October 3, 2011: Zack Greinke was 11-0 at home in 2011!

Zach Duke made a big impact in his debut with the Arizona D’Backs, hitting the first home run of his career and throwing seven shutout innings. But we should be used to Duke starting off well with his team. Back in 2005, in Duke’s first 6 GS he was 4-0. In 39 1/3 IP, he had 34 HA, an 0.92/1.12 ERA/WHIP, and a 29/10 K/BB. In fact the normally strike out-challenged Duke had 17 K’s in his first 2 GS. He would end that season 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA and a 58/23 K/BB in 84 2/3 IP. That season would net Duke a fifth place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The Pirates must have thought that they had the next Tom Glavine on their hands. I would say he’s pitched more like Tom Arnold. But it wasn’t to be as his 48-74 career record will attest to. In 168 GS and 1041 IP, Duke has a 4.56/1.49 ERA/WHIP, 1269 HA, and a 537/282 K/BB. Duke was actually an All-Star in 2009 with a hot first half but quickly went back to being Zach Duke again! He went 11-16 with a 4.06/1.31, 231 HA, and a 106/49 K/BB in 213 IP. On July 15 the D’Backs removed Duke from the starting rotation and replaced him with my favorite game show host Barry Enright. I wanted to throw my lap top into the garbage when I saw that D’Backs’ GM Josh Towers signed Duke this past winter to a $4.25-mil contract with an option for 2012. I would hope that option for Mr. Towers would be to rid himself of Duke! It felt good to lop a $36 Adam Dunn off my $260-AL team a few minutes ago. Yes, just clicked the button and, voila, free agent. Dunn batted .159 on the season going 66 for 415 with 11 HR, 42 RBI, 36 R, a 177/75 K/BB and a terrible .569 OPS. This is the same guy that’s averaged a shade over 40 HR the past 7 seasons. Hopefully he just didn’t lose it overnight though it’s tough to think of any other answer. Dunn is only the second guy in major league history (Mark Reynolds is the other) to have a higher amount of K’s than batting avg. The veteran slugger can't be much worse moving forward, but the White Sox are still on the hook for $14 million next season and $15 million in 2013 and 2014. In a way I wonder why White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is out of a job and not the GM, Kenny Williams! Something interesting happened; I caddied for Ted Williams yesterday. No, not the Splendid Splinter or Teddy Ballgame. This guy was a stocky RH player and, the big difference was, this Ted Williams was alive! His golf game may have been deceased however! But it was something to talk about and, when I started the round, I was in my mid-50’s and, by the time we finished, I was in my late 60’s. We were at the 4 hour mark just getting off the thirteenth tee!

October 2, 2011: The only wisdom is knowing you know nothing!

Jerry Hairston, Jr. has seen a good amount of playing time at the hot corner down the stretch in place of McGehee, who batted .132/.203/.294 in September, but the Brewers have stood by the struggling McGehee pretty much all year. Hairston did bat .270 in 337 AB with 5 HR and 43 R. His .727 OPS was actually better than McGehee’s .626 OPS. At this point I believe that Jerry Hairston, Sr. could outhit McGehee! I might even put Scott Hairston in there but he’s probably hurt at the present time. Maybe even former LA Laker Happy Hairston! Ultimately, though, McGehee can't be stunned that he and his .223/.280/.346 batting line for the season are on the bench. He's expected to get the start in Game 2 against Daniel Hudson, who he is 5-for-5 against in his career. It appears this will be a "hot hand" situation. The Red Sox announced Friday that they would not exercise the two-year option on the contract of manager Terry Francona. In other words, Francona is officially out. The Red Sox front office released a statement late Friday afternoon, which read in part: "Tito said that after eight years here he was frustrated by his difficulty making an impact with the players, that a different voice was needed, and that it was time for him to move on. After taking time to reflect on Tito's sentiments, we agreed that it was best for the Red Sox not to exercise the option years on his contract." Francona went 744-552 (.574) over his 8 seasons as manager with the Red Sox, including two World Series titles (2004, 2007). There's already some buzz that he could land with the White Sox, but even if he doesn't, we figure it won't take him long to find a new home. Francona was the second winningest manager in Red Sox history behind Joe Cronin’s 1071. It didn’t help that the Red Sox SP’s had a 7.08 ERA in September. Something that I’ve been thinking about recently. The actor, Raymond Burr, passed away in the 90's and word of his closet homosexuality came out almost immediately. Go figure! I made a list of 5 Perry Mason "things:" 1. he had no idea that a wheelchair was in his future, 2. always the focused attorney, he never realized that his secretary, Della Street, was in love with him, 3. he had 20 black suits in his "closet", 4. didn't Perry's mother know that all androgynous names turn to female?, and 5. my wife thinks that Tim Lincecum is androgynous! Speaking of Perry Mason, we did get to the bottom of this mystery that’s been gnawing at me. Elvis Andrus wasn't the only Elvis ever to play in the majors. Elvis Pena played in 25 games for the Rockies and Brewers in 2001-2002. He was 12 for 49 (.245) with 6 R, 3 doubles, 7 RBI, 3 SB, a 7/7 K/BB, and a .651 OPS. Pena hung around the minors until 2006 finishing with a .268 BA in 4652 AB, 778 R, 26 HR, 402 RBI, 366 SB, an 851/635 K/BB, and a .715 OPS. I hope that you had him on your minor league fantasy team! I was always afraid of the Perry Mason music as a kid, Sunday night at 10:00 on Channel 2 opposite the long running Bonanza on Channel 4, a show about a 50 year old man with three 46 year old sons. The beginning of the Outer Limits also scared me! Those were the days way before VCR’s and any kind of video recording. You would even have to get up to change the channel with that annoying click of the knob!

October 1, 2011: To commit suicide in Buffalo is pretty redundant!

I know it’s the start of the playoffs and the youthful Matt Moore is going for the Rays, the first major league pitcher to have only 1 regular season start and then start a post-season game. We’ll keep you abreast of the action through the forum sections. I don’t know why I bring this up but I was thinking about an offer I received in my $360-NL league back in 2003. Sometimes towards the end of another long fantasy baseball season, it’s best just to ponder the simpler times! Another owner called me back in ‘03 and said that he would "give me" Brian L. Hunter for a cheap Ryan Klesko and a SP who's name escapes me. That owner mentioned to me that Hunter will definitely steal 40 bases in '03. Never mind that he hadn't played regularly in 3 seasons, this guy was going to steal 40 bases. I told that owner that if Hunter is a definite for 40 steals, you're not getting enough back for him and I wouldn't want to "rip you off!" I mentioned to that owner that he should keep him. He did and Hunter was released on July 27th of that year. With 0 SB and 98 AB. He did lead the AL in SB's in '97 (74) and '99 (44) and scored 114 R in '97 for the Tigers. He was a .264 hitter over 3347 career AB with 500 R and 260 SB. Brian L. Hunter is not to be confused with Brian R. Hunter, a 1B who played at the same time, who finished with 67 HR and a .234 BA in 1555 AB! A few of us fantasy baseball types were sitting around on Sunday night watching the former Mets and Astros SP, Mike Scott, dominate the Mets in the 1986 NLCS. This is a guy that came into the 1985 season with a lifetime record of 29-44. Before the '85 season, Scott was taught the split-finger fastball by Tigers' pitching coach, Roger Craig. Scott became an 18 game winner with the Astros that year and was rewarded with a 3-year $2 million deal. But, it's the 1986 season that Mike Scott became one of the best, if not the best SP, in the NL. In 275 IP that year (37 GS), Scott had a 2.22/0.92 ERA/WHIP, 182 HA, and a great 306/72 K/BB. He was accused of scuffing the ball that season but, like a great thief or, in this case, pitcher, was never caught doing so. It's his work in the NLCS vs the Mets in '86 that I most remember. In 18 IP that post-season, Scott had 2 GS, 2 CG, 1 shut out, 8 HA, 1 ER, a 19/1 K/BB, a 2-0 record (the only 2 Astros' wins) and an 0.50/0.50 ERA/WHIP. Has to remind you a little of Cliff Lee! He had 233 K in 247 2/3 IP in 1987, an 0.98 WHIP in 1988, and his only 20 win season in 1989. He was a 3 time All-Star ('86-'87, '89), won the Cy Young in '86 and was 2nd in the voting in '89. For his career, Scott was 124-108 in 2068 2/3 IP, 1858 HA, a 3.54/1.20, and a 1469/627 K/BB. Injuries became too much for Scott and he retired after the '91 season.

September 30, 2011: Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare!

Any owner who had Mike Napoli on a team was probably pretty competitive this fantasy baseball season. Or if they traded for Napoli early in the season, they’re probably patting themselves on the back right now. Napoli wasn't supposed to be a regular this season. He was a utility part, ready to plug in at catcher, first base or designated hitter to provide support for the big guns in the lineup. His profile was that of a power hitter who couldn't field well enough or get on base often enough to merit a regular place in the lineup. That profile was true defensively, but Napoli blew his offensive projections out of the water. Napoli was acquired by the Rangers in a deal for Frank Francisco days after the Angels traded him to Toronto for Vernon Wells. Wells, perhaps the most overpaid player in the history of baseball, turned in a season that was barely replacement level and the Angels catchers were even worse. They lost the division to the Rangers by 10 games, a number that Napoli might not have been able to make up on his own, but both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference peg him as being worth at least five wins this year. Napoli batted .320 on the season with a career high 30 HR, 75 RBI, 72 R, a respectable (for him) 85/58 K/BB, and a stout (for anyone) 1.045 OPS. Mike Napoli was a member in good standing of 2 of my fantasy teams battling for the money (I was out of the running in 2 other leagues). I started the Wednesday in first place in my 15 team mixed league, was tied during the evening and ended up coming in second by one point. Napoli hit 2 HR and drove in 3 as he did the night before, ending the season with 4 HR and 6 RBI over his last 2 games. Those 3 leagues were a combined 17 for 138 (.123) offensively for me and Napoli had my only 4 HR (2 each in 2 leagues). In my opinion, Mike Napoli had one of the best seasons in the AL, no matter the position. On July 4 the LA Dodgers purchased the contract of INF-OF Eugenio Velez from Triple-A Albuquerque. Velez, 29, was batting .339/.371/.463 with 2 HR, 31 RBI, 6 SB and an .834 OPS over 235 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. When he was called up an article mentioned that because of his speed, he could be worth watching in NL-only but wouldn’t play enough for mixed leaguers to worry about. Well, Velez stayed with the Dodgers for the rest of the season even getting into 34 games. The problem with Velez was that, in 37 AB, he had 0 hits. That’s right, zero, zilch, nada! That's the most at bats in a hitless season by a non-pitcher, erasing the 0-for-35 mark Hal Finney set with Pittsburgh in 1936. Velez grounded out to second as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning against the D’Backs in the regular-season finale Wednesday night. He broke the record of 45 straight at-bats that belonged to Pittsburgh's Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell of San Diego and St. Louis (1973) and Milwaukee's Craig Counsell this season. Velez, who hasn't had a hit in a major league game since May 2010, stayed in the game at second base, but did not bat again. He did score 5 R with an RBI and SB. That’s kind of like putting whipped cream on shit! Hopefully you weren’t tantalized with his speed! I actually picked Velez up in my $260-NL in 2009 and he helped me to a second place finish. On the last day of that season Velez went 3 for 5 with 2 R and 2 SB. For the Giants in 2008-2009, Velez had 26 SB (11 CS) in 560 AB. The longtime SF product was non-tendered after hitting .164 in 55 AB for them in 2010.

September 29, 2011: I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!

It’s a rare man that has talent in something. I mean one in a million talent. It could be anything. The only thing that is asked of you, and it’s a big thing, is hone that talent through practice and hard work. Because that talent, no matter what it is, could make you a lot of money one day! As we get older, we tend to take things for granted. If there’s one thing that you can take from this web site, it’s living one day at a time. You know already that none of us are promised tomorrow. My one talent, as a caddy, has been realized again recently after a 30 or so year hiatus. And, whatever you do, I would just ask that you give 100%. When Ben Sheets signed the one year deal for $10-mil from the A's my first thought was, "What the #&*% are these guys doing?" These pitchers entering their 30's that haven't pitched in a number of seasons don't suddenly get healthy and find the fountain of youth. Sheets' numbers in 20 GS before he was shut down were what should have been expected: 119 1/3 IP, a 4-9 record, a 4.53/1.39 ERA/WHIP, 123 HA, and a 84/43 K/BB. He did get rewarded for his "efforts" with $500,000 per start which is pretty good money in today's economy! It wasn't all adversity and frowns for Sheets throughout the 2000's. He was the best pitcher in baseball over a number of seasons with the Brewers and a frequent ace to my fantasy staffs. I remember one year in my $360-NL when I had BOTH Sheets and Jack Schmidt. That was fantasy heaven though short-lived. Sheets had a 2.70/0.98 ERA/WHIP in 237 IP, 201 HA, and a rather studly 264/32 K/BB. in 2004. He's only made 114 starts since! But he'll always have his 116/11 K/BB in 106 IP back in '06. Sheets, if he ever makes it back and that looks doubtful at this point, is best left for someone else's fantasy roster! The A’s have been able to continually develop productive arms from the system, a trait that has been the impetus behind the franchise’s greatest successes, and one that has helped to mask the other deficiencies in recent years particularly on the offensive end. However, the team has had increasing difficulty with keeping those players on the mound due to an ongoing cycle of injuries, and while ill-fated signings like those of Ben Sheets and Rich Harden were predictably painful, the most recent woes have afflicted young rotation anchors such as Brett Anderson. Gio Gonzalez has experienced steady growth, but Trevor Cahill has imploded after a strong first half to 2011, and his long-term outlook is cloudy. He is what he is a low strike out guy capable of the occasional great outing amongst a few clunkers! The A’s were very lucky this year with a reclamation project such as Brandon McCarthy. He has a 117/25 K/BB, 160 HA, and a 3.26/1.14 ERA/WHIP in 162 2/3 IP. All in all, a great season for the oft-injured McCarthy. Meanwhile, the minor league cupboards are bereft of pitching help at the upper levels, and the organizational avoidance of free agency puts the A’s in the precarious position of wondering where the innings will come from in 2012. We know they’re not coming from Ben Sheets. In this case hindsight is more than 20/20. I would wonder why a team in the A’s monetary situation would empty $10-mil of their own money on the oft-injured Sheets. They must have had bulging wallets or were reading tea leaves. I hear the Moneyball forum does allot for a medium (in Ben Sheets’ case, a large) to look into future pitching situations. Unfortunately, it only works about 25-30% of the time! But this latest fiasco could spell doom and gloom for Sheets and his career and a good one it was! Some will argue that Ben Sheets was dealt a bad break. But today........today, I consider him to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Not surprising at all, this is what happens when you have all the talent in the world but don't work out and care about staying in shape. Ask any Brewer fan and they can tell you how much Ben really cared about working out and staying in shape-he is the posterboy for injuries because of that!

September 28, 2011: Another fantasy baseball season is coming to an end!

As for the Rays, they got yet another huge performance from "Big Game” James Shields. While he got off to a shaky start on Monday, the 29-year-old right-hander limited the first-place Yankees two runs over 8 2/3 innings in the victory, falling just one out short of his 12th complete game of the season. After posting a 5.18 ERA last season, Shields will finish the regular season with a shiny 2.84/1.04 ERA/WHIP. One of the few good moves I made this season was to draft Shields in 3 different leagues. While the Red Sox continue to make history with their stunning September collapse, the Rays continue to play good baseball with a 15-8 record this month. The Red Sox have been an awful 6-19 in September with 2 games remaining and the teams with identical 89-71 records. It’s the second-worst record in the majors behind the Minnesota Twins. It's also Boston's second worst September, behind a 4-18 mark in 1926. It seems like a lifetime ago that the baseball “experts” were predicting utter catastrophe for the Rays after the losses of Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Joaquin Benoit, Rafael Soriano among others. But the Rays have piece mealed together a passable offense around a good starting staff and career journeyman Kyle Farnsworth has come through with 24 SV, a 2.26/0.99 ERA/WHIP, and a 47/10 K/BB. Casey Kotchman has been a great find for the Rays at 1B with his .305 BA in 495 AB, 10 HR, 48 RBI, and a .799 OPS. And Desmond Jennings became the fourth fastest player to 10 HR and 20 SB (Gary Redus, Barry Bonds, and Chris Sabo are the others). Jennings looks to be a worthy replacement for Crawford. B.J Upton, after a slow start, is now “up” to .244 with 23 HR, 80 RBI, 81 R, 34 SB, and a .759 OPS. Should be a very interesting last couple days of the baseball season. Of course the Red Sox have been stuck with the anti-Shields in the person of John Lackey, who has 3 yrs left on his deal. Lackey has the highest ERA (6.41) of any Red Sox with over 150 IP and his 1.62 WHIP is enough to make you want to throw up in your mouth! After averaging 161 K’s over the last 8 seasons, Lackey is down to 108 in 2011. The Rays trailed by nine games after play on Sept. 3. The Red Sox had either stood atop the AL East or led the wild-card race every day since before play on May 24. This could be one of the biggest “chokes” in baseball history! After this was written, the Red Sox went on to defeat the Orioles 8-7 while the Rays beat the Yankees 5-3. They remain tied coming into this last day of the season! Chris freaking Sabo?

September 27, 2011: The Detroit Lions are 3-0 for the first time since 1980!

Melky Cabrera will likely be shut down after collecting his 200th hit. He's just one base hit short. The Royals have already shut down fellow veterans Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur in order to play Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson, and Cabrera will clear the way for Mitch Maier. Cabrera is batting .304 with an .807 OPS, 18 HR, 87 RBI, 101 R, and 20 SB in what has been one of the more surprising seasons in baseball this year. Cabrera did go 0 for 4 on Sunday, staying at 199 H on the season. After spending 4 full seasons with the Yankees, where he was looking more like a career 4th OF, Cabrera had an unsuccessful stint with the Atlanta Braves in 2010. He batted .255 in 458 AB 4 HR, 42 RBI, 50 R, 7 SB and a .672 OPS. Coming into the season, Cabrera was one of those guys you weren't overly happy to have as your fourth or fifth outfielder in a 12-team mixed leagues. He wasn't going to kill you in any category, but he also wasn't going to be a big help. In fact, the best 5x5 numbers that he posted from '05-10 would lead you to predict a season of .280-13-73-75-13. In addition, his slash line of .267/.328/.379 from '05-10 was actually worse than the league average of .269/.337/.425. He just wasn't anything other than average. This year that has changed. Cabrera is two homers away from going 20/20, and he's also hitting a career best .305. Mind you, he'd only hit better than .275 once, and had never hit 15 homers or stolen 15 bases in a season. One of the reasons for that counting category growth is that he's posted a whopping 686 plate appearances, 158 more than he averaged from '05-10. His 44 doubles are 16 more than his previous career high set in 2009 in 485 AB. When a guy racks up 700 plate appearances he's going to have solid counting numbers. What to expect from Cabrera in 2012 is anybody’s guess. Don’t forget that even though he’s been around for awhile, Cabrera just turned 27 in August. Anyone who’s a reader of this site doesn’t have to be told that Greg Maddux was one of the greatest pitchers of our generation. And anyone that reads the site knows that I’m a big numbers guy. Because, after all, that’s all we have for baseball that’s quantifiable. And Maddux had some numbers in a career that spanned from 1990-2008 with 5008 1/3 IP, a 3371/999 K/BB, 4726 HA, and a 3.16/1.14 ERA/WHIP. He won 4 consecutive Cy Youngs (1992-1995), was an 8 time All-Star, an 18 time Gold Glove winner, a 2x 20 game winner and a 5x 19 game winner. But there were 2 seasons he had in the strike torn mid-90’s that caught my eye. These are 2 of the greatest seasons (1994-1995) put together by a pitcher in my lifetime as he went 35-8 in 53 GS, 20 CG, 6 shut outs, 411 IP, 297 HA, a 337/54 K/BB, and a 1.60/0.85 ERA/WHIP. Digest those numbers the next time you draft your fantasy staff!

September 26, 2011: Juan Carlos Oviedo is no Leo Nunez!

He's a guy that made Yankee RP, Ryne Duren, look like a control pitcher. A guy that legend has, threw 106 MPH. Of course, that was in the days before radar guns. A guy that was so wild, he regularly threw pitches into the stands. He couldn't find home plate with a GPS. And this isn't urban legend. There really was a guy named Steve Dalkowski and this is a cautionary tale of failed promise and dark longing! In Dalkowski's 1st pro season, on August 31, 1957 in the Appalacian League, he K'd 24 batters, walked 18 more, hit 4 batters and threw 6 wild pitches, losing the game, 8-4. The next year, in the Northern League, Dalkowski threw a one-hitter, striking out 15, walking 17, and losing 9-8. In 1960, in the California League, Dalkowski threw a 4-hitter, striking out 19 and losing 8-3! That 1960 season saw Dalkowski go 170 innings, with 105 HA, a 262/262 K/BB and a 5.14/2.16 ERA/WHIP. 262 walks is a minor league record for a season! In an extra-inning game in 1962, he struck out 27, walked 16 and threw 283 pitches. Under the tutelage of his minor league manager, the legendary Earl Weaver, Dalkowski seemed to find his way in 1962, going 160 IP, 117 HA, a 192/114 K/BB and a 3.04/1.44 ERA/WHIP. But, like the rest of his life, there was a sad ending! He was having a good spring training in 1963 and on his way to making the Baltimore Orioles, when he felt "something pop" in his left elbow while pitching vs the New York Yankees. He returned later that summer to the minors but his velocity was never the same. Dalkowski bounced around for a couple of seasons but was out of baseball by the age of 26! He was unable to find any gainful employment because of his raging alcoholism and spent most of his adult life as a migrant field laborer. He currently lives in his home town of New Britain, Connecticut, unable to remember much after the mid-'60's. Dalkowski did put up these numbers: in 236 games (152 GS), he had 38 CG, 995 IP, 682 HA, a 46-80 record, a 1396/1354 K/BB, and a 5.59/2.05 ERA/WHIP. He also allowed 37 HR. Dalkowski would only throw 24 innings at Triple-A over his career and had a 7.13/1.96 there. During his career, Dalkowski was throwing batting practice in Miami when Ted Williams stepped in to see what he could do against the fast-baller. Don't forget, Williams' eyes were so sharp that he could count the stitches on a baseball as it rotated toward the plate. Williams took one pitch saying that he never saw it and that Dalkowski was the fastest pitcher that he had ever seen! Williams also said that he would be damned if he ever faced Dalkowski again if he could help it!

September 25, 2011: "They say you're getting married, and it's the worst that could happen!"

To say Javier Vazquez pitched poorly through the first couple of months of the season would be an understatement. He was 3-6 with a 7.09 ERA. Vazquez (12-11) has lowered his ERA to 3.77 since. Vazquez, who ranks 28th all-time in career strikeouts (2,527) and is the leader among active pitchers, is scheduled to make one more start Tuesday when the Marlins face the Nationals. He said after that he plans to go home to his native Puerto Rico, but has not announced his plans for next season. Javier Vazquez has not formally announced this will be his last season pitching in the majors, but if it is, Vazquez is going out in style. He has allowed just one run in 36 IP (0.25 ERA), and has not allowed a run in his past 25 innings of work, a Marlins team record. He also won his fifth consecutive GS. Overall, in 2011, Vazquez has a 1.21 WHIP in 183 2/3 IP with 173 HA, and a 153/50 K/BB. Vazquez also twirled his first shutout since May of 2005 last Friday, holding the Nationals to just five hits while walking no one and striking out seven in the 3-0 win. His K/BB over his last 8 GS is a very stout 59/6. His last trip to the NL with the Braves in 2009 was like something out of a dream. And a good dream at that when he went 219 1/3 IP with a 15-10 mark, a 2.87/1.03 ERA/WHIP, 181 HA, and a stellar 238/44 K/BB. Probably the only guy better in the NL in 2nd half has been Clayton Kershaw who has 119 1/3 IP, a 1.58/0.95 ERA/WHIP, 136 Ks, and is 14-2 since June 20. He is probably going to win the NL Cy Young hardware. Kershaw is also winning the pitcher’s Triple Crown of W’s (20), K’s (242), and ERA (2.27). Twins placed INF Tsuyoshi Nishioka on the 15-day disabled list with strained oblique. It's simply a procedural move, as the Twins ruled Nishioka out for the season over a week ago. He wound up with a hideous .226/.278/.249 batting line in his first season in the states. You’re probably wondering why would put that insignificant piece of news on this blog. Nishioka is a guy that had a 2010 in the East to remember. And maybe forever, leading the Japanese league in BA (.346), R (121), and adding a .904 OPS, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 22 SB, and a 96/79 K/BB in 596 AB. Of course I drafted him in not 1, but 2, AL-only. Because, when push comes to shove, I’m always a sucker for a happy ending! (Just don’t tell my wife!) Nishioka being DL’d allowed me to pick up a guy in my no-trade AL, a league that I’ve been cashing the money 14 of 16 years. I was tied for 4th place at one point last night (I’m currently in sixth, 4 places pay). As you know, major league teams rarely DL guys in Sept because of the massive roster additions. I remember one year in that league my only 2 SP’s in Sept were Mark Buehrle and Jamie Moyer! I replaced Nishioka with Colby Rasmus, who’s having a terrible season in his own right. (I moved Aviles to SS and Cuddyer to COR to make the positioning work). This is the league where I drafted Matt Thornton and am second from the bottom in SV and right at the bottom in BA. Sept 26 will be a big day for me as I have Fister, Shields, Paulino, and hopefully, Haren going. I could pick up 2 points in WHIP and a point and a half in W’s. But it could also be my death knell!

September 24, 2011: "And when I die, and when I'm gone, there'll be one child born in a world to carry on, to carry on!"

On another front, maybe the Yankees aren't always good businessmen. After the 2006 season, a season in which Kei Igawa had a 14-9 record, a 2.97 ERA and 194 K's in his last season in Japan, the Yankees paid a $26-mil posting fee and added another $194 ($1 for every strike out), to have the exclusive negotiating rights to him. Who knows if anyone else even posted. I did hear that the Red Sox were also interested. Igawa received a 5-year/$20-mil deal to pitch here in the west for the tradition-rich Yankees. The problem was, early on, the Yankees realized what the rest of us were noticing. That Igawa just wasn't that good. He was sent to minor league camp for a tune-up and oil change but the engine still wasn't running right. After all, this guy was pretty good in Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun featuring shorter clean-up hitters and even shorter parks! He was 86-60 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1174/395 K/BB in 1244 IP. He was a 3-time K leader ('02, '04, '06), an ERA leader ('03) and a wins leader ('03). But, sadly, Igawa would only, so far, pitch 16 games for the Yankees, going 2-4 in 71 2/3 IP, 89 HA, a 53/37 K/BB, and a 6.66/1.76 ERA/WHIP. 2011 was his 5th season at Triple-A where he's gone 36-25 in 533 IP, 532 HA, a 419/163 K/BB and a 3.83/1.30. He did have a 68/23 K/BB and a 4.32 ERA in 77 IP at Triple-A in 2010 and was paid $4-mil for 2011, the last year of his contract to do the same. This season, in 77 IP, Igawa had a 3.86/1.39 ERA/WHIP, 70 HA, and a 52/37 K/BB. The Yankees can now take that extra $194 and use it toward passage back to Japan, where Igawa could enjoy his twilight years in relative anonymity! The five-year saga is a story of a giant mistake of a contract and an overmatched pitcher, a huge organization digging in and a quiet, somewhat mysterious Japanese pitcher with a sense of honor and a durable love of the game. The Yankees made it pretty clear Igawa would never pitch again in the Bronx, but they were determined that he pitch somewhere for his $4-million-a-year salary. They tried to return him to Japan, too. Igawa refused to go, standing fast to his childhood dream of pitching in the American big leagues. Well that childhood dream is now over and a 5 year journey to find the mother lode can now be turned to a different page for both the Yankees and Igawa. Like Tinker to Evers to Chance, the saddest story ever told could be the one of Brien Taylor, the first overall pick by the Yankees in 1991, a quarter century after the Mets picked Steve Chilcott. Scott Boras called Taylor the greatest high school pitcher that he had ever seen in his life. In fact, in Taylor's senior year, he had a 213/28 K/BB in 88 IP and overall in his high school career, he was 29-6, a 1.25 ERA and 476 K's in 239 IP. Baseball America named Taylor the #2 prospect in baseball (behind Chipper Jones) before he had even thrown a pitch as a professional! He made his debut at Class-A in 1992 going 6-8, a 2.57 ERA, 187 K's and 121 HA in 161 IP. The kid was on his way! As a 21 year old at Double-A in 1993, Taylor was 13-7 with a 3.48/1.41 ERA/WHIP, a 150/102 K/BB and 127 HA in 163 IP. He did regress a bit but was at a young age for his level. Life, as Taylor knew it, ended for him on December 18, 1993, he suffered a dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum while defending his brother in a fight. Renowned surgeon, Dr. Frank Jobe, called the injury one of the worst he had ever seen but that he would be able to pitch again. He tried coming back in 1995 but, with the loss of 8 MPH on his fastball and not being able to throw his curve for strikes, Taylor was never the same again! For the next 4 seasons, mostly in Class-A ball, Taylor managed 41 games (28 GS), 108 2/3 P, 107 HA, an 86/175 K/BB, and a 10.85/2.60 ERA/WHIP. He tried a comeback in 2000 in the Cleveland system but gave up 11 R and 9 BB in 2 2/3 IP. It was over for the kid who, and probably a million times over, wished he had that December night in 1993 to do over again.

September 23, 2011: As Forrest Gump's mother said, "Life is like a box of chocolates!"

You probably remember George Brunet as the flaky LHP in Jim Bouton's book, "Ball Four." That book was a revealing look at the players from the '69 expansion Seattle Pilots and, in it, Bouton revealed that Brunet never wore underwear! It was also later revealed on the web that, while playing in the Mexican League, Brunet married the madam of a local brothel. I remember Brunet as a guy that pitched 33 professional seasons (1953-1985) and the holder of the strike out record all-time (3175) in minor league ball (to go with his 921 major league strikeouts for a total of 4,096 strikeouts in professional baseball). He also holds the Mexican League record for most shut outs with 55. Some of you may remember Brunet as a serviceable major league pitcher. In his MLB career, Brunet was 69-93, pitching for mostly 2nd division teams, with a 3.62/1.32 ERA/WHIP, a 921/581 K/BB and 1303 HA in 1431 2/3 IP. He pitched in 324 games (213 GS), 39 CG, 15 shut outs and even 4 SV. In fact, Brunet did have some good seasons with the Angels in the '60s, ranking 6th all-time in ERA (3.13) and 4th in WHIP (1.20). A hard-luck pitcher, he led the AL in losses in 1967 (19) and '68 (17) despite good ERAs of 3.31 and 2.85. In 15 of his losses in 1967, his teammates scored two runs or less. In the US affiliated minors, Brunet went 112-115 with a 3.95/1.47 and 1018 BB with 1755 HA in 1890 IP and 342 games. By the time his US career was over in 1973, Brunet had pitched for 27 different teams! Talk about a pitching vagabond! Of course, he wasn't finished pitching yet, going 13 more seasons, until 1985, in the Mexican League. His record down south was 132-127 and he had 3 full seasons in that offensive environment with an ERA less than 2.00. In 1983, at the age of 48, Brunet had an ERA of 1.93! By the time he retired in 1985, at the age of 50, Brunet's overall record in organized baseball was 313-335. Unfortunately, Brunet passed away from a heart attack in 1991 at the age of 56. He was elected posthumously into the Mexican League Hall of Fame in 1993. Seth Greisinger really does interest me. I remember, back in 1998, when an owner in my straight draft AL (who's also the commissioner of my $360-NL), drafted Greisinger toward the end. I was trying to find that draft from 13 springs ago but my wife has a way of getting rid of my old fantasy stuff. Especially anything involving Seth Greisinger. I too thought that Greisinger may have a future in this business. But in 21 GS for the Tigers, he had a 5.12/1.46 ERA/WHIP and a 66/48 K/BB in 130 IP. He would only make 18 more starts in the majors. I knew that Greisinger went to Japan a number of years ago and just kind of forgot about him. A few weeks ago a friend of mine through fantasy baseball said that this guy was still pitching. I did some digging to check out his Japanese stats and found that Greisinger had a couple of years similar to the Rangers' Colby Lewis. You remember Lewis as a terrible pitcher with the Rangers, A's, and Tigers in the early part of the century. Lewis took a ferry (to the levee) to Japan and had 2 years of absolute and unmitigated bounty. In 2008-2009, Lewis was 26-17 in 354 1/3 IP with 307 HA, an amazing 369/46 K/BB, and a 2.82/1.00 ERA/WHIP. Then he came back to the states and helped Texas get to the World Series! Just for comparison, in 2007-2008, Greisinger's first 2 seasons in Japan, his record was 33-17 in 415 IP with 386 HA, a great 326/62 K/BB, and a 2.95/1.08 ERA/WHIP. A lot of similarities in the 2 yet Greisinger encountered the injury bug over the next few seasons and hasn't come back from that. So maybe his career wasn't such a failure as we all make it out to be! I just want to think of it as wrong place, wrong time!

September 22, 2011: I heard an ant conversing with a flea but dismissed it as small talk!

Fausto Carmona yielded three runs in six innings Tuesday to get the victory as the Indians topped the White Sox 4-3. Carmona got 12 groundball outs in winning for the first time since Aug. 17, also against the White Sox. He's now 7-15 with a 5.23/1.41 ERA/WHIP. The Indians are going to have a difficult decision to make on his $7 million option for 2012. Me personally I don’t think it’s a tough decision at all. And, by the way, if a team bowls Carmona over with an offer vis-à-vis Oliver Perez, Jeff Suppan, Barry Zito, and Carlos Silva good luck to that ballclub. We in baseball tend to remember the good times. Back in 2007, and as hard as this is to believe, Carmona was the runner-up in the AL Cy Young voting. He had a 19-8 record that bountiful season with a 3.06/1.21 ERA/WHIP, 199 HA, and a 137/61 K/BB in 215 IP. After that season, Carmona went through 2 seasons of degradation, both for him and especially his fantasy owners. Those years of darkness produced 246 IP, a 5.89/1.70 ERA/WHIP, 277 HA, and a scary 137/140 K/BB. He came back somewhat in 2010 with a 13-14 mark in 210 1/3 IP, 203 HA, 3.77/1.31 and a 124/72 K/BB. Drew Stubbs made history — not the kind of history you want to make. He struck out for the 200th time, joining Mark Reynolds as the only major leaguers to strike out 200 times in a season. Reynolds has done it three times, including a record 223 times in 2009. “It’s something he has to work on in the winter,” Reds manger Dusty Baker said. “We’ll give him a plan. You don’t sit him down to prevent. You’ve got to play through it. It’s been tough on him for the last month to six weeks.” But rethinking what he said, Baker gave Drew Stubbs the day off Wednesday to regroup. Stubbs is hitting just .176 (10-for-56) this month. Many fantasy owners expecting great things from Stubbs this year were left very disappointed. His HR are down from 22 last season to 15, RBI have gone from 77 to 43, BA from .255 to .244 and OPS from .771 to .684. He does have 92 R (up from 91) and 38 SB (up from 30). Stubbs is the poster boy for prospects who seem to be destined for greatness, but who lack the ability to actually hit at the level required for major league success. He is a good defensive CF but that doesn’t help in fantasy. Stubbs does supply good speed numbers and decent power numbers. If you roster Stubbs, make sure that you have others who can control your BA. Billy Koch didn't throw quite as hard as Dick Radatz or was as imposing on the mound, but he had some of the same early success as the big guy! I owned Koch in fantasy leagues both as a rookie with Toronto in 1999 and his only season with Oakland in 2002. That was his stand-out season recording 44 SV, with 11 W and 93 K in 93 2/3 IP. In fact, Koch had 144 SV during his first 4 seasons in the show (1999-2002). In 304 IP over those seasons, Koch had a 265/127 K/BB, 275 HA, and a 3.49/1.32 ERA/WHIP. But there would be no more bounty for Billy Koch. He drifted for 2 seasons throwing 102 innings with a 5.12/1.65 and 19 SV. When Koch was released by the Blue Jays on March 17, 2005, he was so upset with the team that he said, "I'm going to make Toronto pay every cent of my salary!" At the age of 30, Koch never appeared in the majors again.

September 21, 2011: Coco Crisp's real name is Covelli Loyce Crisp!

With the Red Sox playoff hopes continuing to hang in the balance, John Lackey turned in another stupefyingly bad performance on Monday against the Orioles, allowing eight runs on 11 hits and two walks in 4 1/3 IP of an 18-9 Boston victory. Yes, it's possible to take a no-decision on a night where your team scores 18 runs and there was no rain delay. Boston's $82.5 million man has now allowed at least four runs in nine of his past 11 starts, and is the owner of a 6.09 ERA in 75 1/3 innings since the All-Star break. Of course, that's nearly a full run better than his season mark of 6.49. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has doled out a surprising amount of awful contracts in recent seasons, but Lackey's takes the cake. It's hard to envision the soon-to-be 33-year-old righty surviving the entire 2012 season in Boston's rotation. In 2010 Lackey did improve his K/9 from 5.3 in his first 19 GS to 8.1 in his last 14 GS. Obviously, he's not worth using in any league and hasn’t been in quite a while. But that wasn’t always the case. He was a pretty good SP for the Angels, having a 19 W season, a 3.01/1.21 ERA/WHIP in 224 IP in ’07 and 389 total K’s in ’05-’06 in 426 2/3 IP. In fact, Lackey was 102-71 in 8 seasons with the Angels. You know that I’m not a big fan of giving long term deals to pitchers but on December 16, 2009, John Lackey signed a 5 yr/$82.5-mil deal with the Bosox. He gave them 14 W in 215 IP with a 4.40/1.42 ERA/WHIP, 233 HA, and a 156/72 K/BB in 2010. Not what the Red Sox had in mind but they would have gladly taken the same numbers in 2011. In 27 GS covering 154 IP, Lackey has a 6.49/1.63 ERA/WHIP,198 HA, and a 104/53 K/BB. I’m the proud owner of Lackey at $12 in my $260-AL and, yes, he’s been God-awful! Speaking of which, Brian Matusz allowed six runs on six hits and two walks in just 1 2/3 innings on Monday, falling to 1-8 as Baltimore dropped the second game of a doubleheader 18-9 in Boston. Something is not right with the 24-year-old lefty. Either he's pitching hurt, or has suffered one of the more dramatic erosions of skill you'll ever see. Now the owner of a staggeringly bad 10.68 ERA, Matusz has allowed 95 baserunners in 44 2/3 innings. That translates to an unfathomable 2.13 WHIP. Perhaps not since Chien-Ming Wang came unraveled for the Yankees in 2009 have we witnessed this poor of a performance from someone with legitimate expectations for their game. His last 2 GS have produced 3 IP, 11 ER and 11 HA. Needless to say, Matusz will be entering the most critical spring training of his career, including Little League, in February. Good things were expected from Matusz coming into this season. After all, as a rookie for the O’s in 2010, Matusz threw 175 2/3 innings with a 10-12 mark, a 4.30/1.35 ERA/WHIP, 173 HA, and a 143/63 K/BB. The one commonality of the 2, besides the fact they both stink this season, is that Lackey’s ERA (6.49) is the highest ERA for a Red Sox pitcher with 20 or more starts and that Matusz’s ERA (10.68) is the worst in history for any pitcher with more than 40 innings.

September 20, 2011: The pen is mightier than the sword and considerably easier to write with!

Chone Figgins has been bothering me lately. Just the fact that his season is such an utter and complete waste, yet he’s being paid handsomely for it! I think that Figgins should be giving some of his money to help feed the poor or find a cure for cancer. The Mariners will shut down Figgins for the remainder of the season due to ongoing soreness in his hip. Figgins has been nursing a right hip flexor strain since the beginning of August and can't seem to shake the soreness. His season ends with a horrendous .188 BA with 1 HR, 15 RBI, 24 R, 11 SB, a 42/21 K/BB and a God-awful .483 OPS. He'll likely enter next season as a back-up despite having $17 million left on his contract. This is one of the worst seasons in recent memory for a player with Figgins’ history! From 2004-2010, Figgins averaged 44 SB and 88 R a season. He scored 114 R with 101 BB and a .790 OPS as recently as 2009, his last year with the Angels. Figgins, who has two years remaining on a four-year, $36 million contract, hasn't played since suffering a hip flexor injury last month. The Mariners need to find a way to jettison him during the offseason, even it means eating some of his contract. For whatever reason, it hasn't worked in Seattle for Figgins, and the Mariners need to get more production out of third base. Figgins also has a vesting option for 2014 that kicks in if he gets 600 plate appearances in 2013! Napoleon Bonaparte is another guy that's been bothering me lately. If he were born 100 years later, he would have been a good middle infielder in the mold of an Eddie Stanky or Leo Durocher. I love the fact that like Pedro or Ichiro or Albert or even Manny, Napoleon was just known by his first name! Napoleon was a good strategist and very good with logistics who would have made a good manager after his playing days were over. But we're from a country that really doesn't take too kindly to dictators that want to take over the world. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba in 1813, escaped in 1814 (with El Duque), lost at Waterloo in 1815, and spent the last 6 years of his life in confinement by the British on the island of St. Helena. But he was often seen texting with Jamie Moyer! Call me sensitive, but I'm a little bit put-off by the fact that when Napoleon was done with a woman, he would just have her beheaded! Didn't anyone ever hear of divorce? Brian Dinkelman went 4-for-5 with a run and an RBI in Sunday's 6-5 loss to Cleveland. Coming off Saturday's 3-for-4 performance, the 27-year-old is batting .375 in 40 at-bats -- the only major league at-bats of his career. Dinkelman is a career .271 minor league hitter through six seasons. In other words, don't expect him to keep hitting .375 for the rest of the season. Dinkelman sounds like he should be best friends with Forrest Gump or, at the very least, be one of the guys sitting on the couch in the early part of the movie “Animal House.” “This is Achmed, Jud-dish, Brian Dinkelman, and Kenny!” He hit only .241 at Triple-A this season with a .636 OPS, a 93/45 K/BB, 54 R, 3 HR, 41 RBI, and 7 SB in 469 AB. Enjoy this little run of providence while it lasts, albeit, Dinkelman has a chance to make the Twins as a utility man in 2012. He’s played 7 games in the OF and 5 at 2B.

September 19, 2011: A prostitute with low self-esteem gives it away for free!

Despite never having an at bat above Double-A, the Twins recalled the 23-year-old Joe Benson. He is one of the top athletes in the minors with a splendid power-speed combination that is hard to match. The right-handed hitter missed a month after knee surgery and he's just getting back into the groove. He was named the Twins minor league player of the year in '10 and, while he hasn't been as good this year, he has all five tools at his disposal. Scouts said the same thing about Lastings Milledge a number of years back. The problem with Milledge is that he was never able to use his 5 tools at the same time! Depending on what the Twins do in the offseason, Benson could battle for a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2012. Joe Benson busted out with the best game of his young career Friday, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and a triple while scoring three runs in a loss to the Indians. His season at Double-A included a .285 BA in 400 AB with 16 HR, 67 RBI, 69 R, 13 SB, a 109/56 K/BB, and an .883 OPS. The Twins had the 2006 second-round pick repeat the level despite batting .251 in 374 AB with 23 HR, 49 RBI, 65 R, 14 SB, a 115/39 K/BB, and an .862 OPS in 2010. He doesn't project as a star and high strikeout rates are a potential red flag, but Benson does a lot of things well and looks like a solid regular. Athletically, he's prime meat: A right fielder's throwing arm with center field speed (Dan Gladden said during spring training that he thought Benson is faster than Ben Revere), he also has power. Rex Brothers, Colorado's supplemental first-round pick in 2009, has passed most of the tests presented to him since debuting last Sept. 6. But the Rockies aren't forgetting about the educational process just because he's pitching at key times. Brothers, a sandwich pick in the 2009 draft, made 18 appearances from June 20 through July 30. In those 18 outings, he allowed one run in 15 2/3 innings and struck out 25. He met up with a little adversity for a time but has seemingly righted the ship even getting his first major league SV on August 23 vs the Astros. Manager Jim Tracy on Brothers: “You’ve got to feed this guy a little rope. This is a special arm. This is a guy who, moving forward, could be a very, very significant piece to a very, very solid bullpen. So you have to expose him to things to see how he handles it. And part of seeing how you handle it is when it doesn’t work out the way you want, are you capable of bouncing back? Do you have a short enough memory that you can let go of yesterday?” With 53 K’s in his first 37 2/3 IP, you could be looking at the next Craig Kimbrel as a closer. He also K’d 45 in 28 minor league P before getting the call to the show on June 4. The LHP just has to work on getting his walks in check much the way Kimbrel had to! Kimbrel does have a rookie SV record 45 this season along with a 123/29 K/BB and 43 HA in 73 2/3 IP.

