might be perfect timing. Still, if you're in daily-move leagues, keep your ear to the ground on this one.

Jake Peavy: For those of you holding tight, keep squeezing. ESPNChicago.com says Peavy could be making his White Sox debut on Aug. 28 in the Bronx against the Yankees. No pressure there.

Torii Hunter: One word you don't want to hear if you're a Torri owner. Setback. The strained muscle in his side is not healed properly and the rehab assignment has been scratched for now. The dream season is quickly turning nightmarish, if you've kept a lot of stock in the Angles CF.

Late trade roundup: Peavy to ChiSox

2009-07-31T18:24:00.004-04:00

This time, it's for realsies.

Jake Peavy, the Padres ace, sidelined since June 9 with a bum ankle, was dealt to the Chicago White Sox today for a wheel barrel of youngsters: Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell.

Back in May, Peavy was traded to the South Siders, only to turn it down, which he has the authority with a full no-trade clause.

This time, he consented.

“He never said no, he just said ‘not yet,”’ White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said.

Richard, who you may have seen a time or two at the Knights Castle, is the most major-league ready of the bunch, throwing back-to-back gems and has a 4.65 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He was also scheduled to pitch tonight for the Pale Hose.

Peavy (6-6, 3.97) was having a down year, although apparently pitching through ankle issues his final four starts or so.

He's expected to be back on the field in late August.

In other late trade news...

JOHNSON TO FISH: Nationals 1B Nick Johnson was traded to the Marlins for AA starter Aaron Thompson.

ROLEN TO REDS: Toronto 3B Scott Rolen was dealt to the Blue Jays for Edwin Encarnacion and an unnamed minor-leaguer.

HARRISTON JR. TO YANKS: Jerry Harriston Jr. was sent to the Bronx for catching prospect Chad Weems

BEIMEL MILE HIGH: Steady reliever Joe Biemel was traded to the Rockies for two unnamed prospects.

LAROCHE BACK TO ATLANTA: This was in the previous blog, and it's a minor note, but it bears repeating....Adam LaRoche was traded to Atlanta for 1B counterpart Casey Kotchman. Huh?

GONZALEZ, HALLADAY STAY PUT: The Toronto Blue Jays' price was too high for anyone to meet and the Doc, Roy Halladay will stay in Toronoto. ... The Dodgers kicked the tires on Adrian Gonzalez, throwing out James Loney and a few other names, but San Diego wasn't biting.

Tweet: V-Mart to Boston official

2009-07-31T14:13:00.012-04:00

Through the magic of Twitter, we've learned that, it is likely, in fact, that the Indians are about to deal 1B/C Victor Martinez to the Red Sox, waiting the confirmation of, well, anything really.

Actually the source is solid. USA Today writer Bob Nightengale is the one who broke it on his Twitter page. Ed Price at upstart AOL Fanhouse also has Twittered that it "looks good" a deal will happen. Fox Sports also supports the validity, in a non-Twitter story.

Of course, in this Twitter age, by the time I hit publish post, the news may be completely changed, so stay tuned.

(UPDATE: Nightengale has just posted a Tweet that the deal is offiical and the haul is pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. Hagadone and Price were first-round picks for Boston in 2007 and 2008 and both were currently pitching like top prospects in AA Greenville).

Wait, things just changed. No. That was a false Facebook flury. Some Yankee fan trying to make a joke.

No word from MySpace, if anyone still has an account there. And I'll check to see if there's any trade commentary on YouTube (just as soon as I re-watch the JK Wedding Entrance).

You had to know technology would be flying fast and furious on baseball's version of Christmas Eve.

Will your team make the critical move to get over the hump? Or stay pat.

Here's a couple other nuggets from today:

Twins acquire Orlando Cabrera from the A's for SS Tyler Ladendorf, a young, cheap, talented Billy Beane special.
Musical chairs continues for Adam LaRoche, who just finished filling out his change of address forms. LaRoche is headed back to Atlanta, as Boston now has a logjam at first with Martinez. LaRoche broke into the bigs with the Braves in 2004 before being traded to Pittsburgh before the 2007 season.
The Padres have been listening to offers for 1B Adrian Gonzalez, but appear to be holding onto their only real offensive weapon. Rumor has it, had they traded Gonzalez, Selig was going to ship them to the Pacific Coast League.
Tigers get resurgent starter Jarrod Washburn from the M's for pitcher Luke French and pitching prospect Mauricio Robles. I still like the Twins or White Sox chances better to win the AL Central.
Roy Halladay appears to be staying in Toronto. This isn't news, but it's worth repeating. Toronto's price was just too high.
Mariners had six teams trying to pry Felix Hernandez loose, and like a stubborn fantasy owner in a keeper league, Seattle has wisely said no thanks.
After snapping up LHP George Sherrill yesterday, the Dodgers sent Claudio Vargas to Milwaukee for C Vinny Rottino. As a side note for those of you in dynasty leagues, it might be time to go out and grab 3B Josh Bell, the main piece in the Sherrill trade. I'm hearing Bell has the talent to be manning the O's hot corner for the next decade. And they've got quite an impressive young offense brewing in Baltimore.

Does Ortiz steroid news taint Red Sox titles?

2009-07-31T00:38:00.005-04:00

We're all sick of this 2003 steroid test.

Arod. Sammy.

Now, Ortiz and Manny.

Well, we've known Manny Ramirez hasn't been clean for awhile, but David Ortiz?

Big Papi?

This, after just a few months ago, he came out and drew a hard line in the sand, saying if someone tested positive, "Ban 'em for a year."

Hypocrisy? You be the judge.

Was he the only one doing it? Not hardly. We've beat this drum before and most people think 70 percent or higher of all baseball players were using. And we've long had the discussion on whether it should taint the all-time records.

We've all thought about the Barry Bonds asterisks. The Great Home Run Chase of 1998? We're all still wondering if we got one pulled over on us during that great Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa theatre.

We've debated on whether or not steroid users should be allowed in baseball's Hall of Fame. Some think they should have a separate category.

But we haven't talked about team accomplishments.

When the Red Sox won in 2004, it was such a huge story in baseball. The curse was broken. Boston fans could finally die happy. And then they won it again in 2007.

But are these championships legit?

Technically, sure. But what will public opinion say?

Ortiz and Ramirez were the Red Sox offense that year. They combined for 88 home runs and 269 RBI that season. That's over half the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team last season (153).

But it was Big Papi's clutch hitting, night after night, that people look back on and for the first time are starting to see how much it has affected baseball, and to a degree, how much we were all duped.

Great theatre? Or great acting?

Ortiz hit .400 that postseason with 5 HR and 19 RBI in 14 games.

I'll give Papi credit for facing the media, although he did so without actually saying anything:

Is there any wonder why Ortiz only hit 38 career HR in about 1,200 at-bats before signing with the Red Sox, then ripped off seasons of 31, 41, 47 and 54.

Oh, and since baseball's testing and penalties have ratcheted up? He hit 23 HR last year and has 14 this season, hitting .225.

Know what the difference between a 20-HR guy and a 40-HR guy is?

About $15 million a year.

Longtime Twins teammate and good friend Torii Hunter said it best.

"This hurts, this really hurts," Hunter told ESPN.com. "I don't know what to think about this. I guess you just never know what people do in the dark.

"I still love him but at the same time it's tough to hear that. I know it's going to be tough on him and tough on his family once this gets out. It's Big Papi, man, it's the Big Dog of Boston and he helped win two World Series with those guys, with the clutch hits. And now all those things are going to be tainted.

Tainted.

Pretty strong language.

And after about 8 hours to digest the situation, I can't disagree.

Kicked ball not ruled a catch?

2009-07-29T13:19:00.002-04:00

Did you catch this?

Well, Delwyn Young did, a spectacular grab by the Pirates 2B after left-fielder Garrett Jones made an acrobatic kick save in one of the craziest plays in recent baseball memory.

But the umpired ruled it a hit. Read for yourself here.

See for yourself below. Yet another argument for instant replay on all baseball plays, not just boundary calls.

Although I'm still not for it. It's a slippery slope.

Former Knight Wise saves Buehrle perfect game

2009-07-23T18:14:00.008-04:00

Mark Buehrle may not believe in Déjà Vu.

But he's got to be a little suspicious after today.

Chicago LHP Buehrle spun a perfect game against the Tampa Bay this afternoon, the first perfect game since Randy Johnson's 2004 gem, and only the 16th pitcher to accomplish the feat in MLB history. That's not the Déjà part.

This is. On April 18, 2007, Buehrle threw a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers in a game lasting 2 hours and 3 minutes. Guess how long today's perfect game lasted? Yup: 2:03.

That's not all. Eric Cooper was the home plate umpire during Buehrle's 2007 no-no. Who was behind the plate today? Why, of course, Mr. Cooper.

You realize there's 68 full-time MLB umpires out there, right?

Perhaps less Déjà but still with plenty of Vu is that each game featured a great catch in center field. In 2007, Aaron Rowand banged up against the fence to save the no-hitter, while former Charlotte Knight DeWayne Wise did Rowan one better.

Gabe Kapler drove a 2-2 pitch into left-center, where Wise made possibly the best clutch perfect game-saving catch anyone can remember.

"I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it," said Buehrle, who received a congratulatory call from President Obama, an unabashed White Sox fan.

Wise sprinted to exactly the perfect spot, robbed Kapler of a home run, but the impact of hitting the wall jarred the ball loose, temporarily dislodging it before Wise snagged it with his bare-hand as he fell to the ground.

And Wise had just entered the game that inning as a defensive replacement.

Check it out yourself:

"I was so pumped when I caught it," Wise said. "It was an unbelievable feeling."

Nobody knew that more than Buehrle. I'd say dinner at Ruth's Chris is on him sometime very soon.