September 18, 2011: I think I need 7 days at the links of Utopia!

Aaron Cook is the winningest pitcher in Rockies history, leading manager Jim Tracy to give him this final opportunity in front of the hometown fans. Cook has an $12 million option next season that will not be picked up by the team. As it stands, it's unlikely the team would sign him as a free agent. Cook has said he has no plans to retire and is hoping to land with another team in the offseason. If the Rockies plan on picking up the contract for $12-mil on Cook, I will stop playing fantasy baseball forever and become an agent! And as hard as it is to believe that Aaron Cook is the winningest pitcher in Rockies’ history, he’s a guy that’s never had  100 K’s in a season (96 in 2008) or a WHIP below 1.34 (2007). He did win 16 games for the club in 2008 but did give up a whopping 236 H in 211 1/3 IP with a 96/48 K/BB. And his career K/BB of 548/406 in 1306 1/3 IP makes me just want to cut myself! Since the beginning of 2010, Cook has a 9-17 record with 264 HA, a 100/87 K/BB and a 5.37/1.61 ERA/WHIP. Ace indeed! Mariano Rivera earned his 601st career save Saturday against the Blue Jays, tying him with Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves record. As efficient as ever, Rivera threw 15 pitches and struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. It's only a matter of time before he'll have the record all to himself. This is something that you’ll probably never see again. 600 SV, that is! Lee Smith is third all time with 478. Henry Sosa got off to a terrible start in 2011, posting a 10.41/2.40 ERA/WHIP in relief at Triple-A Fresno for the Giants -- he fared better in Double-A for SF and after the trade to Houston, but given his age (26), you have to take those results with a huge grain of salt. Sosa's skills have been fairly erratic, and while he looked great in Double-A this year, it's not wise to get too excited about a 26-year-old dominating at that level. He's yet to display an elite skill in the majors and is pretty much an average to slightly below average pitcher. He did end up 10-3 with a 4.53/1.49 ERA/WHIP across 2 levels of the minors in 2011 and hasn’t looked that great in 8 GS for the Astros. He currently is sporting a 33/20 K/BB in 43 2/3 IP with 40 HA and a 4.74/1.37 ERA/WHIP in his first major league action. Unlike Aaron Cook, at least there may be a little K upside as he gets his feet a little more wet. But Sosa is a guy best left for another fantasy owner.

September 17, 2011: We're good and tough, we're the Kelly's!

The biggest question is if ANY MLB team is going to get Yu Darvish. His Japanese team, the Nippon Ham Fighters may not even post him. I would expect the Yankees and Red Sox and Rangers, who could all use pitching depth, to be frontrunners for the bidding. The second question is if Darvish comes to the MLB, can the Blue Jays afford to let any other AL team have him. Absolutely not. Dice-K Matsuzaka was ridiculous in his first season in MLB (15-12, 201 K’s in 204 2/3 IP), and you can expect the same or better from Darvish for a longer time because you know that whichever team gets him is going to do everything possible to keep him from getting injured. As long as the Yankees and Red Sox don't have consistently great 1-2-3 pitchers, the Jays will have a window to contend for the playoffs. If the Yankees get Darvish, that could potentially be the best 1-2 combo in MLB with Sabathia and Darvish. Though some, including me, would argue that the Phillies 1-2 of Halladay and Lee is pretty damned good! Now if the Red Sox get Darvish, that is Lester, Beckett, Bucholz, Darvish... potentially as good as the Phillies 1-2-3-4. If this happens, game over AL East, goodbye to the Jays playoff hopes. Now consider what Darvish could do for the Jays rotation. Romero-Darvish-Morrow is a potentially deadly playoff combination. Morrow hasn’t been great this year but his numbers aren’t consistent with his skills. Morrow would be a sneaky good value buy for 2012. I sense that if Darvish comes to the Jays it may push Morrow to do better. After all, there's a lot of hopes and expectations on Morrow right now, having Darvish will lessen the pressure on him. And, lest we forget, it did cost the Red Sox a total of $103.1-mil to procure the services of Matsuzaka. He had another season of bounty in 2008, going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. But his one bugaboo has been the base on balls. As I always told my son when he was playing Little League, the most important pitch is “strike one.” As I always ask when talking about certain Japanese players, “What’s Japanese for you suck?” The Japanese leagues may be like the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, alas, Akinori Iwamura didn’t work out in the Iron City. I personally don’t believe in that “special pipe line” with the lord or Japanese officials for that matter. Because you just can’t measure the heart. But I do prefer a long string tied to 2 cans myself and, when I’m in a bind, I’ll call out for special favors and hope someone is listening! Darvish has had some remarkable stats in the East. At least that’s what we’re supposed to believe on paper. But a 92-36 career record is nothing to sneeze at! His 1.54 ERA in 2011 and 17-4 mark are real too. Let’s just hope the translation works out vis-à-vis the states.

September 16, 2011: A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies!

The Diamondbacks released INF Daryle Ward. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona in August and batted .318 with 2 HR, 18 RBI, and a .916 OPS in 85 AB. He also had a stout 9/22 K/BB with Double-A Mobile. The 36-year-old hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2008 as a member of the Cubs when he batted .216 in 102 AB with 4 HR and 17 RBI. In 2009 and 2011, Ward played in the organizations of the Reds, White Sox, Nationals, and D’Backs. He spent 2010 playing independent ball batting .286 in 399 AB with an .806 OPS, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 54 R, and a 56/43 K/BB. He had a fantasy relevant season while playing for the Astros back in ’02 with 72 RBI and a .276 BA and in 2005 with the Pirates. But he’s always been what he is, a good $1 guy at the tail end of your draft. And now we don’t even have that anymore! I’d like to share a couple Oscar Wilde quotes when talking about Eliezer Alfonzo. “One can survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a good reputation.” “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo become the first player suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs under the Major League Baseball testing program when the commissioner's office announced a 100-game penalty Wednesday. Alfonzo, a 32-year-old backup in his sixth big league season, was suspended for 50 games in April 2008 while a member of the San Francisco Giants. "I am surprised by this positive test," said Alfonzo. "I learned my lesson in 2008 and have not taken any prohibited substances since then. With the Union's help, I intend to fight this suspension and look forward to appearing before the arbitrator in the near future." Manny Ramirez retired in April rather than face a 100-game suspension following a second positive test. Baseball began testing with penalties in 2004. Under the current rules, a third violation would carry a lifetime ban. I speculated about a steroids issue vis-à-vis Alfonzo after a successful 94 AB with Colorado Springs in Triple-A. Now mind you, that league could make David Eckstein into Ryan Howard! Alfonzo flashed a 1.124 OPS in 94 AB with 12 HR, 37 RBI, and 21 R. Did I mention that he only had 94 AB? His major league career has been something about of a bad TV documentary. Since 2007 Alfonzo has had 66 base hits, 5 HR and 28 RBI in the show. And maybe that’s all we should say about Alfonzo! Brad Peacock made his first major league start Wednesday, and allowed only two hits in five scoreless against the Mets. But it was the Mets, he walked more than he struck out. He's as risky as any, and if the schedule holds he'll get the Phillies in Philadelphia next time out. That's probably an avoid. Peacock was 15-3 between Double and Triple-A this season with a 177/47 K/BB, 97 HA, and a 2.39/0.98 ERA/WHIP in 146 2/3 IP. Though he never posted an ERA under 4.15 prior to the '11 campaign, the 23-year-old has been one of the top pitchers in baseball. He was leading the Double-A Eastern League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts prior to his promotion to Triple-A. Once he hones his changeup, he could become a mainstay in the rotation, potentially as a #2 starter. I will be keeping an eye on Peacock in the spring of 2012.

September 15, 2011: Don't call me daughter, not fair to me!

Even though Mike Cameron is past his prime he had a great career. He is a class act 100%. I saw him sign autographs for a good 20 minutes after the Marlins took batting practice a few weeks ago. He kept saying he was late & had to get ready for the game, but every time a kid called for him to sign their ball Mike signed every single one of the kids balls for them. He also stops in the parking lot after the game & signs for whatever kid is out there waiting. Great guy, great career. He was best known for hitting four homers in a game in 2002 and for a frightening, face-to-face collision with a teammate in the outfield three seasons later. On May 2, 2002, with Seattle, Cameron became the 13th player in big league history to hit four home runs in a game. On Aug. 11, 2005, he was seriously injured when he collided face-to-face with Mets teammate Carlos Beltran in a game against the Padres. A month after the Padres' 2007 season came to a stunning end, they got another shock Wednesday when Cameron, their Gold Glove center fielder, was suspended for the first 25 games of next season after testing positive a second time for a banned stimulant. Cameron insists that it was tainted but did sit the first 25 games of the 2008 season. Cameron was a frequent member of my fantasy teams during his career and, in fact, over a 10 year period from 1999-2008, he averaged 21.8 HR and 23.9 SB per season. First off, let’s give Mike Leake a big pat on the back about beginning his major league career in 2010 without spending a day in the minors and being thrown right into the Reds rotation that season. And, in spite of leaping right from college to the majors, he showed some prosperity in the first half.  He had a 3.38/1.42 ERA/WHIP, a 6-1 record and 67 K in 101 IP. But he couldn’t keep up the bounty and had a 6.57/1.70 in the second half before being shut down in September of last year. Leake’s 2011 didn’t start out too well for the youngster. He had 5 HRA, a 7/9 K/BB, and 33 HA in 21 IP in spring traing but, because of injuries to others on the staff, Leake made the team. Then on April 18, Mike sprung a “leak” doing his best Winona Ryder impression. Leake was arrested after Macy’s department store loss prevention employees stopped the Reds pitcher today after they say he took $59.88 in property from the store. Leake makes around half a million bucks a year, by the way, and got a $2.7 million signing bonus in 2009, so your guess as to why he’s stealing T-shirts from Macy’s is as good a guess as mine. But after saying 5 Our Fathers and 5 Hail Marys, Leake continued in the rotation for the Reds. And, as you would know it, his season ended way better than last year ended and this year started! In fact, in his last 17 IP, Leake gave up 3 ER and 9 HA with an 8/2 K/BB. He posted a 3.33/1.14 ERAWHIP over 11 second-half starts. But, given that he's gone well past his innings total from last year, when he dealt with fatigue down the stretch, it's probably the wise move to shut him down. His season will conclude with a 12-9 record, 3.86/1.17 ERA/WHIP. After this story was written, this came out on Mike Cameron as sent to me by one of the bloggers: According to the Miami Herald, Mike Cameron was released by the Marlins following a verbal altercation with a flight attendant on the team's charter flight. The altercation did not turn physical, but the charter company filed a complaint. While the Marlins' front office believed they could not keep Cameron following the incident, he obviously didn't figure in their long-term plans.

September 14, 2011: Eddie Vedder has the best voice of any lead singer!

Mariano Rivera is three saves from breaking Trevor Hoffman's record of 601. Despite his years of brilliance pitching for the Yankees, Rivera is underappreciated. He is the rare athlete whose status as best ever at his position is unquestioned. "Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity." Those are the words of Plato but the ways of Mariano. Such is the simplicity of Rivera that he has reached the precipice of a major all-time record -- most career saves -- while spending his entire career with the famed New York Yankees and somehow been taken for granted. He is, at age 41 and at 599 saves, just three away from breaking the record held on a short lease arrangement by Trevor Hoffman. Rivera is something of an anachronism in these noisy, modern times, our Christy Mathewson. "The best ever. I keep saying the same thing over and over again, and it sounds repetitious every time I talk about Mo, but it's true," Jorge Posada recently told the team's website. "There's nobody [who's] ever going to get close to what he's been able to achieve, because there's nobody better. It's just that simple." Rivera came up as a SP way back in 1995 before settling into the ninth inning role the next season. Besides the 599 SV in 1036 games, Rivera has a 75-57 record, 1206 IP, a 2.22/1.00 ERA/WHIP. 932 HA, and a 1104/274 K/BB. If you think this couldn’t get any better, gawk at the first ballot Hall of Famer’s post-season mastery: he’s 8-1 in 94 games and 139 2/3 IP, 86 HA, an 0.71/0.77 ERA/WHIP, a 109/21 K/BB, and 42 SV. Some do believe that the SV is an overvalued and overhyped stat that has created a class of wealthy relievers. For example, Randy Myers, the LH closer for 6 teams from 1985-1998 has 347 SV, good for ninth all-time. Ninth on the all-time K list is Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, a pretty good pitcher in his own right! After Hoffman and Rivera, the only 3 closers with more than 400 SV all-time are Lee Smith (478), John Franco (424), and Billy Wagner (422). The active leader after Mo is Francisco Cordero, who’s 36 years old and has 322 SV. So, I have a feeling that the 600 SV club will be closed to the 2 members. First of all, you need to be on a good team for a lot of years and you need some incredible health. As Boston closer Jon Papelbon stated, “you have to have a manager that doesn’t abuse you and a lot of pieces have to fall into place.” Hall of Famer Goose Gossage sees the number being reached again. “The way guys are used today, one inning at a time, I absolutely see someone doing it.” Gossage goes on to say, “Kids are groomed in the minors to be closers. Had closers been used in my day the way they’re used now, there would be even more pitchers with 600 saves.” I never say never when talking about baseball records but, like Nolan Ryan’s K record, the 511 wins of Cy Young, and the 56 game hitting streak of Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, I just can’t see anyone ever getting 600 SV, at least in my lifetime! After this was written, Rivera recorded his 600th SV with a scoreless 9th vs the Mariners. Rivera has 41 SV and a 2.05/0.94 ERA/WHIP on the season.

September 13, 2011: There's a place in the world for the angry young man!

Shelley Duncan had his second two-homer game in four days last Wednesday versus the Tigers. Both were two-run shots, and they accounted for all four runs surrendered by Justin Verlander today. Duncan now has 9 HR and 34 RBI in 175 AB this season. Consistent he isn't, though: apart from his two big games this week, he has 1 HR and 3 RBI in the last month. But anytime a hitter can take a pitcher like Justin Verlander deep not once, but twice, I have to stand up (or in this case sit down) and take notice. Duncan came in just 2 for 11 (.182) with four strikeouts in his career against Tigers starter Verlander before connecting in the second for a 2-0 lead. Despite never being able to prove consistent at the major league level, he has always shown plenty of power potential. Fantasy owners looking for a cheap boost in that area might look to him while he continues to enjoy this power surge. With Travis Hafner on the shelf as usual, Duncan has started 7 of the last 8 games for the Tribe. He has 5 HR and 10 RBI during that time (including the 2 big games)! This is the general feeling of guys that I play fantasy baseball with concerning the career of Shelley Duncan: “I wondered what happened to this guy--- not only is he the older brother of megabust Chris Duncan, but he is the final piece of the trinity of Yankees' hitters who inexplicably went crazy in their first 100 at-bats and then disappeared--- following Kevin Maas and Shane Spencer. Obviously, Shelley Duncan sucks--- he's 31 and is nothing more than a journeyman--- but he's played pretty well lately, which is nice to see!” I will say this, that a lot of us would take being a journeyman the way that Duncan is. As a rookie back in ’07 for the Yankees, Duncan batted .257 in 74 AB with 7 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, and an .883 OPS. He returned to the fantasy atlas in 2010 with the Indians by connecting on 11 HR with 36 RBI in 229 AB and a .231 BA. We, as fantasy owners, try to make these guys better than they really are. You know what you’re getting with a guy like Shelley Duncan and that should be enough for us! He makes a good $1 guy at the end of your AL-only draft. Shelley’s kid brother, Chris Duncan, hasn’t been in the majors since ‘09 with the Cards and after that a minor league stint with the Red Sox. He batted .188 in 85 AB with Pawtucket and was released on August 20, 2009. Next to Chris Duncan’s name for my league web site, it simply says “out of baseball.” That’s what it said next to Cory Lidle’s name after he lost his life in a plane crash! Rest assured, Chris is not dead (at the present time), he just must be mulling his future. Kind of like I’ve been doing, complete with the soul-searching! He did hit 43 HR for the Cards in 655 AB with an .885 OPS in ’06-’07. But injuries curtailed his effectiveness and he could only bat .191 in 262 AB for the Nationals’ Triple-A team in 2010 with 25 R, 7 HR, 27 RBI, and a .575 OPS. Baseball currently considers Chris Duncan physically unfit for employment. Surgically repaired neck and hips make him too great a risk. But to sports talk radio, the medium that once lampooned his outfield play and his family ties, Duncan represents a commodity. Duncan has no idea whether he will play again. Two hip operations in the last 14 months have branded him as porcelain within the industry, even to independent league teams. If he does catch on with a team next season feel free to throw a buck his way. But no more. And make sure that you have a liberal bench.

September 12, 2011: I hope tomorrow you'll find better things!

This was a note from the commissioner of my no-trade AL at the end of August: I mistakenly let the Cougars pick up Jerome Williams for Fuentes who was on the bereavement list. The move has been reversed and retro'd to the appropriate date. Williams is a free agent again. I was, at the time, saying to myself, “Who cares? This is Jerome Williams we’re talking about. I was in grade school when this guy was decent!” Well maybe I was wrong. Williams was brilliant against the Mariners last Wednesday, throwing eight innings of one-hit ball in a 3-1 Angels win at home. Williams' one hit allowed was a sixth inning home run off the bat of Trayvon Robinson, and actually had him in line to take the loss before the Angels put up a three spot in the eighth. He struck out five and walked one. Now 3-0 with a 3.51/1.05 ERA/WHIP, 23 HA, and 19/4 K/BB ratio through his first 25 2/3 innings (6 games, 3 GS) of work this season, Williams is well worth a flier in deeper mixed leagues. He has a great matchup lined up for his next time out, where he'll take on the A's in Oakland. The story of how Williams, a former first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants, essentially pitched himself out of baseball has been well-documented. The 1999 first-round pick has played in the Giants, Cubs, Twins, Nationals, Twins, Dodgers, Athletics and Angels organizations. But over the last 3½ seasons he has worked his way back, pitching in Taiwan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and two independent leagues while battling weight problems and a shoulder injury. Williams began the year pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League, wondering if he would end up going back to Taiwan without ever getting another shot in the major leagues. Williams, the Hawaii native known for his puka-shell necklaces during his previous major league stops in San Francisco and Chicago, is wearing a pink glove to honor his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2001. He had it in his locker since he arrived in mid-August, but he hadn't felt comfortable using it because he had just been called up and didn't want to draw too much attention. Now, Wiiliams mentioned, he’s considering using the glove everyday! His last major league action was a 6 start stint for the Nationals in 2007 when he was 0-5 with a 7.20/1.73 ERA/WHIP in 30 IP. Please read the following stat line and see if you can guess who it belongs to: 2 GS, 15 IP, a 2-0 record, 2 QS, an 0.60/0.73 ERA/WHIP. 9 HA, and a 6/2 K/BB. Yes, I’m sure you know those are the stats so far belonging to Dodger LHP Dana Eveland. Why wouldn’t you know that? Eveland’s season of bounty (if you want to call it that) in the majors came with the A’s in 2008. Over 29 wonderful GS, Eveland fired up a 4.34/1.48 ERA/WHIP, 172 HA, and a 118/77 K/BB in 168 IP. Think about that when you’re making plans for your 2012 NL-only staff!

September 11, 2011: The Rabid Dog, a retrospective!

9/11 changed life as we know it as Americans. Kids under the age of fourteen probably don’t remember the old USA, but the rest of us know what was taken from us that day amounts to more than the tremendous loss of life—a loss of life that was in itself horrific in its proportions. The survivor tales are compelling even ten years later as we still struggle to take in the extent of the damage done to our country. I was caddying that day, obliviously looking into that cloudless sky we all now associate with 9/11. News spread over the greens that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and the first thought after the disbelief was the idea that some air traffic controller had made a colossal mistake. As news traveled—long after I stayed glued to my television all night, long after I got up after a few hours of sleep and expected to find statistics on how many had been rescued from the collapsed towers only to find there were no further survivors—I knew like every other American that life would never be the same. That night we congregated on our suburban street just to be near one another. Old Georges from the end of our cul-de-sac, a self-described “artiste” who emigrated to the United States as a young man, had painted a huge sign that he staked to his front lawn, stating his outrage in bold black letters: “BOMB THE BASTARDS.” The town police made him take it down—twice—but we all felt the kind of anger that simply wants to strike back. Today, ten years later, as we tighten security over “chatter” and take into custody those who are still trying to claim more innocent lives, I feel that same anger. I tell myself not to stoop to their level, that they are the ones consumed by hatred. But hatred is like the ebola virus—devastatingly destructive and highly contagious. Still, even when you know it’s all in the sickness, you just want to put a rabid dog down.

September 10, 2011: These country clubs are like oligarchies; the very few make rules for the majority!

In my $360-NL, owners are allowed to pick up a “free” guy for the September run. Let’s say that the player is anything but free as there is a steep cost attached to the pick-up. It’s a very deep league and usually there aren’t many “good” players to choose from. In fact, last year I took on the immortal Paul Janish. Yes, that’s how bad the pickings are. Most owners even pick up pitchers. I, of course, didn’t pick up anyone this season as I’ve been out of the money in that league since mid-June. I did notice that the owner in first place picked up Jeff Keppinger. I’m saying to myself, “Jeff freaking Keppinger!” But before we get all bent out of shape, let’s look under the hood at Keppinger. He brings with him a consistently elite contact rate, one that has risen to 96% this season. Keppinger posted a solid .352 on-base-percentage last season, but that has dropped to .319 this year, as he has drawn just 9 walks in 321 AB. He also has only 19 strike outs in that time! While his below average power and speed will certainly keep his home runs (6) and steals (0) in the single digits, he could still provide some value with a batting average that should remain close to the .300 mark (.299). He does have a .733 OPS. Keppinger didn't make his season debut until May 27 because of offseason surgery on his left foot, but posted a .307 average with four home runs in 43 games for Houston before being dispatched to the great west coast and the World Champion Giants. He is a lifetime .284 hitter in seven big league seasons with the Mets, Royals, Reds, Astros, and Giants. Keppinger makes a great $1 middle infielder at the end of your NL draft. Keppinger is the type of guy that doesn’t hurt you at all. I just wonder how much of a help he will be to that owner in the last 3 weeks of the season. When Val Pascucci stepped to the plate for the Mets in the eighth inning of the second game of a doubleheader it marked his first game in the majors since October 3, 2004. And the fact that Pascucci had a pinch single made the story even better. At least it wasn’t as bad as the case of John Lindsey, the long-time minor leaguer. Lindsey had spent 16 years in the minors without getting a taste of the majors. That all changed last Sept. The now 34-year-old earned his first call-up by leading the PCL with .356 batting average and .663 slugging percentage to go along with 25 home runs and 97 RBI. He ended his season going 1 for 12. Everyone knows the stories of guys like Lindsay and Chris Coste, Bryan LaHair, and Bobby Scales; long-time minor leaguers who finally got their chance in ‘The Show” after many years of minor league bus rides and flea bag hotels. But for every Lindsey or Coste or LaHair or Scales there are a hundred other stories of guys who persevere for years in the bushes with minimal major league service time, or none at all. Meet Valentino Pascucci. The Mets called Pascucci up from Triple-A on Tuesday, Sept 6. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2004 with the Montreal Expos getting 62 AB over 32 games and batting .177 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. He spent the 2005-2006 seasons in Japan and is the veteran of 2842 Triple-A AB with a .274 BA, 492 R, 159 HR, 569 RBI, 29 SB, an 817/526 K/BB, and a .901 OPS. Pascucci had two seperate trials with the Expos in ‘04, but was released following the season. After returning from the East, Pascucci has been in the organizations of the Marlins, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres, and Mets (3 times).

September 9, 2011: Hard to believe that Orlando Cabrera and Juan Pierre have 0 All-Star selections between them!

The other day, with the bases loaded in the top of the 11th and the O’s leading 5-4, up came Chris Davis with 2 down. The problem was that Davis had been up 5 times up to that point and was credited with 5 strike outs. I know that 4 strike outs in a game is the “golden sombrero,” but what would 6 K’s be? The golden sombrero and a half! Fortunately for Davis, on an 0-2 pitch, he grounded out to second. I was watching the A’s game and the announcer mentioned that Adam Rosales was mired in an 0 for 29 streak (he’s 4 for 51 on the season) and it got me to thinking of other bad streaks this year. We can talk about Adam Dunn’s .161 BA on the season, including an incredibly bad 3 for 81 vs LHP. How about Eugenio Velez’ 0 for 31 season for the Dodgers? We can also talk about Craig Counsell’s 0 for July in the midst of an 0 for 45 streak. That streak in interesting because it came just 1 AB from tying the record for most AB by an offensive player without a hit. Yes, back in 1909, Bill Bergen, a catcher, went 0 for 46. In 3,028 career at-bats, he hit 2 HR, had a .170 career BA, 138 R, 193 RBI, and 23 SB. In only one season did his average top .200. His career .194 on-base percentage means he didn’t walk much (a career 421/88 K/BB). His career .201 slugging percentage means he rarely hit for extra bases. That gave him a sickly .395 OPS. Perhaps his quirkiest statistic: he was never hit by a pitch. His name crops up whenever a baseline of offensive futility is needed. He does not have a line named after him like Mario Mendoza, whose paltry batting average made him synonymous with hitting .200. But Bergen is firmly installed in the history of futility. Bergen’s secret was playing at a time, that dreaded dead-ball era, when good defensive catchers were worth their weight in Teddy Roosevelt autographs. Bergen was a great defensive catcher. Bergen caught a relatively modest 941 games but ranks in the top 20 in career assists by a catcher with 1,444. He threw out 47.3 percent of runners attempting to steal. He once threw out six in one game, against St. Louis in 1909. Bergen began his career on a rather ignominious note with the Cincinnati Reds in 1901. A year earlier, his older brother Marty, a talented catcher for the Boston Beaneaters from 1896-99, had murdered his wife and 2 children with an ax and killed himself with a razor blade. Marty Bergen was considered far more talented than Bill, but his mental instability had been apparent his entire career. He often walked out on his team, berated his teammates and described paranoid visions of plots to kill him. Bill Bergen, by all accounts, had none of his brother’s demons and was a pleasant teammate. His ignominy was strictly of the baseball variety. Even though Bergen died in 1943 of heart disease at the age of 65, his offensive game was so bad that he lives on forever!

September 8, 2011: I don't know why, but I always look at the big picture with prospects!

Reds infield prospect Billy Hamilton has tallied 103 stolen bases in 135 games this year at Single-A Dayton. Hamilton is one of the fastest players in the sport and is a legitimate middle infield prospect for the Reds, but his plate discipline will have to improve as he moves to the higher ranks of the minor leagues. Hamilton was batting .215 after two months of the season, but he has worked hard to get his BA up to .278. He also has a league-leading 99 R. Also Hamilton has struck out 133 times in 134 games, so he still has some work to do on offense. But with his speed, he could be a dynamic leadoff hitter for the Reds one day. He has 3 HR, 50 RBI, 52 BB, and a .702 OPS. Hamilton has become a viable long-term fantasy keeper, especially in rotisserie formats. Others to garner 100 bags in the minors include Chris Morris (2001) with 111, Esix Snead (2000) 109, Marcus Lawton (1985) 111, Donell Nixon (’83-’84) 144, 102, Vince Coleman (’83-’84) 145, 100, Lenny Dykstra (1983) 105, Otis Nixon (1982) 107, Jeff Stone (1981) 123, Alan Wiggins (1980) 120, and Albert Hall (1980) 100. Aside from how much fun the early ’80s must’ve been in terms of base-stealing, this list is a bit of a mixed bag, isn’t it? The two most recent guys to get 100 steals, Morris and Snead, have 13 combined major league at-bats. All of them are by Snead (4 SB). Morris was out of baseball at age 25, never having gotten above Double-A ball but did amass 311 SB. Snead stole 507 bases in his minor league career and some might put that in the Crash Davis “dubious honor” category. Snead batted 3252 times in the minors but only had a .231 BA to show for it. Marcus Lawton (Matt’s brother), had 14 big league at-bats and stole 379 bases in the minors. Donell Nixon, who did it twice, is Otis’ brother. Donell managed 396 ABs in the big leagues over parts of four seasons and had 47 SB. He swiped another 453 bags in the minors. Big bro, who topped 100 in the minors the one time, played 17 seasons and swiped 620 career major league bags. He, Coleman and Dykstra had the most successful careers on this list. The others I haven’t mentioned — Stone, Wiggins, Hall — had big-league time, but only Wiggins was an every-day player in that trio. Stone would have 75 SB in the majors and another 525 in the minors. Hall had 33 SB for the Braves in 1987 and close to 400 SB over his minor league career. The story of Alan Wiggins is a sad one. Wiggins died in 1991 after years of excessive drug use. Wiggins set the existing Padres club record for stolen bases with 70 in 1984 (he had 66 in ’83), when he scored 106 R and had 75 BB as their leadoff hitter and led them into a World Series that Detroit won in five games. However, Wiggins’ career went downhill early in 1985 after he disappeared for the opener of a series at Dodger Stadium and drew a suspension that led to his admittance into a drug-rehabilitation center. It was the second time Wiggins spent time at a substance-abuse center. Wiggins finished the season batting .285 in 76 games with the Orioles. He averaged .251 in 71 games the next season and was released by Baltimore Sept. 29, 1987, after hitting .232 in 85 games. “Alan developed pneumonia just before Thanksgiving,” said Wood. “We thought he was over it, then he started coughing and we put him in the hospital.” It was then Wiggins learned he had lung cancer (it was also reported that he died of AIDS).

September 7, 2011: James Shields has 11 complete games this season!

The Brewers recalled the 24-year-old Taylor Green (a 25th round pick by the Brewers in 2005) who will likely share time at 3B for the remainder of the season and possibly into the postseason. He doesn't run very well, but his value is in his bat. Defensively, he can play both 3B and 2B where his arm and range are average at best. He may struggle against left-handed pitching in the majors because he hasn't been a consistent performer against lefties in the minors. Green is a career .291 with an .831 OPS in the minors. He did step up his game in 2011 at Triple-A, batting.336 in 420 AB with a career high 22 HR, 88 RBI, 74 R, a 72/55 K/BB, and a .996 OPS. Green is playing third base again on Monday for the Brewers as it appears Casey McGehee is falling into something of a timeshare and platoon. I did keep McGehee ($2) for his third and final year in my $260-NL. At least McGehee had some value with 2B eligibility. After McGehee’s breakout 2010 when he hit 23 HR with 104 RBI, 70 R, a 102/50 K/BB and an .803 OPS in 610 AB, he really regressed in 2011. McGehee is at .239 in 489 AB with only 12 HR (including 3 in one game), 65 RBI, 42 R, a 93/41 K/BB and a terrible .659 OPS. Taylor Green, by the way, is 6 for 12 in 5 games. It was interesting that the Brewers didn’t call up Mat Gamel when rosters expanded because the team didn't think they could find him enough at-bats to make it worthwhile. The Marlins purchased the contract of another 3B Matt Dominguez from Triple-A New Orleans. Dominguez was considered for the starting third base job during spring training, but the Marlins sent him back to the minors after he underwhelmed with the bat. In his first 17 AB this spring, Dominguez had 2 HR and 10 RBI but finished the spring 2 for 25. The 22-year-old is still considered the third baseman of the future, but he remains a work in progress offensively, batting .258 with a .743 OPS, 12 HR and 55 RBI over 325 AB at the Triple-A level this season. It's not known how much Dominguez will play down the stretch, but he is worth a flier in NL-only leagues. The Mariners recalled INF Alex Liddi from Triple-A Tacoma. Liddi is the first Italian-born major-leaguer since Reno Bertoia in 1953. The 23-year-old batted .258 with 30 HR and 104 RBI in 559 AB at the Triple-A level this season. He added 121 R, 5 SB, a 170/61 K/BB, and an .820 OPS. Liddi batted .281 in 502 AB at Double-A in 2010 with 15 HR, 92 RBI, 78 R, and an .829 OPS. But his 315/111 K/BB show that he’s still, like Dominguez, a work in progress. It's also not known how much he'll play down the stretch, as Kyle Seager and Chone Figgins also figure to get playing time at third base. Of these 3 third baseman, Taylor Green seems like the best bet for the rest of the year in single leagues. Liddi and Dominguez are guys to tuck away for the future.

September 6, 2011: Nothing seems as easy as it used to be!

Brandon McCarthy threw a complete game shutout against the Mariners on Saturday to improve to 8-7 on the year. He tied a career high with 10 strikeouts, and all three of the Mariners' hits were singles. The complete game was McCarthy's fourth of the year, and he has posted a strong 2011 after missing much of 2010 with a shoulder injury. In his last 2 starts, McCarthy has gone 17 IP, with 2 ER, 8 HA, and a 20/1 K/BB. In the 3 previous CG that McCarthy had thrown this season he took the loss in all of them. Since 1995, the only other Oakland pitchers with three complete-game losses in one season were Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, in 2003. The right-hander has very quietly been on a nice run of late, racking up seven wins over his last 10 starts. He has only allowed more than three earned runs three times over that stretch while posting an impressive 57/10 K/BB ratio. The signing of McCarthy by the A’s was one of the best and most under-the-radar deals made by a team this season. The oft-injured McCarthy had only thrown 372 2/3 innings coming into this season (never more than 101 2/3-2007) with a 20-24 record, a 4.56/1.36 ERA/WHIP, 366 HA, and a 251/142 K/BB. If McCarthy can just stay healthy, he makes a good keeper in AL-only for 2012 and a solid #4 or 5 SP in mixed leagues. From 2005-2008 Grady Sizemore was arguably the best fantasy stud in the AL. During those 4 seasons of providence, Sizemore averaged 639 AB, 180 H (.282), 41 doubles, 8 triples, 27 HR, 81 RBI, 116 R, and 29 SB. Injuries have made Sizemore just a shell of his former self. The Indians activated OF Grady Sizemore from the 15-day disabled list. Sizemore is batting leadoff and playing center field on Monday afternoon against the Tigers. He missed around six weeks due to a right knee contusion and surgery to repair a sports hernia. The 29-year-old has a .769 OPS, 10 HR and 29 RBI. Keep an eye on Sizemore these last few weeks of the season to see if there’s anything there for 2012. Since the beginning of 2010, Sizemore has played in only 95 major league games. James Shields narrowly missed his fifth shutout before settling for his 11th complete game Monday in a 5-1 victory over the Rangers. The Rays decided not to hold Elvis Andrus on first after a leadoff walk to start the ninth. He took second on fielder's indifference and then came around to score on a pair of groundouts. Still, it was another awesome performance from Shields. He allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out six. He's fanned 205 batters this season. If he had gotten the shutout, he would have been the first American Leaguer with five in a season since David Wells in 1998. His 11 CG are the most in the majors since the “Big Unit” Randy Johnson had 12 in 1999. That season, Johnson went 271 IP and had 364 K’s. One of the few good things I did this season was draft James Shields in both my AL leagues and my 15-team mixed league. Shields has 14 W’s, a 2.77/1.02 ERA/WHIP, 169 HA, and a 205/54 K/BB in 218 IP.

September 5, 2011: Go figure this, George Kottaras hit for the cycle on Saturday!

The lack of offense, defense and fundamentals that Tsuyoshi Nishioka has brought to the Twins in 2011 makes me cringe whenever anyone talks about him being "in the mix" for a job in 2012. If he's "in the mix," anywhere but Rochester or back in Japan, then Minnesota, we have a problem. The Twins made a mistake with Nishioka, and with all of their middle-infield judgments this season. Between the posting fee paid for the negotiating rights and the three-year deal he was given, Nishioka is costing the Twins about $14 million. Sometimes, you have to swallow pride and cut losses. But, as fantasy players, we’re all waiting for the next Ichiro Suzuki. Or even Hideki Matsui. But what we usually end up with is So Taguchi! Or, even worse, Kaz Matsui! Because, with all the potential and glistening stats that accompany them on their journey West, there’s just something that gets lost in the “translation.” And, believe me, I’m always a sucker for happy endings, but this is getting ridiculous. I did draft Nishioka #116 in my AL-only straight draft and actually spent the princely sum of $14 to own him in my $260-AL. It’s not that Nishioka let me down, it’s that I let myself down in trusting him. Nishioka offers little to the Twins but heartache. It's a sad, sad story because he arrived with high expectations and an interesting background. The broken leg suffered during the first week of the season didn't help, but the inconvenient truth is that it probably just kept us from watching more misplays. Is Japanese baseball that much of a step down from the majors? Here’s a guy, Nishioka, that won a batting title in 2010 for the Chiba Lotte Marines. And while that team may sound like a drink that you can purchase at your nearest Dunkin’ Donuts, I for one was enamored with the 206 H in 596 AB (.346), .904 OPS, 121 R, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 22 SB, and 96/79 K/BB in 144 games. Those are numbers that you can tell your grandkids about! But, the truth of the matter is, Nishioka just couldn’t get out of his own way here in the states. As of this writing, the 27 year old infielder is batting .228 in 215 AB with 19 RBI, 14 R, 2 SB, a 43/14 K/BB, and a .529 OPS. Those are stats that would make Juan Castro cringe! I could have had him if I said $2 in my $260-AL. Instead I let him go for a buck. Yes, Jeff Francoeur has been a surprise this season and, on Saturday, hit his 44th double of the season to tie the KC record of Jermaine Dye (1999). From 2006-2009, Francoeur played in 636 out of a possible 648 games. This year Frenchy has appeared in 136 of the team’s 141 games while batting .282 in 529 AB, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 66 R, a surprising 19 SB, and a 109/35 K/BB. Don’t forget that Francoeur is only 27 and may be in the Royals’ plans to go with their young prospects in 2012. I do have a feeling that you won’t be able to get him for a buck in AL-only!

September 4, 2011: Bengie Molina always ran like he had a piano on his back!

Ivan Nova for AL Rookie of the Year? Back in March you may have thought that question was craziness! I mean, Nova wasn’t even assured of traveling North with the team. And if he did make the squad, there was talk about pitching him in the pen. But he did make the opening day rotation with Bartolo Colon in the pen. An ineffective Nova was even sent down to Triple-A during July for 3 GS. The right-hander is now 7-0 with a 3.45 ERA since returning from the minors in late-July. In fact, the Yankees have won his last 13 GS. He’s been the Yankees’ only reliable SP of late except for Sabathia. Nova is presently 15-4 in 138 2/3 IP with a 3.89/1.34 ERA/WHIP, 139 HA, and an 85/47 K/BB. A look into his 2010 season at Triple-A showed the upside for the 24 year old Nova. In 145 IP, he had a 12-3 record with a 2.86/1.26 ERA/WHIP, 135 HA, and a 115/48 K/BB. He started 7 games for the Yankees in 2010 and in 42 IP had a 4.50/1.45, 44 HA and a 26/17 K/BB. He also had a 51% GB rate on the season. Seattle’s Michael Pineda may have something to say about the hardware. Or Jeremy Hellickson. Or even Mark Trumbo. Pineda is 9-8 on a bad Seattle team where wins are hard to come by. Just ask King Felix! In 159 IP, Pineda has a 3.74/1.09 ERA/WHIP, 122 HA, and a pretty damned good 163/52 K/BB. Pineda’s record stands at 9-9. After yesterday’s start vs the A’s, Pineda will start 2 more games. His previous season high for innings pitched was 139.1 innings between Triple-A and Double-A last season. He was shut down by the Rainiers because of a history of arm discomfort in previous seasons. The Mariners have said all year that Pineda’s workload would be closely monitored. He is considered a long-term No. 2 starter behind Felix Hernandez and started the season as the No. 2 prospect in the organization, behind second baseman Dustin Ackley. The Rays’ Hellickson is 11-10 in 155 1/3 IP with a 3.01/1.17, 126 HA, and a 106/56 K/BB. Hellickson had a stellar 49-16 record in the minors with 475 HA. A 634/137 K/BB, and a 2.71/1.06 ERA/WHIP in 580 1/3 IP. He’s the only SP in the history of baseball to pitch at least 6 innings in his first 3 GS and give up 3 H or less: 20 IP, 9 HA, (3-0), 18/3 K/BB, and a 1.35/0.60. Now that’s kicking some ass! We profiled Trumbo this past week and he’s at .254 in 460 AB with 24 HR, 73 RBI, 58 R, 8 SB, a 98/24 K/BB (something he has to work on) and a .769 OPS. The Angels are considering asking Trumbo to play third base and in the outfield in winter ball with first baseman, Kendrys Morales, returning next season. Worthy candidates all! I’ll tell you something, if Brett Lawrie had been in the majors for more than a month now, he’d be the odds-on favorite for the ROY. In his first 97 AB, the Canadian born Lawrie has a 1.072 OPS, 7 HR 20 RBI 15 R, 4 SB, 17 XBH, and a .330 BA. He came to the Blue Jays from the Brewers (Lawrie was the #16 overall pick on the 2008 draft) for Shaun Marcum. Lawrie had 4 HR during his recently ended 9 game hitting streak and is already emerging as a top fantasy third baseman. After this was written, Trumbo hit his first career grand slam vs the Twins to give him 25 HR.

September 3, 2011: "You want to talk about a bad day!"

Brandon Guyer has experienced a whirlwind year, from being traded by the Cubs in the Matt Garza deal to playing at the Triple-A level for the first time and then reaching the Majors. "It's been a roller coaster," he said. "But coming into the season, my main goals were to be consistent and to stay healthy. The healthy part really didn't work out -- I've had some bumps and bruises. Coming up and down, I just really tried to stay consistent, and I think that's what I did. That's why I'm back here." Guyer batted .312 with 14 HR, 61 RBI, 78 R, 16 SB, a 79/35 K/BB, and a .905 OPS in 388 AB at Triple-A Durham. On Wednesday, manager Joe Maddon allowed that Guyer will be in contention for a starting job in 2012, meaning that the remainder of this season is somewhat of an audition. He likely be used against left-handed pitching down the stretch, but he could get a long look in left field next season if the Rays trade B.J. Upton and move Desmond Jennings to center field. Cubs purchased the contract of 1B/OF Bryan LaHair from Triple-A Iowa. LaHair ripped up the Pacific Coast League en route to being named its MVP this season, posting a 1.077 OPS in 456 AB over 129 games. His 38 home runs led the entire minor leagues. However, that's what someone who has appeared in 653 career Triple-A games (123 HR, 453 RBI, .897 OPS) is supposed to do. Just two months shy of his 29th birthday, LaHair is a non-prospect who will have to make a big impression this month to work his way into the Cubs' 2012 plans. He drove in 109 runs to lead the PCL and batted .331 with a .664 slugging percentage and 1.070 OPS. He added 38 doubles and joined Mel Hall in 1982, as the only Iowa players to hit 30 doubles and 30 homers in a single season. He appeared in 45 games for the Mariners during the 2008 season, hitting .250 with three HR and 10 RBI in 136 AB. This was his only major league action. White Sox purchased the contract of RHP Addison Reed from Triple-A Charlotte. A third-round pick just last year, Reed cruised through the White Sox minor-league system this summer, posting a 1.26 ERA, microscopic 0.73 WHIP and eye-popping 111/14 K/BB ratio in 78 1/3 innings across four levels of play. He could play a big role out of the White Sox bullpen down the stretch, will have a good chance at making the team out of spring training next March. His 111 K’s led all minor league RP. Reed, 22, who was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft, limited opponents to a .157 average.