Fantasy Spin: A quick quiz: Who belongs to which set of numbers? 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 3.66, 1.24 WHIP. The first is Buehrle and the second is Yankees' C.C. Sabathia. Sure, Sabathia also comes with a truckload of K's, but Buehrle is worst-case a poor-man's version with similar other numbers. The lefty struck out six on Thursday and now sports a 3.28 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 11 wins. Frankly, I still can't get the taste of 2006 out of my mouth, but even with 120-130 Ks a year, he's still a top 35 pitching option.

Kazmir, Soriano snap out of it

2009-07-18T22:36:00.004-04:00

Is it ever too late to amend for a bad season?

Scott Kazmir and Alfonso Soriano are trying to make up quickly for lost time. But is it enough to make owners forget about an awful first half?

Doubtful.

Actually, it's Rays and Cubs fans that probably need the most convincing, but Saturday night showed promise for both.

Kazmir: The Rays struggling lefty had lost velocity on his fastball this year. From 95 to 90, Kazmir had regained a couple ticks recently, back up to 92 and tonight, while walking four Royals, the lefty did pitch six solid innings, giving up just 4 hits and 1 ER.

No, you probably can't go out and swap him straight-up for Javier Vazquez, but his stock did raise a bit. Still concerning is the low K total (3 Ks) and is more reminiscent of lefty Joe Saunders than Clayton Kershaw.

Kazmir did leave the game early, in the 7th, but mlb.com is reporting it was just mild cramping and he should be OK.

Soriano: The bad news is he struck out three times tonight. The good news is he jacked a 3-run home run in his old stomping grounds, and lifted the Cubs to a 6-5 win over the Nationals. It also gave hard-luck starter Randy Wells a makeup victory from several he should've won back in May.

Probably most encouraging wasn't so much that Soriano went yard, it was how he did it -- opposite field. And even impressive was that the $136 million man even played, as he jammed his pinkie finger on Thursday and was possibly going to miss the entire series as of Friday night.

My professional advice, as a Soriano owner, is to just be patient. Dropping him, or selling him for pennies will not end well for you. Soriano still has 15 jacks, despite not hitting a HR since June 7.

Is he the 40-HR Soriano of old? I wouldn't take that bet, even on 10-1 odds. But he could still smack a dozen HR the rest of the way and steal 6-8 so don't cut your losses now, especially when he's been moved into a prime RBI spot in the Cubs order.

Remember, Soriano has always been streaky. If his knee was really bothering him the past month-plus, you have to hope the under-reported injury of the year has healed enough and that Soriano goes on one of his patented tears like September of 2007 when he carried the Cubs with 14 September homers.

Even LaRussa smiled at Lou's antics

2009-07-13T15:46:00.004-04:00

If Lou Piniella took this one from a book, nobody knows where that library is.

Proving you haven't seen everything yet in baseball, the Cubs manager, with only one lefty in his bullpen, Sean Marshall, used a little razzle dazzle to escape a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the top of the ninth.

With a rightly splitting up two left-handed Cardinals in Sunday night's game, Piniella decided to bring in right-handed Aaron Hielman. Here's where it got interesting.

Piniella electrified the Wrigley crowd, sending Marshall to left field, and bringing in Alfonso Soriano. With Marshall manning left field Hielman threw a steady diet of inside pitches to the right-handed Brendan Ryan before striking him out.

"It was kind of funny to watch Heilman pitch because he was throwing so many pitches inside because if he does hit it will it will be right at me and hopefully I can make a play and throw someone out,” said Marshall.

By now, Wrigley was in a near-frenzy, with fans in the bleachers chanting: “We are Marshall.”

Marshall came back in to pitch, with Reed Johnson going to left field. Marshall struck out Jarrett Hoffpauir, then coaxed a fly ball to Colby Rasmus, that Johnson made a stumbling, diving catch to end the rally and igniting the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crowd.

Still, the Cubs lost 4-2, but it was baseball theatre at its best. Even Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who tries to outstrategize everyone he comes into contact with, could appreciate Piniella's creativity.

“I stopped (Cubs first base coach Matt Sinatro) and said you tell Lou that was a classic," LaRussa said. "It was fun to be a part of it no matter how it turns out. It takes creativity and it takes guts. Lou showed both of them. That was fun actually. It was terrific."

Waiver wired: If Pirates OF Garrett Jones is still on your waiver wire, it's time to find room for him on your roster. Jones is hitting third and was a big reason the Pirates felt comfortable trading Nate McLouth and Najer Morgan. A 25-15 prospect, Jones has hit 5 HR and stole 3 bags in 42 ABs.

After 3-HR night, is it Andruw time?

2009-07-09T23:50:00.001-04:00

Revivals have been started in less obvious places.

But Arlington's hot summer air has been known to defribillate some of baseball's least likely suspects.

Andruw Jones is the latest hitter-left-for-dead, taken off the scrapheap, propped up at home plate and turned into a reliable fantasy player.

In 2007, Sammy Sosa was able to smack 21 HR and drive in 92 runs, albeit while hitting .252, but still finishing higher than anyone thought possible after his swift demise from Wrigley to Camden to the Dominican.

But longtime Braves slugger Andruw Jones is experiencing a stunning turnaround from a 2008 season where he .158 with 3 HR in 209 ABs.

“He’s having a terrific season for them,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s obviously much more comfortable in the batter’s box than he was last year when we saw him with the Dodgers.”

On Wednesday night, Jones matched his total in the span of 5 innings, launching 3 HR in Anaheim, giving him 14 HR and 34 RBI, along with a respectable .250 average in 160 ABs.

“Andruw put us on his back and everyone followed,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Now, the question is will you put Andruw back on your team, after secretly vowing to never trust him again?

My official advice: Be careful.

It's clear Andruw has regained some of his power stroke that led to 368 home runs with the Braves.

The real question: playing time.

Josh Hamilton is back and Nelson Cruz is a fixture in the lineup. That leaves one OF spot for David Murphy, who's been raking lately, and Marlon Byrd.

Fortunately for Jones, the Rangers have grown tired of the K machine Chris Davis and sent him to AAA despite 15 HR in the first half.

Hank Blalock has moved to 1B, opening up the DH spot for Jones, but Davis is bound to come back as soon as he regained his stroke (ala Howie Kendrick), creating a logjam, where Jones may be back to half-time status (he's only on pace for 320 ABs).

Fantasy Spin: If you're starved for power, in an NL or a shallow mixed league, I could endorse the Andruw ticket. As for mixed league pedigree, the RBI and run totals, not to mention the dragging average, should probably be left alone in 10-team leagues or smaller.

If it's any indication, it's been 24 hours since Jones' 3-HR outburst and nobody has taken a flier on Jones in our ultra-competitive 10-team Observer league.

Choo, Lee, Pujols ... and one important holiday

2009-07-04T13:02:00.002-04:00

Fourth of July and baseball. It really doesn't get much better than this.

And in fantasy, this holiday is significant in more ways than one.

Taking a break from the sporting world, Independence Day is truly a significant mark in the history of our country.

Think for a second where we'd be, had it not been for our foresight of our forefathers. Freedom is not cheap and we live in the greatest country there is.

OK, back off my soap box, and onto your fantasy team, which may be struggling mightily in the first half, the 4th of July is very significant.

It's time to take real inventory of where your team is, what categories are lacking, and take action. Whether it's dropping the dead weight, punting categories or trading away excess, the halfway point is your last real chance to make worthwhile change.

Time is running out.

Power surge: In case you've been off-line the past few days, two players have lit the world on fire in one game: the Cubs' Derek Lee and the Indians' Shin Soo-Choo. Both players had a 2-HR, 7-RBI game in the past 48 hours and if somehow you happened to own both, you probably saw a surge in the standings.

Lee was especially disappointing, with just 6 HR and 23 RBI in the first two months of the season. But in the past month, he's racked up 8 HR and 24 RBI and hit over .300, sparking memories of the Triple-Crown-threatening 2005 season. If you gave up on him too early, as I did, shame on you. And if you own him, you might wanna sell high, if you can. Can't imagine him keeping up this pace.

Choo now has 12 HR and 53 RBI. Add in 13 SB and a .301 average and the Indians new cleanup hitter is ranked 20th in the Yahoo! game and is one of the best first-half steals not named Mark Reynolds.

And while we're talking about power surges, The Machine, aka Albert Pujols hit another one last night, this one a grand slam, giving him 31 HR and 82 RBI over the first half, begging one fundamental question:

Why are teams pitching to him?

The Twins said they play the game right and their fans deserve to see them challenge Pujols and not give him a free pass. I say bologna. An intentional walk, when used right, an be the biggest weapon in all of baseball. If managers are afraid to use it, then they deserved to be beaten by arguably the best hitter in the game (and as a Cubs fan, that pains me to say).

Barry Bonds was never pitched to this much in his prime. In 2004, he walked 232 times, most of them intentional. Pujols has just 64 free passes this year at exactly the midway point (81 games).

With no other hitter worth a salt right now in St. Louis, I would walk Pujols every single time, unless the bases were loaded. Make Ryan Ludwick or Chris Duncan beat you. And even then, I'd think about it.

Last year, down two runs, Joe Madden walked the Rangers' Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. And guess what, the Rays retired the next batter and won by a run.

Teams will start to wise up sooner or later and if they don't, pencil the Cardinals in the playoffs.

What's wrong with Big Game James?

2009-07-01T23:40:00.003-04:00

He was dangerously close to becoming the face of the young Rays.

As flashy as Carl Crawford? Well, no? As electric as Scott Kazmir? Not exactly?

As much hype as Evan Longoria? Not even close.

But after James Shields silenced the red-hot Phillies for Tampa Bay's only World Series win last October and finished with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP, both the Rays and fantasy nation were taking note.

His specialty, was somehow keeping runners off base in a loaded AL East, posting back-to-back whips of 1.11 and 1.15. That's what happens when you only walk 36 and 40 runners in consecutive seasons.

But it was Shields' moxie, his big-game reputation, the 1-hitter against the Angles, the beam ball to the Red Sox's Coco Crisp that has endeared him to Tampa fans.

They marketing team was even building campaigns around Big Game, who will gladly pose for a photo with fans.

And while Shields hasn't been near the disappointment of teammate Kazmir or World Series hero Cole Hamels, the WHIP has been very normal.

Shields is now 6-6 after giving up 5 runs (4 earned) against Toronto, with a WHIP of 1.27.

"Once May started, everything started clicking," Shields said after a rare gem on May 19 against the offensively-challenged A's, where he retired 17 in a row.

Shields retired the first eight batters he faced on Thursday, but lost focus as he dropped to 1-4 on the road.

And since the end of April, Big Game has given up 7 or more hits nine times in 13 appearances, including double digits on four occasions. That's more than all of 2008.

“I felt great, I thought I batted today,” said a frustrated Shields.

Fantasy spin: The walk and HR rate are about what they were last year and the K projections have crept back to the 150 neighborhood, so there's no real cause for alarm. And this might be the perfect buy-low opportunity, as Shields may get two more home starts before the break (Toronto and Oakland) and then start off the second half at Kansas City. The Rays, 5 games back of the Red Sox, need him to be the staff horse as most of their rotation has been inconsistent at best.

Smoltz back, but worth a pickup?

2009-06-25T23:56:00.002-04:00

No, the line wasn't pretty: 5 IP, 7 hits, 1 BB, 5 K, 5 ER.

But don't discard John Smoltz's first outing of the season and debut with the Red Sox.

Sure, it came in D.C., but the Nats are a pesky-hitting bunch and when you look at the bigger picture, there were several encouraging signs for Smoltz owners (or all you wanna-be's out there who can't quite muster up the nerve).

Rust factor: For starters, 4 of the 5 runs came in the first, as did 4 of the 7 hits and the lone walk. In anyone's first inning, there's bound to be nerves, regardless of the experience level. Giving up just one run and three singles in the next four inning is nothing to sneeze at.
Velocity: Smoltz was in the low-to-mid 90s at times, averaging 91.7 mph, which shows the arm strength is not an issue.
Control: Of the 92 pitches thrown, 62 were for strike (67 percent) and Smoltz's one walk shows he's still got the pin-point accuracy that he famously would paint the corner in Atlanta for a million years.

The next start at Baltimore will be even more telling, but one look at Smoltz's pre-All-Star schedule and it's almost impossible not to pick him up on speculation: at Baltimore, vs. Oakland and vs. Kansas City.

And perhaps most telling is the what the 42-year-old Smoltz, fresh off shoulder surgery, had to say afterward.

"I feel like I can accomplish whatever I want this year," Smoltz said. "That's why I came back and the rehab went the way it did. Now it's just a matter of going out there and doing it like I did before."

And knowing how competitive Smoltz is, I wouldn't count anything impossible.

Fantasy spin: Sure, it's a little risky to add a 42-year-old who pitches half his game at Fenway, but this is no ordinary flame-thrower. Now, that Smoltz has a little of the rust off, it could be the perfect time to add him. All it takes is one gem and he'll be flying off the shelves. Look for an ERA just under 4.00 and a nothing-to-write-home-about 1.25 WHIP, but with plenty of Ks and Ws in the second half.

Sosa steroid news barely raises eyebrows

2009-06-20T10:03:00.007-04:00

After a few days digesting the Sammy Sosa link to PEDs, I'm still a little foggy on where I stand on the steroid issue.

Not that I'm saying it's right. But I think there's shades of grey starting to appear on the issue.

This is what happens when the biggest home run hitters of our generation (Sosa, Arod, Giambi, etc.) are being exposed for testing positive. And we know there's at least 100 more names that haven't been disclosed from the now-infamous 2003 test.

Am I ashamed, as a Cubs - and Sosa - fan that Sammy was caught? To be honest, not really. I'm trying to articulate in my own mind why that is and here's the best I can come up with:

Steroids were legal in baseball. End of story.

Sure, they are horrible for your body. They set an awful precedent to our youth. They've distorted the home run record book forever.

But, folks, they were not illegal.

I wonder if I'm making excuses for Sammy and then I remember thinking the same thing when Mark McGwire was vilified by Congress, and more importantly, public opinion for not answering the steroid question (and later dodging it again by an ESPN reporter).

It would be so much cleaner and tidier, had Sammy not played the language barrier card that day, asking for a translator.

He should've owned up and said, hey, I did it. We all did it. Look at the pictures of me 10 years ago and then today and it's not rocket science (and we all had our suspicions). Nobody gets that big, that fast. Not Barry. Not Mark. Not me.

And then he could've said something like "baseball's been bery, bery good to me."

We all would've chuckled and went about our day.

Think about it. Jason Giambi apologized for his usage (albeit indirectly). Andy Pettitte has admitted to it. Brian Roberts came clean.

What do all these guys have in common? They're forgiven. At least in my mind they are. Maybe yours, too.

We've moved on.

The talking heads this week all say that the 2003 list will eventually come out so let's just tear the Band-Aid off. I'm actually in favor of this. Every time a name is leaked, it sets baseball back a couple years.

"It's a shame baseball keeps going back to the past," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said this week, then admitted about releasing the list. "It might be the best thing."

Those names on the list will have some answering to do, certainly.

But 2009 is a different time than 2006. We're numb to the steroid news now. Once the ARod came out, all other news will just be a footnote.

The Hall of Fame will have to deal with this era at some point. And my guess is eventually McGwire and Sosa and Bonds will all be inducted. Perhaps with an asterisk.

After all. How can the Hall hold against players something that was within the rules of the game?

They can't.

Is Minute Maid hill really a good idea?

2009-06-14T22:24:00.003-04:00

HOUSTON - For a split second, as Michael Bourn fell on his back, you could almost hear the thoughts of Astros fans whisking through Minute Maid Park.

That stupid hill.

Bourn backpedalled faster than most people can frontpedal and had a beat on a towering blast by the Cubs' Micah Hoffpauir on Thursday afternoon.

Nanoseconds before the ball return to earth, Bourn hit the inclined hill in center field and landed square on his back.

That stupid hill.

The name of that hill is Tal's Hill, named after Astros owner Tal Smith, who came up with the idea as a tribute to Cincinnati's Crosley Field. There's a flagpole in fair territory, two feet from the fence, inspired by Tigers Stadium.

A flagpole inside the outfield fence? What is this, a park rec softball field?

Ten years ago, the idea of the pole and hill was novel. In some ways it still is.

But is it really necessary?

The hill, called "The Grassy Knoll" by some players, added some needed character to what is otherwise an ordinary retractable-roof stadium (I'd rank Minute Maid in the middle of the pack of stadiums I've seen, although the brick facade outside is stunning). A Minute Maid experience feels like a night at a Bobcats game:

T-shirt giveaways. Cd-giveaways. Air-guitar cams.

Most of the summer, the roof is closed to keep out the extreme Houston heat, which have to help season-ticket sales.

A wall of windows certainly disguises the fact that you are watching it indoors. It's light years ahead of watching ball at The Trop in Tampa, but indoor baseball is like putting ketchup on a steak.

Regardless, as Bourn laid on his back, he never thought about giving up on the catch, even though he wasn't exactly sure where it was landing.

Watch the catch here.

“I never lost the flight of the ball,” Bourn told the Houston Chronicle. “I lost the sight of it at the end, but I kind of knew where it was at. I just put my glove up to where it was going to be at and I caught it.”

And as the Minute Maid crowd roared, he momentarily forgot about that hill.

That stupid hill.

"I practice going up the hill a little bit," Bourn said. "But in that instance you just have to go on instinct."

But what about the other 29 center fielders in baseball? How often do they practice such a play?

And as my brother-in-law said, "What happens when a $50 million dollar player breaks his leg on that hill?"

My guess is the hill will be leveled the next day.

Stupid or not, the hill is a bit gimmicky, but one of the most unique places in all of sports.

And maybe, just another reason to love baseball.

Peavy may be out for 12 weeks

2009-06-13T03:51:00.004-04:00

A quick update about Jake Peavy, who's been doing a lousy job disguising his hobbled ankle, but gutsy nonetheless...

The Padres are saying Peavy will be out at least a month with a cast on his ankle to help a partially torn tendon heal. Peavy has been dealing with it since May 22.

But a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune late Friday night says that, according to trainer Todd Hutcheson, it could be eight to 12 weeks before Peavy gets back on the mound.

Eight to 12? At least a month? Maybe it's all the same diagnosis, but if you're an owner (or worse, in multiple leagues), you have my deepest sympathies. I'm feeling your pain. Send yourself some flowers if it'll help.

But it's time to move on. Time to write him off, at least for considerable contributions. The injury probably eliminates any trade talk to the Cubs or another contender. Maybe you'll get 12 starts out of Peavy, but counting on anything more is about as smart as buying stock in GM. In 2006.

Certainly, if you can get 70 cents on the dollar, sell. I'm thinking a John Lackey, Felix Hernandez or Cliff Lee type would all be decent 1-for-1 returns.

What to make of Hanson's debut

2009-06-08T00:32:00.009-04:00

Baseball prediction are as worthless as a Canadian nickel at a soda machine.

Über-prospect Tommy Hanson of Atlanta made his major league debut on Sunday and all week Yahoo! was asking folks to predict the outcome. You know, rub your crystal baseball.

But very few thought it would go like this: 6 IP, 6 hits, 7 runs, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks.