September 2, 2011: I'd like to know how Bartolo Colon's lawsuit with Weight Watchers is going!

A couple of real speedsters may see the light of day in Septemebr for playoff-bound clubs in the AL. The Red Sox purchased the contract of outfielder Joey Gathright of the Yuma Scorpions and assigned him to Triple-A Pawtucket, according to a Sox team source. This will be Gathright's second stint with the Red Sox, following time with Boston at the end of the 2009 season. The speedy Gathright played in 17 games for the Sox at the end of 2009, going 5-for-16 with one stolen base and appearing in one ALDS game. He has not played in the majors since that stretch. After spending 2010 playing for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate and with the independent league Long Island Ducks, Gathright, now 30, hit .347 for Yuma after signing with them on June 10, walking 40 times and stealing 20 bases in 61 games. Think pinch runner when rosters expand, for an extra tool in September. And, without equivocation, Joey Gathright is the fastest player I've ever seen going from first to third. That I will say and it's the truth. The problem is that he just didn't do it enough which is evidenced by the 1175 AB he got in the majors at the ripe "old" age of 30. And now on the other side of 30, he's not getting any faster. You know the old baseball axiom, "You can't steal first!" But he should supply the team with a pinch-runner for September (he probably won't be eligible for the post-season) and a little defense in the OF the way the similar Darnell McDonald has done for the past couple seasons. He's the guy that when you say (as I did in Little League), "A hit is as good as a walk," you're talking about Gathright. With only 38 XBH in his career (1 HR) he will not make anyone forget Curtis Granderson or even former Red Sox Mike Cameron. But he will provide a flare for the game and maybe even jump over a few cars in the process! Rangers purchased the contract of INF/OF Esteban German from Triple-A Round Rock. German, 33, has stolen 44 bases in 53 attempts at the Triple-A level this season to go along with a .301 BA and .388 OBP. The Rangers value his ability as a pinch-runner, which is why they included him on their postseason roster last year. He'll get an audition during September. German also had 7 HR, 56 RBI, 94 R, a 56/72 K/BB and a .799 OPS. It’s hard to believe the Rangers had Andres Blanco and Omar Quintanilla on their roster for a good part of the season and not German. The 33 year old has stolen 129 bases in the minors since the age of 31. A .278 hitter in 1005 major league AB, German is 1409 for 4718 (.299) in the minors with 903 R, 47 HR, 526 RBI, 459 SB, a 794/714 K/BB, and a .797 OPS.

September 1, 2011: George Herman Ruth could also have been one of the greatest pitchers of all-time!

Nick Johnson is hitting just .206 in 180 AB for Triple-A Columbus (Cleveland organization) this season. Johnson also has 6 HR, 13 RBI, 20 R, a 51/26 K/BB, and a .661 OPS. Originally signed as Matt LaPorta insurance, Johnson did not get the call to the big leagues on Monday when LaPorta was demoted. It's possible he'll be called up when rosters are expanded on Thursday, but the acquisition of Jim Thome has erased a lot of the need for Johnson in Cleveland. Johnson has not seen the light of day in the majors in 2011 after off-season surgery on his wrist. He was given the key to the city by the Yankees in 2010 but apparently locked himself out. All Johnson was asked to do was be the full-time DH and bat second in a loaded line-up. Johnson didn’t even need a glove! But as luck (or lack of it) would have it, Johnson would only play in 24 games for the Yankees due to the wrist injuries and batted just .167 with 2 HR, 8 RBI, and 12 R. He did have a 23/24 K/BB. But Johnson just can never stay on the field long enough to use his on-base gifts. He’s been on the DL 9 times in his 9 year career. He did have a 500 AB season in 2006 for the Nationals and did have 23 HR, 77 RBI, 100 R, a 99/110 K/BB, a .938 OPS and even managed to swipe 10 bags. Keep an eye on where he ends up for the 2012 season. He does have a 546/511 K/BB over his career! If I were to ask you what pitcher has the best winning pct. with 20 or more decisions you probably couldn’t come up with the answer. If I told you this pitcher was 23-2 lifetime with a .920 winning pct. you would still be hard-pressed for an answer. Give up? It’s none other than former Yankee and current Red Sox, Alfredo Aceves. Could Aceves actually be a good luck charm? He did go 10-1 for the Bronx Bombers when they won the World Series in 2009. Now Aceves is 9-1 for the Red Sox, who entered last night with the best record in the AL. In 215 career IP, Aceves has a 3.06/1.08 ERA/WHIP, 170 HA, a 147/62 K/BB, and 4 SV. He’s appeared in 102 games including 9 GS. Where would Aceves be if not for the bicycle accident in November that left him with a broken collarbone? There’s at least some chance he still would be pitching for the Yankees. Although they already had concerns about Aceves’ recovery from a back injury that hampered him for most of last season, the accident clinched the Yanks’ decision to non-tender him, making him a free agent and allowing the Red Sox to scoop him up and sign him in February to a split contract worth about $650,000 if he pitched in the majors, $200,000 if he pitched in the minors. He has done his best work out of the bullpen, going 8-0 with a 2.15 ERA and allowing only 46 hits and 19 walks in 67 innings. And so, the Red Sox put up with Aceves’ eccentricities. He often changes his delivery without notice, and earlier in the season, his improvisation led to a pair of balk calls. But I’m sure whatever the future holds for Aceves, the Red Sox are glad that they have him in the present!

July 26, 2011: Jose Altuve is my starting 2B in my $260-NL!

Aaron Harang has been pretty decent since coming off the DL in early July. He has allowed a total of seven earned runs in four starts since his activation. He probably should have four wins in that span, but the Padres continue to be a shaky offensive team. Contenders are looking at Harang as potentially a cheap acquisition, which moving to a contender would increase his fantasy appeal. But as of now, Harang remains at best a back-of-the-rotation fantasy arm. He is scheduled to pitch at home on Saturday against the Rockies. Harang lost to Colorado on the road May 14, but he is 5-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Don’t forget that he pitches his home games at Petco, the best pitcher’s park in the NL. I’m a long time owner of Harang and this year is no exception. He’s part of my 15-team mixed league staff. But I do remember May 25, 2008, the day Harang says changed his career. That day, in an extra inning game, Harang was asked to go 4 IP in relief. He gave up 2 hits and had a 9/1 /BB while throwing 63 pitches between starts. His next 3 GS were 15 1/3 IP, 30 HA, 16 ER, and 4 HRA. He went on the DL after his July 8 start. He was an up and comer for the Reds in ’06-’07 going 32-17 in 69 GS. In 466 IP, Harang had a 434/108 K/BB, 455 HA, and a 3.75/1.21 ERA/WHIP. But he became Mr. Hyde from ’08-’10! In 75 GS, Harang had an 18-38 record in 458 1/3 IP, a 377/131 K/BB, 530 HA, and a 4.71/1.44 ERA/WHIP. Going to SD at the start of this season seems to be just what Harang needed. In 17 GS and 104 1/3 IP, Harang has a 9-2 record with a 3.45/1.30 ERA/WHIP, 102 HA, and a 72/34 K/BB. Keep an eye on where he may end up as Harang could lose value with a move to a hitter’s park. I don’t know which is more surprising, Emilio Bonifacio having a 23 game hitting streak going or playing 23 games in a row. I own Bonifacio and Cameron Maybin in both of my NL-only. During Bonifacio’s amazing streak, he has stolen 17 bases. Maybin has 9 SB in his last 8 games. I’ve gained 11 total points in SB the last 3 weeks between the 2 leagues. Now I’m getting calls about Maybin in my $360-NL. Maybin will be $32. I was offered Logan Morrison ($22) for Maybin but I need to think about that! Maybin was pulled from Sunday's game after suffering a left hip flexor injury. He's likely to sit out the Padres' next couple of contests as a precautionary measure.

July 25, 2011: Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life!

If we started a 40-team mixed league right now and held a straight draft with the requisite 23 players/team (14 offensive and 9 pitchers), you would have 920 total players selected (560 offensive and 360 pitchers). One guy who wouldn’t be selected would be Angel Berroa. Yesterday the D’Backs signed Berroa to a minor league contract. Berroa hasn't played in the big leagues since 2009, when he appeared for both New York teams. The former AL Rookie of the Year is now 33 and hasn't played anywhere yet this season. Berroa was actually a finalist for the 3B job for the 2009 Yankees that went to Cody Ransom while A-Rod missed the first 6 weeks of the season. Yes, you read it right, Berroa was a former AL Rookie of the Year back in ’03 for the Royals. He batted .287 in 567 AB with 17 HR, 73 RBI, 92 R, 21 SB, a 100/29 K/BB (this could have been a sign of trouble ahead), and a .773 OPS. But that would be as good as it would get for Berroa. He hit .270 in 608 AB in 2005 with 11 HR, 55 RBI, 68 R, 7 SB, a 108/18 K/BB and a .666 OPS. His last game action came with the Giants’ Triple-A team last season but he was cut after batting .205 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 88 AB. That’s all you need to know about Berroa. By the way, the D’Backs released Wily Mo Pena yesterday. He must really suck! I guess by now you heard the news of the death of Amy Winehouse at the age of 27. Usually when someone of that age passes on, it’s a bit of a shock. But Winehouse just joins the “Dead at 27” club which includes Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain of the great band, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix. As my wife would say, “They all died of excess!” Reds recalled SS Paul Janish from Triple-A Louisville. Janish was demoted earlier this month after posting a woeful .227/.259/.271 batting line. He batted .256/.377/.372 in 43 at-bats for Louisville and has regained his roster spot by default with Zack Cosart's injury. Janish will share shortstop with Edgar Renteria in Cosart's absence. Janish, at least to me, will best be remembered as the guy in my $360-NL draft who went for $15 because that owner had one spot left for $15 and the guy who “wanted” him only had $14. It almost came to fisticuffs. Over Paul Janish. This was a note that was written to me from one of the readers after the draft took place: I leave the country for a couple of days and when I come back, all hell has broken loose. A fight over Paul Janish! Even in your $360 style league, Janish is worth a buck or 2 maybe 3 at the outside. It must have been tense in that room for a few minutes. I think he did better with Renteria anyway. He just does more. I like the story about Helton going for $20 after the bidding started at $20.That’s classic stuff. A $30 bidding war for Mc Louth had to be classic and you bringing up for a dollar Narveson and having him going for $14 is stuff of legend. The draft should have been filmed for viewing at next year’s draft. I would like to add that while your pitching is decent, your offense is among the worst I’ve ever seen. Aren’t Wilson Valdez, Emilio Bonifacio, Chris Denorfia, Melvin Mora, Wilson Ramos, and Geraldo Parra the same person? Not to forget about J.R Towles who’s worse then all of them. You’re going to need an Albert Pujols-type season from Cameron Maybin. Good luck with that! LOL. And Roy Oswalt, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Ted Lilly better be Doc Halladay. By the way, your best pitcher so far is R.A. Dickey! That just about sums up my season in that league. And, for that matter, in all leagues!

July 24, 2011: Even deaf people can play things by ear!

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that there is "a big gap" between what what the Padres are asking for and what the Yankees are willing to part with in exchange for Mike Adams. We've been hearing for a while now that Adams being traded is less and less likely. Olney's colleague, Jerry Crasnick, reported Friday that the Padres were focused on moving Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, Aaron Harang and Ryan Ludwick, but not Adams. The setup man is under team control for one more year, but it's doubtful his value will ever be any higher. Adams signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract in the 2010 offseason and will not be available as a free agent until 2012. While Moorad sounds confident in his claim that Adams will stay a Padre, future offers may suit the price tag the Padres have placed on him, and his future in San Diego still, in my book, remains cloudy. Success didn’t come swiftly in Adams’ career, as it took seven years until he found a secure spot in the Padres ‘pen in 2008. The right-hander signed as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. After spending three seasons in the Brewers’ minor league system, the reliever got a shot in the show at age twenty-five, in 2004, and posted a 3.40/1.20 ERA/WHIP, and 2.79 K/BB. Before the 2005 season, the Brew Crew named Adams their closer to start the season, but only notched one save before being removed from the role and eventually the roster. I had kept him for $10 that season in my $360-NL and could have moved him early but, wrongly, decided to hold him! Despite owning a 2.4 BB/9 in 2004, his control ballooned to 6.8 BB/9 in 2005, justifying his demotion. But he’s been like a man possessed since he was named the Padres’ set-up man in 2008. In 214 IP, Adams has a 1.68/0.90 ERA/WHIP, 134 HA, and a great 237/59 K/BB. The move by the Blue Jays to release Jo Jo Reyes Saturday came a day after Reyes was lit up for eight runs in four innings by the Rangers in Toronto's 12-2 loss at Texas. Reyes has given up 15 runs and 18 hits in his last two starts. The 26-year-old made 20 starts for the Jays this season, going 5-8 record with 5.40/1.59 ERA/WHIP 140 HA, and a 64/35 K/BB in 110 IP. He joined Toronto last season in a trade with Atlanta. Reyes did have his good moments on the mound.  He suffered a hard-luck loss in Anaheim against Jered Weaver April 10 despite allowing three runs (one earned) over seven innings.  On May 3, he allowed just one run over six frames in Tampa Bay but got a no-decision in an eventual 3-2 loss and spun seven shutout innings May 20 at home against Houston but the Jays bullpen collapsed in a 5-2 loss.  Reyes got that first elusive win by going the distance at the Dome against the Indians in a 11-1 Jays romp May 30.  That prevented Reyes from a setting a major league record for most consecutive starts without a victory. His 28 straight winless starts ties Matt Keough (1978-1979) and Cliff Curtis (1910-1011). And, no, I don’t remember Curtis! Wil Ledezma was called up to take his place. Ledezma has made 34 relief appearances this season with Las Vegas with a 1-1 record and 4.63 ERA. The 30-year-old left-hander has appeared in 187 games in the majors, including 40 starts, over eight seasons with Detroit, Atlanta, San Diego, Arizona, Washington and Pittsburgh. Ledezma had a 63/18 K/BB this season in Triple-A. Keep Ledezma off the radar for fantasy purposes.

July 23, 2011: When you're making $23-mil/yr, how much is enough?

Long day, just getting home and ready to whip out a few stanzas for a blog. It was only about 105 degrees (heat index 110). I went 36 holes today at the club. My wife even called this afternoon to see if I was still alive. She talked to head golf pro Jim McGovern who came out to the fourteenth hole to see what was going up. I actually thought that he was the former assistant pro at Montammy, Frank Esposito. It was just a flashback, I’m sure. That’s 72 holes in 2 days. I don’t know how long I can keep up this pace but, four months ago, I started out as an out of shape and chubby 190 pounder. Now I’m an out of shape and skinny 165 pounder! What’s going on with Josh Reddick? The outfielder has a 1.102 OPS -- the highest on the team. For that matter, it's the highest of any full-time big league outfielder in the past month. Terry Francona has stood behind his struggling vets in the past. So it wasn't out of the question to imagine Francona keeping Drew in right despite his .223 batting average or his .630 OPS. Or his 4 HR. Or his 22 RBIs. We've seen Francona's patience rewarded, as veterans have increased their offense after getting the confidence of their manager.
Yet it is now obvious that Francona has seen exactly what we've seen. We see a right fielder who has shown no signs of turning his season around. A player nearing the end of his five-year, $70 million contract who seems to have retirement in mind. A guy who's gone a full calendar year without any kind of real production. All Reddick has done is bat .378 in 82 AB with 4 HR, 18 RBI, 20 R, and a 15/10 K/BB. The problem with Drew is that the signs have been there for most of the five years he’s been with the Red Sox. He never approached the production the they expected of him. He never came close to the 93- and 100-RBI production of his 2004 and 2006 seasons in Atlanta and Los Angeles. His RBI production with the Sox prior to this year: 64, 64, 68 and 68. He hit 76 home runs in his first four seasons, never more than 24. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Drew is a player who has had a very scattered offensive career, with no standout success. He might be a decent enough defensive player, but he was never the kind of offensive player who should have commanded $70 million. One might say he’s laughing all the way to the bank, but the stone-faced Georgian doesn’t seem to have much of a pulse as it is. Before his call-up to the majors, Reddick had a .230 BA, 14 HR, 36 RBI, 37 R, 4 SB, a 39/33 K/BB, and an .841 OPS in 191 AB. He is available in one of my AL-only leagues and I am going to investigate! After the very long day that I talked about the first story I saw on a web site was this report from Red Sox manager Terry Francona. The manager acknowledged Friday that Josh Reddick will get the majority of the playing time in right field over the struggling J.D. Drew for the time being. "He’s swinging the bat awfully well. It’s kind of hard not to play him," said Francona, who actually compared the situation to when Jed Lowrie supplanted Marco Scutaro at shortstop earlier this season. "I think Josh deserves to play. He’s given us such a lift in our lineup."

July 22, 2011: Barbie and Ken are not dolls, they're action figures!

He’s like the proverbial bad penny. He just always turns up. He was even the Opening Day 3B for the Yankees back in ’09 (A-Rod began the season on the DL) and on a lot of fantasy “experts” sleeper lists that season. Yet this guy has never had more than 79 AB in a major league season spread out over 8 seasons.  Reports out of Phoenix confirm that the Arizona Diamondbacks plan to call up Cody Ransom from Triple-A Reno. Ransom, 35, has been on a tear in Reno, batting .331 this season. His 26 home runs and 89 RBI are also both franchise records. He also has 28 doubles, 9 SB, and a 1.060 OPS. He's a versatile infielder, who can play second base, third base and shortstop. He'll take the roster spot of Stephen Drew, who fractured his right ankle on Wednesday night. Drew is due to have surgery and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Ransom’s had a fine minor league career with a .250 BA in 4945 AB, 807 R, 209 HR, 744 RBI, a 1388/580 K/BB, and a .775 OPS. In 219 games in the majors covering 304 AB, Ransom is a .227 batter with 9 HR, 39 RBI, and 58 R. He does need 31 hits to reach triple digits for his career. According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Phillies would prefer to structure any of their offers for Astros' outfielder Hunter Pence around right-hander Vance Worley. Because they already played Astros GM Ed Wade for a sucker with J.A. Happ? Worley, 23, is enjoying a fantastic rookie season, but he hardly fits the profile of a centerpiece. The Phillies will need to do better than that to have any chance at getting a deal done. If I asked you what Phillies SP, over his last 6 GS, has a 4-0 record, an 0.94 ERA, and a 22/10 K/BB, how many of you would say Worley? Oh but it is the 23 year old who also sported a 50/12 K/BB and a 2.31/1.05 ERA/WHIP in 9 GS at Triple-A. He’s currently 5-1 in 9 GS with the Phils but his 24 BB’s in 54 1/3 IP tells me that his 2.15 ERA could be headed north! 27 year old Jesus Guzman has been knocking around for a long time with most of the time spent in the minors. He’s finally getting a little bit of a chance with SD and has 8 RBI over his last 2 starts. With Anthony Rizzo being dispatched to the minors yesterday, keep an eye on how the playing time between Guzman and the newly recalled Kyle Blanks plays out. Guzman is a .305 career batter in 3377 AB with 545 R, 108 HR, 579 RBI, a 627/344 K/BB, and an .853 OPS. He has also managed 75 AB over parts of 2 major league seasons (’09, ’11).

July 21, 2011: It's a small world but I wouldn't want to paint it!

The Giants acquired Jeff Keppinger from the Astros and he may just get all the time at second base with both Freddy Sanchez and Bill Hall laid up. But let’s look under the hood at Keppinger. He brings with him a consistently elite contact rate, one that has risen to 96% this season. Keppinger posted a solid .352 on-base-percentage last season, but that has dropped to .323 this year, as he has drawn just four walks in 163 at-bats. He also has only 7 strike outs in that time! While his below average power and speed will certainly keep his home runs (4) and steals (0) in the single digits, he could still provide some value with a batting average that should remain close to the .300 mark (.307). He does have a .756 OPS. Keppinger didn't make his season debut until May 27 because of offseason surgery on his left foot, but posted a .307 average with four home runs in 43 games for Houston. He is a lifetime .284 hitter in seven big league seasons with the Mets, Royals, Reds and Astros. Keppinger makes a great $1 middle infielder in your NL draft. Jose Altuve, listed at 5-7 (he may be more like 5-5), was leading all minor leaguers with a combined .389 batting average (139 for 357) when the Astros purchased his contract from Class AA Corpus Christi. He takes over for departed starting second baseman Keppinger, whom the Astros traded to the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitchers Henry Sosa and Jason Stoffel. Altuve was absolutely tearing it up in the minors this season.  He started out at Single-A Lancaster and batted .408/.451/.606 with five homers and 19 steals in what, admittedly, is a fantastic environment for hitters.  He hadn’t slowed too much following the move up to Double-A, though.  He was hitting .361/.388/.569 in 35 games for his new team. Some would like to see the 21 year old spend a few weeks in Triple-A but with the Astros wallowing with the worst record in baseball, they felt they needed an infusion of offense in the line-up right now. In NL-only leagues, Altuve is a must, and given the lack of excellent second base options out there, he's worth a shot in mixed leagues if you're in need of help at the position, but don't necessarily expect him to dominate. Altuve is a career .327 hitter in 1466 minor league AB with 117 SB and an .867 OPS. Adam Dunn is out of the lineup for the second straight day Wednesday. The Royals used Danny Duffy on Tuesday night and have Bruce Chen on the hill Wednesday, so this is an indication of Ozzie Guillen's lack of confidence against Dunn against southpaws. And it's tough to blame him. The high-price slugger is 2-for-64 (.031) with 29 strikeouts against left-hander pitching this season. Alexei Ramirez will serve as the designated hitter Wednesday while Omar Vizquel makes the start at shortstop. It’s hard to believe how far Dunn has fallen when the Pale Hose start the 44 year old Vizquel in front of him! Just to put the whole world in perspective and to make sure that people know the world is not flat, Jeff Karstens now has a 2.28/1.04 ERA/WHIP in 114 2/3 IP with 100 HA, and a 61/19 K/BB. Yes, I know, it’s all so hard to believe.

July 20, 2011: When you move a guy like Felix Hernandez, you have to get something for him!

Ryan Vogelsong pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings Monday in the Giants’ 5-0 win, the latest in a long line of pitchers to shut down the Dodgers offense this year. The difference between Vogelsong and the other pitchers is that despite not having a job deep into the offseason, Vogelsong flat-out didn’t want to wear the Dodgers uniform. In the late 1990s, Vogelsong was drafted (in the fifth round) and developed by the Giants. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti remembered Vogelsong from his days as the Giants’ assistant GM, remembered the potential, and wanted to sign him. Vogelsong never forgot what the Dodgers-Giants rivalry meant. Even though he was traded to the Pirates, blew out his elbow and missed a whole year, was totally ineffective the next four years, spent three years in Japan, and pitched (again ineffectively) for the Angels and Phillies’ Class AAA affiliates last year, he still considered himself a Giant at heart. Vogelsong started the year in the minors, was called up when Barry Zito went on the disabled list, went nine consecutive starts allowing two runs or fewer, was selected to the NL All-Star team by his manager, came into Monday with the lowest ERA in the league and left to a standing ovation from Giants fans after improving to 7-1 and lowering his ERA/WHIP to 2.02/1.19. He’s thrown 98 innings allowing 84 hits and a 75/33 K/BB. He also has 11 QS in 15 GS. Don’t forget the last time Vogelsong wore a major league uniform before this season was in 2006 with the Pirates when, in 38 IP, he had a 6.39/1.58 ERA/WHIP. I know that I said 2 months ago that this wouldn’t last. I also said the same thing a month ago. I’m just going to leave well enough alone and file it under one of those things, like the Casey Anthony verdict, that just can’t be explained. According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Pirates are "looking at" Orioles setup man Koji Uehara. He has registered a dominant 1.84/0.79 ERA/WHIP, .150 opponents’ batting average and 58/8 K/BB ratio in 44 innings this season for Baltimore. The oft-injured former SP has allowed only 23 hits in those 44 IP. The Orioles are said to be willing to deal the 36-year-old right-hander, and he should draw major interest as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. In Pittsburgh, Uehara would fill the eighth-inning role behind shutdown closer Joel Hanrahan. I drafted him as a rookie in 2009 but he could only make 12 starts with a 48/12 K/BB in 66 2/3 IP. He was made the O’s closer the next season and managed 13 SV. Uehara has a career 161/25 K/BB in 154 2/3 IP. He would help any bullpen down the stretch. Of course the big “if” is IF he can stay healthy.

July 19, 2011: Whenever Adam Dunn gets 2 hits in a game, it's like putting whipped cream on shit!

I’ve been noticing over the past 10 days or so that Royals’ SP, Felipe Paulino, has become a popular pick-up in AL-only. In fact, in my $260-AL this weekend, an owner spent a sizable $14 FAAB on Paulino in the only bid for the whole week. I was actually, albeit briefly, considering Felipe Paulino in my $260-AL. But that staff already includes 2 immortal KC SPs in Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen. This was coming off Sunday’s 7 inning, 4 ER, 7 HA, with an 8/1 K/BB appearance. It’s not saying a heck of a lot but Paulino has been KC’s best pitcher over the past 3 weeks. Over his last 4 GS, Paulino has 28 IP, 36 HA, a remarkable 32/5 K/BB, and a 4.82/1.46 ERA/WHIP. That's almost serviceable in AL-only and I would recommend giving him a try. As long as you have an easy escape route or a Plan-B in place! Over his career, Paulino is a God-awful 7-28 in 278 IP with a 5.47/1.55 ERA/WHIP, 322 HA, and a 254/110 K/BB. I've been waiting for any kind of incremental improvement from this guy for almost 4 years now and you may be seeing it. Sometimes it's good to get in the ground floor but that doesn't come without a lot of risk. Let's just call Paulino for now, high risk/high reward! This is a season where I wish the All-Star break was 7 days instead of 3. I am the proud owner of both Bartolo Colon and Joel Pineiro in the same $260-AL. Nothing rankles me more than after a long weekend of work and I come home to this stat line on one of my SPs. 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 4 HA, and 4 BB. Incidentally that equates to a 189.00/24.00 ERA/WHIP. Colon, earlier in this short week, had a start of 2/3 IP, 8 R (3 ER), 6 HA, and 2 BB. Putting that together with the stellar effort of Pineiro yesterday and that comes out to 1 IP, 16 runs (10 ER), 10 HA, and 6 BB. That's just as bad as it gets. The Tigers have interest in Baltimore right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com. Detroit prefers Ubaldo Jimenez and Hiroki Kuroda, but Guthrie makes for a nice backup plan. Though he didn't pitch well Thursday and has been up-and-down the last few weeks, Guthrie probably represents the O's best trade chip and there would surely be multiple interested parties if he's made available. Guthrie is 3-13 with a 4.45 ERA and is earning $5.75 million this season. He's eligible for arbitration next year and will then be a free agent. Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail may hesitate to move Guthrie, because he leads the beleaguered Baltimore staff in innings pitched. Guthrie is just 3-13 with a 4.45/1.35 ERA/WHIP ... (and) is earning $5.75 million this season. The 32-year-old is due for a raise in salary arbitration in 2012, after which he will become a free agent. My feeling is that the Orioles won’t be competitive in that division for a few years and should go with the younger pitchers and save their money! For that reason I didn’t like the Derrek Lee signing. Guthrie was “money” in 2010 with 11 Ws, a 3.83/1.16 ERA/WHIP, 193 HA, and a 119/50 K/BB in 209 1/3 IP. He’s 41-61 over his career with a 4.19 ERA in 935 2/3 IP.

July 18, 2011: Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't!

Blake Beavan offers a four-seam fastball in the 88-92 mph range, rarely topping 92, that he throws for strikes but doesn't always command well. He throws both a curveball and slider but I've seen the slider more in Tacoma. I do wonder if he's improved that pitch since I last saw him -- or his overall command -- which could explain his recent success. The curveball is a slow tumbler at 73-75 mph while the slider sits 78-82. He also throws a circle change (80-83 mph) that grades below average but is useful at times. None of the secondary offerings are consistently average or better, but he has had games where one of them is thrown to that level enough to get through a lineup three times. Beavan reminds me of Doug Fister a couple of years ago, discounted because he doesn't throw 96 MPH. Of course plenty of folks think Fister "will stop getting lucky" soon (they've been waiting for awhile now). Hopefully Beavan can become Doug Fister II. Of course it won't matter unless the offense can find a way to score three runs. With 6 2/3 IP of 3 ER ball yesterday, Beavan now has 20 IP with a 2.70/0.95 ERA/WHIP, 15 HA, and an 8/4 K/BB. Just remember Beavan had a very pedestrian 4.45/1.48 in 93 IP at Triple-A with a 64/20 K/BB. Doug Fister has been historically unlucky this season, as his 2.15 runs of support per game thus far is the lowest mark for any pitcher in a single season since 1972. Fister's 3-11 record is also a franchise worst for a pitcher with a sub-3.50 ERA (his ERA/WHIP sits at 3.18/1.17). He hasn't won any of his last eight starts despite giving up a total of 21 runs and averaging nearly eight innings per outing. He also has an 80/28 K/BB and 127 HA in 133 IP this season. It's a shame that Fister has been so unlucky so far this season, and it's really going to be a shame when his performance takes an inevitable backslide and his bottom line results really start to head south. Adam Dunn doubled and scored in Chicago's loss to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. The extra-base hit was his first in five games, while the actual hit was just his fifth in 47 July at-bats (.106). As has been the case for some time now, there's just no way to sugarcoat how bad Dunn has been for the White Sox this season. His season triple slash rests at .160/.290/.302, he's batting just .124 since June 1 and is 2-for-64 (.031) on the year against lefties. Those numbers aren't just unacceptable for somebody making $12 million, they are unacceptable for anybody in the major leagues. And the worst $36 I ever spent! If you own him, you just have to stay the course and hope he can start to get hot. Nothing rankles me more than after a long weekend of work (see yesterday) I come home to this stat line on one of my SPs. 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 4 HA, and 4 BB. Incidentally that equates to a 189.00/24.00 ERA/WHIP. That takes about a week to get out from under. And that's provided you have good pitching Joel Pineiro, you suck! For the day in that league I pitched 7 1/3 innings good for 13 ER, 13 HA, and an 8/6 K/BB. That bought my day's ERA/WHIP down to a much more "manageable" 15.95/2.59. And you wonder why I pull my hair out!

July 17, 2011: I can screw up a wet dream!

Yesterday was a tough one and some unchartered territory for your friend George. I walked 45 holes as a caddy. I figured it out from tee to green that I walked 15,479 yards which, if my math is correct, computes to 8.79 miles. And that yardage is NOT counting the normal zig-zagging that a caddy does in the course of a “loop.” Plus I raked my share of sand traps (bunkers) today. It was so much that I had to Ben-Gay my shoulders when I got home. I could say this, I’m not suffering from lack of circulation in my legs! Being a .253 lifetime batter in 4098 AB, a player better bring something to the table for an owner to absorb the BA hit! And for a player who just 2 seasons ago seemed to be playing his last big league games, Corey Patterson has, once again, reinvented himself. After batting .215 for the Cubs in 2005 in 451 AB with 15 SB, Patterson, 26 at the time, needed a new address. He went to the O’s and averaged 41 SB and 70 R ion his 2 seasons there. But, after wearing out his welcome there, Patterson drifted to the Brewers and the Nationals in 2009, going 3 for 29 (.103) on the season with 2 SB and a 13/0 K/BB. A return to Baltimore was worked out for 2010 and Patterson batted .269 in 308 AB but more importantly stole 21 bases. This year Patterson took his box of balls and his much traveled lumber up to the North country, Toronto. There he’s batting .258 in 295 AB with 6 HR, 33 RBI, 42 R, 12 SB, a 62/14 K/BB (he was never one for the free pass as his 918/203 career will attest to) and a .685 OPS. Patterson, who hadn't started since Tuesday, drove in a pair of runs Sunday. Patterson has lost some playing time recently with Travis Snider back and Rajai Davis hitting well and the team wanting to get an extended look at Eric Thames. He's of some value in deeper formats with 42 runs scored and 12 stolen bases in just 80 games but may have a hard time getting into the lineup on a regular basis if Davis continues to play well. But Patterson does remain a good source of cheap speed for AL-only owners. C.C. Sabathia earned his MLB-leading 14th victory by tossing eight innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.  Sabathia held the Jays to just three hits while striking out eight and walking three. The southpaw has allowed just one run over his last 32 innings, lowering his ERA from 3.25 to 2.64 in the process. He has won 11 out of his last 12 starts dating back to mid-May. He'll go for win No. 15 against the division-rival Rays next week. Sabathia now has 171 lifetime victories and will turn 31 in four days.

July 16, 2011: Miguel Batista may be stuck on 99 wins for eternity!

For a minute I forgot that Cliff Lee signed a deal with the Phillies because a Texas Ranger LHP just hurled his second consecutive complete game shut out! Derek Holland (8-4) failed to get out the first inning against the Marlins on July 2, but five days later tossed a four-hit shutout against the Athletics. He was just as dominant in the opener of this four-game series, setting down the first 15 batters he faced and finishing with eight strikeouts. "That's two in a row he's thrown the ball the way we know he's capable of throwing it," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "If he can stay consistent like that, throwing the ball in the strike zone, I think he's going to be fine. He really did an outstanding job tonight." Holland is a guy that I have always liked. In fact, I picked him up in my no-trade AL in 2009. He wasn’t quite ready for prime-time as he was 8-13 in 138 1/3 IP with a 6.12/1.50 ERA/WHIP, 160 HA, and a 107/47 K/BB. He spent most of the 2010 season at Triple-A but still found time for 54 K’s in 57 1/3 IP and another 11 1/3 IP in the post-season. But it’s his last 2 GS that’s caught the attention of fantasy owners. Over 18 shut out IP, Holland has given up only 9 hits with a 15/3 K/BB. For the season Holland has a 90/42 K/BB, 125 HA, and a 4.32/1.41 ERA/WHIP in 118 2/3 IP. Holland, who matched his career-high win total set in 2009, has four career shutouts, three this season. The nine hits he has allowed his past two outings have all been singles. He is the first Ranger with back-to-back shutouts since Charlie Hough had a club-record three straight during the 1983 campaign. Holland has three shutouts in his last eight starts. That's one fewer than Andy Pettitte had in 479 career starts. Holland's rotation spot was very much in jeopardy before the last shutout against Oakland, and he's still a hard guy to trust given his history of inconsistency. The talent has always been there, though, and he might be putting it together just like Gio Gonzalez did last year. If you’re a Holland owner, you have to hold him for now. You could make the Holland owner in your league a “low-ball” offer but don’t go crazy just yet! Because Mr. Holland’s opus could turn into the Holland tunnel! If you thought that you saw Michael Martinez on a milk carton coming into the 2011 season, you may have had to check twice. Seeing as Martinez came into the Phillies' series finale against the Braves hitting .192, it seemed safe to say that the Citizens Bank Park crowd had yet to fall head-over-heals for him. In fact, I would say there were many who weren’t even sure who he was! But that was only until he fearlessly went head-over-heals into the photographer’s well and -- holy Derek Jeter! -- came up showing the baseball. That wasn’t the extent of the 28-year-old rookie’s fun, either. After going 4 for 5 and scoring twice in a 14-1 smashing of the Braves, Martinez finished the afternoon only 2,984 hits short of Jeter on the all-time list. Martinez is a Rule 5 player who the Phillies wouldn't give up on yet. He had a great game as did the other 2 young players in Brown and Mayberry. Francisco is toast and Ibanez won't be back next year unless he excepts a bench role for pennies compared to his 11.5 million contract this year. I’m not exactly sure what that means for Martinez vis-à-vis 2012, but he should enjoy his 15 minutes of fame while it’s still here! After the Phillies selected Martinez with the 30^th overall pick in December 2010, this is what was said about him: Martinez, 28, batted .272/.312/.408 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse this past season. He can play multiple positions and has a good glove, but the only question is whether he will hit enough to justify a roster spot. After his 4 hit day on Sunday, Martinez is 19 for 83 (.229) with 11 R, 8 RBI, a 17/5 K/BB and a .559 OPS. I would leave Martinez on the free agent wire as his 4 hit game on Sunday will probably go down as the best game of his career and something that Martinez can tell his grandchildren about!

July 15, 2011: Emilio Bonifacio is the fastest guy in baseball!

According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, Brandon Allen was told he's being recalled from Triple-A Reno. Paul Goldschmidt fans may not be thrilled, but Allen could still represent an upgrade over Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady at first base. The 25-year-old is batting .306/.427/.579 with 18 homers and a 1.006 OPS in 305 AB at the Triple-A level this season. He has a 90/64 K/BB, 66 RBI, 75 R, and 7 SB. Playing in the PCL obviously helped, but lefty batters love Chase Field. Allen has shown a terrific eye at the plate, as his .427 on-base percentage indicates. He offers a possibility for solid slugging percentage and OPS as well in the long term. He is likely up to get playing time and is worth scooping up immediately in NL-only play and taking a speculative flier on in deeper mixed leagues given his long-term projections as a top prospect in the Arizona system. In 2 trails with the D’Backs, Allen is a .221 hitter in 149 AB with 5 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R, and a terrible 60/22 K/BB. Goldschmidt has enjoyed a fine season at Double-A, with a .311 BA in 315 AB, 26 HR, 81 RBI, 69 R, 7 SB, a nice 74/65 K/BB and a 1.061 OPS. He should see time in the desert before the season’s out. Alex Presley, who has three straight multi-hit performances and seven in 13 games since his recall, will be hard to sit down once Jose Tabata returns.  Look for the Pirates to give Presley time in right field when Tabata returns. He could spot start in left, too, depending on Tabata's health (Presley has played left exclusively for the Bucs thus far). The left-handed hitting Presley raked at Triple-A, hitting .336 -- including a .348 mark against southpaws. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the adjustments opposing pitchers will surely make, but he heads into the post All-Star break with a .365 batting average in 52 at-bats. As good as Presley has been so far, I'm not yet sure he's not a part-time player in the end, and I don't think the Pirates should necessarily wait for his hot streak to end before making a move that would reduce his playing time. They might get left out in the cold if that happens. If the Pirates acquired a guy like Carlos Pena, I'd send out Tabata, Garrett Jones and Pena against most righties, and use Presley as a fourth outfielder who plays a lot. I think that's an upgrade, and it would give the Pirates some good pinch-hitting options. Because this is a season where the Pirates are finally looking like buyers at the trade deadline and not sellers. I would say that they definitely need to upgrade at the corner infield spots. The Pirates head into the post All-Star break one game behind the Cardinals and the Brewers in the NL-Central at 47-43.

July 14, 2011: Jose Cano can help the Astros right now!

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford will share the closer's role. Interesting. We assumed that K-Rod would immediately move into a set-up role, but that's apparently not the case. He likely won't finish enough games for his $17.5 million option to vest, but the situation could be a bit of a distraction as the Brewers contend for a playoff spot. We're still guessing Axford closes more games, but both pitchers figure to lose fantasy value if Roenicke sticks with this plan. "I talked to John [Axford] and I told him not to worry about it. I told him roles will be dictated by games and by [manager] Ron [Roenicke]." In other words, K-Rod does have a chance to close some games in Milwaukee, but outright taking the role from John Axford isn't likely, especially since Rodriguez's $17.5 million option kicks in if he finishes 21 more games this year. All things considered, fantasy owners should hold onto Rodriguez in mixed leagues until we see how this begins to play out over the next couple of weeks. K-Rod was gone from the time that he bitch-slapped his father-in-law last season and got suspended for the rest of the season. Rodriguez did put together a good season in the Mets surprise 46-45 record this season with 23 SV and  3.16/1.41 ERA/WHIP, 44 HA, and a 46/16 K/BB. At the age of 29 K-Rod now has 291 career SV, including a record 62 for the Angels in 2008. Axford is still the best bet to lead the Milwaukee bullpen in saves from here on out, and could fend off a closing platoon with Rodriguez entirely, especially since Axford is carrying a 1.29 ERA since May 22 and hasn't blown a save since April 18. With that said, it's not crazy to think that the Brewers may give K-Rod some save chances here and there to keep him happy. I just picked up the Mets RP, Bobby Parnell in my $360-NL and he appears to be first in line to take over as closer for the Mets, and should be added immediately in all formats. It remains to be seen how the hard-thrower will respond to his first gig as a closer, but his 2.92 ERA and 30/9 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 IP are positive indicators that he'll have some success. The Dodgers are trying to solve their LF problems this year before the return of Jerry Sands by acquiring Juan Rivera from the Blue Jays. Rivera, who was batting .243/.305/.360 with six HRs in 275 plate appearances on the season, was DFA’d by the Blue Jays last week. At 33, it appears Rivera’s best mediocre days are behind him, but the Dodgers are hoping he can still hit lefties like he has been in 2011. Rivera was batting .327/.400/.509 with two HRs in 65 PAs against left-handed pitching in 2011. To be honest, I don’t understand why the Dodgers made this move. Regardless of the fringe player the Dodgers might give up or the money they might give the Blue Jays, trading for a mediocre veteran player when you are 11 games behind in the NL West and going nowhere makes very little sense to me. Rivera did bat .333 vs LHP in 2009 and .351 in 2006, his only 2 fantasy relevant seasons!

July 13, 2011: Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo, now don't tell me there's nothing to do!

Last night we witnessed the first of the 82 All-Star games in the desert. One thing I didn’t know is that Eric Karros has the most HR in LA Dodger history. When Brian Wilson read the line-ups for the NL, my wife thought that he was Joaquin Phoenix. And, it’s fitting. As the game is being played in Phoenix! I actually thought that give Wilson a piece of a shoe-fly pie and a straw hat and he would pass for an Amish person. I also noticed that Monday night’s HR derby champion Robinson Cano was batting eighth for the AL squad. In June, Cliff Lee drove in more runs than ER allowed. He’s the first pitcher to do that in a month since Doc Gooden for the Mets in 1985. Of course Lee went 1-2-3 in the top of the third. Adrian Gonzalez has the most hits by a Boston Red Sox in history at the All-Star break with 128 and Jered Weaver is the first Angel to start a mid-summer classic since Mark Langston in 1995. After going 5 up and 5 down, Lee gave up a solo HR to Gonzalez as part of 3 straight hits to make it 1-0 AL. Gonzalez is having a remarkable season for the Bosox with a .354 BA in 362 AB, 17 HR, 77 RBI, 64 R, and a 1.005 OPS. Speaking of great seasons, Jose Bautista makes a great play in foul territory on a pop-up by McCann. This is a guy that played on 4 different teams in 2004 (Balt, TB, KC, Pitt) to become the leading vote getter at over 7.4-mil for the 2011 game. In his first 1754 AB, Bautista hit 59 HR. Over his last 868 AB, Bautista has hit 85. This season he has 31 HR, 65 RBI, 73 R, 5 SB, a 54/74 K/BB, and a 1.170 OPS. Prince Fielder hit a 3-R HR off C.J Wilson to make it 3-1 NL after 4. Fielder led the NL in RBI’s with 72. He also hit 5 HR on just 5 swings as part of the HR derby! He became the first Brewer ever to hit a HR in an All-Star game. The biggest surprise of this game to me is that Lance Berkman is leading the NL with 24 HR. Another surprise is that after missing the early part of this season on the DL, Jair Jurrjens leads the NL in both wins (12) and ERA (1.87). The Angels Jordan Walden was also clocked in triple digits for the AL. The final score in last night’s extravaganza was 5-1 with Fielder’s 3-R HR off Wilson the big blow. Starting pitcher Roy Halladay threw two perfect innings Tuesday in the All-Star Game. Halladay threw just 19 pitches, 14 of them for strikes, in his best All-Star appearance to date. He entered with an 8.10 ERA (7 R, 6 ER in 6 2/3 IP) in his five appearances. Tyler Clippard, who came on after Cliff Lee ran afoul, got the W and Brian Wilson tacked on the SV. The other big news of the night involved a trade between two NL clubs. Brewers acquired RHP Francisco Rodriguez and cash from the Mets for two players to be named. The Brewers are expected to move Rodriguez and his 291 career saves into a setup role, so this doesn't really hurt John Axford's value at all. Since K-Rod's $17.5 million vesting option would kick in with 55 games finished, the Brewers have plenty of financial incentive to keep Rodriguez in the eighth inning. Mixed leaguers may want to just go ahead and drop him.

July 12, 2011: Pippa Middleton is the hottest woman that ever lived!

The silence is deafening!  The All-Star Break is a blessing and a curse. It’s the moment of summer when there are no cheers, no jeers, no boasts, no brags, no heights of victory, and no depths of defeat. And that can be fairly depressing for sports junkies who need their daily adrenaline fix. But look on the bright side.  It’s the perfect moment in time to hire an airplane to fly over the beach with your marriage proposal, take the kids to the Bronx or San Diego Zoo, have the grandchildren spend a few days, or just catch up on whatever’s been taped on the DVR. After all, the silence won’t last for long. Heath Bell was a popular man during the All-Star Game media festivites. He figures to be traded by the last-place Padres before the July 31 deadline and the Phillies are a logical destination. The San Diego closer said he'd be willing to serve as a setup man for a contending team this season, but will seek a closing job in free agency this winter. Bell, 33, has a 2.43/1.19 ERA/WHIP with 26 saves this season. He is an All-Star for the third straight year. Bell has 59 SV in his last 60 chances including 9 SV in his last 9 IP. Bell averaged 45 SV for the Padres in 2009-2010 with a 165/52 K/BB in 139 2/3 IP. Bell acknowledged the trade rumors surrounding him on Monday, saying he would definitely move to a setup role if traded to winning team. Such a trade would kill his fantasy value. The Cardinals could certainly use him, and would likely employ him as closer, but they are unlikely to acquire Bell, because doing so would likely require parting with one of Shelby Miller or Carlos Martinez, a non-starter for a 33-year-old stopper heading for free agency. The Phillies make a lot of sense and appear motivated to make a move. Also in the mix are the Angels, Yankees and Rangers, amongst others. The problem is that if Bell goes to a place and is made the set-up man, he loses a lot of value in fantasy circles. According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, Derek Jeter will not attend the All-Star Game because of "emotional and physical exhaustion" from his pursuit of 3,000 hits. One source close to Jeter speculated that he may have reversed course if he had reached 3,000 hits earlier last week and had time to "decompress." However, he did not have that luxury. While there's a case to be made that he should have at least attended the festivities, it doesn't matter much from the perspective of the game. Asdrubal Cabrera, who many thought deserved to win the balloting in the first place, is now starting at shortstop for the American League. Cabrera is having a great season with the Indians going 105 for 358 (.293) with 14 HR, 51 RBI, 55 R, 12 SB, a 66/23 K/BB, and an .836 OPS. He truly deserves to be the starting AL shortstop in the All-Star game.

July 11, 2011: Another baseball season is half way done!

When I got home from work last evening I received an e-mail from one of my fellow owners in my $260-AL. He wanted to give me Trevor Cahill ($1) for Felix Hernandez ($42) AND James Shields ($18). He mentioned to me that I could build my staff around Cahill next season. I know that in 127 IP this season, Cahill has a 3.12/1.29 ERA/WHIP, 113 HA, and a 91/51 K/BB. Those are good numbers but, in good conscience, I can’t deal both for Cahill as it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the league. I got back to the other owner and said that it would take Cahill and a hitter to pry King Felix from my team. Of course I haven’t heard back from him yet! Mr. Happy Face, Emilio Bonifacio, has put a happy face on plenty of NL-only owners since 80 year old Jack McKeon has returned to steer the Marlins’ ship on June 20. Since that date, Bonifacio is 23 for 69 (.333) in 18 games with 12 SB, 13 R, and an 11/9 K/BB. That includes 5 SB and 5 R in his last 3 games. For the season, the versatile Bonifacio (starts at 2B, SS, 3B, OF) is hitting .285 in 270 AB with 16 SB and 37 R. In yesterday’s game Bonifacio had three hits, extending his career-best hitting streak to 12 games. He stole three bases and scored twice. But I might be prone to call Emilio Bonifacio an American hero! On May 1, 2011, Emilio Bonifacio hit a home run, and Osama bin Laden's death was announced to the world by President Obama. I think that one has to do with the other. In 1103 major league AB, Bonifacio has exactly one HR hit over the fence. And that came at Cincinnati off Nick Masset in the eighth inning of the May 1 game. But I remember something more amazing about Bonifacio. I kept him in my $360-NL for $10 in 2009 not knowing what to expect but knowing that he was named the starting third baseman by the Marlins. On April 6, 2009 (Opening Day) all Bonifacio did was go 4 for 5 with 4 R, 1 HR (inside the park), 2 RBI, and 3 SB. Over his first 5 games of the 2009 season he went 14 for 24 (.583) with 5 RBI, 9 R, and 4 SB. I was already dusting off his Hall of Fame plaque! He was even named the NL player of the week for his efforts. But, as things have a way of happening in fantasy baseball for me, Bonifacio went 11 for 69 (.159) over the rest of the month with a 22/4 K/BB, 0 RBI, and 7 R. So I have to take his recent hot streak with a grain of salt. No, make that a pound of salt! He did finish that season with a fantasy useful 21 SB and 72 R.

July 10, 2011: I am not young enough to know everything!

Derek Jeter reached 3,000 hits in style Saturday against the Rays, going 5-for-5 with a home run to reach the historic milestone and a go-ahead single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Yankees a 5-4 victory. We're not sure you can write it up any better. Jeter singled in the first for hit No. 2,999 and smacked a no-doubter over the left field fence in the third inning to become the 28th player in baseball history to reach 3,000 hits. Oh, but he wasn't finished. Jeter also doubled in the fifth, singled in the sixth and pushed the Yankees ahead for good with a single through the drawn-in Tampa Bay infield in the bottom of the eighth. It was an incredible day for "The Captain," one that pushed his batting average up from .257 to .270 for the season. He might not be the player he used to be, but you can't say he doesn't have a flair for the dramatic. I was on the golf course while all this was going on, caddying for the Pizzones and the Spanos on my second 18 holes. By the way, Lou Spano is like someone out of the Sopranos. Kelly Pizzone got the news of Jeter’s 3000th via blackberry. She mentioned to me that it was a HR. She asked me if I followed baseball (true story). I asked her a trivia of the only other guy ever to have a HR for his 3000th hit. She said Mr. October, Reggie Jackson who, by the way, had 2584 hits. I mentioned that it was Wade Boggs and she told me that Boggs tried to hit on her once. You just can't make this stuff up! Angels recalled OF Mike Trout from Double-A Arkansas. As previously reported, Trout will make his major-league debut in center field on Friday evening, drawing the start in place of Peter Bourjos, who could be placed on the disabled list as early as this afternoon. Arguably the game's top prospect with only Washington's Bryce Harper pushing him for the title, Trout possesses a rare combination of power and speed, and should immediately be considered one of baseball's fastest players. His power, while quite real, may not immediately transfer to the American League West and its stable of pitcher-friendly parks, but that should not stop you from taking an immediate flier in all formats. Trout will become the first teenager to reach the major leagues since Justin Upton in 2007 when he starts in center field for the Angels on Friday. Trout is 30 days shy of his 20th birthday, while Upton was 23 days shy of his 20th birthday when he debuted for the Diamondbacks on August 2, 2007. There's a very good chance another teenager, Harper (who doesn't turn 19 until October), makes his major-league debut in 2012. As an 18 year old at A-Ball in 2010, Trout batted .341 in 508 AB with 10 HR, 58 RBI, 106 R, 56 SB, an 85/73 K/BB and a .918 OPS. Moving up to Double-A this season, Trout was a .324 hitter in 290 AB with 12 doubles, 11 triples, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 28 SB, 69 R, a 61/38 K/BB and a .944 OPS. Mike Trout went 0-for-3 as the Angels' No. 9 hitter in his major league debut Friday. Trout flied out in the second, grounded out in the fifth and lined to center in the seventh. He's expected to start the remaining two games this weekend before the Angels make any decisions on his future.

July 9, 2011: If dog food is 99 cents a can, is that almost $7.00 in dog money?

When we last checked in on Mark Trumbo back in March, he was coming off a season at Triple-A where he led all the minor leagues in HR with 36. Trumbo added 122 RBI, 103 R, a .299 BA in 532 AB, a 126/58 K/BB and a .941 OPS. Back then we didn’t know how his playing time would shake out with Kendrys Morales only supposed to miss the first month of the season. But when Morales’ broken leg from his GS celebration last year didn’t quite cut the mustard and he was deemed lost for the year, Trumbo “stepped” in to take over the job at 1B. And not that this rookie season hasn’t been without it’s ups and downs for Trumbo, but he does have a .253 BA in 285 AB, 14 HR (leads the Angels), 37 RBI, 31 R, a surprising 8 SB, a 63/15 K/BB and a .750 OPS after 81 games (including 6 in the OF). It's the time of the season when those rebuilding teams in keeper leagues are looking for next year's talent on the cheap. Certainly one of the names you should be hearing about is Trumbo. I wouldn’t say that he makes a great keeper but he’s a guy to keep an eye on in the second half of the season. The second half will tell a lot about Trumbo: if pitchers beat him to the adjustment punch and he starts striking out with more frequency, his BA and eye would continue to slip and frustration could set in. And that’s what it’s all about for these young hitter, making the necessary adjustments the second and third time through the league. But I will say that he has been helpful in AL-only leagues as your third corner infielder. Trumbo needs to work on being more selective at the plate as his K/BB ratio shows. Angels manager, Mike Scioscia, has been impressed with Trumbo’s raw power. "He's got as much raw power as anybody I've seen step into the batter's box, including guys like (Mike) Piazza, Vlad (Guerrero)," Scioscia said recently. "I saw (Jose) Canseco and (Mark) McGwire and they were obviously special guys. Trumbo is right there with them. He hits the ball hard as high and that keep going as far as anyone I've seen." When you combine the upside of Kyle Seager with the downside of Chone Figgins, the call-up seems to be a no-brainer. But this is a 23 year old guy with all of 12 games at the Triple-A level. Albeit, they’re a Hall of Fame 12 games, with a .455 BA in 55 AB 2 HR, 12 RBI, 16 R, a 6/5 K/BB and a 1.173 OPS. Seager had been hitting .312 at Double-A, with 83 hits in just 66 games played. He was showcasing some nice talent at second base, and with the biggest asset in the system getting promoted (Ackley), Seager finally got his chance. Ackley and Seager were actually teammates at North Carolina. Seager was the second baseman for the Tar Heels, a position that the Mariners groomed Ackley to take over in the major leagues. Now, it seems like Ackley will be the second baseman for many years to come, and the thought process evolves into how Seattle can use Seager. Seager is a lifetime .329 hitter in 1039 AB with 21 HR, 145 RBI, 193 R, 26 SB (20 CS), a 159/124 K/BB, and an .875 OPS. Seager is a fundamentally-sound infielder with natural swing mechanics and instincts for hitting. He led the High-A California League in BA in '10 and has continued his hot hitting well into '11. Not only does he hit for a high BA, but he puts bat to ball consistently and has enough patience to draw walks and get on base. He needs to keep his BA up to maximize his value as the LH hitting Seager is more of a doubles hitter able to utilize the whole field. Seager had a tough task in his major league debut, going up against Jered Weaver. Seager took an 0 for 4 with 2 strike outs.

July 8, 2011: Josh Collmenter does it with smoke and mirrors!

In Michael Cuddyer’s 11th season with the Twins he was voted as their lone All-Star selection.  Manager Ron Gardenhire has had nothing but positive things to say about Cuddyer’s leadership, toughness, and versatility (47 starts in RF, 21 at 1B, and 13 at 2B). In his career with the Twins he has played every position besides catcher and shortstop. His starts at 1B have helped the Twins deal with injuries to Justin Morneau, and his starts at 2B helped them with Nishioka’s broken leg. Cuddyer leads the Twins with 13 HR to go along with 40 RBI, 40 R, 7 SB, a 46/32 K/BB, and an .846 OPS. He’s hitting .294 in 296 AB. Without Cuddyer’s production, versatility and most importantly ability to stay on the field, the Twins 2011 season would be a lost cause. Cuddyer is a free agent this season and has made it clear that he wants to stay in Minnesota.  With an already high payroll, and Delmon Young, Denard Span, Jason Kubel and Cuddyer, the Twins have one too many OF’s and will have some touch decisions to make in the off-season or possibly the trading deadline. The ninth overall pick in the 1997 draft by Minnesota, Cuddyer has been the company man, that’s for sure. He’s had seasons of 109 RBI (2006), 32 HR (2009), 102 R (2006), and in 2009-2010, Cuddyer totaled 186 R. Over his long career with the Twins, Cuddyer is 1043 for 3839 (.272) with 134 HR, 550 RBI, 576 R, a 756/395 K/BB, and a .797 OPS. I also picked him #77 overall in my AL straight draft league. Jonathan Papelbon squeaked through a dismal outing on Tuesday en route to his 18th save, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk. Entering the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead, Papelbon quickly surrendered a single and a two-run homer. Later, with two outs and runners on first and second, Toronto's John McDonald singled to left field, but Edwin Encarnacion was thrown out at home on a questionable call to end the game. On the replay, it showed that Encarnacion was actually safe! Despite converting 18 of 19 save opportunities, Papelbon owns an unimpressive 4.01 ERA, while batters are hitting .259 against him. If he does not rebound in the second half, it will be interesting how the World Series-chasing Red Sox respond. Keep in mind that heir-apparent Daniel Bard tossed another shutout inning Tuesday, adding to his 16 1/3 scoreless innings streak. Bard was a SP in the minors and, in fact, his last season as a SP in 2007, Bard posted a 7.08/2.05 ERAWHIP and a 47/78 K/BB in 75 IP at High-A Ball. This season Bard has given up just 23 H in 41 IP with a 2.20/0.83 ERA/WHIP and a 40/11 K/BB. On their face Bard's numbers are exceptional.  When you realize the impact of his season opening four runs in one-third of an inning on those numbers you really get a sense of how dominant he has been.

July 7, 2011: Curiosity killed the cat but for awhile, I was a suspect!

In my opinion, Casey Anthony is a murderess and got away with the crime. I think that the next thing she should do is play a round of golf with O.J. Simpson. The very least punishment that should have been given to Miss Anthony is that she should have spent her formative years behind bars. Her own lawyer, Jose Baez, called Casey Anthony a "slut." I would say this: DON'T INSULT SLUTS! But Baez is now a celebrity and the next William Jennings Bryan or Johnnie Cochran. Or even Ben Matlock! I'm sure that he and the family are already cashing in on this travesty through book deals and Made-for-TV movie offers about the story. At least we had the "white man's verdict" after the O.J exoneration. And, as my wife asked that fateful night that pre-empted the Knicks NBA Championship finals, “Which way is the Bronco headed?” When I drafted Ben Zobrist 60th in my mixed league draft, friends were on me like white on rice asking me why I took this guy so early! Well there were 105 guys kept on rosters from last year but I guess I could see their point. A little! This guy under-achieved in most every offensive category in 2010. MLB.com reports Zobrist would like to point out that his 2010 season wasn't all bad despite battling a neck injury and suffering that drop-off in offensive production. "I had a down hitting year, [but] everything else, I felt like I did well," he said. "I did really well defensively. I ran the bases really well. I did all the other facets of the game that I could've done better than I've done them before." Manager Joe Maddon believes the remedy for getting Zobrist back on track is simplicity and health. "He's an experimenter and he just needs to get back to doing what he had done well the year before and the year before that," Maddon said. "It's one of those things where you think-that-I-think-that-you-think-that-I-think kind of stuff, and that kind of messed him up. You just got to simplify it again." Zobrist said he "seriously underestimated" a sore neck he dealt with going into spring training last season. He said he couldn't fully turn his head at the plate and his mechanics were off because he started to pull his head out as he swung. "It probably started getting better midseason," Zobrist said, "but at that point, I had these habits that I was in as a hitter that I just had a hard time getting out of the rest of the season. On top of that, I was pressing, because I wasn't hitting like I wanted to hit."  Zobrist had 0 HR in 2010 in his first 146 AB. This was after hitting 27 HR in 2009. I’ll grudgingly give Zobrist a mulligan for 2010. But, don’t forget, Zobrist batted just .181 in 249 AB in the 2nd half. Zobrist is one of the final 5 candidates for the last spot on the AL All-Star team. He does have 41 XBH this season with 40 RBI, 54 R, a 65/42 K/BB, and an .808 OPS in 316 AB. Though I will say this, Zobrist collected 7 of his 9 HR and 25 RBI in April including an amazing 4 game streak where he drove in 16 runs. On April 28, Zobrist sat atop the AL with 23 RBI despite batting just .236. If you can get him for your AL on the cheap, I would explore it. I see Zobrist having a big second half for the Rays. I had to share this from my friend Tom, a frequent contributor to the site. His son, Bobby, had a Little League World Series game on Tuesday night. I spoke with Tom earlier today and asked him about the game. Tom’s son’s team won 26-0 which made me wonder why there isn’t a mercy rule. But Tom did go on to say that his team didn’t score in the first inning. The whole thing led me to believe that Jeff Suppan was the SP for the losers!

July 6, 2011: A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal!

Long term, Mat Gamel is viewed as a potential replacement for Prince Fielder, and perhaps it is a longshot that the Brewers would insert Gamel and his shaky glove at 3B in a pennant race. But for what it's worth, Gamel had been showing an improved contact rate (84%) in Triple-A and has whiffed only twice in 19 at-bats since his June 28 call-up. I have Casey McGehee in my $260-NL for $2 (for the third and final season) and last season I just plugged him in to the 2B position for the season. He rewarded me with 23 HR, 104 RBI, 70 R, a .285 BA and an .803 OPS in 610 AB. He's certainly not looking like the same hitter in 2011 with a .221 BA in 307 AB, 4 HR, 33 RBI, a 53/22 K/BB, and a terrible .578 OPS. McGehee has basically been borderline useless this season. He might be a good buy low candidate but I wouldn't give him away if I own him because you'd never get what he's worth. I'm really not sure about Gamel who's starting to look like a Quad-A player. His only real exposure to major league pitching came in 2009 when, in 128 AB, hit ,242 with 5 HR, 20 RBI, a 54/18 K/BB, and a .758 OPS. He's 3 for 19 since being called up by the Brewers but did show some bounty at Triple-A with a .321 BA in 293 AB, 18 HR, 58 RBI, 54 R, a 48/25 K/BB, and a .957 OPS. He'll be 26 years old at the end of the month and may be getting his last chance in the Beer City. The Brew Crew have tried him even in a utility role but if McGehee keeps wetting the bed, Gamel may be given one last long look at the hot corner. McGehee has been given chances and I don't see the team waiting much longer on him. He did go 2 for 4 today with 2 R so maybe he'll feel the pressure of someone pushing him. Miguel Batista somehow managed to post a 2.01 ERA through the end of May despite awful peripherals. But, it finally caught up to him, as he allowed 10 runs in seven June innings while pushing his ERA up to 4.60, his WHIP to 1.57 and his K/BB ratio to 16/19 in 29 1/3 IP. He was released by the Cardinals on June 22. The Mets signed RHP Miguel Batista to a minor league contract; assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. He won't be of much help to the Mets and could struggle to climb out of their minor league system. I can’t get too excited about this signing by the Mets even though it’s close to free and given that he’s a big fancy author, he may add some color to the clubhouse. If he throws a few lights out extended spring or simulated games or whatever, sure, he may actually come to New York, but I would bet you dollars to donuts that the next time we post about the guy, it will be “The Mets release Miguel Batista.” Batista did have 31 SV for the Blue Jays back in 2005. Over the next 2 seasons with the D’Backs and the Mariners, Batista was 27-19 but that came with a 4.44/1.53 ERA/WHIP, 440 HA, and a 243/169 K/BB in 399 1/3 IP. It all came crashing down in 2008 with Seattle. Batista was 4-14 with a 6.26/1.86 ERA/WHIP in 115 IP, 135 HA and a 73/79 K/BB. He’s been fantasy useless for some time now and may have thrown his last major league pitch. Over his career Batista has a 4.51/1.49, a 1199/852 K/BB, and 1941 HA in 1873 IP. He added 41 SV in 614 games (239 GS) with a 99-112 record.

July 5, 2011: Cats are smarter than dogs; you can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow!

Just when things were going better in my $260-AL and I actually climbed above 3 teams, John Lackey goes out and throws another dud. I only have 9 healthy pitchers (8 of them SP) and left Lackey in. In 2 1/3 IP, he gave up 7 ER and 9 H for a 27.00/3.86 ERA/WHIP. And even those of you who don’t know baseball have to know that he sucks! If you were in a $260 mixed league and drafted for a total of $6: Phil Humber, Jeff Karstens, Paul Maholm, Kyle Lohse, Jason Vargas, and Bartolo Colon, you would be sitting on top of a lot of pitching categories. Add two $15 closers and a cheap FAAB on Ryan Vogelsong, and you would have the best pitching in your league. But who’s to know? Vogelsong, by the way, was named by his manager Bruce Bochy as one of the pitchers on the NL All-Star staff. Yes, let’s give Vogelsong kudos for not having pitched in the majors from 2007-2010, but after all, he is 6-1 in 84 1/3 IP, with 70 HA, a 68/27 K/BB and a very helpful 2.13/1.15 ERA/WHIP. Everybody hates people who can do whatever they want. Just the other day, a guy on the golf course said he hated the Jesuits because they could kill people. But, of course, that’s if they didn’t like that particular person. Talk about never getting past the middle ages. Now, I know “The Inquisition” first hand because, unlike a Jesuit, I’m married. But, let’s face it, I’m a hater like anyone else when it comes to people who have free license to make their own rules. Isn’t that what gives us that lilt in the step when we see a mug shot of a filthy rich movie star that’s just been tagged for a DWI? Don’t you want Lindsay Lohan to be guilty of shop-lifting? Don’t you want to believe that Tom Cruise has a few screws loose because he jumped on Oprah’s couch? Would you shed a tear if Donald Trump’s wife left him for a younger man? It’s our guilty pleasure, our best revenge, and, most importantly, a way of validating that the rules we play by really do matter. After all, look what happens to those who color outside the lines…I’m pretty sure some of those medieval Jesuits found themselves in the hot—really hot—seat when it came time to pay the piper. Yesterday, I told my wife I had no karma. I see all these good things happening for others yet I feel that I can't catch a break. She told me there’s no such thing as bad karma; I’m just full of self-pity. My wife says that everyone has good luck; it’s all a matter of degree. It’s easy to see how much good luck you actually have, she told me; all you have to do is just look around and see how many people are worse off than you are. My wife is the one with the great imagination, so she can imagine all kinds of cataclysmic events, personal misfortunes, and unforeseen tragedies. If she gets into a car accident because someone ran a red light, it could have been worse—she could have been decapitated like Jayne Mansfield. If the house catches fire because she forgot she left the steaks under the broiler and went to Shop-Rite, at least we don’t live in California where they get those forest fires that last for days on end. When I ask, “What about all the people who are better off than we are?” she just shakes her head and walks away. Obviously, I’m too lost in self-pity to get the point.

July 4, 2011: Never advise anyone to go to war or to marry!

Baseball might just as well have been born on the Fourth of July. It is the mark of every kid’s independence from babyhood as hitting off the tee gives way to Little League. The most American of all games—our national pastime—is forever connected to the essentials of our holiday weekend: hot dogs and summertime games, whether in the backyard or at the ballpark. The one-in-the-sameness of baseball and America is not debatable; it’s no accident that the Little Leaguers march in every town’s Memorial Day parade or that one best-selling company named their hot dogs “Ball Park Franks.” This Fourth of July we have a lot to be thankful for; the American fight against terrorism has a small victory, so drop in at the Ball Park and have a frank, or just stay home and have a Ball Park frank fresh off the barbeque. I wasn’t at Safeco on Saturday night, and by now, you’ve surely heard of San Diego’s 1-0 win thanks to a three-ball walk to Cameron Maybin in the fifth inning. Maybin, of course, came around to score the game’s only run, and we were left to wonder just exactly how he was awarded first base without anybody noticing he’d only taken three balls. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, Fister, Mariners catcher Josh Bard and manager Eric Wedge were all oblivious as Maybin took a 2-2 pitch up in the zone, then tossed his bat aside and jogged to first base. The scoreboard operator apparently had the count at 3-2 so, naturally, Cuzzi thought that he had the count wrong. “The catcher didn’t react, the dugout didn’t react, so he thought he had the wrong count. Do we feel bad? Absolutely. We count the pitches and it was just one of those things that gets away with you with the scoreboard having the 3-2 count up there and then nothing being said by anybody, he thought he had the wrong count.” A video review of the at-bat by official scorer Dan Peterson confirmed the count should have been 3-2 when Maybin walked. Fister, who threw 114 pitches, also struck out seven and walked one while earning his ninth loss of the year. Fister lost his fourth straight decision on Saturday but a few of those losses have come by no fault of his own. He has posted a 2.68 ERA over that span with 27 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched. He would likely have more wins if he was on a team that would allot him with some more run support but as long as he is pitching like this, continue to view the 27-year-old as a low-end fantasy SP. His next start is scheduled for Thursday against the Angels. In two starts against Los Angeles this season, Fister is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Of course, the 3 ball “walk” is consistent with the luck Fister has had throughout his career. He has a career 3.74 ERA but only a 12-27 record to show for it! In 17 GS in 2011, Fister has a 3.02/1.16 ERA/WHIP, 114 HA, and a 77/25 K/BB in 119 1/3 IP.

July 3, 2011: Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed!

Juan Nicasio baffled the Royals on Friday evening, allowing just three hits in eight scoreless innings of work in Colorado's 9-0 victory at home. Nicasio struck out four and walked two in the finest start of his (so far) solid rookie season. He got the Royals to hit into 16 groundouts. With his pitch count at 111, the rookie righty was pulled in the ninth. Now the owner of a 4.10 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 30/10 K/BB ratio, he should get the Braves in Atlanta his next time out. Nicasio improved to 3-0 at Coors Field, lowering his ERA to 2.08 at the hitter friendly park. With Roy Oswalt ($57) out until at least August, I picked up Nicasio as a possible keeper for next year in my $360-NL. Don’t forget, Nicasio has never pitched at Triple-A. After 56 2/3 IP at Double-A this season, Nicasio was 5-1 with a 2.22/1.02 ERA/WHIP, 48 HA, and a 63/10 K/BB. He was 12-10 at High-A in 2010 with a 3.91/1.22 ERA/WHIP, 186 HA, and a 171/31 K/BB in 177 1/3 IP. Nicasio has been a pleasant surprise for the Rockies since being called up from Double-A Tulsa in late May. What was billed as an audition has pretty much turned into a permanent spot in the rotation. With plenty of movement on all his pitches, Nicasio has been difficult for the opposition to hit this season. He also boasts a fastball that hovers around 94 mph. He’s made 7 starts for the Rockies and has a 4.10/1.25 ERA/WHIP in 41 2/3 IP, 42 HA, and a 30/10 K/BB. Nicasio turns 25 years old at the end of August and is worth an add in your NL-only. Padres prospect outfielder Donavan Tate, the No. 3 overall pick in 2009, has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse. Tate hasn't done much to sway the opinion of those who believe the Padres' first-round picks are cursed. The 20-year-old has played just 43 professional games since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2009. He has been limited to just 17 games this season due to knee and shoulder injuries batting .294 in 68 AB with 13 R, 7 RBI, 7 SB, an 18/8 K/BB and an .839 OPS. Tate is a great athlete and projects as an eventual big league starting center fielder, but the No. 3 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft has had trouble avoiding injuries. The 20 year old has underwent sports hernia surgery, sustained a broken jaw in an ATV accident and missed the start of the 2010 season due to a sprained left shoulder. And now this drug suspension.

July 2, 2011: Last night for dinner my wife made six thick thistle sticks!

Ramon Ortiz is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Carlos Zambrano's (back) spot in the rotation next Tuesday. Ortiz has done a decent job while at Iowa, posting a 4.44 ERA and 79/20 K/BB ratio over 95 1/3 frames. Now 38, he'll be making his first start in the majors since May of last season when he was with the Dodgers. He made the Dodgers out of spring training in 2010 but, not surprisingly, was released in May. Ortiz was the owner of a 6.30/1.63 ERA/WHIP in 30 IP with 33 HA and a 21/16 K/BB. Ortiz spent the 2010 season with three different organizations — the Dodgers, Mets and Rays. On January 19, 2007, Ortiz signed with the Minnesota Twins for a one-year deal worth $3.1 million dollars. He was slated to be the #3 SP behind Johan Santana and Boof Bonser and ahead of Sidney Ponson and Carlos Silva. But things didn’t work out well for Ortiz and he was moved to the bullpen and eventually west to Colorado. I can’t see where Ortiz is going to help the Cubs as he’s 85-82 over his career with a 4.93/1.42 ERA/WHIP over 1389 2/3 IP, 1501 HA, and an 862/478 K/BB. He’s better left on the waiver wire. How many times have you been lied to by a phone recording? You know the drill: “Thank you for calling the blah blah blah…” As if any of us had a choice. “Your call is very important to us…” That opening pitch, delivered by the cheeriest liar on the planet, has done more to raise blood pressure than a three-pack-a-day smoking habit, more to cause splitting headaches than a first-grader’s birthday bash, and more to induce contemplation what can be done with sharp objects than a round with the IRS. Ready to retire from one job—who the hell in this economy can afford to go fishing—my wife called the New Jersey State Division of Pensions. After telling her that her call was very important to them and sending her through twenty minutes worth of menu choices, Ms. Recording finally came clean: “Due to high volume, we cannot take your call right now.” Hey…at least they wished her a good day before hanging up. This was the news about Melvin Mora on the web on Thursday afternoon. Diamondbacks released 3B Melvin Mora. With Ryan Roberts' emergence, Mora's playing time has been spotty, and he hasn't hit all year, sporting a .520 OPS. It's entirely possible that we might have seen the last of the 39-year-old. I had Melvin Mora coming into this season in my $360-NL for $8. My friend, Pat, suggested that I keep him but I mentioned that I could get him back for less. And even with the news that Mora would be the starting 3B for the D'Backs, I got him back for $4. For the season, Mora gave me a .228 BA in 127 AB with o HR, 16 RBI, 5 R, and an atrocious 24/2 K/BB. Actually, over the past 10 games, Mora became scarcer than a nurse at a Richard Speck book signing, going 0 for 2 with a K. I entered a H2H mixed league back in 2004 with unlimited pick-ups. It was actually a lot of fun and, in the first week of the season, I picked up Melvin Mora. He hit .340 that season with 27 HR, 104 RBI, 111 R, 11 SB, 65 BB, and a .973 OPS. Those were good days with Mora and I won that league going away! But now all I have to say to Melvin Mora is, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!"

July 1, 2011: My cat's favorite player is Coco Crisp!

Ryan Franklin got hit hard again on Tuesday, giving up two runs on three hits in only one-third of an inning. Taking the mound to start the eighth inning with a 6-0 lead, Franklin got the first out on a hard shot to left field before surrendering a home run, a single, and an RBI double. And that was all Cardinals manager Tony La Russa needed to see. Opponents are now hitting 44-for-120 (.367) against Franklin this season, while the struggling reliever carries an 8.46 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. He has now surrendered 11 earned runs on 18 hits in his last six appearances. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals "may be closer to a decision" regarding struggling reliever Ryan Franklin. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged considering "creative" alternatives to address the situation, so it's possible he could be placed on the disabled list or designated for assignment. According to Strauss, a decision is expected before the club leaves Thursday for Tampa Bay. From 2008-2010, as the Cardinals’ closer, Franklin averaged 27 SV per season and had a 1.92 ERA in ’09 and a 1.03 WHIP in ’10. Franklin made 94 GS for the Mariners from 2003-2005 coming out with a 23-44 record, a 296/184 K/BB, 635 HA, and a 4.49/1.36 ERA/WHIP in 603 IP. But right now, he’s totally useless out of the pen. About an hour after this was written, I saw this on the web: Cardinals released RHP Ryan Franklin. Franklin began the season firmly entrenched as St. Louis' closer, but he blew a save on Opening Day and it's been all downhill since. The 38-year-old right-hander allowed nine home runs and 44 total hits in just 27 2/3 innings this season. He could decide to simply retire. I may not even have had Jason Varitek in my starting line-up in my $260-AL if I had more than 2 healthy catchers available. But, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good! Varitek homered twice Thursday against the Phillies. Dustin Pedroia and Varitek, probably hitting consecutively for the first time since Pedroia was a rookie, went back-to-back in the eighth inning off Drew Carpenter. The Red Sox had Pedroia batting fourth for the first time this year and Varitek batting fifth for the first time this year. Obviously, it worked out just fine. Varitek is hitting .309 with five homers and 16 RBI in 81 at-bats since the beginning of May. The overall season hasn’t been a total bust for Varitek as he’s up to .248 in 117 AB with 5 HR, 17 RBI, 18 R, and a 33/13 K/BB. My only other member of the Bosox on my $260-AL, Mike Cameron, wasn’t as lucky today. Red Sox designated OF Mike Cameron for assignment. Assuming they don't find a trade partner, the Red Sox will be responsible for the remainder of $7.25 million salary for this season. While Cameron didn't live up to his contract in Boston, he shouldn't have any problem finding work once he's available at the league minimum. His departure is good news for Josh Reddick, who should have an increased role moving forward. His days as a fantasy contributor appear in the rear-view mirror as Cameron is batting .149 in 91 AB with 3 HR, 9 RBI, and 9 R. From 1999-2008 Cameron averaged 22 HR and 24 SB per season. By the way, I do have Cameron in my starting line-up for this week.

 

June 30, 2011: Ryan's Hope was the best soap opera of all time!

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it crash to the earth, does it make a sound? Why can’t one see the forest through the trees? If a cat is dumb enough to scamper up a tree, why does it take the occupants of an entire fire truck to get it down? Trees have been at the root of many philosophical issues, but none more challenging than the problem that arises when they grow so tall that the DirectTV satellite signal can’t get through. Yes, because of the trees, I will be forced to return to Cablevision, the company that once cared so little for my business that it refused to carry the YES network. They say the only constant is change, but switching television carriers is a little like getting traded after half a career with the same team. Very unpleasant, somewhat disturbing, and kind of offensive---all because of trees. It's too bad that the name, Jason Bay, isn't respected more in trade circles. I know, I know, it has to do with a little thing called 5 yr/$66-mil owed to the Canadian. If they could somehow unload Bay, the Mets will have some money toward keeping the one player that has been there for them all season, and that's Jose Reyes. Jose Reyes' MVP-level campaign continued Tuesday, as he went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a stolen base and three runs scored in New York's 14-3 win over the Tigers. As trade winds swirl around him, Reyes continues to dominate. Reyes, for the season, is now 117 for 335 (.349) with 64 R, 29 SB, 15 triples, a 26/26 K/BB, and a .922 OPS. Reyes seems to be the guy that the Mets would want to build on! And he just turned 28 years old this month. Buster Olney of ESPN.com hears that no team has called the Mets about the availability of Jose Reyes. Of course, the important word here is "yet." The Mets have indicated that trading Reyes isn't a foregone conclusion, but the better he plays, the higher his price tag will be this winter. While a trade would be unpopular among most Mets' fans, Sandy Alderson wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't listen to offers in the coming weeks. With the Mets’ financial turmoil, they may just not be able to afford the 9 figure asking price of Jose Reyes. An interesting milestone for Reyes last night was that he played in his 1000th major league game and now has 98 triples and 360 stolen bases. The only other player with that many triples and steals through his first 1,000 games, since 1898, when the modern stolen base rule was enacted, was Hall of Famer Ty Cobb, who had 106 triples and 391 steals. That’s damn good company! From 2005-2008, Reyes averaged 158 games per season but had played in 169 games between ’09-’10. He’s played in 76 of the Mets’ 79 games this season missing 3 games because of the death of his grandmother.

June 29, 2011: The problem is the girl of my dreams is just that...a dream!

Now that gay marriages are being sanctioned in NYC, I’m having a little problem with the multi-talented actor, Neil Patrick Harris, announcing that he’s engaged to his long-time boyfriend and is just looking to set a wedding date. And, believe me, I know that it is none of my business! It was one of the toughest days of my life many years ago when I found out that the Doogie Howser star was gay! My opinion is that all marriages are “gay!” I mean, a man forsakes all other women for the rest of his life and exchanges jewelry. Now that’s gay! I would never make it in prison. Not all prospects are gold-plated blue-chippers. Occasionally, the ones that impress us the most once they arrive are the complete surprises, like they have come from the land of misfit toys. The D'backs have a couple of them in Collin Cowgill and Paul Goldschmidt. Their minor-league numbers are becoming just too good to ignore, regardless if the scouts have some bones to pick with them. This combo is reportedly going to be contributing in the majors for fantasy owners, sooner than later. At Goldschmidt's and Cowgill's positions, the needs are far more significant. Juan Miranda is not fooling anyone at first base, hitting just .231, and Gerardo Parra (.275 with four homers and six steals) continues to look like nothing more than a reserve outfielder. We’ve gone over Goldschmidt but the 5’9” Cowgill has really come on this season in his first go-round at Triple-A. The fifth round pick of the D’Backs in 2008 is batting .363 in 303 AB with 12 HR, 52 RBI, 74 R, a 44/39 K/BB, 24 SB (2 CS), and a 1.015 OPS. Kirk Gibson has already come out and said, "I don't know if I can see Pena in the OF." The end of the D’Backs playing in AL parks in almost done and Pena, while he has 2 HR, is also sporting an 11/0 K/BB in his first 23 AB. A blast from the past, Lorenzo Charles, was killed on Monday in an accident while driving a company bus in Raleigh. I remember Charles from the winning dunk in the 1983 Championship game giving the underdog N.C. State over the University of Houston. Charles grabbed the short 30 footer from teammate Derek Whittenburg and put it through the hoop to seal the deal for Coach Jim Valvano. Former teammate, Thurl Bailey mentioned that now Jimmy V finally found someone to hug. Lorenzo Charles was 47 years old. When you start approaching names like Ted Williams, you know your career has been relevant. At the age of 37, Johnny Damon, with 2651 hits, is only 3 behind the Splendid Splinter. If Damon were to retire today, I would say that he’s not a Hall of Famer. Just another very good ballplayer, in the mold of Billy Buckner, Dave Parker, and Al Oliver, who were just a couple seasons short on counting stats. These types of guys need all the numbers that they can get. Damon has only made 2 All-Star teams in his career but, with Willie Mays and Paul Molitor, is one of 3 players to amass 2500 career hits, 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 homers, and 300 SB. It’s been a good run for Damon who still has some gas left in the tank!

 

June 28, 2011: Anchor Steam is the best beer made in the USA!

Matt Joyce entered the month of June on top of the world with a .370 BA and regular playing time with the Rays. Things couldn't have been going better for him. But he woke up one morning and realized that he was Matt Joyce and that he shouldn't be doing this! If there was ever a time to sell high on a guy, it was Matt Joyce during the first week of June. This month has been forgettable for Joyce as he's only 8 for 62 (.129) on the month with 1 HR and lowering his OPS by 160 points. Now you have to hold him and hopes he builds his trade value again. This is a career .275 hitter in almost 2000 AB in the minors. A useful player, yes, vs RHP, but an .080 hitter vs LHP in 2010. Some guys just get exposed with too much PT and Joyce would seem to be one of them. And to expect anything more from him would just be foolhardy.Before the 2011 season started, I thought that Alburquerque was a city in New Mexico. But, to my surprise, I find out that he’s a pretty good middle-reliever/set-up guy for the Detroit Tigers. And now even I’m a believer. I picked him up last week in my $260-AL and he rewarded me with 2 Ws. In 27 2/3 IP, Alburquerque has a 46/19 K/BB, 5 Ws, 12 HA, and a 1.95/1.12 ERA/WHIP. Al Alburquerque won in relief for the second time in four games, tossing 1 1/3 innings of shutout ball Sunday against the Diamondbacks and running his scoreless streak to 14 innings in 13 appearances. Alburquerque has pitched well at the right times this season, racking up five wins against only one loss. The rookie reliever is quietly putting together a standout season with a 1.95 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Even more impressively, opponents are hitting only .126 against him. He was only 4.98/1.49 at Triple-A in 2010 but after throwing 4 scoreless innings in 2011 at Triple-A with 8 K’s, Alburquerque was called up to the big club. Keep an eye on Alburquerque if an injury were to happen to current closer Jose Valverde. 22 year old 3B Lonnie Chisenhall is the Indians #1 prospect and nothing he did this spring should change Cleveland’s mind. Chisenhall went 13 for 26 with 7 R, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 5 RBI, a 7/3 K/BB, and a 1.452 OPS. He has yet to spend a day at Triple-A but last year, in Double-A, Chisenhall hit .278 in 460 AB with 17 HR, 84 RBI, 81 R, a 77/46 K/BB and an .801 OPS. You may see Chisenhall in the majors by the end of June to delay his free agency by a year. He has never put up standout numbers in the minors. Solid, but not standout. I wrote this about Chisenhall at the end of spring training this year. On Monday the Indians purchased the contract of 3B Lonnie Chisenhall from Triple-A Columbus. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com's hunch was right on the money. Chisenhall will make his major league debut Monday night against the Diamondbacks, starting at third base and batting seventh against Ian Kennedy. The 22-year-old was batting .265/.352/.427 with seven HR and 44 RBI over his first 290 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season. He figures to take over at the starting third baseman right away in Cleveland, so he's worth grabbing in AL-only and even some deeper mixed formats.

June 27, 2011: The Statue of Liberty is the tallest woman that ever lived!

I remember 2 things about Jeremy Giambi. Of course he’s the younger brother of the Rockies’ Jason Giambi. The second is the famous “slide” or in this case, “the non-slide!” In that game, with the A's holding a 2-0 series lead in the 2001 AL-Division Series, and returning home to Oakland, Terence Long hit a double with a man on first. Shane Spencer made an errant throw home, missing not only 1, but 2 cut-off men. But Derek Jeter cut off the throw, scooped to the catcher, Jorge Posada, and when runner Jeremy Giambi failed to slide, he was out at the plate. The A's went on to lose Game Three 1-0, as well as Games Four and Five, with Giambi's non-slide being blamed for the defeat. It became a big question. No not as big as “Who shot J.R?” but a lot of people asked why Jeremy Giambi didn’t slide. Rather than embrace destiny, the A’s became its footnote. The play came to be known as “The Flip.” It’s been replayed on many “Best of” shows and filled many slots on many top-10 lists of baseball plays. It hurts every time, and part of me, no matter how inconceivable, hopes that this time, Jeremy’ll slide. But he never does. Jeremy Giambi did come out after his Major league career was over and admitted his steroid use. "It's something I did," Giambi said at the time. "I apologize. I made a mistake. I moved on. I kind of want it in the past." Jeremy Giambi declined to be specific about his steroid use. He told the newspaper he wants to come clean about steroids and hopes others will do the same. "They're not good for you," the younger Giambi said. "I think we need to reach out and let teenagers know they're not good for your body and not good for your health." Giambi hit .263 in 1417 AB over his career with an .807 OPS, 52 HR, 209 RBI, 219 R, and a 356/251 K/BB. Luke Hochevar may be the #1 SP by default in KC with a career record of 19-32, a 5.60/1.46 ERA/WHIP, 431 HA and a 259/134 K/BB in 387 2/3 IP coming into 2011. Not what you’d expect for a guy with that pedigree. After all, he was the #1 overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft. Toward the end of July, 2009 I picked Hochevar up in my no-trade AL-only. One of the other owners e-mailed me and ranted, “Are you crazy? What, are you trying to purposely lose?” That first GS on July 25 for my team went better than I thought. He went 7 IP of 2 ER ball good enough for a W and a 13/0 K/BB. That owner got back to me and mentioned that I was a genius and he was wrong about Hochevar. Yes, and his next 9 GS for my team went like this: 49 1/3 IP, an 0-7 record, 72 HA a 44/17 K/BB (which wasn’t bad) and an 8.57/1.80 (which was bad). Now it’s September and I’m out of the money for only the second time in that long-running league. Well, on September 18, Hochevar hurled the only SHO of his career, a 3 hitter with a 5/1 K/BB. It was kind of like putting whipped cream on s**t! Of course he went back to being the Luke Hochevar that we’ve come to love! 21 ER and 24 HA in 14 IP. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to get up in the morning. And man do I know! This year I actually had to keep Hochevar in my $260-AL for $3 (my team had no real keepers). I got sick of putting him in my line-up and benched him 2 weeks ago! Luke Hochevar allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, improving to 5-8 in the Royals' 6-3 win over the Cubs. He struck out five. Today was the first time in five June starts that Hochevar failed to complete at least six innings of work. Now the owner of a 4.96 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, he'll get the Rockies in Colorado next weekend. It might be best to keep him benched for that tilt, though it's never easy to predict which Hochevar will show up on any given day.