So, what happened??? Isn't this the same guy who posted a 1.49 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 66 1/3 innings in AAA?

In a phrase...welcome to the big leagues, Tommy.

No, the difference isn't usually that stark, but it really shows you how master pitching in the majors takes more than just great stuff.

Hanson was hitting upper 90's in spring training, with a filthy slider. He fanned 90 batters in 11 starts with Gwinnet, but he wasn't facing the Charlotte Knights or the Norfolk Tides.

"Just chalk it up to, today happened, get it behind me, get ready for the next one," Hanson said. "If I keep my command I think it turns out a lot better."

If you're like most fantasy players, you were itching to grab Hanson like a poison ivy patient at a crowded Urgent Care. For some Yahoo! leagues, he's not even on the site yet (that should be happening around 3 a.m. Monday).

I'm still putting all my chips down on this rookie.

You certainly have to temper your expectations down to roughly a Freschetta Pizza plateau. Almost all rookies have rough patches in their rookie campaign, but Hanson's the rest of the way should be better than most.

And on Sunday, he simply mowed through the first 13 batters, striking out the side in the second with a 96-mph heater. Then the wheels fell off, starting with a pair of home runs to Ryan Braun and a Mike Cameron 2-run shot. The first home run pitch was so meaty, it almost was dripping with some marinara. But Hanson will quickly learn where not to throw pitches to one of baseball's Top 5 hitters.

Figure around this sort of production the rest of the way, as you contemplate whether or not to dip your toe into the Hanson waters: 3.65 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 115 Ks, 9 wins.

Glavine update: The Tom Glavine era may be over in Atlanta, but the drama may not be. A report by FoxSports.com says Glavine's agent is looking into filing a grievance over Glavine's $1 million roster bonus. The Braves swear money wasn't an issue, and since it's not a black and white issue, this grievance may not go very far. But stay tuned.

In a flash, Knights lose Beckham

2009-06-05T00:00:00.004-04:00

To call Gordon Beckham's rise through the minors meteoric is almost an insult to the solar system.

The White Sox promoted Beckham from AA Birmingham to Charlotte after just 38 games. Then, after 7 games in Charlotte, Knights manager Chris Chambliss called Beckham into his office after a 3-for-5 night about 10:15 p.m. and told him the news.

You're headed to the bigs.

"It was an unbelievable moment for me," Beckham told the Chicago Tribune. "I couldn't even describe it."

Beckham, 22, was the No. 8 overall pick in 2008 after a stellar career at Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish. With only 58 minor league games, Beckham is the fastest White Sox player since pitcher Alex Fernandez (1990) to get the call.

What can you expect from Beckham?

Well, he doesn't come with a Spice Girl, if that's what you're thinking.

But if his pedigree is plenty spicy (.411 average, 22 HR in 71 college games in 2008; .319, 7 HR, 58 games in the minors). To answer your next question, Beckham's probably worthy of a pickup in all NL-only leagues and some shallow mixed leagues as he'll take over the regular 3B job from Josh Fields if he hits a lick.

Initially, the White Sox might bury Beckham at the bottom of the order, but one thing Ozzie Guillen will do is push the guys who are performing up high. Take one look at scrap-heap castoff Scott Podsednik for proof. (Of course, Beckham went 0-for-3 in his debut, but give him some time).

Unfortunately, for Knights fans, Beckham only played two of his seven games at Knights Castle. But for those in attendance either Tuesday or Wednesday, they may one day be able to say they saw a future baseball all-star.

And on top of his talent, Beckham is a very articulate interview. Here's a bit after he hit a home run in the CWS last June.

Andrew McCutchen: If you missed the fallout of the Nate McClouth-to-Atlanta trade, it's the promotion of McCutchen a 5-tool prospect with more speed than power, but someone who is making immediate impact and should be picked up yesterday. McCutchen could swipe 20-30 bases the rest of the way and hit 5-10 HR and should give you a steady diet of runs as the new Pirates leadoff batter.

Jose Reyes: Late news just in about the rehabbing Mets shortstop is not going. Reyes tore his right hamstring and is behing shut down for a couple days before resuming treatment. For a guy who makes his living on the basepaths, this isn't thrilling news.

Braves release Glavine, trade for McClouth

2009-06-03T20:23:00.002-04:00

Braves fans won't like this one.

In a stunning move that saves the team a $1 million roster bonus, Atlanta released 43-year-old Tom Glavine on Wednesday.

Thanks for the memories, Tom.

Glavine, who had just completed a six-inning shutout with Class-A Rome on Tuesday night, is the final pillar of the pitching trinity of Glavine-John Smoltz-Greg Maddux that anchored 14 straight playoff appearances in Atlanta.

Recovering from shoulder and elbow surgery in the offseason, Glavine's all-time record stands at 305-203. This may be the end of the road for Glavine, although a contender in need of an innings-eater like the Phillies may be send his agent a text message as we speak.

The Braves also traded for Pirates' five-tool OF Nate McClouth, giving up three prospects – OF Gorkys Hernandez, LHP Jeff Locke and RHP Charlie Morton. Hernandez was ranked as the No. 4 Braves prospect, while Locke was No. 7.

Announcing the beginning of a new era, the Braves also made it official that fireballer Tommy Hanson will be called up to start Saturday, with Kris Medlen moved to the bullpen after Jorge Campillo was placed on the DL today.

Hanson had a fine spring, hitting 99 on the radar gun in his debut.

Fantasy spin: The biggest of the three news items is Hanson, who has dominated at AAA Gwinett, compiling a 1.49 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 66 1/3 IP. He's a must-add in every format and while you can't expect these numbers, check back to Tim Lincecum's rookie season for a guideline.

Manny an All-Star? It's possible

2009-06-01T16:25:00.003-04:00

If you watched the Cubs-Dodgers blowout Sunday night, you heard plenty of debate about Manny Ramirez.

Way too much, as it were.

But there were a few interesting topics brought up:

1). Should Manny be allowed to begin a minor league rehab with 10 games left on his suspension?

2). If Manny is voted in as an All-Star starter, should he be allowed to play?

The first issue is not a Manny-specific rule. It's a baseball rule and in the collective bargaining agreement it states that a person suspended for 50 games for violating the drug policy can start a minor league rehab after serving 40 games.

I personally disagree with this, as the suspension should cover his time away from baseball. Sure, a week-long stint in AAA Albuquerque isn't the same as the majors, but it feels more like a 40-game suspension and this penalty should be more severe, if anything, not less.

The second issue may not come into play now, as the latest All-Star voting results have Manny slipping to fifth place in the N.L. outfielder vote behind Ryan Braun, Raul Ibanez, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran. Manny would need to make up 135,000 votes to crack the starting lineup.

And since he's eligible to come off the suspension on July 3 (and the All-Star Game on July 14), it's possible for Manny to play in the mid-summer classic.

Some think Manny should come out with a statement, urging fans to cast his vote for other deserving N.L. outfielders, thus not having to force Bud Selig's hand if he's voted in.

Frankly, I don't want to see Manny there, but by voting him in, this may finally change the way the All-Star voters are selected, which is long overdue. It's simply a popularity contest, having very little reflection of who is deserving.

What do you think about these two issues?

Should Manny be allowed to go on a minor league rehab stint? Should he be allowed to play in the All-Star game?

O's to call up Wieters Friday

2009-05-26T21:50:00.003-04:00

The future is now in Baltimore.

Well, it's Friday, anyway.

Matt Wieters, everybody's rookie of the year favorite before the season started, will start for the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, presumably at catcher.

Wieters, who hit .355 with 27 home runs in 2008, had scuffled in comparison this year, hitting .285 with 5 HR and 26 RBI in 36 games. Striking out 30 times, Wieters also has 10 other extra base hits for AAA Norfolk.

(Check out this earlier blog from Weiters' trip to Knights Castle in mid-April).

So, is Wieters an automatic pickup? Well, not exactly.

It all depends on the makeup of your roster and your league. If you're carrying Joe Mauer or Brian McCann, and you're carrying only one catcher, the answer is probably not. Now, if you have bench spots, and think you can grab and stash and it's a good trading league, then I'd try to get him now. And yes, he's worth a high waiver claim.

For leagues where Wieters won't be put on Yahoo! until 3 a.m. on Saturday, the question becomes, is he worth setting your alarm? Again, only you can be the judge. I'd say it depends on the ratio of young kids that will wake you up before 7 a.m., divided what odd jobs you wanna get accomplished on Saturday, subtracted by any dinner parties you need to bring your "A" game for.

If you're still riding with Geovany Soto or A.J. Pierzynski at catcher, my advice is not only set your alarm for 2:55 a.m., but the phone, too.

Unless, of course, you're getting married on Saturday.

Hard to explain Mauer, Papi

2009-05-26T13:44:00.004-04:00

In an X-Men world, it would appear Joe Mauer has sucked every ounce of power from Big Papi's bat.

Of course, we don't live in a land of superheroes, although if you squint, you may see that that the Minnesota catcher is not actually human.

Monday night, Mauer hit his 11th home run in 23 games. For Babe Ruth, in his prime, this power display would have be impressive.

But this is an extremely light-hitting catcher, who never hit more than 13 home runs in an entire season.

Last year, Mauer hit 9 HR in 536 at-bats. This year, it's 11 jacks in 81, including last night's 2-run pinch-hit job off red sox stud closer Jonathan Papelbon.

So, how do you explain the sudden blast of pop?

"You guys ask me this; I still don't have an answer for you," said Mauer. "I'm just seeing the ball well and tring to keep seeing it well."

For years, fantasy pundits extrapolated that the power would come from Mauer, but we've been waiting and waiting. And for those of you who thought this was the year, congratulations.