June 26, 2011: My dog's favorite TV show is "Bones!"

Daric Barton knew before Tuesday's game there was a good chance he was going to be demoted. The first baseman said, "I decided my own fate. I haven't done anything this year. I haven't produced." Perhaps some time working on his stroke and regaining his confidence at Triple-A Sacramento might benefit Barton, who is hitting .212 with a terrible (for any position) .592 OPS. He said he hasn't felt comfortable at the plate all year. Barton has not hit a homer in his first 65 games as a first baseman, the longest season-opening streak since Al Oliver went homerless in all 101 games he played there for the Giants and Phillies in 1984. I drafted Barton into 2 AL-only leagues this season, paying $10 for his services in my $260-AL and drafting him #125 (Alex Gordon went #126) in my straight-draft AL. Barton seemed to come into his own in 2010. We knew that power would never be his game but he did hit 10 HR, with 57 RBI, 79 R, 7 SB, a 102/110 K/BB, a .798 OPS and a .273 BA in 556 AB. Fast forward to 2011: with 67 games under his belt, Barton had yet to homer and has 21 RBI, 27 R and a 47/39 K/BB. You have to go all the way back to 1922 to find the record for most games played at first base in a single without a HR. Charlie (Jolly Cholly) Grimm played 154 games at first for the Pirates that season and had no HR. He did have 28 doubles, 13 triples, 76 RBI, and only 15 K’s in 593 AB. Grimm had a pretty good career for himself with a .290 BA in 7917 AB, 79 HR, 1078 RBI, 908 R, a 410/578 K/BB, and a .738 OPS. CC Sabathia hurled eight innings of one-run ball in an 8-3 win over the Rockies on Saturday afternoon. Sabathia is now the first pitcher in MLB to reach 10 wins this season. The big southpaw allowed seven hits while fanning nine and walking one. He held the Rockies scoreless until the top of the eighth. He had allowed 14 runs over his last three starts combined, so this was nice to see, especially against a pretty tough offense. Assuming the Yankees don't skip Brian Gordon in the rotation, Sabathia lines up to start against the Mets next Friday. With 167 wins, Sabathia has a chance to get to 300. Don’t forget he doesn’t turn 31 until July 20 and has been very durable during the first 10 seasons of his career with an average of 213 IP per season. From 2007-2010, Sabathia averaged 240 IP per season and another 77 1/3 total innings in the post-season during that time. He also averaged 19 wins/season during those 4 seasons. If he pitches another 7 ½ seasons, or until he’s 38, Sabathia would have to average just under 18 wins per season to reach 300.

June 25, 2011: I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV!

Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and over and expecting different results. Just like what I did in my $260-AL this season by drafting Adam Dunn and keeping him in my line-up. Instead of doing what I should have done and put him on the block at the first sign of trouble! But how is an owner supposed to know such things? After all this is a guy who’s hit at least 38 HR in the last 7 seasons and was going to a hitter’s park in the AL? I may go the George Costanza (from Seinfeld) route. Things were going so bad in George’s life that he decided to do everything the opposite of what he would normally do! George would have traded Roy Oswalt for Jason Marquis. By the way, I did spend $57 on Oswalt in my $360-NL. I’ve decided, from now on, just to go for cheap SP’s in an auction and load up on hitting. I also spent $40 on Ted Lilly in the same league so, as you can see, I wasted $97 on two pitchers who’ve been big-time under-achievers. Once Costanza decided to do the “opposite,” things started turning around in his life for the better. That’s what I’m going to do in fantasy baseball for the rest of the year. Because what I’m doing hasn’t been working out this year so far! Oswalt will likely miss one start and the potential is there for him to sidelined much longer. Oswalt said he has been dealing with back pain all season. "I feel it when I sit down and I stand up, when I walk, pitch, sleep," Oswalt said. He has been receiving cortisone shots this season to deal with the pain but will not continue that treatment moving forward. "You only get so many shots," he said. "After you get so many of them, stuff starts breaking off, so I don't want that to happen." Oswalt has thrown just 69 1/3 innings this season with 4 W, a 3.38/1.30 ERA/WHIP, 72 HA, and a 41/18 K/BB. And, yes, this is the same guy who in 12 GS for the Phillies in 2010 went 82 2/3 IP, 53 HA, a 73/21 K/BB, and a 1.74/0.90 ERA/WHIP. But there goes the story of my life, a day late and a dollar short! Adam Dunn’s slump has been so bad, he doesn’t answer his phone because he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. He’s frustrated, and booing White Sox fans are beyond impatient. “I know how frustrated they are because my family is frustrated, everyone,’’ said Dunn, who was given a day off against Cubs lefty Doug Davis on Wednesday. “I don’t even answer my phone anymore because I don’t want to hear what’s wrong with this and that. It’s frustrating. I can’t even put it into words. “I’ve never been through anything like this in my life. It’s the most frustrating thing that’s ever happened to me.’’ After signing a four-year, $56 million deal in the off-season, Dunn has fallen well short of expectations with a .175 average and seven homers. It is sad. Just like it’s sad that batting coaches, who make less than five-percent of Dunn’s salary get fired when guys like Dunn hit .175 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and 91 strikeouts in the first 64 games. Just like it’s sad that some people spend $10,000 on a pair of season tickets (to watch Dunn hit .175 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and 91 strikeouts in the first 64 games.) And, to top it off, Alfonso Soriano is insulting Cub fans by saying that the White Sox fans are acting like the Northsiders by booing Dunn every time he comes to the plate and that he doesn’t deserve such treatment. I think that’s exactly what he does deserve! Dunn has been a disgrace this season and now I’m stuck with him because no one will give me what I should get for him. Which is a swift kick in the ass!

June 24, 2011: Justin Verlander has been the best pitcher in baseball recently!

On Wednesday night Chris Heisey did something that not even Rafael Palmeiro has ever done. Palmeiro, who’s career ended with the steroid disgrace, hit 569 career HR, 1835 RBI, 1663 R, and 3020 H, but never hit 3 HR in one game. Heisey and the Reds themselves were going through a slump. Since June 5, they’ve had only one game in which they brought home more than two runs. Heisey himself was hitting only .173 since June 12. The Reds are two game behind the Brewers in the chase for the top spot in the NL Central, and they need to come out of this inter-league play series in decent shape. Their 10-2 win over the Yankees is a good way to get back on track. Heisey began his day with a leadoff homerun, the first (leadoff) of his career, and ended it by taking a curtain call while the 41,367 fans at the Great American Ball Park chanted his name, after finishing with three home runs. He is only the third Reds player (Pete Rose and Jay Bruce are the others) to hit three home runs from the lead-off spot. On the season Heisey is 35 for 128 (.273) with 8 HR, 28 RBI, 22 R, 3 SB, a 33/10 K/BB, and an .835 OPS. Heisey has 16 career HR but it is not the least amount of career HR for a 3-homer game. That record belongs to Merv Connors. He was a star of the minor leagues. From 1934 to 1953, he played eighteen seasons and over 2100 games in the minor leagues. He appeared for 18 different clubs in 14 different leagues. He is one of three American players to hit 400 career home runs in the minors. Buzz Arlett (432) and Nick Cullop (420) were the others. In the majors, Connors hit eight career home runs in 52 major league games (1937-1938). In 1938, he had a three-home run game for the White Sox. He has the fewest home runs of any player who had three in a single major league game. Phillies SP, Cliff Lee is up to his old tricks. At one point this season Lee looked like he was struggling compared to the other aces on the Phillies. That isn't the case anymore. Lee has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. On Wednesday, June 22, Lee threw his second straight complete-game shutout. He has yielded just one earned run in his last four starts, a span totaling 33 innings. He is currently riding a 23-inning scoreless streak. It’s hard to believe that as recently as 2007, Cliff Lee was sent to the minors by the Indians with a 6.29/1.52 ERA/WHIP in 97 1/3 IP and a 66/36 K/BB. Since that time, Lee has a 650/120 K/BB and a Cy Young trophy for his 22-3 season in 2008. Lee was brought back in large part because of his incredible postseason performances. Lee carried the Phillies to the World Series in 2009 and the Texas Rangers to the World Series in 2010. Phillies fans have loved Lee ever since he came here in 2009, and his return generated more excitement than any free-agent signing in recent memory. Even when he was struggling early in the season, nobody worried and everyone figured Lee would click eventually. Not only is Lee clicking, but he's thrown his hat in the Cy Young race along with teammates Roy (Doc) Halladay and Cole Hamels.

June 23, 2011: If I were my own father I would have made something of my life!

Chad Cordero announced his retirement from baseball on Monday. Cordero recently joined the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League after being released by the Blue Jays last month. He led the National League with 47 saves in 2005, when he made his lone All-Star appearance. Chad Cordero was the 20th pick by the Montreal Expos in the 2003 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. He put together a pretty decent career for himself before a torn shoulder labrum ended his effectiveness. Cordero would shock the baseball world by saving 47 games in 2005 as the upstart Nats made waves in the NL East, holding on to first place deeper in the season than anyone thought possible. Cordero would save 128 games total for the Washington Nationals in six seasons as the Nats' closer, walking 117 (3.28 K/9) and striking out 298 (8.08 K/9) in 305 games and 320 2/3 IP in which he was (20-17) overall. A torn labrum suffered during the 2008 season effectively ended his career with the Washington Nationals. Then D.C. GM Jim Bowden made the mistake of announcing that the Nats would non-tender the reliever on the radio before ever telling the pitcher himself. The Chief, as he was known, took it personally, and left the Washington Nationals, signing with Seattle as a free agent in March of 2009, but he never would regain the stuff that he had when he first came up with the Expos and eventually became the Nationals' first closer. He went to the Mariners and appeared in 9 games for the club in 2010 with a 6.52/1.63 ERA/WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB in 9 2/3 IP. The Blue Jays signed him this spring but he was released in May after having 17 2/3 IP with an 8.66/1.81 ERA/WHIP, 23 HA, and a 7/9 K/BB. Cordero turned 29 years old in March. You might say that Drew Stubbs is taking up where he left off last season. He leads the majors with 99 K’s in 302 AB (.258) with 10 HR, 21 SB, and 51 R. Drew Stubbs was moved from leadoff down to the No. 6 spot for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader. Stubbs is hitting 2-for-16 with seven strikeouts over the previous four games. Fred Lewis is hitting in the leadoff spot in the first game of the doubleheader, but Reds manager Dusty Baker plans to have Stubbs back in his old spot for the second game. He did add, though, that Stubbs could hit lower in the order again over the following six interleague games in AL parks. "Just relieving a little pressure for him," Baker said of Stubbs. "Freddy has been swinging the bat well." Last season, Stubbs first as a regular, he had 168 K’s in 514 AB (.255) with 22 HR, 30 SB, and 91 R. Stubbs is better in fantasy baseball than real baseball but he does have his uses with his speed. He just needs to be more selective because all those strike outs will make him a BA risk. And the difference between a good player and a star! Madison Bumgarner was blasted for eight runs on nine hits in 1/3 of an inning in Tuesday's 9-2 loss to the Twins. Bumgarner gave up hits to the first eight hitters he faced, finally retiring Minnesota pitcher Carl Pavano on a strikeout. He entered the game with a 3.21 ERA and watched it balloon all the way to 4.06. It was the first time that he'd given up more than three runs in a start since mid-April. He'll look to get back on track against the Indians this weekend. Bumgarner was hitting 94 mph on the radar gun but was simply leaving balls up and over the middle of the plate in the shellacking at the hands of the Twins. For the season Bumgarner is 3-9 in 84 1/3 IP with a 4.06/1.39 ERA/WHIP, 93 HA, and a 66/24 K/BB. He also did something that I never saw before in all the games that I watched. The first 8 batters for the Twins went single, double, single, double, single, double, single, double before the K of Pavano. He gave up a double to the tenth batter he faced before being removed. Mercifully! Now might be a good time to buy low on Bumgarner from a disgruntled owner.

June 22, 2011: A small Puerto Rican is called a "speck!"

Jack McKeon worked his magic in 2003 by leading the Marlins to the World Series championship over the New York Yankees. Now, managing in his fifth decade, he believes there's no reason why he can't get his team to respond one more time. He wasted no time demonstrating his authority, benching All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez for being late to a team meeting. McKeon, at 80, was hired back as the manager of the Marlins on an interim basis. But, I would guess, that at the age of 80, we’d all be living on an interim basis! The first time he managed a major league game, way back on April 6, 1973, five future big league managers (Lou Piniella, Bobby Valentine, Frank Robinson, Hal McRae and Cookie Rojas) played in it. The youngest player in McKeon's lineup that day (John Mayberry) is now 62 years old. And Mayberry's son is a part-time OF for the Phillies His fellow managers back then included Walter Alston, Ralph Houk, Gene Mauch and Leo Durocher. And not a single player on the roster of the Marlins team McKeon managed Monday night had made his debut yet -- on Planet Earth. Just 22 days ago, the Marlins rolled into June at nine games over .500 (31-22). They had a better record than the Red Sox, the Braves, the Brewers or the Yankees. Three weeks later, the Fish are nine games under .500 (32-41). Their manager (Edwin Rodriguez) quit and went home. And they've done something no team in the history of baseball had ever done: Over their past 20 games, they've gone 1-19. And according to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team had ever gone through a 20-game stretch that bad after being nine games or more over .500 when that streak began. College football's Joe Paterno not withstanding, Connie Mack was 87 years old during his last season managing the Philadelphia A's. It helped that he owned the team. Mack had a record of 3,582–3,814 (.484) when he retired at age 87. His 50-year tenure (1901-1950) as Athletics manager is the most ever for a coach or manager with the same team in North American professional sports. He won nine pennants and appeared in eight World Series winning 5. He was widely praised in the newspapers for his intelligent and innovative managing, which earned him the nickname "the Tall Tactician". He valued intelligence and "baseball smarts", always looking for educated players. He traded away the very talented Shoeless Joe Jackson because of bad attitude and unintelligent play. Mack looked for seven things in a young player: physical ability, intelligence, courage, disposition, will power, general alertness, and personal habits. Mack also looked for players with quiet and disciplined personal lives, having seen many players destroy themselves and their teams through heavy drinking in his playing days. Mack himself never drank; before the 1910 World Series he asked all his players to "take the pledge" not to drink during the Series. Mack's strength as a manager was finding the best players, teaching them well, and letting them play. "He did not believe that baseball revolved around managerial strategy." He was "one of the first managers to work on repositioning his fielders" during the game, often directing the outfielders to move left or right, play shallow or deep, by waving his scorecard from the bench. After he became well-known for doing this, he often passed his instructions to the fielders by way of other players, and simply waved his scorecard as a feint. I would say that McKeon will not make it to the age of 87 as manager of the Marlins. McKeon has already done some good things like batting Logan Morrison second in the order and benching Hanley Ramirez for being late. Mack died on February 8, 1956 at the age of 93.

June 21, 2011: A fat Asian person is called a "chunk!"

In my $360-NL I’ll have to make a decision pretty soon involving Jason Marquis pretty soon. I have him in the spot of Hong-Chih Kuo who just came back from the DL. According to league rules, I have 14 days to make a decision. In that league I don’t really need the closer as I’m second in SVs with J.J. Putz and Brian Wilson. Bit if Kuo does indeed become the closer for the Dodgers, I could trade a $29 Brian Wilson ($34 in 2012) for a much needed hitter. I actually drafted Brian Wilson at $9 and have held him at $14, $19, $24, and this year’s $29. But he’s getting a little expensive. Marquis, who I’ve owned in that league 2 different times in 2011 has 6 W in 66 2/3 IP, a 3.92/1.44 ERA/WHIP, 77 HA, and a 36/19 K/BB. It’s about what you’d expect from Marquis. You definitely can’t expect the shut out every time out. But, yes, Marquis threw his fourth career shut out on April 29 vs the Giants with 5 HA and a 7/0 K/BB. Or is he the Marquis who in his next start threw 5 IP with 6 ER, 10 HA and a 2/2 K/BB? You just take a chance every time out with a guy like Marquis. It’s kind of like playing Russian Roulette, only 5 of the chambers are loaded and one is empty. The best that I ever did with a pitcher of the ilk of Marquis is back in 1997 when, in April, I acquired Tim Belcher (Royals) for Dwight Gooden (Yankees). All Belcher did in his first 5 GS for me was give up 3 ER in 41 IP with an 18/12 K/BB, 27 HA, and an 0.66/0.95 ERA/WHIP. In fact Belcher had a 25 consecutive inning scoreless streak to his credit! I was in heaven for those 5 starts but, like anything else, my providence was short-lived. Over the course of his next 19 2/3 IP, Belcher gave up 20 ER and 36 H. Belcher would end up going 146-140 over his career with a 4.16/1.34 ERA/WHIP, 2423 HA, and a 1519/860 K/BB in 2442 2/3 IP. I’ll hold Marquis for at least one more start. Belcher’s career reminded me of another SP that was a member of many fantasy teams of mine over the years. His name was Kevin Tapani and he, unfortunately, anchored a few of my AL staffs and later as a 19-game winner with the Cubs in 1998. Over his career, Tapani was 143-125 for the Mets, Twins, Dodgers, White Sox and Cubs with a 4.35/1.31 ERA/WHIP, 2407 HA, and a 1482/554 K/BB in 2265 IP. All fantasy staffs have guys like Belcher and Tapani eating innings. And, Jason Marquis, while we’re at it!

June 20, 2011: After receiving 19 decisions in 2010, Tyler Clippard has 0 in 2011!

Even if the Reds don't develop any crisis in the outfield, they may have to give the 24-year-old Dave Sappelt a look at some point. Sappelt jumped from Class A Lynchburg to Double-A Carolina and finished the season at Triple-A Louisville. In 89 games at Carolina, his .361 average led the Southern League and set a new club record. In 133 games combined, he batted .342 with a .395 on-base percentage and was named the organization's Minor League hitter of the year. A speedy 5-foot-9 and 193 pounds, Sappelt stole 25 bases last season but was also caught 18 times. The organization wants him to work on improving his base-stealing technique and continue his progress of becoming more consistent as a hitter. In A-Ball in 2009, Sappelt had 47 SB but had 22 CS and hit .281 in 552 AB. Keep an eye on the 24 yr old OF especially if you’re in need of cheap speed. Sappelt opened some eyes around Reds’ camp this spring by hitting .564 in 39 AB with 11 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB, and a 2/2 K/BB. This former ninth round pick of the 2008 draft has continued his largess into the season hitting .350 in 123 AB with 5 HR, 16 RBI, a 17/11 K/BB, and a .984 OPS. Nate Schierholtz has started 13 of the Giants' 17 games in June.  His production at the plate a .260 BA in 154 AB with 4 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R, 4 SB, a 25/8 K/BB, and a .708 OPS isn't anything special, but Schierholtz is considered the team's best defensive outfielder and has provided numerous big late-inning hits. The 27-year-old is worth rostering in deeper NL-only leagues. This is quite a change from last season for Schierholtz, when he was more of a late-inning defensive replacement and started just one of the final 65 regular-season games. "I've always believed in myself that I could play every day. It's all I knew coming up through the minors," said Schierholtz, who's far removed from his prospect days, when he was the right fielder of the future. He's the Giants' longest-standing position player, having first surfaced in the majors in 2007 and has a total of 853 AB with a .268 BA, 13 HR, 81 RBI, 106 R, 14 SB, a 148/49 K/BB, and a .713 OPS. Since May 22, Michael Morse is on a tear. He has 26 R, a .359 BA, 11 HR, and 31 RBI. He leads the league in HR/RBI since that date. Johnny Damon continues on with his great career but did accomplish something rare indeed on Saturday. Damon, with an opposite-field bloop double to left in the first, became just the 11th player all-time to have 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 homers and 2,500 hits. All of the other players accomplishing the feat — George Brett, Lou Gehrig, Goose Goslin, Rogers Hornsby, Willie Mays, Paul Molitor, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Al Simmons and Robin Yount — are in baseball's Hall of Fame. "When you talk about deserving the Hall of Fame, absolutely, that kind of performance deserves not only top consideration, but acception," manager Joe Maddon said. Damon now has 2646 career hits. For the season he’s at .277 in 271 AB with 8 HR, 33 RBI, 33 R, 7 SB, a 35/18 /BB, and a .752 OPS.

June 19, 2011: Happy Father's Day to all you fathers across America!

I can’t believe that I’m writing this at the expense of Chris Coghlan. Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez plans to platoon DeWayne Wise and Emilio Bonifacio in center field following the demotion of Coghlan. It's what we assumed, though since Wise swings left-handed and Bonifacio is a switch-hitter, it won't be a strict platoon. Wise started on Friday and figures to see a bit more playing time in center, with Bonifacio still getting some at-bats at other positions. "We all know what kind of hitter he is. He can help us here. But he’s here because of his defense,’’ Rodriguez said of Wise. "... I think we need that experienced fielder out there, and I think he’ll be the guy. Not a lot of rope for the 26 year old Coghlan with his .230 BA, .664 OPS, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 33 R, 7 SB, and a 49/22 K/BB. At first the Marlins dropped Coghlan in the order for a few games but I guess tired of the BA and the fact that he was 6 for 32 in his last 10 games. This is the same guy that won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2009 and led the NL in base hits after the All-Star break that season. He hit .321 that season with 84 R, 9 HR, and 53 BB. But after last years' pie throwing celebration that left Coghlan disabled, he hasn't been the same. That's why I always say that teams should hire professional pie throwers. Because some things are left to the professionals. But that's another story. In the meantime, Dewayne Wise and Emilio Bonifacio will patrol CF. That actually helps me as I own Bonifacio in 2 NL leagues. But if the Marlins are smart, they won't let Coghlan languish at Triple-A for too long! When we last checked in on Rays’ SP Jeremy Hellickson, he became the first pitcher in history to pitch at least 6 innings in his first 3 GS and give up 3 H or less. Those 3 starts produced a 3-0 record in 20 IP, 9 HA, an 18/3 K/BB, and a 1.35/0.60 ERA/WHIP. He did show some bounty last year as well between High-A and Triple-A combining to go 12-3 in 119 1/3 IP, with a 2.72/1.21 ERA/WHIP, 107 HA, and a 127/37 K/BB. He hasn’t looked as good in his first full season in the bigs but still is the owner of a 3.03/1.16, 59 HA, and a 52/31 K/BB in 77 1/3 IP. The former fourth rounder by the Rays in the 2005 draft has a 49-16 record over his minor league career with a 2.71/1.06, 475 HA, and a 634/137 K/BB in 580 1/3 IP. His manager, Joe Maddon, has been impressed with the youngster. "As he matures, I think his curveball will mature," Maddon said. "I like his poise. I like the way he handles himself. All of that makes you feel great for his future."

June 18, 2011: The only test that I ever studied for was a urine test!

Some other owners seem to forget that I know a little about baseball just like they do. I don’t know if it’s a lack of respect but and, I don’t know about you, but I hate when an owner tries to “educate” you of what you should do and why it would be in “my best interests” to do a certain trade. Take my $360-NL for example, where prices are skewed because of the higher team salary. I have Ted Lilly on my team for $40 ($45 in 2012) and was offered by and owner a “real good keeper” for next year for Mr. Lilly. That “keeper” turned out to be none other than Dustin Moseley who would be $10 next year. I just responded that I have absolutely no interest in Moseley and that the trade probably wouldn’t go through anyway. I thought that the discussion with that owner was over! Kaput! Done! But to my general dismay, that same owner offered me the “best” offer that I would get for Lilly in a $15 (for next season) Travis Wood. I told that owner that since I wouldn’t keep Wood at that price, I wasn’t going to trade Lilly. Now, mind you, this other owner has lost a 20 some odd point lead in that league and is now 3 points out of first. I got home from another grueling day of work to this following e-mail from the other owner: “George, with Wood at 10 and Lilly at 40, I (sic) do not agree with you, but thats (sic) what this game is all about.  this works if you want keepers.  no one else would give you more for lilly (sic) on the bad dodger team, in my opinion.” I told him thanks for the offer but I’m moving on. To paraphrase the next e-mail: “George I don’t understand you. You yourself said that you wouldn’t get a better offer for Wood and Wood has a chance to be another Jordan Zimmerman (sic). The trade is a no-brainer for you. If you’re not doing the trade because you don’t think it’s fair or it wouldn’t go through, your (sic) wrong.” There was more to the e-mail but I was getting sick by that point and just deleted it! Just to make sure that I was doing the right thing, I checked out the kind of season that Travis Wood was having. And, I know, that he found some bounty, particularly early in 2010, having 17 GS, a 3.51/1.09 ERA/WHIP, 85 HA, and a very impressive 86/26 K/BB. But deep down I thought he was a little too smoke and mirrors for me. In 15 GS this season, the 24 year old LHP has 86 1/3 IP, a 5.11/1.52 ERA/WHIP, 98 HA, and an unimpressive 59/33 K/BB. Just not my kind of keeper. And, while I’m ranting, I don’t agree with the guys on the site that said Jeter is not really hurt but wants to get his 3000 hit vs the Mets at Citi Field in early July. That, in my opinion is utter BS. Jeter is the last guy who wants out of the line-up. In fact, over his 15 full seasons in Yankee Pinstripes coming into this season, Jeter has averaged a shade over 152 games per! I know his GB% has gone way up over the last couple seasons and his LD rate has gone way down but, don’t forget, he played the toughest position (except catcher) on the diamond over his long and great career. And while I think 4000 hits is probably out of the question, he should end up in the top 10 all-time in the hits department. But it seems that with the rest of the world all we want to know is “what have you done for me lately?”

June 17, 2011: Sometimes it's best not to wake up in the morning after a 2 for 37 night in one of my NL-only!

Brian Gordon has officially been named the Yankees starter for Thursday's game against the Rangers. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Gordon was signed Tuesday after opting out of his deal with the Phillies. The Yankees are his sixth organization and he's found recent success with the development of a cutter. Gordon has generally pitched out of the bullpen, but has the stamina and durability to start. He has a clean delivery and excellent command of a four pitch arsenal. He precisely locates his fastball and comands his secondary pitches well. He has rather ordinary stuff and can be hittable. Gordon has a career 3.09 ERA and has K’d 7.7/9 IP over his career. He's posted a nifty 1.14/0.83 ERA/WHIP, 39 HA, and 56/7 K/BB ratio over 55 1/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. But, as a 32-year-old with marginal stuff and zero major league starts to his name, he's not a recommended play against the Rangers. If you’re scratching your head over the name, join the club. He’s a former minor league OF who, in 2006, once hit 3 HR in a Triple-A game, back in 2004. Converted to a pitcher in 2007, Gordon’s only major league time came in a Texas Rangers’ uniform in September 2008. He appeared in 3 games out of the pen with 4 IP, 1 ER, 4 HA, and a 1/0 K/BB. Stranger things have happened and if you can pick him up for this one GS against the Rangers in your AL, I would take the chance. Especially if you need the W’s. Don’t forget that, even though Gordon is 32, his arm is much younger! In his Yankees debut, Brian Gordon gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings Thursday against the Rangers. Gordon held his own, but with seven hits allowed, three walks and two hit batters, he let a lot of Rangers reach base. Two caught stealings, one in the first and one for his lone out in the sixth, helped him a bunch. Gordon will stay in the rotation after this one, but he's not a great play in AL-only leagues. He also had 3 K’s. Nick Blackburn pitched eight scoreless innings as part of the Twins' 1-0 victory over the White Sox on Thursday. Blackburn struck out just one, but he got 17 outs on the ground today. It's the fourth time in 14 starts this season that he's managed to avoid giving up a homer. In those outings, he has a 0.66 ERA. Blackburn has been better than advertised this season with 91 IP, 6 W, a 3.16/1.32 ERA/WHIP. 96 HA, and a 47/24 K/BB. He also has 8 QS and is good to use in your AL-only. Coming into this season, in his 3 full seasons as a SP for the Twins, Blackburn has 658 HA in 560 IP, with a 262/120 K/BB, and a 4.44/1.39 ERA/WHIP.

June 16, 2011: Eleanor Roosevelt was the ugliest woman that ever lived!

“To be or not to be?” After the death of his father, feeling particularly morose, Hamlet contemplates that question as he wonders whether life still holds any allure for him. Hamlet decided to live; not that he had anything against oblivion, but he didn’t want to take a chance that death might be a kind of state where he might “sleep, perchance to dream.” Aye, there’s the rub as old Shakespeare points out. Charlie Sheen gave rise to the same question as he pondered the future not only of his sit-com but also of his career. His ego also dismissed the dangers of oblivion because…well, because he’s Charlie Sheen and a star as bright as his couldn’t possibly go dark. After all, what others perceive as career-suicide is actually “winning.” At this time of year, as the roto-enthusiast contemplates whether or not his team will “be” or “not be” contenders in the upcoming months—whether or not they will be “winning”, there is a healthy fear of what Hamlet and Charlie so easily dismissed. Will my team have the staying power to go all the way? Or will it pass out of existence into oblivion? Dare I dream? And that’s the problem I face with my $260-NL team. Am I in it or should I play for next season? After all, in the 5 years of the league, I have won the league twice and came in second twice. I do have Jay Bruce and Prince Fielder who have belted 36 of my 63 team HR. My starting staff includes #2 and #3 SPs in Wandy Rodriguez, Ryan Dempster, Anibal Sanchez, Chad Billingsley, and Jonathan Sanchez. I did get 13 scoreless IP on Monday night from Dempster and Rodriguez and still lost a point in the standings. Josh Collmenter, who I FAAB’d for $8 has been a find with a 1.27/0.847 ERA/WHIP in 28 1/3 IP. And Kimbrel and Salas have combined for 27 SV. I just got Maybin back and “won” an FAAB on Charlie Blackmon for $12. I need Jimmy Rollins, Casey McGehee, Omar Infante, and Carlos Ruiz to wake up a bit and for Orlando Hudson, Dexter Fowler, and Brandon Belt to return from the DL. Claudio Vargas announced his retirement from baseball this week. Vargas was working in the Rockies' organization on a minor league contract, where he had a 11.08 ERA at the Triple-A level. He had a 4.83 ERA in 217 career major league games. Any time you see an 11.08/2.42 ERA/WHIP next to a pitcher's name in 26 IP at Triple-A, you know the end is near. Unfortunately, the player always seems to be the last to know! I did need a pitcher in an NL league in 2009 and picked up Vargas who rewarded me with 41 1/3 IP out of the pen for the Brewers. His numbers included a 1.74/0.97 ERA/WHIP, only 25 HA, and a 30/15 K/BB. Too bad for Vargas that the bounty he found in 2009 was very rare indeed. He finishes up with a 48-40 record in 217 games (114 GS), 764 2/3 IP, 1 SV, a 4.83/1.43 ERA/WHIP, 801 HA, and a 544/294 ERA/WHIP. In '06-'07 for the D'Backs and Brewers, Vargas did go 23-16 in 302 IP with 338 HA, a 230/106 K/BB, and a 4.95/1.47 ERA/WHIP.

June 15, 2011: Kyle Drabek is no chip off the old block, at least so far!

Logic suggests that the KC front office will attempt to trade Clint Robinson before his value completely disappears. We wouldn't be shocked to see him make his first MLB appearance in late 2011 with another team. He’s a first baseman in KC which was like being the back-up to Cal Ripken in Baltimore. With the call-up of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, Billy Butler still in the fold, and Kila Ka’ahiue biding his time at Triple-A, Robinson’s best shot for fantasy largess may very well be in another venue. And it’s not from lack of trying as Robinson is enjoying some bounty again this year. Let’s go back in time to 2010 when Robinson won the Texas League Triple Crown. He batted .335 with 29 HR, 98 RBI, and a 1.035 OPS in Double-A. Robinson took up right where he left off this season at Triple-A batting .356 in 225 AB with 17 HR, 50 RBI, 47 R, a 38/31 K/BB, and a 1.085 OPS. During a 12-game hitting streak, Robinson is batting .396 (19 for 48) with six homers and 16 RBIs. I’d say that the 26 year old Robinson is almost ready for the majors. He’ll just have to bide his time like so many others. I just saw a report on the web about Livan Hernandez and would like to share it with the readers of the forum section. He's actually been a little fantasy useful for NL-only these past 2 seasons while pitching for the Nationals. But after reading this report, I'm not sure what his future holds. It's always interesting, also, that when you see a players' name on a web site and the news isn't baseball related, it usually isn't good news! Hernandez is being investigated in a federal money-laundering case. Hernandez is suspected of being a "straw buyer" for Angel Ayala-Vazquez, according to a high-ranking law enforcement source. A straw buyer purchases items for others in their own name, allowing the proceeds from illegal activities such as drug trafficking to be hidden. Right now Livan Hernandez is in his element, leading the NL in GS (14), losses (8), and $20 bills laundered (countless). Over his career, Hernandez has a 169-171 record to show for 3035 1/3 IP, an 1880/1032 K/BB, 3338 HA, and a 4.38/1.44 ERA/WHIP. You might even say that he's been on the lower end of mediocrity. I picked him up in the first week of the 2010 season in my $360-NL and, while he started out good, he actually didn't kill me throughout the season as much as I thought he would! He's actually a 2-time NL all-star for the Expos/Nationals in 2004-2005 when he combined for 70 GS (26-25), 501 1/3 IP, a 333/167 K/BB, 502 HA, and a 3.79/1.33 ERA/WHIP. His best year was actually a year earlier in 2003 when he was 15-10 in 233 1/3 IP, a 3.20/1.21 ERA/WHIP, 225 HA, and a 178/57 K/BB. I actually bought up his name at the end of my $360-NL draft this year for a buck but another owner got me off the hook and said $2. In his 14 GS this season, Hernandez is 3-8 with a 4.15/1.39 ERA/WHIP, 86 HA, and a 51/28 K/BB in 89 IP. Hopefully the whole involvement with this Puerto Rican drug ring is a mistake and that it's really Alfredo Simon that's the kingpin. But the evidence is pointing at Hernandez and hopefully it won't derail his career!

June 14, 2011: Claudio Vargas announces his retirement from baseball!

Can we call Orlando Cabrera a mercenary, going to the highest bidder every season but seemingly leading his new team to the post-season every season? Is it just a coincidence that Orlando Cabrera has been to the playoff the last 4 seasons with 4 different teams? Yeah, really, the Angels, White Sox, Twins and the Reds. He hasn't made a World Series with any of these teams but in the 4 division series, Cabrera is 8 for 49 (.163), with 2 R, 1 RBI, and a 9/3 K/BB. And when the Indians got off to a great start this season, coinciding with Cabrera's hot start, it looked like he would make it 5 playoff for 5 teams in 5 seasons. The jury is still out there but recently Eric Hinske made the post-season with 4 different teams from 2007-2010, including the World Series with the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees from 2007-2009 and the Division series with the Braves in 2010. As the 36 year old Cabrera stands on the precipice of becoming the 260th or 265th, or whatever it is, player with 2000 career hits, we should be applauding a good clubhouse guy and a pretty darned good career. He won 2 Gold Gloves for his work at SS with the 2001 Expos and the 2007 Angels and is a career .273 batter in 7323 AB. With that bounty goes 969 R, a .711 OPS, a 717/503 K/BB, 120 HR, 831 RBI, and 211 SB. I own Cabrera in my $260-AL and he's been in my line-up every week. Much like he has in real baseball for his teams. From 2001-2009, Cabrera averaged 156 games and 615 AB with 171 H, and 38 doubles. Editor’s note: on Sunday, Cabrera did get his 2000th career hit and also added a SB for his troubles! Prince Fielder continued to punish the ball, and in a timely fashion, on Sunday, hitting the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning of Milwaukee's 4-3 win over the Cardinals, which completed a three-game sweep. Fielder has been simply ridiculous this month, batting .411 with eight home runs and 16 RBI, bringing his season totals to 19 and 58, respectively. He is well on his way to the National League's Player of the Month award. The Brew Crew is now ½ game ahead of the Cards in the NL-Central and, at 24-8, have the best record in baseball since May 9. As we know, Fielder is in a contract year. He’s looking for a Ryan Howard-type contract of well over $100-mil and the Brewers have already stated that they’re not going to go that high. They may have to rethink that stance especially if they reach the post-season. The 27 year old Fielder now has 211 career HR. In 236 AB this season, besides the 19 HR and 58 RBI, Fielder is hitting .305 in 236 AB with 39 R, a 31/37 K/BB and a 1.042 OPS. From 2007-2009 Fielder averaged 43 HR and 121 RBI which made his 2010 season of .261, 32 HR and 83 RBI in 578 AB all the more confusing. I did keep Fielder in my $260-NL for $38 for the third season (that’s the maximum allowed in this league) and he hasn’t disappointed.

June 13, 2011: If you're going to fire me, please tell me on the phone and don't make me come in for a meeting!

Craig Counsell is like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going…and going…and going! When Counsell signed for a fifth year with the Brewers back in December, I was asking myself, “What the heck are they doing?” He’s given them the best years of his life and now it should be time to put the 40 year old LH hitter out to pasture. He was coming off a .285 season in ’09 in 404 AB (only his fifth 400 AB season) with 61 R when he batted .250 in 2010 in 204 AB with 21 R. So you can see that the end was near! But Friday night vs the Cards, Counsell had 3 H and 3 R with a double, a triple, and a walk. He got the start because he’s a .464 lifetime batter vs Cards’ SP Kyle Lohse. Counsell may even be up for more PT at SS for the Brew Crew if we’re to listen to the manager, Ron Roenicke. "It all comes down to who's playing well," Roenicke said. "We have some spots in the lineup that, if guys are playing well, I'm going to get them in more often. Center field is one. Shortstop may become one. It's not that we're saying, 'This guy's got the job no matter what.' It's whoever's kind of playing well. Starting SS Yuniesky Betancourt is hitting only .230 in209 AB with 3 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R, a 26/8 K/BB and a moribund .596 OPS. Counsell is a 2-time World Series winner with the Marlins in ’97 and the D’Backs in ’01 and, believe it or not, has 1197 H in 4656 AB (.257) with 41 HR, 384 RBI, 639 R, 103 SB, and a 652/581 K/BB. This is the last news that I coud find on Hank Blalock. It came at the end of June, 2010. Rays designated DH Hank Blalock for assignment. The Rays needed to make a roster move with Gabe Kapler expected to return from the disabled list on Wednesday, so Blalock gets the boot. Blalock batted .254/.319/.349 with one home run and seven RBI in 63 at-bats with the Rays. He'll drum up some interest somewhere, but he's not of much use in the field. You know you’ve fallen far when you are DFA’d to make room for Gabe Kapler! I just can't figure out Hank Blalock. He put together some good years for the Rangers averaging 29 homers from '03-'05. He added 25 more for them in 2009 while batting .234. He's only 30 years old but doesn't look to have a job heading into the 2011 season. It seems that he could help a team as a platoon player. With Mark Teixeira back in the early/mid 2000's, they were supposed to lead the Rangers to the promised land. The Rangers went to their first World Series in 2010 but Teixeira and Blalock were no where to be found. Injuries have played a part in Blalock’s fall to the dark side! 22 HR and 71 RBI in 466 AB in ’07-’08 set him back. But he did hit .285 during that troubled time. Of course Blalock was released by the Rays at the end of June 2010 having batted 63 times with a HR, 7 RBI, and 8 R. I just never thought that at the age of 30, he'd be looking for a job. His Triple-A numbers with the Rays were fruitful, a .349 BA in 109 AB with 4 HR, 24 RBI, 18 R, and a .910 OPS. In his last full season in 2009, as I’ve pointed out, he batted .234 in 462 AB with 25 HR, 66 RBI, 62 R, a 108/26 K/BB, and a .734 OPS.

June 12, 2011: Have you noticed that there are a lot of injuries in baseball this season?

It seems hard to believe, but Scott Kazmir led the AL in strikeouts in 2007 (239) and had a 3.49 ERA with nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings as recently as 2008. Since then he has a 5.42 ERA in 54 starts and now he seems incapable of even getting Triple-A hitters out despite still being just 27 years old. Kazmir coughed up six runs in 3.2 innings on Thursday night, walking five batters and plunking three more, giving him a 15.15/2.49 ERA/WHIP and 13/17 K/BB ratio in four GS (0-4) and 13 2/3 IP at Triple-A. The Angels will have a decision to make on Kazmir as he's on the last year of the 3 yr/$28.5-mil deal he signed on May 14, 2008. He's scheduled to make $12-mil in 2011 with a $2.5-mil buy-out in 2012. That means, if the Angels cut Kazmir, they'll be on the hook for $14.5-mil. Unless the Angels want to turn him into a LH relief specialist, but to me, it looks like Kazmir is toast! By the way, Zambrano won only 10 more games in the majors to end up with a career 45-44 W/L, a 529/404 K/BB, 669 HA, and a 4.64/1.52 ERA/WHIP in 706 1/3 IP. V. Zambrano ended up in 2007 with a very Kazmir-like 10.17/2.35 ERA/WHIP in 23 IP. I'd like to know what the Pirates have done with the real Jeff Karstens. The 2011 version is not the Karstens we have come to know and love. Hard to believe but in 64 1/3 IP, Karstens has a 2.94/1.15 ERA/WHIP, 62 HA, and a 44/12 K/BB. That gives him career numbers of a 4.73/1.40 ERA/WHIP, 446 HA, and a 212/117 K/BB in 403 2/3 IP. His lifetime record is 15-31. In spite of his sudden providence this season, I would probably stay away from him in all but the very deepest of leagues. And, yes, he has been pitching well of late but, to me, he can't be trusted over time. Of course I said the same thing about Phil Humber about a month ago. And, in his last 2 GS, Karstens has 14 IP with 1 ER, 8 HA, and a 4/1 K/BB. I would just chalk it up to a pitcher on a hot streak and leave it at that. Because if you really think too much about it, you can drive yourself crazy! But having said all that, stranger things have happened than a pitcher suddenly finding himself at the age of 28. Humber is a case in point but, with these types, as quickly as it comes, so it goes quickly!

June 11, 2011: My dogs favorite TV show is "Bones!"

Brett Cecil was knocked around for eight runs on 10 hits over 3 1/3 innings Wednesday in his latest start with Triple-A Las Vegas. Disappointing, especially after he allowed one run and struck out six in a complete game victory last Thursday. "He’s gradually building up arm strength, that’s the first sign and he’s doing that," said Blue Jays manager John Farrell. "When a player shows you he’s ready to come to the big leagues, he’s handling the level he’s at fairly routinely. So while it’s a work in progress, the body of work going forward has improved." Cecil now has a 6.04/1.55 ERA/WHIP, 70 HA and a 44/18 K/BB over 9 GS and 56 2/3 IP since being demoted to the minors. He obviously still has some work to do. When I needed a SP because of injuries to my AL staff in 2009, I reached for Toronto LH Brett Cecil. His numbers at Triple-A weren’t the best but I just had a feeling. And after a great start, I felt my pick was justified. But Cecil couldn’t sustain any largess and finished with a 5.30/1.65 ERA/WHIP in 93 1/3 IP, 116 HA, and a 69/38 K/BB. In 228 1/3 career minor league innings, Cecil has a 228/73 K/BB. I left Cecil for other owners in 2010 but may have been a year early. He won 15 games and had a 117/54 K/BB in 172 2/3 IP with 175 HA and a 4.22/1.33. Not bad pitching in that very tough AL-East. Only 9 pitchers in the AL had more victories than Cecil’s 15 and in 16 of his 28 GS, he held the opposition to 2 ER or less. Of course you have to take the good with the bad. Cecil had a 4.64/1.48 in the 2nd half with 42 K’s in 76 IP. That included a 6.92 ERA in 26 IP in September. Jermaine Mitchell, the Oakland A’s farmhand at Double-A Midland is leading the league in triples with 13 and BA at .373 in 220 AB. It took Jermaine Mitchell two-and-a-half seasons before he finally reached Double-A. With the way he is currently playing for the Midland Rockhounds, it won’t take him nearly that long to leave Double-A behind. The Oakland A’s 2006 fifth-round pick has revived a once-promising career and is suddenly a prospect on the rise. The 26 year old also has 10 HR, 40 RBI, 59 R, 11 SB (10 CS), a 49/48 K/BB and a 1.159 OPS. He is starting to attract the attention of many and should be monitored in the case of a promotion. He has only 11 AB at Triple-A to date and his career minor league numbers include a .283 BA in 2097 AB with 364 R, 44 HR, 249 RBI, 113 SB, a 565/342 K/BB, and an .815 OPS. As I mentioned on the site, Trent Oeltjen is back with the Dodgers. Oeltjen’s minor league numbers are awe-inspiring but he's yet to translate that "Down Under" bounty into major league largess. I have to admit that after his first 5 games in the majors, from Aug. 6-Aug. 11, 2009, I had to look up if the Hall of Fame minimum was 10 years or 10 games. My arms were tired from patting myself on the back. I picked up Oeltjen before that first game in one of my NL-only leagues and he rewarded my faith and trust by going 12 for 24 over those 5 wonderful games with 2 doubles, a triple, 3 HR, and 3 RBI. Just to show that I was one of the great fantasy minds of the decade, he stole 2 bases! Of course, over the rest of the month, Oeltjen was 5 for 44 with an RBI. I still think that he can be useful to the big league club. The Dodgers have had a carousel of players out there in LF this season including Jerry Sands who, as you said, was recently dispatched, not to Down Under, but close enough! If given the chance, Oeltjen could be a real find in the OF for LA. I would monitor Oeltjen in NL-only since the Dodgers have also rid themselves of Jay Gibbons and Tony Gwynn may not be far behind! Oeltjen batted .339 at Triple-A with 8 HR, 34 RBI, 33 R, 7 SB, a 50/25 K/BB, and a 1.012 OPS.

June 10, 2011: It takes 2 Polish utility infielders to write a blog!

David Ortiz is a 6-time All-Star. He’s a guy, in his 4 best seasons with the Red Sox from 2004-2007 averaged 44 HR, 135 RBI, 111 R, 102 BB, and 42 doubles. He was also 697 for 2290 (.304). But around April 2010, Ortiz wasn’t feeling the love of Red Sox nation. In fact, many were calling for his job coming off a .238 season in ’09 and an injury-riddled season in ’08. Lesser men would have given up the ship. Big Papi hit 1 HR, 4 RBI, with a 20/7 K/BB and a .143 BA in 56 AB that April. But he righted the ship in May belting 10 HR. It kind of reminded me of an Oscar acceptance speech by Sally Field. “I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!” 2011 has been a rebirth, of sorts, for the 35 year old Ortiz. He’s appeared in 59 of the team’s first 61 games and is hitting .323 in 220 AB, with 15 HR, 34 RBI, 37 R, a 25/25 K/BB, and a .999 OPS. I think Ortiz himself would quote Mark Twain when he said, “Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated!” Often times guys are prospects seemingly since the “turn of the century.” I’ve been hearing about Jemile Weeks for some time and the 24 year old switch-hitting 2B finally got the call up from Oakland with the injury to Mark Ellis. He was batting .321 at Triple-A with 3 HR, 22 RBI, 30 R, 10 SB, a 32/29 K/BB, and an .863 OPS. And while he doesn’t have the upside of his brother Rickie, Jemile does have good speed and solid on-base skills. He is an athletic and wiry strong infielder who has been victimized by injuries in the past few seasons (hip and leg), but he projects to a top-of-the-order hitter with a wide range of talents. His quick swing gives him the chance for moderate pop. His defense needs work, particularly his footwork, but he has excellent quickness and a strong enough arm. Weeks has been healthy in '11 and has been able to showcase his tools. He is a career .286/.372/.420 hitter in the minors since he was selected in the first round of the '08 draft. He’s played in 2 games for the A’s, going 0 for 4 as a lead-off hitter in his first game and 2 for 3 with 2 R while batting ninth in his second. He may be dispatched to the minors when Ellis is healthy but is a guy to keep an eye on in all AL-only and deeper mixed leagues. Toward the end of last season, I asked myself if 2010 was the first sign of baseball mortality for Ichiro Suzuki. Yes, he’s been great in his 10 years in the states, hitting .331 in 6779 AB with 1047 R, 383 SB, and 2244 H. In fact, in each of those 10 seasons, Suzuki has at least 206 H and 26 SB. But last year he had a career low 74 R in 162 games on a terrible offensive Seattle team. His current .256 average is 75 points below his career average, which is either proof that Ichiro is finally starting to slip at age 37, or that even he is not immune to the malaise currently affecting just about every Mariners hitter. Don’t forget, Suzuki is now 37, so this overall decline in value is somewhat expected, even though he has continued to defy expectations during his amazing career. He currently has 30 R, 20 RBI, 14 SB, a 19/21 K/BB and a .609 OPS in 258 AB. If there is such a thing as buying low on Ichiro, this may be that time!

June 9, 2011: Adam Dunn couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle right now!

I’d like to catch up on former #1 overall pick Tim Beckham by the Rays. There are plenty of indicators to suggest that Tim Beckham hasn't shown enough progress since the Rays made the shortstop the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft. Certainly one was Buster Posey, whom the Rays passed over at the time and who led the Giants to the World Series title this past fall — while Beckham toiled in Port Charlotte in the instructional league. And perhaps most telling is Beckham's own performance in his 2½ pro seasons no higher than Class A — a .263 average with minimal power (12 HR), a pedestrian .703 OPS and defense in need of improvement (81 errors in 277 games). He’s had a 235/96 K/BB in his past 2 seasons (2009-2010). But as the No. 1 overall pick in a draft that also included current big-leaguers Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), Brian Matusz (Orioles), Gordon Beckham (White Sox), Ike Davis (Mets) and Daniel Schlereth (Diamondbacks) and a host of advanced prospects, Beckham is expected to be more than good. And actually, for the pick not to be considered a mistake, probably great. "Beckham was supposed to be a potential five-tool shortstop, or at least a four-tool shortstop with average speed," Callis said. "But after three pro seasons, it's pretty evident he won't be a shortstop because he has fringy speed and isn't athletic enough to stay there long-term. And that presents a problem, because the best fit will be third base, and he hasn't shown he can hit enough to be a regular there." In his first season at Double-A this season he’s at .294 in 218 AB, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 43 R, 4 SB, a 48/18 K/BB, and a .774 OPS. In his last 107 AB, Beckham has a 24/7 K/BB something that he has to work on for any continued success. The Indians, for now, look to be by-passing Lonnie Chisenhall. They are expected to promote infielder Cord Phelps from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. Phelps is batting .299 with an .879 OPS, 7 HR, and 40 RBI over his first 55 games at the Triple-A level this season. The 24-year-old doesn't have much in the way of pop or speed, but has a solid approach at the plate. While he has primarily played shortstop and second base in the minors, the Indians could view him as alternative to the struggling Jack Hannahan at third base. Phelps hit .308 in 2010 between AA/AAA with 8 HR, 54 RBI, 66 R and a 68/39 K/BB in 442 AB. Indians manager Manny Acta said Wednesday that Cord Phelps will get the majority of the playing time at second base against right-handed pitching. Orlando Cabrera started the season hot, but is batting just .150 over his last 60 at-bats. Phelps will be on the strong side of the platoon, so he is worth a flier in AL-only leagues. Of course, both players may eventually be pushed aside once the Indians deem Jason Kipnis ready for the big leagues. If you need infield help in your AL, there are probably worse options than Phelps. The Mariners can used the power and have recalled 1B Mike Carp from Triple-A Tacoma. And why not? Carp entered Tuesday's action with a .353 BA and a 1.078 OPS in 224 AB to go along with a PCL leading 19 HR and 58 RBI. 16 of his homers have come since May 1. Sure, those numbers were accomplished in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but the Mariners can use the pop anywhere they can get it. Go ahead and pick him up in AL-only leagues. A name that will likely illicit yawns from most of your fellow owners, Carp hasn't distinguished himself in 91 previous MLB AB, during which he's hit .264 with one HR, 5 RBI, 8 R, and an 18/12 K/BB.

June 8, 2011: Lonnie Chisenhall should be within the Indians within 2 weeks!

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that Dee Gordon will be the regular shortstop. That's what we like to hear. Dee Gordon is batting leadoff for Tuesday night's game against the Phillies. Interesting. Gordon had 18 walks in 222 plate appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque before getting called up Monday, so he's likely at the top of the lineup more for his speed than his on-base ability. It's not yet known if the Dodgers will let him run free, but those in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues should take the gamble. The 23-year-old swiped 166 bases over 374 minor league games.  Rafael Furcal is currently on the disabled list with an oblique injury, so we should get a sneak preview for about the next month or so. Gordon, 23, hasn't shown much power in the minors, but has plus-speed and plays quality defense at the shortstop position. Gordon bypassed High-A in '10 and held his own in Double-A. He is among the most athletic prospects in baseball and his plus-plus speed makes him a threat to steal whenever he is on base. The left-handed hitter stole 73 bases in '09 and racked up 53 SB in '10. Gordon uses a short swing to hit line drives to the gaps. This season at Triple-A. Gordon is hitting .315 in 200 AB with 18 RBI, 34 R, 22 SB, a 30/14 K/BB, and a .731 OPS. While he's a must-add in NL-only leagues, mixed-leaguers should absolutely file this name away for the future. Jonny Venters, whose name sounds like an action hero, burst on the scene last year with 93 K's and 61 HA in 83 IP and a 1.95/1.20 ERA/WHIP.  Venters hasn't allowed a run since May 8. Venters has been absolutely tremendous this year in a setup role for the Braves, boasting a 0.50/0.76 ERA/WHIP, and 35/11 K/BB ratio through his first 35 2/3 innings. He has allowed only 16 H and has added 4 W. We'll have to wait and see how the 26-year-old left-hander reacts to such a heavy workload. But right now you have to say that Venters is the best set-up man in baseball! Jason Isringhausen has a remarkable 2.84/1.16 ERA/WHIP in 24 relief appearances this season. The Mets signed Izzy to a minor league contract this winter without much expectations. But he has blown away all his critics and has provided a steady presence at the back end of the New York bullpen. What is it with these veterans that have missed seasons, guys like Bartolo Colon and Ryan Vogelsong and Izzy having fantasy useful seasons? The veteran right-hander has 17 strikeouts in 19 innings. Izzy was a pretty good closer during his time in Oakland and, later, St. Louis. In fact, from 200-2007, Isringhausen averaged 34 SV/season with a 59/26 K/BB. Way back when Isringhausen was part of Generation-K with Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson. Both of those gentlemen are long out of the game.

June 7, 2011: For my $260-AL team, there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough!

The Rockies could be considering a demotion to Triple-A for Dexter Fowler. Fowler has been losing more playing time recently and has been dropped in the batting order, with manager Jim Tracy saying the outfielder's offense, or lack thereof, has "become a concern." Fowler has struck out 66 times in 210 at-bats this season and is hitting only .226 since May 1. The Rockies could promote Charlie Blackmon, who is batting .342/.396/.576 with 10 HR and 12 SB at Triple-A Colorado Springs, to replace Fowler on the roster, though it would likely be Eric Young Jr. or possibly Carlos Gonzalez replacing him in center field. The Rox prefer to keep CarGo in left, though, in order to save his legs. The soon to be 25 year old Blackmon also has 49 RBI, 49 R, and a 34/19 K/BB. Danny Espinosa batted .306 with five homers and 11 RBI over his final 11 games last month but he has struggled so far in June as the Nationals have not been putting up too many runs of late. His recent hitting woes have dropped his batting average to .214 on the year, but his .443 slugging percentage is still pretty decent. The 24-year-old is developing into a power hitter right before fantasy owner's eyes, but keep him mind that even the best hitters go through slumps from time to time. Hopefully he will be able to get back on track during Week 10 (June 6-12) with San Francisco and San Diego on the schedule, so continue to view Espinosa as a low-end fantasy 2B. After 5 major league games, I was dusting off Danny Espinosa's HOF plaque. Because the Major League Baseball Committee may just waive the 5 year waiting period or even the 10 year playing period! Espinosa was 9 for 16 (.563) with 3 HR and 10 RBI. And I don't think that anyone ever led their league in RBI while only playing in September. That just can't happen. He was on pace for 56 RBI in September and 17 HR. This was a guy that every NL league owner was stepping over each other in order to get him. Well, his next 13 games were like Pablo Sandoval falling down. THUD! Espinosa was 5 for 50 (.100) with 5 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, and a 17/3 K/BB. There goes the RBI crown! He did have 22 HR and 25 SB in 2010 between Double-A and Triple-A. Espinosa is presently at .219 in 196 AB while appearing in all 59 games for the Nats. He has 10 HR, 33 RBI, 29 R, 4 SB, a 49/20 K/BB, and a .774 OPS. I do own him in my 15-team mixed league and he’s been in my starting line-up every week so far. Giants purchased the contract of RHP Ryan Vogelsong from Triple-A Fresno. The 33-year-old Vogelsong is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2006 and will replace the injured Barry Zito in the rotation. He pitched well in spring training and has been lights-out in his first two starts at Triple-A, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 17 over 11 1/3 innings. Even if your NL is 40 teams deep and you can play 30 guys, Vogelsong is a tough guy to recommend. Coming into this season, he has a 10-22 career mark in 315 IP, with a 5.86/1.59 ERA/WHIP, 347 HA, and a 216/154 K/BB. I would leave the possibility of Vogelsong to another owner. This is what I said after Vogelsong was called up on April 17. Who could have figured this bounty? I would compare Vogelsong’s  bit of providence with the 54 HR season of Bautista in 2010. I would also put Bartolo Colon in that category. Vogelsong’s season stats include 53 2/3 IP, a 4-1 record, a 1.68/1.04 ERA/WHIP, 42 HA. And a 42/14 K/BB. He’s had 5 QS in his last 6 GS. I would also like to say this: if you can, please sell high on Vogelsong. Because when he comes back to earth, and he will, it’s going to be ugly. Hopefully I won’t have to write another retraction in a couple months. But, honestly, I just don’t understand it!

June 6, 2011: Who the hell is Ryan Vogelsong? And why are people saying those things about him?

After batting just .159 with zero homers in April, Carlos Pena has started to pick up the pace of late and now has 8 HR with 26 RBI. His .363 OBP is above his career mark and while he is batting .222, he has raised his average nicely over the last few weeks. Patient fantasy owners have to be happy with his recent production and he should continue to get better as the weather heats up, and when Aramis Ramirez starts protecting him with some power power in the lineup. With games at Cincinnati and Philadelphia, both notorious hitter parks, due up in Week 10 (June 6-12), consider getting Pena active in larger fantasy formats. He’s been active for my 15-team mixed league the whole season, a league that I’m, by the way, in first place. When we last checked in with Pena, he batted .196 in 484 AB for TB with 28 HR and 84 RBI. From 2007-2009 Pena averaged 39 HR, 108 RBI and 89 R. We’ve been talking about the Scott Cousins take-out of Buster Posey on the site. This has nothing to do when skill meets preparation, this is just pure physics. It was like back in high school, during football practice, when 220 lb. Chuck Benjamin came barreling at my 115 lb. body from 30 yards out at a full gallop with just a blocking dummy between us. No matter what, that was never going to work. He knocked me 30 yards into a chain link fence. I got back for the next go-round yelling to Coach Roberts, “Coach I can do it!” After one more shot the coach motioned for 180 lb. Pete Rella to take over! And of course, let's not even compare Buster Posey and Eli Whiteside. In the lexicon of major league baseball, one's a thoroughbred and the other is a $10,000 claimer. If I'm Mr. Cousins, I would check out the old EF Hutton commercials and practice looking over my shoulder. Because when Brian Sabean talks, people listen. Or something like that! Not only is the GM making it tough for Cousins, the Giant fans will make it impossible for him to get into the batter's box. But, if he happens to, his helmet better be steel reinforced! Cousins had this to say about the incident. “I hope and believe that Mr. Sabean’s comments were made in the heat of the moment and are based more on his fondness for Buster Posey than on any animosity towards me,” he said in the statement. “This situation is still an open wound for many, including myself. As I have stated previously, nobody outside of Buster feels worse about his injury than I do.” Although he’s a San Francisco native, Cousins has received death threats since the play. Still, it doesn’t sound like he’d do anything differently. “I do believe, however, that the play was clean and totally within the rules of the game,” he said. “Explaining over and over that I would never intentionally hurt another player for any reason won’t change the minds of those who doubt my sincerity or intent. I have a responsibility to myself, my teammates, and my organization to play the game hard. This is what has gotten me to the big leagues, and hopefully this is what will keep me here.” Cousins is hitting only .156 in 45 AB with 1 HR and 4 RBI. He has a 17/5 K/BB. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench has put the blame on Posey, citing a mistake on the part of Giants catcher that abruptly ended his season. According to 14-time All-Star and two-time NL MVP Bench, regarded as the best offensive and defensive catcher of the 1970s, Posey “put himself in such a bad position” before Cousins rammed into him. Bench, 63, indicated in an interview with the Tulsa World that he teaches catchers to move off the plate before a close play to give runner the option of sliding instead of colliding. “Buster is laying in front of home plate, and it’s like having a disabled car in the middle of a four-lane highway. You’re just going to get smacked,” said Bench. If that chain link fence wasn’t there, I’d still be rolling!

June 5, 2011: Justin Turner was named NL Rookie of the month for May!

Andrew Miller can opt out of his contract with the Red Sox if he's not in the major leagues by June 15. Miller would make $1.2 million this season if he reaches the majors. The 26-year-old left-hander has a 2.47/1.27 ERA/WHIP over nine starts and one relief appearance with Triple-A Pawtucket this season, despite a shaky 39/34 K/BB ratio over 47 1/3 innings. He has only 26 HA. While the Red Sox are using him as a starter right now, he could eventually be considered as a replacement for the injured Rich Hill. The former 2006 first round pick of the Tigers has been a big disappointment in the majors. Miller was the sixth overall pick before Clayton Kershaw (7), Drew Stubbs (8), Tim Lincecum (10), Max Scherzer (11), and an Kennedy (21). In 294 1/3 IP, Miller is 15-26 with a 5.84/1.74 ERA/WHIP 337 HA, and a 238/174 K/BB. Astros released 2B Bill Hall. Well, that's one way to free up some playing time for a glut of middle infielders. Hall has had a terrible year, batting just .224/.272/.340 with two home runs over 140 at-bats, but it's still surprising that the Astros decided to eat the remainder of his $3 million salary for 2011, as well as the $250,000 buyout on his mutual option for 2012. He'll catch on as a reserve somewhere else. Jeff Keppinger should be used as the primary second baseman going forward. Hall came out of nowhere in 2006, a guy with 32 HR in parts of 4 seasons with the Brewers, to hit 35 HR with 85 RBI, 101 R, a .270 BA in 537 AB, a .900 OPS and a career high 63 BB’s. Hall hasn’t been able to replicate that success but did have 18 HR in 344 AB (.247) with the Red Sox. He’s a .249 career hitter in 3287 AB with a .746 OPS, 124 HR, 438 RBI, 442 R, and a 956/278 K/BB. Since a 4 for 4 day on May 24 Hall is 0 for 12 with a 6/0 K/BB. Keep an eye on where he ends up and the role given to him. I do have him in my $260 NL for $8. In that league, and I don’t like this rule, you can keep the guy if he’s traded to the AL or picked up by an AL team. Hall is now on my reserve. Fernando Salas notched his 10th save with a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday. He allowed a bloop double on a ball that was misplayed by Colby Rasmus, but it was another relatively easy save for the right-hander. Salas has now converted all 10 of 11 save chances this season while posting a 1.82/1.05 ERA/WHIP, 19 HA, and a 25/7 K/BB ratio over 24 2/3 innings. Not bad for a guy that didn't even crack the Opening Day roster. He's the clear ninth inning man in the St. Louis bullpen right now. But in the Cardinals’ world a bad game or 2 could mean a new closer! I do have Salas in my $260-NL for $2 and have utilized him as my second closer behind Kimbrel of the Braves (I did draft Contreras but he spent a month on the DL).

June 4, 2011: The altar boy sat on a block of ice after mass because the priest liked a cold one after services!

When I heard about this "platoon" for the M's, I thought about 2 things. How much did the M's want to rid themselves of Bradley to play these 2? And are Peguero and Wilson a law firm? Peguero, at 6'5" and 250+ pounds can hit the ball far. That's on the rare occasion that he makes contact. He has 4 HR (including 2 on Thursday night) and 12 RBI among his 12 H in 63 AB (.190). He also is holding on to a .656 OPS. You also have to be put off by his 23/3 K/BB which is a little worse than his 34/9 K/BB in 103 AB in Triple-A this season. Before Thursday’s game, Peguero was 0 for 14 since May 24 with 10 K’s. Still, he may be worth picking up in deep AL-only just on the power potential. Mike Wilson has been playing sparingly, mostly against LHP. He's 4 for 24 with 3 RBI and a 6/1 K/BB. I will say this, I would rather have a platoon of these 2 at any time than having Bradley on my team. Call me jaded but I really stand for the good of the game (I did learn about heroes too late in life) and just couldn't stand watching Bradley's "antics" anymore! To me, Milton Bradley is the anti-Christ! The M’s did make a move after the game on Thursday. They optioned outfielder Michael Saunders to Triple-A Tacoma. Saunders was embarrassing himself, having hit .168/.223/.248 with 45 strikeouts in 137 at-bats. Given that he's 24 now and he has 548 major league at-bats to his credit, he might be running out of opportunities in Seattle. That he's a capable center fielder and an excellent left fielder can only take him so far. Those 548 AB are spread out over 191 games. He has a .203 BA, with 12 HR, 44 RBI, 56 R, 14 SB, and a 149/51 K/BB. The Mariners called Halman up from Triple-A Tacoma following Thursday's game, replacing Michael Saunders on the roster, the Seattle Times reports. The M's went with Halman over Mike Carp for the promotion because Halman can back up Franklin Gutierrez in center field. Halman missed 48 games this year with a broken hand, but was hitting .257/.350/.457 in nine games since returning. The minor league power hitter, Halman, was 4 for 29 (.138) for the M’s in 2010 with an 11/1 K/BB and 0 HR. Halman is a career .247 hitter in the minors in 2060 AB with a .795 OPS, 350 R, 116 HR, 320 RBI, 100 SB, and a not-too-good 725/147 K/BB. In his only full season at Triple-A (2010), Halman batted .243 in 424 AB with an .854 OPS, 82 R, 33 HR, 80 RBI, 15 SB, and a 169/37 K/BB. I still think that he’s worth a pick-up in deep AL-only. This situation with Saunders wasn't fair to him, or the team. Now, he gets to work things out away from the demanding eyes of big league fans. Gets to polish his skills before giving the majors another go. This move is unrelated to the left field situation and Carlos Peguero. We've been telling you the past few days -- including last night -- that Saunders would be gone the minute the team felt Halman was ready. That's because Carp can't play center. So, the only guy capable of duplicating the real reason Saunders was still here -- his center field defense -- is Halman.

June 3, 2011: It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken shit! 

Brent Lillibridge doesn’t seem to be the same player he was at any time in his career. The owner of a .194 career BA with 3 HR, 27 RBI, 37 R, and 13 SB in 273 AB with the Braves and the White Sox, Lillibridge wasn’t even assured of making the White Sox roster out of spring. And it was obvious at my $260-AL draft, when I got Lillibridge in the 13^th round of the reserve draft for ($2) that not many fantasy owners thought so either! Now he’s making his way toward being a nice $2 keeper for me in that league for next season. Lillibridge, who has contributed numerous big hits and big plays in the field this season, barely resembles the player he was last season, even though he had his share of clutch pinch hits in 2010. ‘‘When I’m up there, I’m not playing with fear,’’ said Lillibridge, whose new approach to hitting after he 
almost didn’t make the team out of spring training has helped him hit six HR and drive in 11 runs in a utility role. ‘‘In the past I just wanted to look good. I wanted to have good at-bats rather than hit the ball hard. Now I go up wanting to hit the ball really hard up the middle if it’s around the plate.’’ He’s also at .308 in 65 AB with 15 R and 5 SB. He shouldn’t be a free agent in any deep AL-only! Mike Pelfrey was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in five innings by the Pirates on Thursday. Pelfrey would have been 5-for-5 in quality starts last month if not for a rough seventh inning in a game against the Yankees. After a terrible April, Pelfrey went 35 IP in May with a 3.09/1.06 ERA/WHIP, 28 HA, and an 18/9 /BB. Still, he's awfully far from being an ace. And this was the Opening Day SP for the Mets in 2011! As modest as his strikeout rate is, he's going to get rocked like this from time to time. From 2008-2010, in 96 GS for the Mets, Pelfrey has given up 635 H in 589 IP with a 330/198 K/BB. Last year Pelfrey torpedoed fantasy owners from June 30-August 4. In those 7 starts of adversity he went 30 IP, giving up 62 H with a 14/16 K/BB, and a 9.00/2.60 ERA/WHIP. He did finish strong going 7 IP in his last 5 GS with a 2.27/1.01 ERA/WHIP. Still, I would stay away from the Mets “ace” unless it’s a deep NL-only. Just a little shout out to Toronto Blue Jay OF, Jose Bautista who was named the American League Player of the Month for the month of May. Bautista hit .360 (31-for-86) with four doubles, 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in the month. Sometimes I do stupid things in fantasy. I guess we all do, but the great ones have a way of making it right. 2 nights ago in my $360-NL, I was going to pick up Xavier Paul and put Cameron Maybin on my DL. Instead, I waited until last night and picked up teammate and 3B, Josh Harrison. Xavier Paul went 4-for-5 with a triple, two steals and three runs scored Thursday against the Mets. Paul, who hit just .220 with three RBI in 41 at-bats in his first five weeks with the Pirates, has six hits (in 7 AB) and three RBI the last two days. With Jose Tabata struggling mightily against right-handers, one could argue the Pirates should be giving Paul more time in left field. Still, since they're really not a contender, despite their decent start, they're likely better off keeping Tabata in his full-time role. Those 2 SB by Paul would have gotten me 1 ½ points in that league. If we only had a crystal ball!

June 2, 2011: I used to think that "Farewell to Arms" was a movie about a guy with no limbs!

Jake Fox spoke with Orioles manager Buck Showalter over the weekend about his role on the team. Fox isn't happy with the limited playing time he's received thus far. He's hit .188 in 19 games, including 12 starts. For the season he also has 2 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, and a 7/3 K/BB in 48 AB. "I think my role is still very unclear," Fox said. "They are not seeing me perform the way they want me to and I think that has kept him from putting me in the lineup more. Obviously with the number of at-bats I've had it is going to take me a few games to get back in a rhythm. We had this conversation, and [I said] I feel like I'm still the same guy I was this spring. Nothing has changed. I'm still putting the ball in play, my timing isn't quite there, my pitch recognition isn't quite there." Fox wasn't able to take advantage of Derek Lee's DL stint and there's a chance Fox could lose his roster spot when Lee is activated as soon as this weekend. Fox made a name for himself this spring when he hit 10 of the O’s 42 HR (second in the AL) and added 7 doubles, 15 RBI, 15 R, 59 TB, a 14/2 K/BB and a 1.122 OPS. Fox makes a good second C in 2 catcher AL-only but that’s it! Fox said Wednesday that the Orioles are attempting to trade him. Fox was designated for assignment Wednesday to make room for the return of Brian Matusz. The 28-year-old has struggled to the tune of a .188/.250/.396 batting line over 52 plate appearances this season, but has 20 homers over 519 major league plate appearances. He could be fantasy relevant depending upon where he lands. John Danks and the White Sox were none too pleased with home-run leader Jose Bautista’s reaction to popping out to shortstop in the fourth inning Sunday. Bautista slammed his bat to the artificial turf about halfway down the first-base line. He and Danks exchanged words as Bautista passed him on his way to the Blue Jays’ dugout. “I just told him to run the bases,’’ Danks said. “He’s out there acting like a f---ing clown. He’s a good player. He’s had a great year and a half, no doubt. He’s been one of the best hitters in the league. He’s out there acting like he’s Babe Ruth or something. It’s horses---, I think.’’ No, just the way he was acting,’’ Danks said. “He ran halfway down the line and stopped and spiked his bat. I get it; he’s upset at himself. I threw him a 3-1 fastball he missed, and I threw him another heater. Like I said, he’s a good hitter. He’s had a great couple of years, but he isn’t that good to act like he needs to be hitting every ball out of the ballpark. “That’s the way I feel. You know, I have pride — I really do. I have had a pretty crappy year at this point, but I have pride still. I’m not going to let him go out there and show me up like that.’’ Bautista said his baserunning “should not be [Danks’] concern anyways. I was upset at missing a pitch, at myself,’’ Bautista said. ‘‘If he took it the wrong way, I’m sorry. I’m not here to make him feel good. It really doesn’t matter to me what he thought. What I’m not going to allow is when I’m running by him, him yelling at me again, so I yelled back at him.’’It's like a heavyweight match, Jose Bautista vs John Danks. Don't forget that Danks is 0-8 and may be feeling quite a bit frustrated. I saw the highlights and it just seemed that Bautista put his head down and slammed his bat to the turf. It didn't seem, at least to me, that Bautista was trying to show up Danks, who might have been upset because the Jays had a big lead. Danks' season has been a nightmare so far. Besides the 0-8 record, Danks has a 5.25/1.51 ERA/WHIP, a 46/25 K/BB, and 81 HA in 70 1/3 IP. Danks has really been one of the best LHP in the AL from 2008-2010. In our straight AL-only, Danks was pick #57. In those 3 years of bounty, Danks went 608 1/3 IP, with 40 W's, 555 HA, a 470/200 K/BB, and a 3.61/1.24 ERA/WHIP. Bautista, by the way, has been the MVP in the AL this young season. There’s a chance that Danks will be moved to the pen but this should be a great time to buy low on him!

June 1, 2011: "All pitchers are liars or crybabies!"

If you put this line for Jo-Jo Reyes from Sunday it would not only stand out like a sore thumb but it would be like Tiny Tim singing in a barbershop quartet! 9 IP, 1 ER, 8 HA, and a 4/4 K/BB isn't a great great line, but it does get the "monkey" off the back of Reyes. He had gone 28 consecutive GS without a W next to his name. In fact, his last W was on June 13, 2008 as a member of the Atlanta Braves. In those 28 winless starts, Reyes had an 0-13 record with a 6.59 ERA. If someone happened to pick him up in an AL-only for that GS, pat yourself on the back, even treat yourself to a nice dinner, but please use any escape plan you can with him. Reyes actually also had a good start on May 20 vs Houston. He went 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 HA, and a 7/1 K/BB. Those 7 K's are a season high but the bullpen let Reyes down in that tilt. Reyes currently is the holder of a 4.15/1.52 ERA/WHIP, 73 HA, and a 41/19 K/BB in 60 2/3 IP. From April 14, 1992 to May 1, 1994, Anthony Young—as a Met and later a Cub—made 27 consecutive starts without a win. He made 13 quality starts among those 27, but his teams went 4–23 in those games. Despite posting a respectable 3.89 ERA for his career, he finished with a record of 15 wins and 48 losses for a winning percentage of .238. When you think about it, it really is an astounding accomplishment considering the sheer probability stacked against such a streak. And in Young's defense, it obviously required a lot of help from his teammates -- if you want to call it that -- to break the 82-year-old record. In fact, Young didn't even pitch all that poorly during the stretch, posting a 4.36 ERA in that span. In an '09 Daily News interview, Young recalled, 'Everything that could happen, happened. It was just destiny, I guess.' At one point during the streak, Young converted 12 straight saves and threw 23.2 straight scoreless innings subbing for closer John Franco; yet the streak lived. Brutal. To his credit, Young never got down about the ridiculously bad luck or the anomaly that it produced. Instead he embraces the memories and keepsakes from the streak, saying that it's 'what he's known for'. Young ended up pitching a few more years with the Cubs and Houston before calling it a career. He did have 15 SV for the Mets in 1992 with a 2-14 mark and a 64/31 K/BB in 121 IP. The bad luck continued in ’93 as Young was 1-16 with a 3.77/1.45 ERA/WHIP, in 100 1/3 IP, 103 HA, and a 62/42 K/BB. He had a career 1.39 WHIP and 471 HA in 460 IP. Then there’s the story of Ubaldo Jimenez who, on July 8, 2010, had a 15-1 record. There were even people talking about an outside shot at 30 wins. Well, Jimenez didn’t even win 20, ending up 19-8 in 221 2/3 IP, with 164 HA, a 214/92 K/BB, and a 2.88/1.16 ERA/WHIP. Not only is Jimenez much more hittable in 2011, his control has been awful. In 9 GS and 50 2/3 IP, Jimenez is 0-5 with 47 HA, a 5.86/1.52 ERA/WHIP, and a 45/30 K/BB. His last W was on September 17 and Jimenez has now gone 12 starts without a win. Hard to believe! My advice would be to buy low, buy low, and buy low!

May 31, 2011: Paul Goldschmidt will be the starting 1B for the D'Backs at some point in 2011!

Dodgers purchased the contract of RHP Josh Lindblom from Double-A Chattanooga. Lindblom, 23 (24 in 2 weeks), has registered a 2.96 ERA and 33/11 K/BB ratio over 24 1/3 innings this season at the Double-A level. He'll pitch in middle relief for the Dodgers. Josh Lindblom had a season to forget in his first full year at AAA in 2010. In 95 innings he had a 6.54 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP with 84 strike outs and 32 walks. He gave up a whopping 143 hits. That can't be an accident, either. Maybe he caught too much of the plate in an effort to keep his walks down. Whatever it was, the experiment didn't work out too well. And I think it was when Lindblom was a starter that he saw a lot of his adversity! The 6'5" 245 lb. Lindblom is better suited for relief work. It was a real regression from 2009 when he had 96 1/3 innings between AA/AAA. He had a 3.83/1.19 ERAWHIP with an 82/26 K/BB ratio. In 2011 he was sent for more seasoning but the Dodgers must feel that the right handed Lindblom can help their depleted pen with Jansen headed to the D.L. There's no need to, at this point, pick him up even in N.L. leagues unless you have a deep bench. As hard as I try, it's tough to get past the 6.54/1.84 ERA/WHIP from last season. Those are numbers that always stay in the back of your mind and I wasn't sure that I wanted to give Lindblom a breakfast ball for the 2011 season. But, now that he's safely tucked away in the bullpen, he did work his butt off in Triple-A this season for 24 1/3 IP, 7 SV, a 2.96/1.36 ERA/WHIP, 22 HA, and a 33/11 K/BB. Like you say, I believe he will be in middle relief for now but if he can throw some strikes, you never know! I would monitor Lindblom for now but I wouldn't rush to go pick him unless you play in a very deep NL-only. I've had Martin Prado in my $360-NL for the past 2 seasons, last year at $11 and this year at $16. He did hit .307 in 599 AB last season, missing much of September in a time where I needed him to come in third place instead of fourth. He did score 100 R with 58 XBH and an .810 OPS. I agree that he's an under the radar guy, not great at any one category, but helpful in four offensive categories. He is up to 7 HR on the season with 32 R and 32 RBI and has a .280 BA to show for 232 AB. Plus he's started 55 of the first 56 games for the Braves and has appeared 12 times as a 3B and 50 more times in the OF. He's a complimentary player but, as my friend Dan used to say, if you have 14 Martin Prados on your team, you win a few championships. He's a career .304 hitter in 1610 AB.

May 30, 2011: Bryce Harper is the best 18 year old hitter since Ted Williams!

Twins purchased the contract of LHP Chuck James from Triple-A Rochester. The 29-year-old lefty will take Joe Nathan's place on the Twins' 25-man roster after elbow inflammation sent him to the disabled list on Saturday. James has been very effective in 28 2/3 innings of work for Rochester this season, posting a 1.57 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He last appeared in the major leagues in 2008 as a member of the Braves until yesterday when he retired the only batter he faced. James wasn’t always a mop-up man. He found some bounty with the Braves in 48 GS (55 games) in 2006-2007. James was 22-14 in 280 1/3 IP and gave up 265 H, a 207/105 K/BB, and a 4.05/1.32 ERA/WHIP. Injuries and ineffectiveness have curtailed him since but you may want to keep an eye on James from a distance, of course. Allen Craig is going to keep playing second base and may even become a regular at the position this year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. What started as kind of an experiment to get his bat in the lineup when Skip Schumacher was injured has now turned into a real opportunity for Craig to get everyday playing time. Craig's fantasy owners can't complain, as his numbers coming from second base have more value than they do if he were only an outfielder. "He could be a second baseman and with his offense be a big benefit to the club," manager Tony La Russa said. Craig, for his part, is working on turning double plays even on his days off. Craig is at .321 in 84 AB on the season with 3 HR, 17 RBI, 11 R, 4 SB, an 18/11 K/BB, and a .910 OPS. In one game leagues, Craig is eligible at 2B, 3B, the OF and 1B. Craig makes a good MID INF in your NL-only. While he was once a highly-regarded prospect, the 25-year old Chris Nelson seems to be living off this previous status and his offense-friendly PCL surroundings. The .310 BA after 197 AB looks impressive, along with 5 HR, 40 RBI, and 35 R, but Nelson does have a 34/10 K/BB and 2 SB in 5 attempts for the offensively rewarding Colorado Springs team. He does have an .838 OPS. Nelson did spend time with the Rockies in 2010, utilized mainly as a PR and defensive replacement and, in 25 AB, hit .280 with 7 R, 1 SB, and a 4/1 K/BB. The Rockies have been making some changes on their roster so keep an eye if Nelson gets the call. I would say he would at least give the same numbers as current second baseman Jonathan Herrera. If R.A. Dickey (foot) is unable to start Tuesday, the Mets are likely to call up Chris Schwinden from Triple-A Buffalo to fill in. Schwinden was poised to pitch only a couple innings Friday for Buffalo before being pulled, but after the game was rained out, he isn't scheduled to pitch Saturday, indicating he's the Mets' guy if Dickey isn't ready. A 22nd-round pick in 2008, Schwinden pitched poorly last year at Double-A, but he's been terrific since getting bumped up to Triple-A early this season, posting a 2.36 ERA in eight starts while striking out nearly a batter per inning. In 48 2/3 IP, Schwinden has an overall 2.22/0.97 ERA/WHIP, 33 HA, and a 46/14 K/BB. The 24 year old RHP may have some initial success if he’s called on to start a la Dillon Gee!

May 29, 2011: Sean O'Sullivan does not belong in a major league rotation!

The Red Sox promoted the 24-year-old Josh Reddick from Triple-A and he should earn enough at bats to be a factor in the near-term. Reddick has accumulated 121 AB with Boston in '09 and '10, hitting .182 with 3 HR. He is an athletic outfielder who overcame a slow start to the '10 season and was on fire after the All Star break. He also began the '11 with similar success before slowing down recently. Reddick owns a variety of skills, including moderate bat speed and power to go along with good speed and outfield range. He needs to add more loft to his swing to take advantage of his power potential, but he can hit lefties and righties well. While he can be a free swinger with an aggressive approach, he's become much more selective in the '11 season with a 33/26 K/BB. Defensively, Reddick possesses solid CF range with ample speed and instincts. His arm is also strong and accurate. He has hit .281/.333/.502 in the minors. In 2011, at Triple-A, Reddick was at .248 in 165 AB with 12 HR, 29 RBI, 33 R, 4 SB, and an .871 OPS. In his first two games with the Red Sox, Reddick is 4 for 8 with 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, and a 2/1 K/BB. Before his call to the Sox in ’10, Reddick finished the Triple-A season with 17 HR, 63 RBI, and a .754 OPS. I would see if he’s available in your AL-only. When a fellow owner and my good friend, Pat, of my $360-NL picked up Justin Turner on May 9, I said to myself, “What the hell is he doing?” After all, he was a 26 year old journeyman who had 2 RBI in 40 AB at Triple-A and a major league career consisting of 4 for 35 .114 with 3 R, 3 RBI, and a 6/5 K/BB. When David Wright went on the DL on May 17, it opened up a little bit of a window for Turner. After 2 weeks, Pat phoned me to say that Turner has done everything he could ask for from a pick-up. Sometimes they work out as long as they hit right away. But as quickly as you can say, “Brad Emaus” it could all be taken away from you! He’s presently at .329 in 79 AB with 1 HR, 18 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB, and a 10/6 K/BB while playing 12 games at 2B and 11 games at 3B. Turner went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI single in Friday's loss to the Phillies. Turner had a chance in the ninth inning for his fifth hit, but lined out to third base. He entered Friday's game with just one hit in his last 16 at-bats, so this was nice to see. Still, it's tough to count on him outside of NL-only leagues.  Some, like my friend Pat, would say that Turner is the perfect NL pick-up.

May 28, 2011: "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical!"

This is as big a loss as a team, trying to defend a World Championship, can have. After all, this is the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year who, like you say, was asked to hit clean-up in a line-up filled with veterans down the stretch last year. The Giants placed Posey on the disabled list with a fractured bone in his lower left leg, according to the team's official Twitter page. The extent of Posey's injury, and the plan for his recovery, have not yet been announced, but the team needed to place Posey on the DL to open up a spot for his replacement, Chris Stewart. Expect another update on Posey's status when a more concrete diagnosis is announced. The Giants should be excited to have the catching tandem of Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart on board. Whiteside sounds like he could have been a Civil War general and has only 5 H to show for his 27 AB this season. He has 7 career HR in 292 AB. Stewart is a .250 hitter in 10 minor league seasons and is 9 for 48 (.188) in parts of 4 major league seasons with the White Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Padres. I read that the Giants are checking in on the availability of Pudge Rodriguez from the Nationals. I would wonder if the Giants would consider picking up the phone and giving Bengie Molina a call. The Giant pitchers raved about Molina’s work behind the plate in his time with the club. Plus he also made the World Series as the Rangers’ catcher last season. By the way, Posey had just started hitting a bit after a sluggish start and was up to .284 in 162 AB with 4 HR, 21 RBI, 17 R, 3 SB, a 30/18 K/BB and a .757 OPS. This was after hitting .305 in 406 AB in 2010 with 18 HR and 67 RBI. Some guys are a lot tougher to replace than others! Let’s see if the Giants can bounce back from this. Wilson Valdez had the most bizarre game of his career on Wednesday night, going 3-for-6 while picking up the win as the Phillies downed the Reds in 19 innings at home. With the Phillies already having used Roy Halladay, Michael Stutes, Ryan Madson, Antonio Bastardo, Kyle Kendrick, J.C. Romero, David Herndon and Danys Baez (who threw 73 pitches in the longest relief outing of his career), manager Charlie Manuel called on his journeyman utility player to pitch the 19th inning. After getting Joey Votto to fly out 395 feet to dead center, he hit Scott Rolen with a pitch before getting both Jay Bruce and Carlos Fisher (yes, the Reds reliever) to fly out. The Phillies would finally end the game in the bottom half of the inning. Valdez was hitting roughly 90 on the radar gun, while showing some surprising movement on his fastball. Valdez is the first position player to earn a win since Colorado's Brent Mayne did so against the Braves on August 22, 2000. He now has as many wins as Chris Carpenter and one more win than John Danks. Baseball is a strange, strange sport. And who can forget that great hurler, Brent Mayne? He also caught a few games in his career as a hobby! But he did amass 951 H, a .263 BA, 359 R, 38 HR, 403 RBI, and a .680 OPS when he wasn't pitching. He did give up a hit and a walk in that 1 IP. It's funny how fickle wins can actually be! Valdez now has more W's in my $360-NL than Ubaldo Jimenez. Of course Valdez's win won't count toward my stats. But anytime you can throw 90 MPH with a little movement you could always be on call for that type of game. And, I know that Hall of Famer, Wade Boggs had his knuckle ball. Valdez said he hadn't pitched since a 2002 backyard game in his native Dominican Republic but needed just 10 pitches to get through the Reds' Nos. 3-6 hitters. And in closing I would like to say that Valdez could follow the opposite trajectory of the career of George Herman Ruth who was one of the great pitchers early in his career who later became known as a pretty fair country hardball player! Valdez could go from one of the great utility infielders of our time to one of the great mop-up guys. And just think, the Phillies could be playing in the stadium known as the "House that Valdez Built!"