Although, I don't believe you. Nothing hinted that the power would develop even half as much as it has this year. But that's the great part (for Mauer owners) of this game and the frustrating part (for the other 9 teams).

And if Mauer is seeing the ball well, David Ortiz needs a new prescription or the quickest Lasik surgery available.

Papi has exactly 1 more home run than everyone reading this today and that came in a 5-HR slugfest off Toronto pitcher Brett Cecil. The Blue Jays were so disappointed that Cecil gave up the Ortiz HR, they demoted him to AAA. OK, that may not be the entire story, but it sure seemed to play out that way.

The bat speed is simply gone, his average is down to .195 and the Red Sox don't know what to do. He's struck out 41 times in 40 games, including three times in an 0-for-7 May 14 outing where he left 11 runners stranded.

Terry Francona sat Ortiz for three games and since his return he's gone 3-for-20 with 9 Ks.

So, what do you do as an owner? Some Yahoo leagues won't physically let you drop him. His trade value has plummeted so far, you might not even be able to get Casey Kotchman in return.

The Red Sox are finally talking about dropping him in the order. It's about 3 weeks too late, but all that they have left. Rumors have them looking at Nick Johnson as a possible replacement.

So, my question to you: What do the Red Sox do with an aging slugger who is suffering a Sammy Sosa-like decline?

What do you do as an owner?

Price to get start Monday; Kazmir DL'd

2009-05-23T17:21:00.005-04:00

The wait is over. Practically.

Tampa Bay playoff hero David Price will get his first start of the year on Monday at Cleveland after the Rays placed LHP Scott Kazmir (right quad strain/no confidence) and closer Troy Percival (shoulder tendinitis/old age) on the disabled list.

And Percival may retire, according to Joe Madden.

The info about Price starting, not made official yet by the Rays can be found in this official Rays blog, which is a good one to book mark, if you own any Tampa players.

Price, from what anyone can figure out, was being held down at AAA Durham to keep his arbitration clock from ticking. Of course, nobody can prove why the Rays thought their best weapon from the ALCS, who was outstanding in spring, was deemed not worthy to make the opening day roster. The only thing that makes sense is it's a money thing.

Price scuffled a couple times in the past few weeks, including his start at Knights Stadium here in Charlotte, but still finished with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP, along with 35 Ks in 34 1/3 IP. His last outing was a no-hitter through five innings, when the Bulls pulled him (via pitch count).

With only 34 1/3 innings through 8 starts, you can expect Price to be freed up to go at least 6 innings a start, after he gets up to full strength. Yanking him after 5 IP will be too taxing on an already depleted bullpen. But Price could get skipped a time or two in the rotation if his innings pile up and the Rays are still in contention.

Fantasy spin: By all means, Price is a must add. If you've held onto him this long, Merry Christmas. I bailed two weeks ago and regret that decision, but fifth starter Jeff Niemann has been solid and Price was going through control problems. Don't expect last year's postseason miracles to translate completely, but he should be a steady source of Ks and wins and he shouldn't hurt your ERA/WHIP, if he can locate the slider and the improved change-up. Price may give you a rookie season comparable to Tim Lincecum, who was dominant, but had his share of blowups in 2007.

What to make of Wood, Felix, Kazmir, Willis

2009-05-20T21:50:00.007-04:00

Some big name pitchers are falling to pieces. Another one is putting them back together.

Here's a quick 2-minute drill on some pitchers who may be weighing your staff down:

Kerry Wood: Cubs fans have been here before. Talk about summer rerun season...

Wood entered with a 5-2 lead in the 9th, after Cliff Lee pitched a masterful game (some think he should've been allowed to come back in the 9th after 101 pitches, but that's another blog for another day).

Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen launch back-to-back homers before a walk, triple and sac fly completed a 6-5 Royals comeback.

“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t seen a comeback like this in our home ball park,” said Royals manager Trey Hillman. “As soon as the ball left the bat with Teahen, I think the whole dugout felt like we’re going to do this.”

Confidence is a tricky thing and K-Wood might be a little shy these days. It's only his second blown save, but his ERA ballooned to 8.31, his WHIP is up to 1.77 and probably most worrisome for Wood owners (and Tribe fans) is he's surrendered 9 earned runs in the past 6 2/3 IP.

Not much you can do if you're an owner but sit and hope Wood corrects himself. And remember, he went through a couple of these stretches with the Cubs last year (and don't be surprised if he ends up on the DL soon). You should have been prepared for at least one DL stint, but as soon as he looks right again, try to unload.

You're on borrowed time here.

Felix Hernandez: He flirts with you, throwing impressive outing after impressive out, making big league hitters look silly with that nasty hook.

Then, he'll blow you off, not return your calls and texts....as he did Wednesday night: 6 ER, 11 hits, 3 BB and only 3 Ks.

Felix may never fully figure it out. His ERA/WHIP are up to 4.13 and 1.34 with 56 Ks in 56 2/3.

When the dust clears in Seattle, this is what you're left with. An exciting guy to watch with average ERA/WHIP numbers and above average Ks. But he's not elite and in his 5th season (including an abbreviated first year), you'd think Felix would learn how to minimize damage with such good stuff and more than one out pitch.

Maybe one day, we'll all sit around the fantasy campfire and laugh at the times when nobody could own Felix for a full season as the heartburn was too painful and how now he's the right-handed Johan Santana.

But don't go buying the smores any time soon.

Scott Kazmir: His second consecutive seven-run massacre tonight tells me one thing: The Kaz will be on the shelf soon.

I don't have any inside info, but a pitcher with Kazmir's stuff just doesn't go south without something being physically wrong. And you know the Rays are just dying for an excuse to finally promote David Price now that 1). It's past mid-May and 2). He pitched five no-hit innings his last Durham outing.

This makes his fourth outing in six where he's given up 6 or more ER. Not to mention, he's walked 25 guys in 41 1/3 IP and has a 6.97 ERA ... it's really time to pull the cord.

And stash Price while you're at it (if he's available).

Dontrelle Willis: I asked a trusted colleague what he thought of Willis' outing and his first words: "Don't you dare go after him."

Needless to say, he wasn't buying the comeback gem Willis whirled Wednesday night. I'm not exactly buying it yet either, but I am picking it up off the shelf and checking the nutritional contents on the back label.

Here's the deal with Willis. It was just 2005 when Willis went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Those ERA numbers seem very other-world-like (aka Peavish), but there is some inner talent somewhere, if Willis can just figure out how to master his anxiety issues.

But the psychologically-challenged lefty could very well catch a fresh batch of confidence and parlay it into a comeback season of the ages, if he can just figure out his loose wires.

If there's a spot on your bench, Willis is worth a speculative add. Maybe this turns out to be just a false alarm, but the next couple outings will tell us a lot about Willis' recovery.

Yes, you'll take some flack in your league for making the move.

But you may be laughing last.

Just don't tell them I told you to do it. I've got a reputation to uphold.

Lackey's 2-pitch debut baffling

2009-05-17T01:52:00.007-04:00

When a pitcher has been on the DL all season, then lasts just 2 pitches, you're allowed to jump to conclusions.

Saturday events in Arlington, however, had nothing to do with John Lackey's right elbow inflammation.

Lackey's first pitched sailed behind Ian Kinsler's head. This is the same Kinsler who just so happened to tag the Angels the night before for a couple home runs, his 10th and 11th of the season, in the Rangers' 10-8 victory.

So, he threw one behind his head. Understandable, I guess. Hasn't pitched in six weeks.

The next pitch landed squarely in Kinsler's ribs.

The rest was history. And that included Lackey's first start of the season. If you're keeping score at home, that's two pitches, one hit-batter, one earned run in 0.0 IP.

Yes, the ol' INF score line registered next to Lackey's name. As the owner in one of my leagues put it, pitching your first game at Texas probably wasn't a great time to come back. Especially how the ball is starting to fly out of Arlington (6 dingers the night before when the wind was allegedly blowing IN 18 mph).

I was obviously trying to come in on him but there was no intention to hit him or to come in behind him,” Lackey said. “It was definitely surprising.”

Lackey owners, fear not. With all his warm-up pitches, today just turned out to be a glorified side session, something owners have been reading about for weeks now. It's possible, the Angels will move him up to start before his next turn, so long as no suspension comes his way.

Seems pretty bizarre for a guy to risk sending a message in his first start after missing six weeks of the season already.

There's probably a 96 percent chance it was just lack of control. But after two straight pitches, the umps couldn't take that chance. A warning seemed fair, but instead, Lackey got an early visit to the showers.

Here's crew chief Tim Tschida's version of what happened:

“When the first pitch of the next game to that hitter is behind him, that’s a red flag,” Tschida said. “We gave (Lackey) the benefit of the doubt because maybe he was a little amped up coming off the DL. When he hit him with the second pitch, that was something else.”

Good news for Lackey enthusiasts, his next turn is at Sleepless (Offense) in Seattle.

Might wanna start out a bit outside on Ichiro for starters.

Where's Murphy: Everyone's New York darling Daniel Murphy has almost overnight turned into just a pinch hitting specialist for the Mets. Gary Sheffield has actually been swinging a warm bat, causing Murphy to log four pinch-hit at-bats in four games. If you picked him up, hoping for an oil spring of runs and decent numbers everywhere else, it might be time to bail. I can't believe Sheff is stealing at-bats, but they're both defensive liabilities, so the PT will probably go to whoever's got the hot hand.

Ibanez the pickup of the year? I'll admit it. When the Cubs were linked to Raul Ibanez's name in the off-season, I cringed. He's out of gas. Nothing left in the tank. I didn't want Milton Bradley, but would've taken Ibanez over Bradley and definitely Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu. Well, after a 3-HR day, Ibanez is hitting .368 with 13 jacks and 35 RBI. (Don't ask me to look up Bradley's numbers). Dealt straight-up for Dice-K in the first week of the season, owners thought Ibanez wasn't enough of a hitter to justify that trade. Five weeks later, it's looking just the opposite. Think about selling high. He can't keep this up.

Upton's bat no longer hitting snooze alarm? B.J. Upton, with home runs in back to back games (and a pair of steals in a 9-0 contest on Friday) is proving he might end up being the fantasy commodity that caused folks to grab him in the 2nd or 3rd round (and $24 in our auction draft). Some think the window to buy low has officially slammed shut with today's HR. I disagree. I dealt him awhile back for an equally-struggling Jimmy Rollins, but there's still questions with the shoulder and I bet you can get him for a 15-20 percent discount still. If he has fully recovered, you could have yourself a deal. If Upton hits 9 HR again, well, you should at least get 30+ steals from the speedster the rest of the way.

Reimold, Gamel are names to know now

2009-05-15T00:59:00.003-04:00

The call has been made.

No, it's not David Price. Or Matt Wieters. Or even Tommy Hanson. But keep your eye on all three.

Two other minor league studs got the call to the bigs on Thursday, mostly to infuse some life into struggling offenses.

Nolan Reimold, Orioles, OF: Adam Jones' hammy and Luke Scott's shoulder are two reasons why Reimold was called up from Triple-A Norfolk, where he was hitting the stitches off the ball.

Check out these numbers: .394 avg., .485 obp., 9 HR, 27 RBI, 6 SB in 31 games.

There's no question Reimold can rake. The question is PT. But with former Cubs flameout Felix Pie still getting regular at-bats, you have to think that Reimold will find his way in the lineup once Jones and Scott are no the mend. All he has to do is perform, to a modest degree.

The future is, well, a year or two away in Baltimore. The O's are enjoying an OK start (15-20), but in the AL East, it's almost time to scrap 2009.

Add Reimold and expect semi-regular starts from here on out and 15-18 HR the rest of the way is very possible.

Mat Gamel, 3B, Brewers: Ranked as a slightly higher prospect than Reimold, the Brew Crew's hot hitter at the hot corner may not make near the fantasy impact as the O's rookie, as Milwaukee is very much alive and well in the playoff race.

The Brewers' problem is their bench has hit around .100 in pinch-hit at-bats and they're looking for a punch. Interleague at Minnesota is around the corner, so DHing that series is likely for the man with a one-T first name.

Word on the street is Gamel would be invited to the Ryan Braun fielding clinic as an guest teacher, committing a whopping 40 errors between this year and last. So, Bill Hall's job as the primary 3B is probably safe for now. But spot starts (ala Cleveland's Matt LaPorta) will trickle in and the more Gamel hits, the more you'll want him on your team.

If your league is one of those with bench spots (or is a keeper league), make the move now and your patience will be rewarded. With 8 HR, 19 extra-base hits, 31 ribbies and a .336 avg. in 119 AAA at-bats, there's a lot of life in Gamel's stick.

Mannywood tainted; Melvin fired; Price rocked

2009-05-07T22:51:00.006-04:00

The legend that was Manny Ramirez took a huge hit Thursday. And he has no one to blame but himself

When Manny failed a drug test and was suspended 50 games, you could picture all the Hollywood billboard being taken down and painted over.

I mean, Mannywood billboards.

Most reactions around baseball hold court with previous suspensions: Not surprised.

But folks in Mannyland must feel deceived today. One fan said it felt like his dog died.

The Dodgers gave him $45 million for two years, promoted Manny as the face of the franchise, his voice is on commercials in between innings and they even built a Mannywood section (for $99, Manny's number, you get two tickets in the Manny section along with two Manny T-Shirts).

One Mannywood fan calling in on XM today said he paid $40 to have two anti-Manny shirts custom-made to show his hatred for the dreadlocked one in the Manny section.

Manny issued an apology statement, said he only took what his doctor thought was legal. Sorry, Manny, that doesn't hold water. You are responsible for what you put in your body. End of story.

GM Ned Colletti came out and said all the right things, that they do not condoned Manny's actions and are disappointed. None of that is surprising.

A little shocking is that Manny failed the drug text because he took HCG (or human chorionic gonadotropin), which is used as a sexual booster and to build testosterone production. It's banned because it is also used as a masking agent after a player comes down off a steroid cycle.

This doesn't incriminate Manny, but public opinion will. Perhaps, with each Arod and Manny that get caught, the bar on what will be acceptable to Hall of Fame voters comes down a small notch.

Fantasy Spin: Juan Pierre owners (if there were any left out there) are the biggest winners. If he's still on your wire and you need steals, he's a must-add, as he'll get most of the starts as Manny sits until July 3. Losers include most of the Dodgers lineup, albeit not much, but taking one big bat can have a way of affecting everyone's production. Starting pitchers also take a small hit, as each will have 10 starts without Manny, which may translate to 1-2 less wins apiece.

Melvin Fired: The Arizona Diamondbacks (who fell to 12-17 after today's loss at San Diego) have just fired their manager Bob Melvin, according to a source. No official announcement has been made.

Price rocked in Charlotte: For the second straight game, ALCS hero David Price was roughed up, this time giving 4 runs, 5 walks and 6 hits in 4 innings at Knights Stadium. The wind was blowing 11 mph to right, but no HRs were hit. Most disturbing, if you're holding onto Price for what was believed a May call-up, is he didn't strike out a single batter after 79 pitches. It's too early to give up on him in keeper leagues, but if you're holding a warm spot (and that includes yours truly) in a mixed league, it might be send him back into the waiver wire wilderness. The only glimmer of hope is Rays fifth pitcher Jeff Niemann struggled again tonight, yanked in the fourth inning. I'm guessing a mid-June call-up at this point, but it's only speculation.

Ankiel out of hospital after scary crash (video)

2009-05-05T11:28:00.002-04:00

Certain highlights physically make you cringe.

Rick Ankiel's neck-twisting crash into the wall Monday was one of them.

Ankiel tripped over the warning track, making another spectacular catch, but ended up head-first into the Busch Stadium's outfield wall.

Here's it is in case you missed it:

Ankiel laid motionless when teammate Chris Duncan got to him, the brim of his hat in a V-shape from the impact. But he was conscious and able to answer Duncan's question.

Carted off the field, Ankiel gave a thumbs-up and was released from the hospital today after all tests were negative. Tony LaRussa compared the injury to a bad whip-lash and Ankiel will be back at the park tonight, although his return is in question.

Fantasy Spin: Even the staunchest of Cubs fans hates to see this. Ankiel's comeback story has been nothing short of remarkable and it appears he avoided what looked like a catastrophic injury. Get him out of your lineups in the short-term in daily leagues, until you see him back in the lineup and hitting again. This injury could derail his recent offensive burst. Long-term, Ankiel's value should be fine, so long as LaRussa gets him enough starts.

Zambrano Update: Cubs pitcher/wannabe slugger Carlos Zambrano, who injured his hamstring trying to leg out a bunt (yes, a bunt ... I couldn't make that up if I tried), has been put on the DL with a Grade 2 hamstring strain (on a 1-3 scale). Jim Hendry says Big Z will probably need 2 1/2 weeks to recover so expect him back, shortly after his 15 days are up.

Hamels Update: Phillies lefty Cole Hamels is scheduled to make his next start on Friday at home against the Braves. Hamels is trying to put a rough April behind him. After two awful starts, Hamels finally looked like Hamels again, when he was struck in the left shoulder with a Prince Fielder line drive. The next start Hamels twisted his left ankle in the fifth, after breezing through the first four innings. Originally slated for Tuesday, Hamels was pushed back three days after a rainout on Sunday helped tweak the rotation. Owners, start him with confidence as he looks to have turned the corner.

Crawford stealing spree ignites Tampa (video)

2009-05-04T12:24:00.007-04:00

A frenzy from a stolen base?

It happened Sunday at the Trop, after Carl Crawford stole his MLB record-tying sixth steal against the hated Red Sox.

Six steals. That's a decent season for most of baseball.

And only four other players in the modern era have matched this high burglary honor, with Colorado's Eric Young the last to pull it off in 1996.

But Crawford was on a mission. And the 32,332 in attendance exploded after Crawford's fleet feet tied the feat, although the speedster claims it didn't register what he had done.

“I wish I had known during the game,” said Crawford. “I probably would have broken it if I knew. I’d have definitely tried."

Watch the scene for yourself. Apologies for the shaky video. And the fact that it looks like it could have been taken from the moon.

But what's most interesting about the moment, was the fan reaction from a stolen base, as if it was a game-winning HR in Game 7 of the World Series:

Say what you want about Rays fans, but there's something real building in Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay. Who would've thunk it.

Fantasy Spin: After only 25 swipes in 109 games last year, Crawford already has 17 in 26 games. A trusted source of speed for years, the fantasy world has waited and waited for the promised power to come through. In 2006, Crawford belted 18 round-trippers, but only parked 11 and 8 the past two seasons. So far this year, he's failed to leave the park, but five doubles and a triple show he's at least swinging that way. Still, this might be the perfect sell-high opportunity if you have speed to burn. Expect Crawford to break 60 for the first time, maybe even 70, but he'll barely reach double digit dingers.

Josh hits the DL; Hanely, Aramis avoid it

2009-05-01T15:43:00.008-04:00

This is the fantasy equivalent of The Perfect Storm.

You have Josh Hamilton, Aramis Ramirez and Hanley Ramirez on your team and they're all not playing. The infamous day-to-day, which is a fantasy player's worst nightmare.

Meanwhile, your team is plummeting in the standings worse than newspaper stock. All you can do is click on the little red update box and day after day after lousy day, you see they are not in the lineup.