May 27, 2011: It just doesn't sound right: "Willie, Mickey, and Russell Branyan!"

Next to the expression, "the true three outcome hitter" in the dictionary, is a picture of Russell Branyan! Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa, Philly, St.Louis, Arizona, and now Anaheim, Branyan sure has seen the sights that America has to offer. He reminds me of one of those 1940s and 50's minor league power hitters that never really gets a shot. But Branyan has gotten chances, many chances, for the ability that he has to occasionally get a hold of one and launch one into another zip code. It’s fitting because he’s played in so many! And he has done so 189 times in 2869 AB in a career that started fittingly with an 0 for 4 and 2 Ks for Cleveland in 1998. And, like a man, he will take the slow and lonely walk back to the dugout with the bat on his shoulder. He's done that an unbelievable 1097 times and has taken the free pass down to 1B another 392 times. It’s a wonder that he ever gets his bat on the ball. Amazingly, in 636 AB for the Mariners the last 2 seasons (he also played for the Indians which doesn't count for this exercise), Branyan has 46 HR of his 152 H. Safeco, in Seattle, is like hitting it out of Yellowstone! Yes, he's an all-or-nothing guy who, if ever able to play a full season and get AB, could put up 50 HR and break the all-time K record. He might even go for Nolan Ryan’s K record for a pitcher! Obviously and for selfish reasons, I wished he had stayed in the AL. He would have been a nice guy to have for 2 bucks in a league where I really don’t have much. But sometimes you just have to turn lemons into lemonade. His experience with the D’Backs in 2011 didn’t go over too well. He was signed by the club in then early part of spring and showed some real bounty during spring training. Branyan was 24 for 56 (.429) with a 1.260 OPS, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 14 R, and an 8/6 K/BB. That largess led this blogger to believe that he would at least be the LH part of a platoon at 1B for Arizona. But Branyanb would only receive 62 AB with a .210 BA, 1 HR, and 2 RBI. He was released on May 21 and signed by the Angels on May 26. He did make the last out in his first game for his new team. The Angels were trailing 4-0 and down to their final out before Mark Trumbo connected on a three-run homer. Branyan then pinch-hit for Peter Bourjos, but flew out to deep center field to end the game. Branyan, who had just a part-time role with Arizona before his release, has had recent success in the American League (25 homers between two AL teams in 2010 and 31 home runs with Seattle in 2009), but exactly how much playing time he'll get with the Angels is still a question. If you're looking for power in your AL-only, give Branyan a try. 

 May 26, 2011: It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!

Rubby De La Rosa was veritable unknown last spring (2010), a skinny kid from the Dominican Republic. He started the season at Class-A Great Lakes. Only De La Rosa exploded upon the scene, dominating at Great Lakes and then at Double-A Chattanooga. He was a combined 7-2 with a 2.37/1.13 ERA/WHIP, 87 HA, and a 94/38 K/BB in 110 1/3 IP. De La Rosa was selected the Dodger minor league pitcher of the year and started the 2011 season at Double-A. When De La Rosa was first coming up, this is what pitching coach Rick Honeycutt had to say: "Yeah, he's got a lot of positives. A plus arm, 'pitchability.' A little wild with the fastball at times, but he always came back. The changeup is filthy. If I had that, I wouldn't throw anything else. But he can throw 97 [mph]. The one thing is throwing consistently for strikes. But a 20-year-old won't have everything figured out." This spring wasn’t bad either for the now 22 year old De La Rosa. He had 19 2/3 IP, 10 HA, 5 ER (2.29), and an impressive 16/3 K/BB. His Double-A numbers at Chattanooga was 42 IP, a 2.92/1.23 ERA/WHIP, 30 HA, and a 52/19 K/BB. He had always been a SP in the minors but, like you say, the Dodgers will initially throw him in middle-relief. I can see him getting a shot at the ninth inning role if others (like Jansen and Guerrier) keep under-achieving. De La Rosa came into his first major league game vs the Astros in the eighth inning of a one run game and set them down 1-2-3 with 2 strike outs. Javy Guerra picked up his first major league save with a 1-2-3 ninth and 1 K and now has a 4/2 K/BB over 5 IP. Guerra held a 1.06 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 15/5 K/BB ratio over 17 innings for Chattanooga. The former fourth-round pick also had 3 SV. Daniel Descalso delivered the game-winning hit Tuesday for the second game in a row. More importantly, Descalso is playing every day, usually at the hot corner. He has started the last eight games at third base, and may even have something to say about the position when David Freese returns from the DL. Descalso has seven hits and three RBI in his last three games, and he's up to 17 RBI for the year, even though he's a part-time player with a modest .239/.311/.359 batting line. He'll remain useful in NL-only leagues until David Freese gets back. Descalso is currently at 1 HR, 17 RBI, 15 R, 2 SB, and a 17/12 K/BB. 2010 was his first full season at Triple-A and he batted .282 in 468 AB with 9 HR, 71 RBI, 86 R, 8 SB, a 48/47 K/BB and a .771 OPS. Descalso makes a good short term pick-up (and maybe more) in your NL-only. Tigers purchased the contract of LHP Andy Oliver from Triple-A Toledo. As expected, Oliver is going to take Phil Coke's place in the rotation while he is on the disabled list. One of the Tigers' top prospects, Oliver is a hard-throwing lefty, but has had some control issues in the past. He has been pitching well at Toledo (AAA) this season, posting a 3.31 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 in 51 2/3 innings over nine starts. He did walk 20. He did not fare well during a five-start cup of coffee for the Tigers last year, but is worth a look in AL-only leagues. In 22 IP for the Tigers in 2010, Oliver went 0-4 with a 7.36/1.77 ERA/WHIP, 26 HA, and an 18/13 K/BB. He should be kept benched against the Red Sox on Saturday, however. The 23 year old LHP is a former second round pick of the Tigers in 2009 out of Oklahoma State.

May 25, 2011: Brian Fuentes is on pace to lose 23.625 games this season!

With 3B a black hole all season and the Rockies offense struggling, COL is considering the promotion of the 28-year old Josh Fields, who has re-surfaced with AAA Colorado Springs. Fields is apparently healthy and putting up some of his best numbers anywhere in a long time--as noted by his current .381 BA and a 1.130 OPS. That includes a mildly intriguing 77% ct%. Fields still has some power as suggested by his 7 HR to date. He’s also thrown in 33 RBI, 42 R, 5 SB, and 16 walks. Fields is hitting .436 with a homer and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games. But his 67% ct% and .234 BA in 713 career MLB AB are cautionary. Plus his overall major league K/BB rate of 235/69 is enough to make me throw up in my mouth! The RHB's persistent struggles vs. MLB RHPs suggest that he'd likely be on the light side of a platoon, and that he's still a flyer at best. Fields did have a few months of bounty with the White Sox back in ’07. But that now seems like a lifetime ago. He batted .244 on 373 AB with 23 HR, 67 RBI, 54 R, but with a 125/35 K/BB and a not so bad .789 OPS. Logic suggests that the KC front office will attempt to trade Clint Robinson before his value completely disappears. We wouldn't be shocked to see him make his first MLB appearance in late 2011 with another team. He’s a first baseman in KC which was like being the back-up to Cal Ripken in Baltimore. With the surprise call-up of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler still in the fold, and Kila Ka’ahiue biding his time at Triple-A, Robinson’s best shot for fantasy largess may very well be in another venue. And it’s not from lack of trying as Robinson is enjoying some bounty again this year. Let’s go back in time to 2010 when Robinson won the Texas League Triple Crown. He batted .335 with 29 HR, 98 RBI, and a 1.035 OPS in Double-A. Robinson took up right where he left off this season at Triple-A batting .355 in 169 AB with 11 HR, 32 RBI, 33 R, a 32/23 K/BB, and a 1.062 OPS. I’d say that the 26 year old Robinson is almost ready for the majors. He’ll just have to bide his time like so many others. Aaron Crow escaped an eighth-inning jam on Friday by striking out St. Louis' Matt Holliday and that was his 17th scoreless outing in 18 appearances. Crow has allowed just two runs to score over 23 2/3 innings entering Saturday. That is an ERA/WHIP of 0.76/1.10 with a 2-0 record and a 24/9 . For now, Crow should be viewed as a RP option in deeper fantasy formats that value true middle men. Crow was overlooked by KC as a starter with the injuries to Chen and Davies in their rotation, instead turning to Nathan Adcock and Daniel Duffy. "That's fine with me," Crow said. "I've had a lot of success out of the bullpen, so I don't see why we should change it. The starting pitching has done pretty well, so I think we've got the rotation set." Crow was originally the ninth pick by the Nationals in the 2008 draft but they couldn’t agree on a contract. Crow was the 12^th pick by KC in the 2009 draft with eyes on keeping him as a SP. But right now those plans are on hold as he’s been a stalwart out of the Royals pen. I have Rafael Soriano on the DL in my no-trade AL and Crow is on a short list to replace him! I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching over that one.

May 24, 2011: Rainy days and Tuesdays always get me down!

I received something in the mail yesterday from my old job and it did look official. Much to my wife’s credit, she waited until I got home at 7:00 in the evening to have me see what was in the envelope. She even waited until I got safely in the bathroom with the door locked to collect my thoughts and do a little soul searching. If you didn’t already know, I was at that job for 21 years, the last 10 of which were in a full time capacity. My wife thought that after these few months, that the club “wised up” and sent me a little severance package. To my wife’s and my surprise, it was an advertisement for a retirement deal. So either the club thought I (A) still worked there or (B) was actually retired. To the contrary, after going 36 holes each day for the past 3 days, I’m starting to know what real work is. Of course, at my age, the end could be near at any time! When did Curtis Granderson become the Yankees go-to guy? He’s second in the majors with 16 HR and has 34 RBI, 32 R, 4 SB, a .942 OPS, and a .263 BA in 171 AB. With Teixeira not yet going, the slow start (now hitting a bit) A-Rod, and the disappointment of Swisher, Jeter, and Posada, “The Grandy Man” has become the man in the #2 spot. He’s seeing a lot of fastballs in that spot hitting in front of Teixeira, Rodriguez, and Cano, on the inside part of the plate. With that short LF porch in Yankees Stadium I’m surprised that pitchers don’t go more off-speed and outside to Granderson. One day they’ll all learn! In the meantime, Granderson is more than halfway to his career high of 30 HR in 2009 for the Tigers. His average the last 2 seasons (2009-2010) is only .248. He did enjoy a season of bounty in 2007 when he hit .302 in 612 AB with 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 122 R, 26 SB, and a .909 OPS. That’s what I call a great fantasy season! Seventy two hours ago, I would venture to say a good portion of Tribe fans had no idea who Ezequiel Carrera was. That has certainly changed, as the rookie centerfielder entered last night’s fray in his major league debut as a pinch-hitter in a pressure packed eighth inning situation. He took the first pitch from Nick Masset down the first base line with him and with a little stretch of the basepath and Carrera’s killer speed, the Indians had an infield hit, a run, and the lead, one that proved to hold up for a 5-4 victory in the first installment of the 2011 Battle of Ohio. Acquired as part of the Russell Branyan deal a season ago, Carrera will be taking Travis Hafner's place on the Indians' 25-man roster after he landed on the disabled list with a strained right oblique on Friday. Carrera was hitting a solid .317 to go along with a .401 on-base percentage through his first 166 plate appearances for Columbus, and could be worth a look in deeper AL-only leagues, as he figures to receive a decent number of at-bats with the Tribe being absolutely decimated by injury at the moment. He also has 2 HR, 17 RBI, 33 R, 15 SB, and a 29/19 K/BB. His minor league career hasn’t seen a lot of largess. In Triple-A in 2010, Carrera hit .281 over 388 AB, with 1 HR, 38 RBI, 45 R, 20 SB, a .693 OPS, and a 68/33 K/BB.

May 23. 2011: Mike Stanton hit a HR the other day and I realized that I don't go that far on vacation!

Veteran Jason Giambi shouldn't have been in the Rockies' starting lineup Thursday night against the Phillies, but hot-hitting first baseman Todd Helton came up with a sore back after sliding into home plate on Wednesday and was unable to go when the lineup was filled out on a rainy Thursday afternoon in the Philadelphia area. That’s when Giambi became a one-man wrecking crew. And thus began The Night of the Giambino. Giambi slugged a three-run homer to deep right field in the first inning, a two-run shot in the third, and then added another two-run bomb in the fifth inning. The 40-year-old tied his career-high with seven RBI and became the second-oldest player to launch three home runs in a single game. Stan Musial accomplished the feat at the ripe old age of 41. Giambi entered the game having not managed a hit since April 10. And what did Giambi do the next day? Of course he hit another HR, and now, of his 8 H, 5 of them are HR. He also has 12 RBI and a .216 BA in 37 AB, Todd Helton looked to be just about finished in 2010. I had drafted him for $36 in my $360-NL only to watch him struggle for 27 XBH, 8 HR, and 37 RBI in 398 AB with a .256 BA (he’s a career .324 hitter in 7028 AB). He missed most of the month of July. But this year has been a different story for Helton. He’s currently at .313 in 128 AB with 6 HR, 20 RBI, a 16/10 K/BB, and a .906 OPS. Helton hasn’t hit 20 HR since 2005 and, since then, has managed only 68. If you own him in your NL, now may be the time to sell “high” on him before the inevitable back injuries start to take their toll. Joe Mather went 4-for-6 with a three-run homer and a go-ahead double in the top of the 12th to lead the Braves to a 5-4 win over the Angels on Saturday. Mather probably wouldn't have been in the lineup if not for Jason Heyward's injury, but he really took advantage with his best day as a major leaguer. The four RBI tonight matched his total from his previous 64 at-bats combined. Mather probably won't be worth adding in NL-only leagues unless Heyward goes on the DL tomorrow. Mather took the fantasy world by storm with the Cards in 2008 hitting 8 HR in 133 AB with 20 R, 18 RBI, and a .777 OPS. He hasn’t seen any fantasy largess since the past 3 games with a 7 for 12 line. Overall Mather is 13 for 33 (.394) with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, a 10/2 K/BB, and a 1.025 OPS. Feel free to pick him up for the week  with the news that Atlanta is considering placing Heyward on the DL. Heyward has had issues with his right shoulder dating back to spring training, and it's recently become worse to the point that he's missed a handful of games. It shouldn't be anything that will keep him out long, but it might be wise to sit him out for a couple weeks and hopefully put the injury in the past.

May 22, 2011: I'm 56 today and they say that it's the new 55!

Yes, I know, I’ve made another year and it seems that all the reports of the world coming to an end last night are completely exaggerated. I guess that eventually the people who forecast such doom and gloom will be correct. I just hope that it’s not too soon! Royals lefty prospect Danny Duffy (3.00/1.11 ERA/WHIP, 43/10 K/BB, 30 HA in 36 innings at Triple-A) is slated for a spot start on Wednesday against the Rangers. If he performs well, Duffy could stick in the rotation and is worth consideration in mixed leagues despite sharing a last name with disappointing former Pirate Chris Duffy. Danny Duffy was drafted in the third round in 2007 from high school in Lompoc, California. He pitched very well at the Low-A and High-A levels in '08 and '09, with sharp command of rapidly improving stuff. However, in the spring of 2010 he walked away from baseball, needing to reassess his priorities in life. He returned in the summer and picked up where he left off, finishing the year with seven strong starts in Double-A. Duffy doesn't do this with smoke-and-mirrors: his fastball is consistently in the low-90s and often reaches higher, up to 96-97 on his best days. He works with a curveball, changeup, and occasional slider, all solid pitches with the changeup drawing the best reviews. Although his control isn't always perfect, it is unusually good for a young power pitcher and he isn't just a thrower: he knows how to pitch.
Although Duffy has just 14 starts in the high minors to his credit, he's been very successful with a 84/19 K/BB in 75 2/3 IP and a 2.97/1.15 ERA/WHIP combined between Double-A and Triple-A. As with any young pitcher, he may need some adjustment time to get used to the majors, but he has the stuff and command to be a number two starter if all goes well. Danny’s debut didn’t go as well as he would have liked Wednesday night with 4 IP, 2 ER, 4 HA, and a 4/6 K/BB. Chris Duffy was given a non-roster invite to the Phillies' spring camp in 2010, but he failed to make the big league roster and hit just .243 with a .306 on-base percentage and a .361 slugging percentage over 346 at-bats for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season. He added 5 HR, 34 RBI, 47 R, 12 SB, and a 99/25 K/BB. At the age of 30, he could struggle to find another gig. Duffy could never recapture the success, much like Zach Duke, of his rookie campaign with the Bucs in 2005. That season Duffy hit .341 in 126 AB with 1 HR, 9 RBI, 22 R, 2 SB, a 22/7 K/BB and an .805 OPS. Given the starting CF job in 2006, Duffy did steal 26 bags (only 1 CS), but batted .255 in 314 AB with 2 HR, 18 RBI, 46 R, a 71/19 K/BB and a .635 OPS. He batted 241 times (.249) for the Pirates the following season and received 32 AB (.125) with the Brewers in ’09. He is currently out of baseball. These are the “fabulous Duffy boys.” They should make a movie about them and maybe even star Jeff and Beau Bridges. Maybe they can even get Michelle Pfeiffer as the female lead!

May 21, 2011: It's always tough when your team scores 17 R and your SP doesn't get the W!

This next bit is something I wrote about right around Thanksgiving. Yes, I still had a job and things were looking about the same for me. I actually, at the time, was a lot like Sean Burroughs who hadn’t hung his shingle out in almost 5 years. Just plodding along, minding my own business, trying to stay under the radar. This was a weird signing: Burroughs was signed to a minor-league deal by the D'Backs yesterday. Yes, that Sean Burroughs who hasn't played in the majors since a 4 for 21 (.190) gig with the Rays in 2006. After being optioned by the club to Triple-A, Burroughs went 28 for 131 (.214) and was released on June 22, 2006. He gave it the old college try and signed with the Mariners organization in 2007. He played 4 games at Tacoma (AAA) and was released in June after going 2 for 12. He, believe it or not, just turned 30 in September. Burroughs is reunited with Kevin Towers who signed him in 1998 for what was at that time the largest amateur signing bonus ($2.1-mil). He was the 9th overall pick of that draft and started the 2002 season as the 3B for the Padres. I'll always remember the bidding war on Burroughs that spring in my $360-NL when he ended up going for $35. I just stayed on the sidelines and was, of course, the first to congratulate the "winner." Burroughs, the son of former AL MVP, Jeff Burroughs, hit .271 with 11 RBI in 192 AB that season and spent a good part of the season in the minors. He did have some "salad" days with the Padres, accumulating 1040 AB in ‘03-'04 with a .292 BA, 50 doubles, 9 triples, 9 HR, 105 RBI, 138 R, 12 SB, a 127/75 K/BB and a .724 OPS. I guess that you might say that he took his salad to go! If Burroughs notches another AB in the majors, I will look for another profession! Maybe. Fast forward to tonight! Well I may have to be looking for another profession. Sean Burroughs’ contract was purchased by the D’Backs as the team placed Melvin Mora on the bereavement list. In 70 AB at Triple-A Burroughs has a .386 BA with 1 HR, 15 RBI, 12 R, a 6/6 K/BB, and a 1.005 OPS. Dustin Ackley was the second overall pick in the June 2009 draft behind Stephen Strasburg. Other first rounders from that draft who’ve spent some time in the majors include Mike Minor (#7), Mike Leake (8), Drew Storen (10), Aaron Crow (12), and Alex White (15). Not coincidentally all are pitchers. Mike Leake made the Reds roster in 2010 without ever spending a day in the minors (he has since been demoted to Triple-A last week). Incidentally pick #58, Andrew Oliver, has made a few starts with the Tigers. Fifth round picks Brandon Belt (147) and Louis Coleman (152, Royals) have also seen some time in the show. A guy that I do like a lot and who has had some minor league success, Paul Goldschmidt, was the #246 pick by the D’Backs. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and you never know how a guy will develop but it’s hard to believe that 146 players were selected before Belt who made the Giants this spring and was the starting 1B. As I pointed out in the Editor’s Corner, Dustin Ackley, who was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League this past fall is hitting .272 in 169 AB with 6 HR, 6 SB, 27 R, 21 RBI, a damn good 25/33 K/BB, a .389 OBP, and an .821 OPS. Those are good numbers for the young Ackley and, in time, he should prove to be a viable major leaguer.  But I also did read this about Ackley: The Mariners want Dustin Ackley to improve his defense before they consider calling him up. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Time hears that Ackley's defensive issues are "more of a concern than (his) potential to gain Super Two status and reach arbitration a year early." Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said Monday that Ackley would likely be promoted "sooner rather than later," but it appears no call-up is imminent. I’m not sure but isn’t 2B a new position for Ackley? I thought he was an OF/1B in college, though I may be wrong. Either way, when Ackley gets the call up to the offensively-challenged Mariners, he should be here to stay!

May 20, 2011: Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded!

“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid!” That’s Raymond Chandler’s definition of a hero. And, while my wife says that I’ve been obsessing too much about this whole hero business, this next guy could fit the mold. And maybe Raymond Chandler had Tony Campana in mind when he made that quote. Campana hasn't made any of the Cubs top prospect lists, and probably never will, but I can't help rooting for the undersized underdog who is all about hustle and hard work. Cubs' “prospect” Campana is bound and determined to beat the odds. Campana has been a fighter since childhood when he was diagnosed with cancer (Hodgkin's lymphoma) at age 7. Campana went through an excruciating six months of chemotherapy in which he battled being sick on a daily basis, constant tests and doctor visits and losing his hair. After 10 years of being in remission and frequent check-ups, Campana was pronounced cured. At the ripe old age of 18, Campana had already dealt with more adversity than many do over the course of a lifetime. But the latest news out of Cubs’ camp is that the Cubs are calling up Campana to take the roster spot of Tyler Colvin. Campana is hitting .342 at Triple-A in 120 AB, with 9 RBI, 27 R, 8 SB, a 23/6 K/BB, and an .825 OPS. He is a thirteenth round draft pick by the Cubs in 2008 who has never hit a professional HR over the fence (he had an inside-the-park in last year’s playoffs). It just makes sense that he will probably hit 10 HR in Wrigley. But the 5’8” (maybe) 160 lb Campana is more known for speed. At Double-A in 2010 he was 156 for 489 (.319) with 76 R, 39 RBI, 48 SB (20 CS), an 82/44 K/BB, and a .763 OPS. Campana is a career .303 hitter in 1178 minor league AB with 144 SB. He compares to former Cub and current Ray, Sam Fuld. Campana isn’t projected for a lot of PT in the crowded Cub OF but, you never know, he’s beaten the odds before. I will keep an eye on him and for NL-only in need of speed, he may make a sneaky good pick-up. Campana did hit a double in his only AB on Tuesday with an RBI and a R as a defensive replacement for Alfonso Soriano. On Wednesday, Campana again pinch running stole a base and scored a run. I just wanted to mention something that happened yesterday. It was kind of a good thing. Remember, in the matter of months, I went from making 6 figures to making 6 figures, with the decimal point in front of the last 2! The golf professional at the club that I caddy at is a fellow named Jim McGovern. He’s a good guy and a great asset to the club. McGovern was a member of the PGA Tour from 1991–1998. His career year was 1993 when he won once, had two other top-10 finishes, earned $587,495 and finished 27th on the money list. Jim called me aside today (I thought that I could be in trouble). But he took me by surprise and mentioned that my work was first rate and that the membership loved me! He was talking about me taking a job at another club if I was interested. But there’s no tipping at that club and it’s over 45 minutes from my house. It really meant a lot to me to hear those nice words from the winner of the 1993 Shell Houston Open. By the way McGovern was the low qualifier in the sectional qualifier for the US Open with a 68 at a course he never played before in driving rain and 50 degree weather. In fact, every time I hear the story it get 5 degrees cooler! I really would like to hitch my star to Jim McGovern’s wagon, but we’ll see if there’s a new chapter in my life. For now I just want to keep taking it “one day at a time.” Kind of like Valerie Bertinelli!

May 19, 2011: Paul Konerko has put together a pretty good career for himself!

This was part of an exchange on the web site at the end of April: If Frenchy Francoeur hits over .300 this season I will give you my share of the site, Geek. He actually did hit .293 in 2007 with 105 rbi's and a career high 42 walks for Atlanta. But, like you say, it didn't take real long for pitchers to catch on that this guy swung at everything. Even this year, he has 16 K's and 7 bb's which is actually an improvement. He's a good hitter and can actually run a bit if he can just stop swinging at pitches outside the zone. Maybe there are professional people he can see for that problem. And for that reason alone I hope he does hit .300. But I agree that this bountiful start of Francoeur could be met with a 4 for 52 somewhere down the road. This may be the perfect time to see if you can get something of use for Frenchy before the inevitable downturn. That being said, in my $260-AL, when the owner said $1, I wish that I had blurted out $2. Francoeur did go for $1 in that league which is turning out to be a very fortuitous buy. He did go with pick #134 in my AL-straight draft. The Royals have nothing to lose by throwing Francoeur out there every day. All of their great prospects are pitchers, infielders, and catchers. And don't forget that Francoeur is still just 27 years old. I think in dog year's, though, Francoeur is seemingly pushing 70. I'd like to reel off the impressive stats for Francoeur so far this young season. He's 31 for 94 (.330) with 5 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R, 3 SB, a 16/7 K/BB, and a .965 OPS. I, of course, don't expect it to last, but please enjoy this providence. That was back in April. Currently Francoeur is at .285 in 158 AB with 8 HR, 26 RBI, 22 R, 4 SB, a 31/11 K/BB (which isn’t bad for him), and an .871 OPS. He hit his last HR on May 4. Francoeur has some speed and is a good defensive OF with a plus arm but his career high in SB was the 8 that he had in 2010 with the Mets and Rangers. If you sold high on Francoeur on April 29 when we suggested it, you did good for yourself. Jorge Vazquez, a guy that I've been following since the Yankees signed him out of the Mexican League in 2010, has been doing pretty well in his time in the Yankees’ system. In 293 AB in Triple-A that season, Vazquez hit .270 with an .840 OPS and 18 HR. This year in Triple-A Vazquez is at .303 in 152 AB with 16 HR, 41 RBI, 27 R, a 44/9 K/BB, and a .971 OPS. If there weren't so many guaranteed contracts on the Yankees, Vazquez could have made the club out of spring. While the Yankees were last in the AL in spring BA (.253) Vazquez was 14 for 34 (.412) with 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, an 11/1 K/BB and a 1.209 OPS. My feeling is the Yankees would like to see Vazquez be less of a free swinger and buy into the Yankees' way of working the count. And with a season 55/10 K/BB (including spring), Vazquez still has work to do. But I have no doubt that in the DH spot right now, he could be as productive or more so than Posada, at a fraction of the cost. Vazquez turned 29 years old in March and depending on what the Yankees do with Posada, you may see Vazquez in Pinstripes this summer. Especially if their lack of clutch hitting continues.

May 18, 2011: Even Napoleon had his Watergate!

Dustin Ackley was named the MVP of the Arizona Fall League this past year after leading the prospect-packed group in batting average (.424), on-base percentage (.581) and slugging percentage (.758). The M's will non-tender Jose Lopez on Thursday and could move Chone Figgins back to third base if Ackley is deemed ready for full-time duty next spring. This was the report from the Mariners’ camp in January. It did look, at the time, that Ackley was going to open the season as the starting 2B for the team. But the M’s felt that Ackley needed some time in Triple-A even after a spring of a .269 BA in 26 AB with an .864 OPS, 6 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, and an 8/8 K/BB. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said Monday that Dustin Ackley will be promoted "sooner rather than later." Ackley has posted a healthy .280 BA in 164 AB with 6 HR, 6 SB, 27 R and 21 RBI through 40 games this year at Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners need all the offense they can get and the promising 23-year-old second baseman can certainly help. Ackley also has an impressive 25/33 K/BB, a .399 OBP, and an .844 OPS. He certainly will be an offensive upgrade over Jack Wilson/Brendan Ryan for a team that’s 13^th in the AL (ahead of the Twins) in BA (.226), R (144), OPS (.627), and HR (23). He shouldn’t be a free agent in any AL-only! Cubs optioned OF Tyler Colvin to Triple-A Iowa. This move is long overdue. Colvin wasn't getting regular playing time and it showed with his pathetic .113/.191/.258 batting line over 68 plate appearances (7 for 62). He's much better off playing everyday in the minor leagues, where he'll have a chance to find his swing. And I know that Colvin belted 20 HR in 358 AB last year with a .254 BA, 60 R, 56 RBI, and an .812 OPS as a rookie. I had Colvin in my $260-NL that I won and he was in my line-up for much of the second half. But I wasn’t a fan of the 100/30 K/BB and .312 OBP. There just wasn’t room for Colvin in the Cubs OF this year with Reed Johnson playing well and the Cubs stuck paying $13.5-mil to Fukudome in the last year of that 4 yr/$48-mil deal. Fukudome has only 4 XBH (all doubles) on the season but is hitting .326 in 95 AB. I do like his .802 OPS, .434 OBP, and 19/18 K/BB. Plus he’s a good defender in RF. The Cubs called up veteran journeyman Luis Montanez who was hitting .378 at Triple-A in 135 AB with 5 HR, 39 RBI, 23 R, a 22/13 K/BB and a 1.040 OPS. He should be available to pinch-hit and get the occasional start in the OF. My friend in my $360-NL just traded for Colvin as a keeper ($15) for next season. I’m not completely sold on Colvin, however.

May 17, 2011: Half the lies they tell about me aren't true!

Starting again at third base with Mark Teahen hurting and Brent Morel slumping, Vizquel went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Sunday's win over the A's. While Vizquel isn't going to approach the 344 at-bats he got last year, he could be in line for a significant chunk of playing time at third base in the near future while the Sox either get Morel on track or decide to call upon someone else. Vizquel also moved past Hall of Famer George Sisler into #46 with 2813 career hits. Omar Vizquel, starting third baseman? Why not? The White Sox picked Brent Morel for his glove, but he hasn't hit at all and Vizquel is just as good defensively. Of course, Vizquel doesn't figure to hit either, but he's at .349 in 43 AB after last night. He'd have minimal fantasy value even if he does begin to play four or five times per week, but it's something the White Sox need to be considering. Vizquel also has 4 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB, a 2/2 K/BB, and a .775 OPS. The future Hall of Famer turned 44 years old in April and can still play the game in limited time. There are far worse pick-ups in your AL-only than Vizquel. By the way, Vizquel has 1418 career R, 401 SB, and 941 RBI in 10,306 AB. He’s a 3-time All-Star and an 11-time Gold Glove winner. Boston Red Sox RP Rich Hill has thrown 4 2/3 scoreless innings in which he has allowed two hits and a walk while fanning six. Left-handed hitters are just 1-for-6 off him, while righties are 1-for-9. His fastball has been hitting 94-96 mph. There was a time, back in ’07, that Rich Hill was considered one of the up and coming LHP in the NL. That season, for the Cubs, Hill had 195 IP over 32 GS with a 3.92/1.19 ERA/WHIP, 170 HA, and a 183/63 K/BB. But the next 3 seasons weren’t very bountiful for Hill as injuries and a big decrease in velocity relegated him to 81 1/3 IP. Hill has been good with Boston but remember it’s a small sample size. If you need K’s and, if your league includes holds, Hill may be a guy that you want to investigate. I actually was going to put a $5 FAAB bid in my $260-AL league last night for Hill and sub him in for Lackey but I decided to give Lackey one more week! We were talking about former Colorado RP (among other teams) Steve Reed the other day and I was wondering if his 833 games pitched without making a start was a record. I did find other pitchers who appeared in more games without a GS. John Franco, of the Mets and Reds, pitched in 1119 games without ever making a start. Trevor Hoffman had 1035 games and 0 GS with a record 856 games finished. Another RP of note, Lee Smtih had 1022 games but did start 6 and finished 802 games. Those are the RPs of note that I could come up with in terms of games pitched and starts. By the way, Jesse Orosco has a record 1252 games but did make 4 starts early in his career. Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter had 661 games, all in relief, and 512 games finished. Mariano Rivera has the second most games finished of all time with 844 and is also second in career SV with 572, or 29 behind Hoffman. Rollie Fingers had a surprising 37 GS but did have 114 W, 341 SV, 944 games and 709 games finished. The guy that revolutionized the modern SV, Dennis Eckersley spent the first 60% of his career as a SP. He did win 197 games and had 361 GS of his 1071 games (577 games finished). Eck finished with a 3.50/1.16 ERA/WHIP and a 2401/738 K/BB in 3285 2/3 IP. If anyone else could chime in with some RPs that I didn’t mention, please do so.

May 16, 2011: If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer!

Pirates pitching prospect Tim Alderson has been thriving in a relief role at Double-A Altoona this season, posting a 0.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and an 22/6 K/BB over 21 1/3 innings. The Pirates decided to move the formerly highly thought of prospect to the bullpen this season after he suffered a precipitous drop in velocity and confidence last year. So far, so good. "There are some mechanical things that he's starting to take hold of and own," Pirates director of player development Kyle Stark said. "He's having fun again competing, which always helps. As far as has there been a noticeable change in 'stuff'? No. But it is playing better because he's believing in it and having fun doing it." Alderson could be promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis shortly. The former #22 overall pick in the 2007 draft was so bad at High-A and Double-A in 2010 with an 11-9 record. But that came with a 6.03/1.55 ERA/WHIP, 159 HA, and an 84/40 K/BB in 128 1/3 IP. Out of answers to why his velocity dropped, Tim Alderson chose questions. Where do you go when there's nowhere to go? What do you try when you've tried everything? Alderson decided to go back to the beginning, where everything made sense, where everyone knew who he once was and what he could still be. Alderson went back to his high school coach who told Alderson that he was a better pitcher when he was 15 years old! That had to hurt to hear! He was put on a long toss program, with distances of up to 350 feet and feels that he can now “throw again.” It had to be a little humiliating for the former first rounder to be demoted to Single-A in 2010 with a 5.62 ERA in 17 GS and a .307 BA against him. Shifted to the bullpen in April of this year, Alderson may be finally getting comfortable on the hill. He does have youth on his side having turned 22 in November. Rockies manager Jim Tracy is fully aware of how dominant Rex Brothers has been at Triple-A, but he indicated that a call-up isn't imminent. The team's 2009 first-round pick, Brothers has a decent 2.79/1.34 ERA/WHIP, but he has a 35/8 K/BB in 19 1/3 innings (16.5 K/9). "We're well aware of that," Tracy said. "I have a machine (computer) sitting right here. I don't just use it to help decorate the office. I see where that left-hander is averaging close to two strikeouts an inning. This kid hasn't fallen off his bicycle yet. So if he's going to end up falling off his bike, you'd rather have him fall off his bike in Triple-A." Matt Daley, who has a 0.77 ERA and 12/2 K/BB ratio in 11 2/3 innings, is another candidate for a call-up. Felipe Paulino and Franklin Morales need to turn things around in a hurry in order to avoid being replaced. Paulino, as was pointed out last week, has been awful. He’s at a 6.94/2.06 ERA/WHIP in 11 2/3 IP with 18 HA, and an 11/6 K/BB. Both are blessed with blazing fastballs but have never fully harnessed their control. Brothers allowed only 34 H in 60 IP with 7 SV, a 70/37 K/BB and a 3.15/1.18 at High-A and Double-A in 2010. Keep an eye on Brothers. He has 105 Ks in 79 1/3 IP in 2010-2011.

May 15, 2011: The Cleveland Indians have the best record in the AL!

The 25-year-old LHP, Scott Elbert, has appeared in the majors in each of the past three seasons, but has never been able to firmly cement his status on the Dodgers staff. Elbert's raw stuff is quite good, but his lack of control has left his future in doubt. He had an interesting '10 campaign - he was demoted to Triple-A from the majors and left his minor league team for four months for "personal reasons." He returned in the AFL and pitched well. Elbert pitches off his plus 89-94 mph fastball and complements it with a solid-average curveball and change-up. He keeps the ball down and can be very stingy against left-handed hitters. He may be best as a reliever because he isn't particularly efficient with his pitches. Elbert needs to repeat his release point more consistently which should alleviate any command concerns. He has a career 3.46 ERA, 5.0 Ctl, and 10.4 Dom in the minors and a 6.84 ERA in the majors. Elbert has been recalled from AAA-Albuquerque to take Kuo's roster spot -- and hopefully to replace him as the prominent lefty coming out of the Dodger pen. Ironically, Elbert has had his own anxiety disorder issues, resulting in a time-out last summer that was similar to Kuo's now. Just a quick update on Craig Kimbrel. He has 18 2/3 IP,9 SV, a 2.41/1.12 ERA/WHIP, 12 HA, and a 30/9 K/BB. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he has no immediate plans to remove Kimbrel from his closer role. Kimbrel has blown three of his last seven save chances, but Gonzalez doesn't want to show any lost confidence in the right-hander. "When you’re dealing with athletes and young athletes you can scar them, you can hurt them, you can make them lose confidence," Gonzalez said. "That’s the fine line about making decisions or making knee jerk reactions about something. You can lose them forever, in extreme cases, in any sport." He has the potential to be an elite closer, and the only reason a switch might be made is because Jonny Venters (0.83 ERA, 0.69 WHIP) is also a lights-out reliever. Padres 1B prospect Anthony Rizzo hit .400 with seven homers and 30 RBI in 22 Triple-A games in April. The performance made Rizzo the Padres' Minor League Offensive Player of the Month. Acquired in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, Rizzo looks to be on the fast track to the bigs. But at age 21, Rizzo will be handled carefully. He’s currently at .377 in 130 AB with 10 HR, 43 RBI, and a 1.155 OPS.

May 14, 2011: A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore!

Milton Bradley’s not a good guy and he can blame his childhood or his mother called him an imbecile or whatever, but it doesn't make up for the kind of behavior on the field that he shows or the type of clubhouse cancer that he is! I don't want to hear that it's Milton being Milton and it's not any kind of intensity, it's a form of psychoses. This guy should probably be in a mental ward somewhere but because he has a little talent and a 3 yr/$30-mil contract, he still has a job. At least until today. His contract that Bradley signed after the 2008 season, called for payouts of $7-mil ('09), $11-mil ('10) and $12-mil ('11) respectively. He did have a moment in the sun with the Rangers in 2008 as he led the AL in OPS at 1.036. But the Rangers were smart enough not to offer him anything more than a one-year deal so he signed that 3 yr deal with the Cubs. If I were a team signing Milton Bradley, given his long history of anger management issues and violent outbursts, I'd have to put an out-clause in the deal. His time in Seattle, in which he was paid handsomely for, consists of 101 games, 345 AB, 40 R, 72 H (.209), 10 HR, 42 RBI, and a 106/41 K/BB. By the way, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out! Oh, in case you didn’t hear the news, Mariners designated OF Milton Bradley for assignment. It had looked like Bradley dodged a bullet after Ryan Langerhans was designated for assignment in order to make room for Mike Wilson. But, the M's weren't done there, as they also brought up Carlos Peguero and sent Bradley packing. He simply wasn't worth the headache anymore with a .218/.313/.356 batting line on the season. Someone will probably be willing to take a shot on him, but it's entirely possible Bradley's days as a starter are over. And maybe his MLB career is over. Sergio Romo has given up only one run and 4 hits over his first 9 2/3 innings this season. He's also struck out 15 and walked just one while posting an 0.93/0.52 ERA/WHIP. The Giants have limited Romo's exposure to left-handed batters, and he's dominated right-handed hitters this year just as he has throughout his career. With a 2.51 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate in his career, Romo has been one of the better setup men in the NL over the last four seasons. His career K/BB rate with SF is 159/34. Kendrys Morales was drafted #41 in my straight draft-AL. In fact, the owner of Morales called me about a week ago or 10 days ago and said that he was thinking about dropping him. I talked him out of it, thinking that I was doing him a favor and now this news. Morales traveled to Colorado for a second opinion and the decision was made to shut it down for the rest of the season. Morales suffered the injury celebrating a walk-off home run (grand slam) on May 29 last year. Morales was leading the team with 11 homers, 39 RBIs and a .290 average at the time of the injury. And now he won't be back for the rest of this season and the beginning of next season could be in doubt. If only Morales had struck out in that AB instead of a HR, he may still be playing. 2009 was his break-out season with the Angels going 173 for 566 (.306) with 34 HR, 108 RBI, 86 R, a 117/46 K/BB, and a .927 OPS. This injury to Morales reminds me of another injury in 2010. Chris Coghlan had a torn miniscus in his knee after delivering a pie to the face of teammate Wes Helms after a game-winning hit.

May 13, 2011: To look at Jake Westbrook's season stats makes me want to throw up in my mouth!

Trevor Cahill continues to make "fantasy experts" look positively silly. He entered the season as an obvious regression candidate after posting a 2.97 ERA last year, but you wouldn't know it by what we've seen so far. After tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Rangers on Monday night, the 23-year-old right-hander is now 6-0 with a 1.72 ERA over his first eight starts. Cahill is going about things a bit differently this season. He already has 45 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings (7.54 K/9) after fanning just 118 over 196 2/3 innings (5.40 K/9) last season. He has already struck out seven batters or more four times this season after doing so just three times for the entire 2010 season. Last season, also, Cahill had a 56% GB rate which bodes well for him as he pitches in Oakland, the home of a noted pitcher’s park. In his first 2 seasons with the A’s, Cahill had a 208/135 K/BB over 375 1/3 IP. Randy Wolf has the makings of a two-start week in Fantasy Week 7 (May 16-22) with a game at Los Angeles on Monday and a date with the Rockies the following Sunday. Wolf was a wreck against the Dodgers in one start, a loss, last year (5 IP, 4 ER, 7 hits, and a 4/3 K/BB) but was considerably better in two starts against the Rockies (1-0, 13 2/3 IP, 12 HA, 5 ER, and a 10/0 K/BB). No one should feel very comfortable starting Wolf as anything more than a low-end option in standard mixed leagues at this point. Wolf had a nice season for the Dodgers in 2009 with a 3.23/1.10 ERA/WHIP in 214 1/3 IP, 178 HA, and a 160/58 K/BB. In 2010 with the Brewers, Wolf had a career high 213 HA and 87 BBs. From April 8-April 30 of this year, Wolf had 5 GS of 33 2/3 IP (3-1), a 1.07/0.89 ERA/WHIP, 22 HA, and a 28/8 K/BB. Of course he was on my bench in my 15-team mixed league. Since installing him in my line-up for his last 2 GS, Wolf has gone 8 1/3 IP, an 11.88/2.64 ERA/WHIP, 19 HA, and a 3/3 K/BB. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to even look at the stats! Or get up in the morning for that matter! Reds pitching coach Bryan Price is blaming poor mechanics for Aroldis Chapman's struggles, saying the left-hander's arm slot is getting too low. "His arm slot gets too low," Price said. "He gets across the ball. He's pulling a lot of balls inside to right-handed hitters." The Reds maintain that Chapman, who has walked eight batters in his last three outings, is fine physically, and they are not considering optioning him to Triple-A. "I think the first part is a slight mechanical adjustment," Price said. "The second part is that when he's out there, he's pitching with his confidence. When you struggle a while, you start to question yourself a little bit. I don't know that he's there, but I know it's a typical response." For the season Chapman has 12 2/3 IP, 2 W, a 4.26/1.74 ERA/WHIP, 6 HA, and a 15/16 K/BB. Yes he’s hard to hit but the walks are killing him!