Maybe this weekend. Maybe Monday. Possibly next week.

But the kicker: (Insert name here) will appear to avoid the DL.

Personally, I'd much rather one of my stud hitters hit the disabled list if they are going to miss more than one or two days. Otherwise, they hold you hostage if you are in a league without a bench spot.

Currently, I'm a Josh and Aramis owner in a no-bench league. My power is being zapped. Even if I could put a warm body in for these two, I could make a little dent on the sagging power numbers.

Your only viable option is to trade at a discount. But I say don't do it.

Unless you can get fair value for your stud hitter, try to hold on. As the PGA campaign used to preach "These Guys are Good." And a panic trade in April can cost you a chance at any success.

Josh Hamilton (updated): Breaking news out of Arlington, where the Rangers have finally put Hamilton on the DL. Hamilton's rib injury was the most serious of the three as Hamilton injured it running the bases on Sunday. But the day after, he was lobbying to manager Ron Washington for 20 minutes before the game to play. Two days later, he told trainers he was in "extreme pain." Now, he's feeling better, but said he's still not ready to play and today, Texas decided to pull the trigger, which should give fantasy owners closure.

Aramis Ramirez: If you've had Aramis on your team, it's no surprise he's dinged up. Seems like 3-4 times a year, he's dealing with something. Usually it's the back or the quad. But the calf thing seems to be a little more serious than originally thought. An MRI yesterday showed no tear (just a strain), but the Cubs had Iowa's Bobby Scales at the ballpark, ready to call up, pending the MRI results, it was that close. The team is hopeful Ramirez can suit up this weekend, but based on verbage I'm reading, my money is on a Monday return.

Hanley Ramirez: Suffering from a bruised right wrist. Obviously, the Fish are being cautious. Hanley wants to play bad. That's a good sign from a guy who has been dogging it a bit on deep fly balls lately. He was 80/20 to play on Thursday and now, he's out of the lineup again today. Get him back in the lineup tomorrow in daily moves. I'm almost certain he'll be back.

Phillies, Nats cash in at Citzens Bank

2009-04-28T14:04:00.008-04:00

What do you get when you mix a 12-mph gust to center with Citzens Bank Park? Roughly 24 on 26 hits, including 7 HR and 2 grand slams.

Just your typical night in Philly.

Let's look at some of the movers and shakers in last night's 13-11 Philadelphia victory.

Ryan Howard: Always a slow starter (last year, I trade him for Derek Lee a month into the season and there was an outcry that I was getting ripped off), Howard seems to be hitting his groove a bit earlier with his 4th HR and 15 RBI (after last night's grand salami). The window to buy low isn't slammed shut, but expect to pay closer to retail to get him now. With 47 and 48 HR the past two years, 50 and 150 isn't out of the question, especially in a re-loaded Phillies lineup that is averaging 6.2 runs a game.

Raul Ibanez: This guy just keeps hitting the ball. Earlier this year, he was swapped in one of my leagues for Dice-K straight-up and a couple owners raised an eye brow, thinking Ibanez wasn't fair value. But with 6 HR, 16 RBI and a .342 average, it's becoming clear that Ibanez's move to Philadelphia has increased his worth and we may be getting returns of the 2006 Ibanez (33-123-.289).

Adam Dunn: The move to Washington seems to be fitting Dunn swimmingly, launching his 5th HR and plating RBIs 13 and 14 last night. You know exactly what Dunn is: 40 HR, 100 RBI, .245. It might be a good time to sell high with his .311 average. But the good news is (for Dunn owners), the move out of the small Cincy park doesn't seem to diminish his value.

Ryan Zimmerman: Asked who hits a longer ball between him, Dunn and Elijah Dukes, Zim could only tip his cap to the other two, but last night's 457-foot bomb shows there's a lot of moxie in the 24-year-old's bat. That's right, he's still just a kid and the promising power numbers are just getting started. Look for 28-30 bombs this year, if he stays healthy and 100 RBI is a good bet. Hitting ahead of Dunn will definitely improve his diet of steady fastballs.

Elijah Dukes: The big question for Dukes' owners is how much will Elijah run. Hitting fifth, he's in a surprisingly good spot. With 3 attempts already, Dukes is showing 20-SB potential (although he's only been successful one time). There's gobs of talent here. With 2 HR and 13 RBI already, there's 25-100 potential. This year. But the real question with Dukes, still 24, is where his head will be. Disciplined once for being 5 minutes late to a team meeting, because he was making an appearance at a local little league parade, the Nats are playing hardball with Dukes, who has had plenty of off-season trouble. A good guy to trade for, as his value (and checkered past) makes him still a buy-low candidate. But do it quick before those steals start rolling in.

Hamels' charmed life drilled by line drive

2009-04-23T14:05:00.010-04:00

By all accounts, Cole Hamels is living the life.

The Phillies 6-foot-3 lefty was named World Series MVP last fall and since, then it's been a whirlwind of public appearances.

He also signed a 3-year, $20.5 million deal in January, some three years after marrying former Survivor legend Heidi Strobel, who along with Jenna Morasca, made a splash by taking off their clothes for some Oreos and Peanut Butter. Oh, yeah, that Heidi.

But things have been anything but paradise for Hamels this season. It started in spring training, when elbow soreness and inflammation required a cortisone shot on March 17 and cost him an opening day start.

Then, Hamels was rocked in his first two starts, leaving him with an 11.17 ERA and 2.17 WHIP. Thanks, a lot, fantasy owners grumbled, desperately trying to be patient with Hamels, who logged over 260 pitches in the Phillies' World Series run.

Then, came Thursday's outing in Milwaukee. Hamels was starting to look like Hamels again and fantasy owners were breathing a sigh of relief. Their third-round pick was not turning into a bust. Hamels breezed through the first three innings, striking out 6 of the first 9 batters he faced before giving up a 2-run HR to Milwaukee's Ryan Braun. No biggie.

Then, on the next pitch, Prince Fielders smacked a line drive that hit Hamels' left shoulder. Hamels doubled over and was immediately pulled from the game. All the team is saying is it's a shoulder contusion. As their Phillies announcers aptly put it, "Why don't they just say he was hit in the shoulder and is really sore and is going to ice and it and we'll see what happens."

Essentially, that's what a contusion can be translated as.

Good news for Hamels, is he's playing at home, so maybe he can get Heidi to help him ice it.

For those of you who don't know their story, Heidi and Cole met at a Clearwater Phillies game in 2004. Heidi was throwing out the first pitch and signing autographs, fulfilling her post-Survivor contract of traveling to 30-some baseball parks. The mild-mannered Cole, still a relatively unknown pitching prospect, got in line to get her autograph and asked her out.

Heidi had just moved back to Missouri from L.A. and jokingly told him, "unless you plan on flying to Missouri to take me out."

Two weeks later, Cole flew to Missouri for their first date and less than 3 years later, the couple married on New Year's Eve, 2006.

Their latest endeavor is to adopt an Aids orphan in Africa and possibly build a girls school in Malawi.

Weekend Wrap: Wandy, Edwin or Ricky?

2009-04-20T18:00:00.003-04:00

So, your pitching staff's taken a beating. There's more red DL marks than Red Cross.

Fear not. Help is here.

Three pitchers have risen from Waiver Wire mediocrity to pickup worthy status in just about every format, except the shallowest.

Your wire will vary, depending on how many folks are in an early-season comma, but here are three names to look at, currently ranked 15-17 by Yahoo! scoring, if you need armed reinforcements. (Listed in order of preference:)

Wandy Rodriguez, LHP, Astros (1-1, 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 18Ks, 19 IP): Time to wave the magic Wandy? You bet. OK, so I'm a bit biased, as a Wandy owner in the Observer mixed-league, but after flirting with the left-handed Minute Maid strikeout artist in previous seasons, Wandy is proving himself early to be someone you can trust. Will this short-term relationship last more than a few spring dates? We shall see. But after mowing down the Reds with 7 innings of 2-hit, 2-BB, 10K wizardry, there's a sneaky feeling this one could go the distance.

Edwin Jackson, RHP, Tigers (1-0, 2.14 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 13 Ks, 21 IP): The first time I heard about Jackson was in 2003, working for the Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla. After moving up to the No. 4 ranked prospect in all of baseball in 2004, Jackson battled injury and inconsistency (where have we heard that before), before landing with the Rays and putting together a nice, but pedestrian season as Tampa Bay's fifth starter. With too many cooks in the Rays' kitchen (namely David Price), Jackson became expendable and sent packing for OF Matt Joyce. Playing in spacious Comerica, this could be year his 4-pitch arsenal, including a 95 mph fastball and lethal 89 mph slider all come together. He's especially tempting in a 4x4, as the 6.1 K rate will keep you above water in strikeouts, but just barely.

Ricky Romero, LHP, Blue Jays (2-0), 1.71 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 13Ks, 21 IP): Romero and Jackson are almost waiver wire twins. Only with Jackson, we've seen what he can do pitching a couple years in the AL East, while Romero is a virtual unknown. Both have the same K rate this year, and both have checkered minor league pedigree. Romero has never been that highly-touted (ranked just 8th best prospect in Toronto's system in 2009), but injuries to Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan have opened the door. Control has always been an issue with Ricky (3.8 BB rate in the minors), but so far, just 4 walks in 21 IP has Romero sounding like a real estate agent: Location, location, location. His latest gem against the A's is not exactly like facing the '27 Yankees. We don't really know what to expect from Romero, but he just got snapped up in our 10-team mixed league and he's worth rostering in yours, too.

Grab a Ranger - any Ranger

2009-04-15T23:27:00.007-04:00

Yeah, I know, they say things are bigger in Texas.

But that doesn't include the baseball parks.

If there was ever any doubt that the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was a fantasy baseball launching pad, Wednesday night's 19-6 slugfest proved you can never sleep on any Texas hitter.

(And you may want to Rip Van Winkle on each and every Texas hurler).

Exhibit A: Ian Kinsler (above)

All Kinsler did was hit for the cycle, on a 6-for-6 night with a HR, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored and a SB. Kinsler is batting .474 with 2 HR and 13 RBI.

Exhibit B: Nelson Cruz

Cruz went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, 6 RBI on the night, and now has 12 RBI for the season, one off Kinsler's team-leading mark.
Exhibit C: Marlon Byrd

Byrd was more than just the word. How's 5-for-6 with 3 RBI sound for a platoon outfielder? Byrd's hitting .417, which may give David Murphy and his owners more splinters and headaches than they had planned on.

Exhibit D: Andruw Jones

The former Braves/Dodgers flameout only had 1 hit, but walked twice and scored 4 runs, proving his worth in all AL-only leagues, even on the wrong side of a platoon.

I won't even go into the Rangers best two pure hitters (Michael Young and Josh Hamilton). Both were relatively quiet, although each stole a base early on when it was still a game.

Probably the most intriguing thing about Arlington on Wednesday was the wind was blowing in 14 MPH.

This place has long been a crackerjack box, where pitchers go to die. And now, with the emergence of Kinsler and Hamilton, the upcoming stars, including Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus and steady cornerstones like Michael Young and Hank Blalock, the 2009 Rangers could easily lead the league in runs scored. As the summers heat up, the ball keeps flying further and further off the bats.

Hopefully your buddy isn't reading this. Not that it's top secret info, but the Rangers haven't had this promising a lineup in quite some time. Sure, there's no guarantee all their prospects will produce as advertised, but even at 70 percent, you might be looking a Texas team that plates 1,000 runs.

Get a piece of this pie while it's still affordable.

Wieters treats sparse Knights crowd

2009-04-14T12:34:00.002-04:00

FORT MILL, S.C. - On a soggy, bitterly cold night at the Castle, fantasy hype machine Matt Wieters broke out of a 1-for-11 hitting slump with a pair of sharp singles in Norfolk's 7-0 win over Charlotte on Monday night.

Wieters, the Orioles prized catching prospect, finished 2-for-4 with a walk, a towering flyout to center that had the sound of a HR when it left his bat, and a strikeout swinging.

Official attendance was listed at 1,334, but if there were even 334 folks braving conditions, included seeing your breath by the 7th inning as the rain started falling hard, I'd be surprised.

So instead of playing at Camden and Fenway and Yankee Stadium, in front of tens of thousands, Wieters is playing in front of tens.

On a night like this, Wieters must be thinking how different his life would be with a big league call-up.

If you've followed Wieters this spring, maybe drafted him on one of your teams, you know what kind of year he had in 2008: .350 avg., 27 HR and 91 RBI in 452 at-bats between A and AA. Oh yeah, his on-base-percentage was a sizzling .450.

Here's what you probably don't know: Wieters swing is about as smooth as homemade ice cream on a mid-August afternoon. He's Joe Mauer, but with serious pop.

Just from the eye test, Wieters doesn't look 6-foot-5 and his swing doesn't come across as something that can produce 30 HR in the big leagues, but it's had to ignore the numbers. Wieters did smack 35 home runs in about 700 Georgia Tech ABs, hitting at least .355 each season.

At worst, Wieters hits for average and modest power in his rookie season when the Orioles finally wake up, or stop being cheap and let his arbitration clock start ticking. Think A.J. Pierzynski. At best, he'll smack 20 HR and hit .330 after an early-to-mid May call-up. Think Brian McCann.

A switch-hitting catcher who can hit for average and power is something that comes along once a decade. If you're holding onto Wieters, don't let go. If he's available and you have a bench spot, he's worth grabbing now. His swing is that sweet.

The Knights host Norfolk tonight (7:15), Wednesday (11:15 a.m.) and Thursday (7:15 p.m.) and my guess is Wieters, who has played in all four of Norfolk's games, will probably play in all three, either as catcher or DH, as the O's try to get him everyday at-bats. Don't expect to catch Wieters the next time the Tides return on July 6.

One side note: Former Cubs No. 1 draft pick (3rd overall), Luis Montanez is now hitting .588 (10-for-17) after a 3-for-5 night. Yeah, it's only the first week, but keep Montanez on your radar, especially in keeper leagues. He had a breakout 2007 season, batting .335 with 26 HR in 451 AA at-bats. In a 38-game tryout with the Orioles, he batted .295 with 3 HR in 112 at-bats. Just a name to remember.

Angels SP Adenhart killed in hit-and-run

2009-04-09T12:33:00.003-04:00

Hearts are heavy around the baseball world today.

Shocking news out of Anaheim where Angels SP Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit-and-run accident, just hours after he threw six scoreless innings against the A's on Wednesday night.

This news, beyond horrible, for both the Angels and the Adenhart family, was first reported by TMZ late this morning.

Police say a person driving a minivan ran a red light, causing the Mitsubishi that Adenhart was in to hit a light pole. Three of the four people in that Mitsubishi died, while the fourth person remains hospitalized.

Adenhart, 22, was a promising 6-foot-4 righty, who was drafted out of a Williamsport, Md., high school in 2004, and was being counted on by the Angels, who were already struggling with injuries to John Lackey and Ervin Santana.

Two years ago this month, the St. Louis Cardinals lost pitcher John Hancock, 29, in a 2007 car crash, when his Ford Explorer crashed into a tow truck.

Elvis has left the building

2009-04-08T22:34:00.005-04:00

Man, if feels good to get that cliche in the books.

Texas Rangers SS Elvis Andrus hit his first career HR Wednesday night, tagging former Cleveland closer catastrophe Rafael Betancourt with a solo shot in the sixth inning.

How significant is this long ball (outside the nifty headline possibilities)?

Not very. Andrus won't approach double digits in dingers, even in Arlington, but it's important if you're an Elvis owner (and I'm not talking memorabilia), that the Michael Young Heir Apparent get off to a good start (and a .429 average easily qualifies) and not turn into the next "Hound Dog."

Not that the Rangers would change course if Andrus struggled, but a hot start validates the controversial move of Young to 3B, making that left side of the infield ... wait for it .... "All Shook Up."

Fantasy spin: While Andrus hasn't attempted a steal yet, it's just a matter of days as the defensive whiz has some major grease on those "Blue Suede Spikes, er, Shoes," swiping 53 bases in 482 Frisco at-bats. Andrus was caught 16 times, which probably translates to 35-40 bags in his rookie campaign to go along with a .280-ish average.

Combine that with a spot that's ahead of Ian Kinsler, Young and Josh Hamilton and there's an outside possibility a No. 9 hitter could break the 100-run barrier, which would be quite a rarity.

Don't have "Suspicious Minds," grab Elvis now, while he's still on your wire.

(I know, it's just awful)

Pick me up: Gutiérrez, Morgan

2009-04-08T10:08:00.002-04:00

The coffee is brewing in the other room. You can smell it.

Latte? Cappuccino? Doesn't matter, as far as you're concerned.

Your fantasy team is already in need for a pick-me-up and, really, any black, stiff drink will do.

Welcome to Waiver Wire Wednesday, with your host desperate measures.

Hopefully, you can see the dripping sarcasm here. It's way too early to be hitting any sort of panic button. Many teams have played just one game. Give it a couple weeks before jumping to any conclusions about category deficiencies.

But that doesn't mean you should be asleep at the waiver wheel. Every year, there's a handful of gems plucked in the first 2-3 weeks. Even Albert Pujols was a waiver add in most leagues in 2001 and ended up batting .329 with 37 HR, 130 RBI.

That happens once or twice a decade, but here are a couple options that may do more than just patch a hole on your squad.

American League

Franklin Gutiérrez, Seattle, OF: The Cleveland Indians import (from the 12-player J.J. Putz trade) has landed an every-day RF job, replacing Raul Ibanez. But more importantly, he's earned the No. 2 spot in the M's batting order as Jose Lopez has been moved to 6th in the order.

Gutiérrez is a career .280 avg./.349 obp. guy in the minors, but he has just enough power and speed to be mixed-league relevant. And if he stays in the 2 hole, between Ichiro and Griffey, you could be looking at a end-season line of .270, 18 HR, 10 SB, 95 runs, 70 RBI. Already, he's hitting 3-for-8 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Of course, there's a chance Lopez takes back over the 2 spot, which would diminish the number of fastballs this righty sees and cut his run production by a third, but this is the season of taking chances.

National League

Nyjer Morgan, OF, Pirates: The en vogue add of Opening Day was undoubtedly Emilio Bonifacio, the unknown Marlins leadoff batter who posted one of the best fantasy lines you'll see all year: 4-for-5, HR, 3 SB, 4 runs, 2 RBI.

And I'm not saying Bonifacio doesn't have his beneficios. But if you missed out on this fast fish, take a look at the Pirates new leadoff speedster.

Morgan only stole one base in his opener, but comparing pedigrees (Morgan, Bonifacio), Morgan had one more steal (231-230) in almost 600 fewer at-bats. Further, he hit 9 points higher and carried an obp. of 29 points higher, plus he plays in a division with far weaker pitching than Bonifacio, if you're into looking at that stuff.

Of course, leading off for the Pirates is sort of like being the tallest midget in the circus, but hitting ahead of McLouth, Doumit and LaRoche isn't the worst spot. Morgan's hitting .444 for the year with a steal, 2 RBI and 2 runs, which he plated last night, despite a 1-for-4 outing, providing us a glimmer of how easily the runs may coming.

Morgan has no power, but a total of 50 steals, 105 runs, 40 RBI with a .280 average is not just a pipe dream.