May 12, 2011: John Lackey's last 2 GS: 10 2/3 IP, a 2/8 K/BB, 17 ER, and 19 HA!

Garrett Jones continues to benefit from his right field platoon Monday, going 2-for-3 with a double high off of the Clemente Wall. Jones holds a composite line of .299/.419/.571 with six homers and 13 RBI in 77 at-bats against RHP. He has one hit in 11 at-bats against LHP. He’s also added 2 SB and has a 22/16 K/BB. Jones burst on to the scene as a 28 year old in 2009, fresh off 77 AB with the Twins in ’07. All Jones did with the Bucs in ’09 is go 92 for 314 (.293), with 21 HR, 44 RBI, 45 R, 10 SB, a 76/40 K/BB, and a .940 OPS. Fantasy “experts” expected a regression in 2010 but it was more like a deep depression. Jones batted .247 in 592 AB with 21 HR, 86 RBI, 64 R, 7 SB, a 123/53 K/BB, and a not so awe-inspiring .723 OPS. I kept Jones in my 15-team mixed league last year and, in my $360-NL over the winter, I was offered Jones and Scott Rolen for Martin Prado and Chris Coghlan. That was an offer I politely declined! Pirates’ teammate Ryan Doumit started his second straight game behind the plate Monday for the first time in a month. Doumit continued on his offensive roll with a three-hit night against the Dodgers. On Sunday he hit a three-run dinger batting right-handed and he followed that up with a multi-hit performance against Chad Billingsley on Monday night. His last 3 starts include 6 for 11 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. For the season, Doumit is at .295 in 61 AB with 3 HR, 13 RBI, a 10/7 K/BB and an .876 OPS. The Pirates tried the whole off-season to move Doumit but were unable to despite their willingness to eat a “big chunk” of his $5.1-mil salary. Though he's been injury-prone in the past and has his defensive issues, Doumit certainly has the ability to be an above-average hitting catcher that can also fill in at first base and in the outfield. There hasn’t been a whole lot to embrace with a franchise that's endured 18 consecutive losing seasons, a stretch of futility unmatched in U.S. professional sports. But after climbing to .500 on Sunday (the latest in a season a Pittsburgh team has reached that plateau since June 11, 2005 when it was 30-30) the Pirates of new manager Clint Hurdle advanced to 18-17 with Monday night's victory over the Dodgers. Maybe part of the reason for the fan’s resentment is the 3 yr/$11.5-mil deal signed by Doumit in December 2008. The 30-year-old hit .318 with 15 home runs and drove in 69 runs in 431 at-bats that season after beating out former starter Ronny Paulino early in the season. But injuries and ineffectiveness have curtailed his efforts until this season. And you know what they say that sometimes the best trades are the ones that you don’t make! Just something for you to think about. 2011 is the first time since 1999 that both the Pirates and the Royals were above .500 at the same time after 35 games! 

May 11, 2011: Sergio Santos has not given up a run this year in 15 IP!

The Orioles had planned on keeping Zach Britton in Triple-A to delay his service time clock, but an injury to Brian Matusz forced their hand. Matusz is due back in a few weeks, but Britton's glowing surface stats (including a 5-2 record) may mean someone else will get bumped from the BAL rotation. He has 43 IP over 7 GS with a 2.93/1.16 ERA/WHIP, 34 HA, and a 24/16 K/BB. That said, there's no guarantee Britton will stick in the majors all season, especially if his command issues begin to catch up to him. If you are in a single-season league, his 2011 value may never be higher than it is right now. Britton does have a good low 90’s sinking fastball, a good slider and is working on a change-up. A key for Britton is that he induces GB’s and he was 10-7 with a 2.70/1.24 ERA/WHIP, 139 HA, and a 124/51 K/BB in 153 1/3 IP between AA/AAA. Like you I’m not a fan of the command or the fact that the LHP Britton pitches in a very unforgiving AL-East. I do expect some regression from Mr. Britton. And I'm not saying a complete reversal of fortune but Britton is walking a fine line between competence and getting killed! Should the Desmond Jennings watch be on? Jennings' ultra-patient / almost passive approach in April--he either struck out or walked in almost 39% of his PA -- didn't help his ct% and BA. But it certainly didn't hurt his bb% or speed, which are ultimately what the Rays will expect out of Jennings eventually in their lead-off spot later this season. And since his BA hit rock-bottom (.243) on April 28, Jennings has stepped up both his aggressiveness and game, as suggested by his recent contact and the nine-game hitting streak he carried into May 9 action. His running game is intact, he's again showing enough pop to keep defenders honest, and he's healthy to-date. If Jennings can maintain some consistency for the rest of the month and Sam Fuld continues to turn into a pumpkin, his projected June MLB ETA will become a reality. As we’ve mentioned on the site, since April 24, Fuld is just 5 for 51 with 5 R and 0 SB. Fuld was a marvelous AL-only pick-up early as he had 10 SB in the first 3 weeks of the season but none since. Jennings does have 26 R, 3 HR, and 8 SB at Triple-A and is hitting .462 so far in May. Wily Mo Pena is putting on a power show, now leading in the minors in HR (12) while batting .374 over his first 99 AB at AAA Reno. While he's obviously being helped by his offense-friendly PCL environment, Pena has legit, plus-plus power. Along with health, Pena's problem has always been contact, and he's again having issues vs. RHP, as suggested by 20 Ks in 75 AB (73%), and only four BBs. In short, while he could be useful, he's likely the same--or similar--high power / low BA player we've seen previously at the MLB level. Don’t forget, this is the same guy who had 51 career major league HR at the age of 23. I don’t see Pena getting the call to the D’Backs OF soon as he’s not on the 40-man roster and the team would have to jettison a player to accommodate him.

May 10, 2011: Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not after you!

Rockies manager Jim Tracy indicated that Felipe Paulino's roster spot is in danger. No surprise here, as Paulino picked up his third loss Saturday while watching his ERA rise to 7.59 and WHIP to 2.16 over 10 2/3 innings. Paulino is out of options, so he would need to clear waivers in order to be sent to Triple-A. I actually liked Paulino coming into the 2010 season and drafted him as a reserve in 2 different leagues. But, I guess, it’s hard to like a guy with a career 6-24 record, a 5.92/1.63 ERA/WHIP, 261 HA, and a 198/95 K/BB in 219 IP in MLB. With those numbers Colorado is hardly the place for a pitcher to be resurrecting his career! His Triple-A career isn’t something out of a Charles Dickens book either as Paulino has 35 1/3 IP with a 30/24 K/BB, 31 HA, and a 3.06/1.56. He’s best left on the waiver wire in your leagues! The Astros placed OF Jason Bourgeois on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. The speedster injured the area during Saturday's game. It seems unlikely that we'll see him before the end of the month, which is a shame because he was on his way to earning second base eligibility. Joe Inglett has taken Bourgeois' spot on the roster. The injury to Bourgeois couldn’t have come at a worse time as he started 7 of the last 8 Houston games and went 14 for 27 during that time with 4 R and 7 SB. Bourgeois was hitting .407 on the season in 54 AB with 9 R, 12 SB, and a 4/3 /BB. Anyone that picked up Bourgeois in their NL-only should be patting themselves on the back. Lauded for his potential Gold Glove defense, Jose Iglesias is still a work in progress at the plate, as his .253/.278/.253 batting line at Triple-A this season can attest. He had 4 RBI, 11 R, and 2 SB down on the farm. But it’s his 17/2 K/BB that looks like a pin-up picture of Rosanne Barr! Just 21 years old, he'll serve in a backup role behind Jed Lowrie while Marco Scutaro is on the disabled list. He was signed in July, ’09 by the Bosox to a 4 yr/$8.2-mil deal. Iglesias missed 2 months of the 2010 season with a fractured finger after getting hit by a pitch. He ended 2010 between A-Ball (40 AB) and Double-A (221 AB) with a .295 BA with 20 RBI, 37 R, 7 SB, and a 57/15 K/BB. I’d like to see him work the count better and he strikes out way too much for a guy that’s yet to hit a professional HR in 348 AB. Iglesias was hitting .253 with a .278 on-base percentage in 24 games for Pawtucket without an extra-base hit. But he had improved in recent days, going 11 of 36 before his call-up. “I thought it went very well the first month. It’s a very good level of competition,’’ Iglesias said. “One of the things I learned was getting prepared every day, on a day-in, day-out basis. The biggest adjustment for me is being prepared every at-bat, recognizing pitches and learning the strike zone. Just not giving at-bats away. I feel like I’ve made good progress this season.’’ Said Red Sox manager Terry Francona: “Triple A was a little bit of an adjustment for him. Coming here, if we wanted him to play every day, that might be a little bit of a stretch right now.’’

May 9, 2011: I call myself an idiot-savant; my wife says that I'm half right!

With the call-up by the Royals of the #3 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Eric Hosmer, who debuted Friday night with 2 walks, 2 K’s and a SB, the question might be who were the 2 players who were selected before Hosmer? Well #2 you’ve heard of. It’s Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates who’s at .212 this season in 99 AB with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R, a 34/8 K/BB, and a .561 OPS. He came up to the Pirates in June of 2010 and finished with 16 HR, 64 RBI, and a .256 BA in 347 AB. He also had a none-too-appealing 119/37 K/BB. Which brings us to the #1 overall pick of that draft. There are plenty of indicators to suggest that Tim Beckham hasn't shown enough progress since the Rays made the shortstop the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft. Certainly one was Buster Posey, whom the Rays passed over at the time and who led the Giants to the World Series title this past fall — while Beckham toiled in Port Charlotte in the instructional league. And perhaps most telling is Beckham's own performance in his 2½ pro seasons no higher than Class A — a .263 average with minimal power (12 HR), a pedestrian .703 OPS and defense in need of improvement (81 errors in 277 games). He’s had a 235/96 K/BB in his past 2 seasons. But as the No. 1 overall pick in a draft that also included current big-leaguers Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), Brian Matusz (Orioles), Gordon Beckham (White Sox), Ike Davis (Mets) and Daniel Schlereth (Diamondbacks) and a host of advanced prospects, Beckham is expected to be more than good. And actually, for the pick not to be considered a mistake, probably great. "Beckham was supposed to be a potential five-tool shortstop, or at least a four-tool shortstop with average speed," Callis said. "But after three pro seasons, it's pretty evident he won't be a shortstop because he has fringy speed and isn't athletic enough to stay there long-term. And that presents a problem, because the best fit will be third base, and he hasn't shown he can hit enough to be a regular there." In his first season at Double-A this season he’s at .288 in 111 AB, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 22 R, 2 SB, a 24/14 K/BB, and a .766 OPS. Considered by most to be the best pitching prospect in baseball, 20 year old Julio Teheran made his major league debut Saturday against the Phillies. It was only a spot start, as the Braves needed an arm having to play a doubleheader earlier this week. Teheran posted a 1.80/1.10 ERA/WHIP, 25 HA, and 25/8 K/BB in 30 IP over his first five starts with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. Last season, across 3 levels, Teheran had a 2.59/1.04 ERA/WHIP, 108 HA, and a 159/40 K/BB in 142 2/3 IP over 24 GS. Teheran allowed three earned runs over 4 2/3 innings in his MLB debut Saturday against the Phillies. Teheran struck out only one batter and threw just 51 of his 86 pitches for strikes. The 20-year-old has excellent stuff and has enjoyed success at every level of the minor leagues, but it may take a while for him to truly start lighting up big league scoreboards. It's certainly notable that Atlanta showed it was willing to promote him this early, but part of the reasoning was that it was hit turn to start that day. Mike Minor is probably higher in the pecking order for a call-up the next time around. But we surely haven’t seen the last of Julio Teheran!

May 8, 2011: Sam Fuld is 3 for his last 46!

The KC Royals called up one of their much heralded prospects the other day in Eric Hosmer. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2008 draft. As a senior in H.S. the LH hitting 1B had 11 HR, 27 RBI, 49 R, and 14 SB. He proved to be a blue-chip prospect in 2010 with a season, between High-A and Double-A, of 20 HR, 86 RBI, 87 R, 14 SB, 72 XBH, a .977 OPS, a 66/59 K/BB and a .338 BA in 520 AB. He may have been feeling the effects of the long season, hitting only .203 in the AFL, a league known for its offense, with a .575 OPS.  This guy can play some defense and has pretty good foot speed for a big guy. He had it going on in Triple-A this season with a .439 BA in 98 AB, with 3 HR, 15 RBI, 21 R, 3 SB, a 16/19 K/BB, and a 1.168 OPS. It hasn’t always been this easy for Hosmer. He had that breakout 2010 after hitting .241 in A and High-A ball in '09 over 377 AB with 6 HR and 59 RBI. 2010 was a different story for Hosmer, of course. I'm anxious to see what the 21 year old Hosmer can do in his first go-round vs major league pitchers. The casualty of this call-up was 1B Kila Ka’aihue. He was a big sleeper coming into 2011 but it just hasn't worked out so far. He's done all he can in the minors, that's for sure, but maybe a little time on the farm will awaken his bat. Ka'aihue leaves us with a .195 BA in 82 AB with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, a 26/12 K/BB, and a .612 OPS. His overall minor league numbers are good with a .266 BA in 3360 AB, 555 R, 154 HR, 598 RBI, a 689/673 K/BB and an .852 OPS. He could just never translate that success, so far, to the majors. Between AA/AAA in 2008, Ka'aihue did hit 37 HR, 100 RBI, 91 R, 104 BB, and a .314 BA in only 401 AB and he had a 1.066 OPS in Triple-A in 2010. Ka’aihue may need a change of organization to find any success especially if Hosmer produces like scouts say! Ka’aihue’s numbers in the majors sit at a .216 BA in 283 AB with 11 HR, 32 RBI, 32 R, and a 77/39 K/BB. With Thursday's surprise recall of the elite first-base prospect Hosmer, Billy Butler will now likely start almost exclusively at designated hitter. Since signing a 2 yr/$12-mil contract with the Giants before the ’10 season, Mark DeRosa has been plagued by wrist problems. He batted .194 in 2010 and was shut down after only 26 games before having season-ending surgery on his left wrist. He was 6 for 18 this season before landing on the DL because of continued pain in that wrist. DeRosa is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday and says that he won’t need any rehab games. With Pablo Sandoval out for up to 6 weeks with a fractured wrist and Miguel Tejada hitting .196, DeRosa may be just what the Giants need. From 2006-2009 DeRosa averaged 511 AB with 17 HR, 78 RBI, and 81 R. He also batted .281 in that time. If he’s available in your NL, make a small FAAB.

May 7, 2011: Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay have a 117/14 K/BB between them!

I came across a pretty amazing stat recently. When leading by 3 or more runs in a game, Tim Hudson’s lifetime record is 134-2. And then he goes out Wednesday night in the second game of a doubleheader vs the Brewers and pitches a 1-H shut out to complete the sweep. Although the shutout was the 12th of his career, it was his first since May 2, 2008. The only man to reach base against him this evening was Rickie Weeks, who doubled in the fourth and walked in the ninth. The dominating outing lowers Hudson's ERA to 2.86 and WHIP to 0.95.  Hudson has actually been pretty good over his career which began with the A’s back in ’99. After 6 seasons in Oakland, where he averaged a shade over 15 W a year and 150 strike outs, he was traded to the Braves in Decmber 2004. During his first 3 seasons with Atlanta, Hudson averaged 14 W per year until missing the last 2 months of ’08 and most of ’09. He did start 7 games for the Braves in ’09 and, in 42 1/3 IP, had a 3.61/1.47 ERA/WHIP, 49 HA, and a 30/13 K/BB. The Braves must have seen enough from Hudson and in November of that year, signed him to a 3 yr/$28-mil deal. And so far it’s paid off as he went 228 2/3 IP in 2010 with 17 W, a 2.83/1.15, 189 HA, and a 139/74 K/BB. He’s never been a big strike out pitcher but with his GB ways, he can be counted on to help in the other 3 categories. The 3-time All-Star boasts a 2.86/0.95 ERA/WHIP, 40 HA, and a 26/8 K/BB in 50 1/3 IP over 7 GS in 2011. Hudson is like a fine wine that keeps on getting better with age! You may expect a little regression as his .253 BABIP was the majors’ third lowest in 2010. Over his 13 year career, Hudson is 169-89 in 2338 2/3 IP, with a 1567/714 K/BB, 2187 HA, and a 3.41/1.24 ERA/WHIP. Eric Chavez was diagnosed with a small fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot. In other words, he broke his left pinkie toe. Chavez suffered the injury while legging out a triple during Thursday's game against the Tigers. It's not yet clear how much time he'll need to miss, but I’m honestly surprised it's taken him this long to avoid injury. Chavez was only able to play in 64 games over the last 3 seasons while being paid handsomely by the Oakland A’s. A first-round pick in 1996, Chavez became a cornerstone as the A's made five postseason appearances over a seven-year span beginning in 2000. His 230 homers rank sixth in franchise history. He ranks second in Oakland history in doubles (282) and fourth in RBIs (787) and runs (730). Chavez's six consecutive Gold Gloves at third base from 2001-06 are surpassed only by Baltimore's Brooks Robinson, who won 16 straight from 1960-75. The six-yr/$66-mil deal Chavez signed in March 2004 was the richest in franchise history, a fact magnified in following years as back, shoulder, forearm and neck injuries kept him sidelined. He signed a $1.5-mil base salary with the Yankees in February and batted .405 this spring in 42 AB. So far, in 17 games for the Yankees, Chavez is 10 for 33 (.303) with 5 R, 6 RBI, a 3/6 K/BB, and an .834 OPS. When rostering Chavez, always have a Plan-B and even a Plan-C readily available. This is the latest update on Chavez: Yankees placed 3B Eric Chavez on the 15-day disabled list with a broken bone in his left foot. Chavez suffered a small fracture of his fifth metatarsal on Thursday and is going to be out for over a month while in recovery mode. The situation will likely mean more playing time at the hot corner for Alex Rodriguez, which is both a good and bad thing for fantasy owners. I worry that A-Rod may get hurt or simply worn down.

May 6, 2011: This year James Loney has been like a refugee from a rumage sale!

The silver lining is that in Yovani Gallardo’s case, his velocity appears to be just fine. According to Brooks Baseball, he averaged 92.94 mph on his fastball last night, which is actually higher than his average velocity from last season. He has averaged right around 92 mph over his first seven starts. Gallardo's strikeouts are down this season (6.53 K/9 compared to 9.73 K/9 last season), although he fanned 22 batters over his last 21 1/3 innings. The interesting part for me is that his swinging strike percentage is down significantly (7.1 percent compared to 8.6 percent for his career) and has never been considered elite in the first place. I'm hoping this is just a situation where his unlucky batting average on balls in play is the main culprit, but it's clearly not the only reason for his struggles. Since his April 5 two-hit shut out of the Braves, Gallardo has 5 GS, 26 1/3 IP, 44 HA, a 24/12 K/BB and a God-awful 8.89/2.13 ERA/WHIP. In all 5 of those GS, Gallardo has given up at least 4 ER. Now might be a good time to buy low on Gallardo while his owner is still upset! He’s throwing a lot of pitches over his last few starts and going to a lot of 3-2 counts. In his last 2 seasons Gallardo has 404 K’s in 370 2/3 IP, and 27 W. He’s also given up 328 H and, worse yet, 169 BB. His second half last year could have been a precursor to this season when he had a 5.77/1.53 ERA/WHIP in 73 IP. Opposing hitters batted .291 vs Gallardo during that time! It’s hard to say that when you trade a guy that’s been 30-35% of your team’s offense the past 5 seasons, that you got the better end of the trade. But that could be what’s happening with SD. The club felt that they had to trade Adrian Gonzalez for financial purposes and one of the prospects they received from the Red Sox was 21 year old 1B, Anthony Rizzo. He’s currently tearing up Triple-A with a .402 BA in 107 AB, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 26 R, 4 SB, a 21/11 K/BB and a 1.215 OPS. In 2010, between A/AA, Rizzo batted .260 in 531 AB with 25 HR, 100 RBI, 92 R, 10 SB, 42 doubles, and a 132/61 K/BB. That included an .815 OPS and 20 HR in 414 AB in Double-A. Keep an eye out for him in NL-only as he may be making his major league debut before the summer is over. When looking at Brandon Beachy coming into your 2011 drafts, it's that "top prospect" label that throws a wrench in everything. Beachy wasn't one. He wasn't even a sort-of prospect before last season, when he suddenly became Greg Maddux of the minor leagues with a 1.73 ERA between Double- and Triple-A. No one really heard much about him until after the ’10 All-Star break.  Granted, he was a reliever for part of the season, but he was just as effective when moved to the starting rotation. And when he didn't embarrass himself in three major-league starts last September, the scouts had to acknowledge he might be a viable option in the Braves rotation. Still he had to get past top prospect Mike Minor this spring and the Braves thought enough of Beachy to send Minor packing to the minors. Beachy did start 13 games in 2010 and, in 120 IP, had a 1.00 WHIP, 92 HA, and a pretty good 148/28 K/BB. Part of the problem this year has been that he only has 1 W to show for his 6 GS for the Braves, thanks to poor run support and some bad luck. But in his last 3 GS, Beachy has 19 IP with only 8 HA, and a 19/3 K/BB. For the season he has an 0.99 WHIP in 36 1/3 IP. I would be an investor at this point.

May 5, 2011: Brandon Beachy may just be NL Rookie of the Year so far!

I might be that idiot that you guys are talking about that spent $25 on Dempster. I'm also the same idiot that spent $24 on Chad Billingsley in the same league to go with holdovers Jonathan Sanchez, Anibal Sanchez, and Wandy Rodriguez. So I know Dickens' statement in A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!" Dempster, at least so far, has only seen the worst of times. He hasn't given up less than 4 ER in any of his 6 GS, giving up 4 twice, 5 and 6 once each, and 7 twice. Hard to believe he's the same guy who had 208 K's, 15 W, and a 3.85 ERA in 215 1/3 IP in 2010. Or, should I say, it's hard to believe that I'm the same fantasy owner in that league! By the way, both my 5.07 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in that league is good for one point each! I am writing this before the, ironically, Dempster/Billingsley match-up. Of course the real drama is not if Dempster can get out of the second inning but if Andre Ethier can keep his hitting streak alive. It has now reached 28 games or exactly half of Joe DiMaggio. He just broke a tie with Duke Snider and Joe “Ducky” Medwick for second place on the all-time Dodger hitting streak. Medwick was the last NL player to have a Triple Crown season back in '37. He hit 31 HR, had 154 RBI and batted .374. He also had 237 H, 111 R, 56 doubles, 10 triples, a 50/41 K/BB, and a 1.056 OPS. A little Medwick history shows that he holds the major league record for consecutive seasons with 40 or more doubles, set from 1933 through 1939. He was a 10-time All-Star in 17 major league seasons and ended up with a .324 BA, 2471 H, 205 HR, and 1383 RBI. It's good company for Ethier as he goes for the Dodger record of 31 consecutive games hit by Willie Davis. Well we now know how the game turned out for all parties mentioned. Ryan Dempster shook off some early control woes to limit the Dodgers to one run in seven innings on Tuesday. Dempster, who gave up seven runs in one-third of an inning last time out, walked the first two batters he faced on eight pitches, suggesting another horrible meltdown might be on the way. However, he recovered in tremendous fashion, going the entire rest of his outing without another walk. He struck out five and lowered his ERA from 9.58 to 8.05. NL-only leaguers who benched him will want him active for his next start. Chad Billingsley yielded one run in seven innings and struck out eight Tuesday against the Cubs. As has been a problem throughout his career, Billingsley didn't get much help tonight, as the Dodgers scored just one run in the game. That gave Billingsley his fourth no-decision in his last five starts. He's 2-1 with a 3.92 ERA. And Andre Ethier had 1 hit in 4 AB to extend his hit streak to 29 games. Shelby Miller, who turned 20 after the 2010 season, was named the Cardinals' Minor League pitcher of the year for his superb first full professional season. In 24 starts at Class A Quad Cities, he went 7-5 with a 3.62/1.25 ERA/WHIP and a marvelous 140/33 K/BB in 104 1/3 innings pitched. He capped the year with a brilliant showing in Quad Cities' playoff opener. He pitched seven innings in a 4-0 win, striking out 13 against one walk and two hits. Miller needs to work on his curveball before the team promotes him to Double-A Springfield, according to Class A Palm Beach pitching coach Dennis Martinez. Miller is lighting it up in Class A with 42 strikeouts in 28 innings. Miller is reluctant to throw the curveball when trailing in the count because he has had limited success with it, and the team has played a number of close games. If Miller progresses at the rate he’s going, his ETA for the Cards could be the middle of the 2012 season. Keeper leagues take note!

May 4, 2011: My foreign policy is mostly domestic!

Josh Johnson's bounty shouldn't be a surprise to any fantasy owner. In 61 GS the past 2 seasons, Johnson has a 377/106 K/BB in 392 2/3 IP, with 339 HA, and a 2.80/1.13 ERA. Of course he's been even better so far on this young season with 41 IP over 6 GS (6 QS), with an 0.88/0.71 ERA/WHIP, 18 HA, and a 39/11 K/BB. Any fantasy owner that's lucky enough to own Johnson has really reaped the benefits of a great season, that's for sure. He did fade a bit in August 2010 and was shut down in Sept. That's my only proviso on Johnson is his injury risk! His 209 IP in 2009 were his career high as were his 15 W. He's certainly a Cy Young candidate every year if he can just avoid the injury bug. In your leagues, just ride him out because he's a legit #1 SP in the NL. Miguel Olivo become something of an iron man for the Mariners, reports MLB.com. Olivo caught on Sunday against the Red Sox for his seventh straight game, including six straight days. Manager Eric Wedge had planned for him to take off Sunday originally. "I guess I lied to you guys," Wedge told reporters after penciling in Olivo again. "With the day off last Monday and again tomorrow, he wanted it. He's earned it. So we got him back in there. He's playing with energy and life." Olivo has played every day and has done well for the Mariners. Olivo has been batting cleanup for the team and has gone 8 for 24 (.333) with seven runs scored, four RBI and two homers since moving to the No. 4 spot around a week ago. Olivo is happy to work every day and has become a solid start in mixed fantasy leagues at a thin position.  Olivo is what he is, a guy that doesn’t believe in the free pass as evidenced by his career .282 OBP and his 825/130 K/BB in 2963 AB. Over the last 5 seasons Olivo has averaged 16 HR and 56 RBI which are good numbers for a catcher. You could do worse in your AL-only. Dodgers optioned RHP Kenley Jansen to Triple-A Albuquerque. Though he's struck out a whopping 22 batters over 13 1/3 innings -- good for a 14.9 K/9 mark -- he's also walked eight and allowed 11 runs. Despite the disappointing start, Jansen should be back up with the Dodgers before long and we still think he'll be a force in their bullpen. He was just too good of a reliever at the end of the '10 season. Jansen, who was a catcher in the Dodger organization from 2005-2008, had a 41/15 K/BB in 27 IP for the big club in 2010. He was greedy with the hits giving up 12, with an 0.67 WHIP, and 4 SV. The Dodgers also activated Hong Chi Kuo form the D.L. He didn't fare to well in rehab allowing 6 hits and a walk and 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings. He may eventually get the closer job from Broxton but not off Sunday’s numbers of 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 2 HA, and a 1/1 K/BB. For the season Kuo is at a 5/5 K/BB after going 73/18 with an unbelievable 29 HA in 60 IP. Of course I kept Kuo for $10 in my $360-NL. That actually became a good thing because when I reserved Kuo, I picked up Jason Marquis, who’s been my best pitcher. But you know that too shall pass!

May 3, 2011: Not that any day isn't but today is an especially good day to be an American!

At the end of the past week, my wife said something interesting. It was only 3 words (no, not those 3 words) but got me to thinking. She told me, “Don’t insult heroes!” This must’ve been a direct result of when we were driving on a very windy day last week and there was a garbage pail in the middle of the road. I told my wife that I would like to be a “hero” and move the pail so no one hit it. But my wife told me to keep driving, that someone else would get it. And then at the supermarket, I have to take the shopping carts that are left by people in the parking spaces and put them where they belong. My wife tells me that they pay people to do that job! And it’s prophetic that on a weekend when our own Navy Seals stormed a Pakistani compound and killed the reviled Osama Bin-Laden, that I was never a hero. It all goes back to the day in seventh grade English class when our teacher, Frank DeCarlo, asked us what we wanted to be doing when we were 30. First of all, from a 12 year old’s perspective, 30 seems like a lifetime away. I was the only kid in the class without an answer to that query. I think back now and say to myself that I should have said that I wanted to be a hero! Maybe my life wouldn’t have taken all these twists and turns, some good and some not-so-good. I’ve been relegated to caddying at a country club where I worked as a kid back in the early 70’s. Most of them are long gone but I did caddy for a guy named Gabe DiLorenzo in 3 club championships. He’s 93 now, mind as sharp as a tack and, on the Men’s Opening Day for the club, he remembered me. He said, “Georgie, help me to the locker room!” It was back at this club that I met a real hero, a 32 year old caddy named Jeff Walsh, a former marine (no such thing as a former marine) and real good guy who spent 6 months in a military hospital after almost getting his knee blown off! This young man has actually taught me a lot about humility in the short 2 months that I’ve known him. As I was walking 36 holes on Sunday, carrying 2 bags the whole way, I had time to think about this whole hero thing. And then Monday morning we hear the waited news of the death of Bin-Laden at the hands of the real heroes. Because that Sunday afternoon when I was out on my second “loop,” one of the guys I was caddying for kept getting mad at his erratic play (he had a 115 with cheating) and I reminded him that he was lucky to be living the dream of having money to provide for his family and having a dope like me to carry his golf bag. He looked at me funny but knew I was talking about this thing called “perspective.” Because back on August 9, 2000, when I had two SP’s in my AL-only go on national TV in different games by the names of Jamie Moyer and Kevin Appier, I knew or thought I knew the depths of dispair. These two warriors who were hailed by the announcers as stalwarts and gamers for staying the course could only muster 7 1/3 IP between them. By the way, they combined for 20 HA, 21 ER, a 4/8 K/BB, 190 pitches and 5 HRA. I remember throwing the remote at the TV and more than once. But now I just put it all in perspective. I’m actually in last place in two of my 5 leagues. But, you know what? I’m not going to sweat it. I’m going to hope that injured guys become “uninjured” and that slumping guys start hitting/pitching. Because, when all is said and done, it’s about the fun of it! And, if the truth be told, I’m as far from a hero as humanly possible. Just ask my wife! But it doesn’t mean that I’ll stop trying!

May 2, 2011: The old Busch Stadium held in the heat pretty well!

The Minnesota Twins called up OF Rene Tosoni to take the roster space created when they placed Delmon Young on 15-day DL. The 24-year-old Tosoni missed most of the 2010 season with a torn labrum playing 52 games and hitting .270 in 185 AB. But in 2009 Tosoni was the MVP of the Futures Games and had a solid season of production, hitting .274/.364/.460 with 25 doubles and 15 home runs. Tosoni is a solid defensive player and runs reasonably well despite not having plus speed. He has some nice athleticism and can play all three OF spots, though he is a bit of a stretch in CF. Tosoni isn't a guy with tons of standout tools, but he does everything reasonably well and has the potential to be solid 4th OF. For now he will fill in for Delmon Young, but don't look for that type of production. He also hit .286 in 28 Spring Training games with the Twins. Tosoni got a hit in his first big league at-bat, lacing a single into right field in the third inning off Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. He also added his first RBI with a single in the seventh inning and finished 2-for-4 in Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader. In his first foray into Triple-A in 2011, Tosoni batted .286 in 70 AB with 3 HR and 16 RBI, 7 R, 2 SB, and a 12/5 K/BB. In 302 games overall in the minors, Tosoni is 305 for 1073 (.284) with an .821 OPS, 182 R, 27 HR, 165 RBI, 29 SB (18 CS) and a 243/128 K/BB. He was a 36^th round pick by the Twins in the 2005 draft. Brandon League earned his seventh save of the season Saturday in a 2-0 win over the Red Sox. League is now seven-for-seven in save opportunities this season and is sporting a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 11 innings of work. With David Aardsma (hip) still rehabbing at Triple-A Tacoma, the 28-year-old League continues to carry major value in fantasy leagues. League needed just seven pitches, throwing five for strikes. He has worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings over his past six appearances. Sometimes it’s all about opportunity! League had 9 W and 6 SV in 2010 with a 3.42/1.19 ERA/WHIP, 67 HA, and a 56/27 K/BB in 79 IP. League was drafted #169 in my straight draft-AL while I took Matt Thornton (currently 0 SV) with pick #53. Thornton’s great season consists of 8 1/3 IP, an 8.64/2.52 ERA/WHIP, 15 HA, a 10/6 K/BB, and 4 BS. Not my best pick ever! Alex White held the Tigers to two runs over six innings Saturday in his major league debut. White left to a 2-2 tie after throwing 109 pitches and striking out four batters. The righty looked shaky at times but sharp at others and is likely to draw a couple more starts while Carlos Carrasco recovers from an elbow injury. White, 22, deserves monitoring in AL-only leagues. Aside from the two long balls (he gave up HR’s to Miguel Cabrera and Ryan Raburn in the fourth inning), the first-round selection (15^th overall pick) in the 2009 MLB draft kept the ball on the ground and registered 11 groundball outs compared to three flyouts. White has the opportunity to stick in the rotation with injuries to Carrasco and Mitch Talbot. Fantasy owners should consider him a decent SP option in AL-only formats, especially keeper leagues, if he earns another start. Keep an eye on this one. He thrives with his explosive, 87-95 mph groundball-inducing fastball to set up a hard slider that gets swings and misses. Both his heater and slider are dominant offerings. White mixes in a solid-average change-of-pace offering with splitter-like action. Pitch efficiency and command need to be enhanced in order for him to sit atop the Indians rotation. In other words, White needs to work on improving his ancillary pitches! With his hot start in '11, White may have quieted those who believe the bullpen is his best option. White had 4 GS at Triple-A this season before getting the call and, in 23 2/3 IP, held a 1.90/1.01 ERA/WHIP, 19 HA, and a 28/5 K/BB.

May 1, 2011: Sam "May Day" Malone was the best RP in Boston Red Sox history!

The particulars of D.B. Cooper's clever airborne crime and daredevil getaway have been pondered, picked over and recapitulated for three decades now. In 1971, D.B. Cooper hijacked and threatened to blow up an airliner, extorted $200,000 from its owner, Northwest Orient, then leaped from the airborne 727 with 21 pounds of $20 bills strapped to his torso. He was never seen again—dead or alive. The crime was perfect if he lived, perfectly crazy if he didn't. Another D. Cooper has surfaced, this one a young 1B/DH in the Blue Jays organization. The Blue Jays will call up first base prospect David Cooper before Friday's game. Cooper, 24, was selected in the first round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft and has climbed steadily through the Jays' farm system. He is currently batting .395/.438/.617 with two home runs and 19 RBI through 89 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas. The Blue Jays will give him looks at first base and DH. Cooper showed solid power in the past and hit a career high 20 home runs in 2010, but he's failed to hit for much in the way of average. In 2009 Cooper hit .258/.340/.389 and in 2010 he hit .257/.327/.442 - not exactly what you would expect from a former 1st rounder. This year, however, Cooper is off to a very fast start, going 32-for-81 with 12 doubles, 2 home runs, 19 RBI, and a 6/7 K/BB and posting an OPS of 1.055. With Travis Snider being sent to Triple-A by the big club, Cooper should see some time. If your AL-only team needs a boost of power, fell free to give Cooper a try. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said Travis Snider was sent down mainly to make adjustments with his swing. Anthopoulos added that Snider had already been working on the changes at the major league level, but with a .181/.277/.265 batting line over his first 95 plate appearances, they simply couldn't wait any longer. The GM said Snider needs to get back on track so that he's "not a 7-8-9-hole bat." Hopefully the adjustment can be made, because Snider is too talented to be underachieving like this. And, hopefully, we’ll be seeing this Cooper again! The Angels recalled the 22-year-old infielder Alexi Amarista to provide insurance until Maicer Izturis is healthy. Amarista is a terrific athlete in a small package, 5'8" 150 pounds. The left-handed hitter has progressed rapidly through the minors and has batted at least .309 in every season as a pro. Amarista can be a tough out because of his ability to make easy contact and he could become a leadoff hitter if he becomes more selective at the plate. Amarista has a lifetime 173/141 K/BB. He uses the whole field in his approach and has enough strength for gap power. Power isn't his game and likely never will - career high of 5 HR in '10 and a total of 18 HR, 193 RBI, and 269 R. Amarista is a good, aggressive base runner, but his instincts are a tad behind. Amarista has 104 SB in the minors but has been caught 54 times! He possesses a good glove at 2B and an average arm is likely to keep him at that position. He has some experience at SS and CF as well. Amarista has hit everywhere he's been, attested to by a .325 BA and an .842 OPS in 1700+ minor league AB -- and again now by his spot atop all PCL hitters with a .455 BA after 55 AB. Amarista has never been considered a premium prospect, mostly due to his 5'8" stature, average patience and gap power--and while his speed results in good SB totals, he still gets caught too often. He’s a lifetime .425 hitter at Triple-A in 120 AB. I have a feeling that if the Angels give this kid a chance, he will surprise and should be added to AL-only rosters for teams with a mid inf opening. He went 1 for 3 with the Angels on Tuesday night with 3 RBI and followed that up with a 1 for 2 night on Wednesday. With Maicer Izturis apparently back, there may not be a lot of time for Amarista but I would keep an eye on him. If he’s still with the team this weekend, I may put in a small FAAB bid on him and put him in the place of Jack Wilson.

April 30, 2011: Jeff Francoeur is over .300 for the season and we all know that can't happen!

Antonio Bastardo gave up a homer to Chris Young Wednesday night for the first run he’s given up all season. Bastardo has worked his way into a setup role for Ryan Madson while Jose Contreras is sidelined. He had a streak of 9 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season. He has an excellent 16/4 K/BB ratio in 10 1/3 innings, with an 0.87/0.77 ERA/WHIP and only 4 HA thus far and has been proving he can get both lefties and righties out which should mean plenty of work for the lefty. LH hitters are just 1 for 15 against Bastardo with 7 strike outs. Bastardo does have a history of arm problems so he'll have to be managed carefully if the Phillies want to keep him healthy. But he’s a guy to keep an eye on for some vulture saves especially against a team loaded with left handed hitters. At Triple-A in 2010, Bastardo had a 33/6 K/BB in 20 IP and in 18 2/3 IP with the Phils went 26/9 in 18 2/3 IP. There’s no doubt that Bastardo is having a fine season but SV opps are likely to be sporadic and match-up dependent. Still, with the nagative comments that Phillies management made about Ryan Madson’s ninth inning work over his career, Bastardo could elbow his way into more meaningful work. Ryan Dempster suffered through an epic meltdown Thursday, giving up seven runs in one-third of an inning against the Diamondbacks. It was 4-0 after four batters, as cleanup man Stephen Drew hit a grand slam in the first. Dempster then got Miguel Montero to ground out, but he walked the next three batters and gave up a pair of singles before finally being removed. Dempster's velocity never reached 90 mph during his first inning beating Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. But Dempster says nothing is physically wrong. "I feel good," he said. Dempster has now allowed 33 earned runs in 31 IP for the season. He's struck out 29, but with nine homers and 16 walks allowed, he can't blame his luck. If he gets his slider back, he will turn it around. However, he's lost right now and he can't be used in fantasy leagues. My ERA/WHIP in the $260-NL that I own Dempster in now sits at 5.38/1.51 and, yes, I’m in last place in both categories. By the way, this was the shortest GS of Dempster’s 266 start career. Dempster was, at one time, the closer for the Cubs, averaging 28 SV/season from 2005-2007. Put back in the starting rotation in 2008, Dempster has a 567/227 K/BB, 568 HA, and a 3.49/1.28 ERA/WHIP since. But if he can’t get his velocity back, he won’t approach those numbers in 2011. I would bench him, if you can, in your NL-only and he shouldn’t be used in mixed leagues right now. Bryce Harper just turned 18 years old in November but he’s hitting down in A-Ball like someone a few years older. He’s currently 20 for 62 (.323) with 5 HR, 18 RBI, 14 R, 4 SB, a 17/11 K/BB and a 1.070 OPS. He may get a few AB in Triple-A before the season is over and may even be a Sept call-up with the Nationals.

April 29, 2011: Ben Zobrist leads the AL in RBI with 25!

Carl Everett, another baseball bad boy and outcast, got arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after putting a gun to his wife's head. If I were his wife I may have wanted him to pull the trigger! These guys never learn. Everett — who spent 14 seasons in the major leagues, hit 202 home runs and was a two-time All-Star — has problems with alcohol and is suffering from depression about the end of his career, his attorney said. "Not to make excuses, but Mr. Everett is going through alcohol issues coming out of professional baseball," lawyer Grady Irvin Jr. told Heinrich. "He needs counseling, without doubt, and we have a plan to get him help." Linda Everett said it was important for her husband to get out of jail because "we have three children, and totally, Carl has six kids — five here and a young kid in Dallas. He needs help to be a father to his children." During an argument, Everett pointed a silver handgun at his wife's head and then pressed it against the side of her head, a sheriff's office report states. When his wife tried calling 911, he broke the phone. Everett did the same thing when his wife tried calling 911 from another phone, the report states. In 1999 for the Astros, Everett had 25 HR, 108 RBI, 86 R, 27 SB, a .325 BA, and a .962 OPS. He followed that up in 2000 for the Red Sox with 34 HR, 108 RBI, 82 R, 11 SB, a .300 BA, and a .954 OPS. Against what I thought was right, the Mariners signed Everett to a $4-mil deal the previous off-season but released him in July after he hit .227 in 308 AB with 11 HR, 33 RBI, and 37 R. He hasn’t appeared on the big league scene since! Should I be saying at this point in time, “Why the hell did I spend $57 on Roy Oswalt in my $360-NL. I mean, after he came over from the Astros to the Phillies, Oswalt had 12 GS, 82 2/3 IP, only 53 HA, a 73/21 K/BB, and a 1.74/0.90 ERA/WHIP. He seemed like money in the bank! He started out 3-0 but only completed 6 IP in each of his first 4 GS, leaving one with a balky back. In his last GS, Oswalt lasted just 3 innings and then left the team to attend to a personal family issue. Oswalt went home to Mississippi to check on the devastating storms that struck the area of his family and home. "There has been a tremendous amount of tornado activity near Roy's home in Mississippi resulting in several tragic deaths and significant devastation to the area," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "Because of this, Roy is concerned about his family's well-being. He has chosen to take time to make sure there wasn't significant damage to his home, but more importantly, to make certain that his wife and children are OK. It is almost a year to the day that his parents' home was destroyed by a tornado, which has heightened his concern about the current situation. We are hopeful that he will rejoin the team for his next start, but will take that day by day." Amaro also said that the back spasms that plagued Oswalt two starts ago did not factor in his poor outing Tuesday. Hopefully his family and home are OK and he will be a ble to make his next start. Oswalt’s been pretty durable over his career, making at least 30 GS for the past 7 seasons. Overall, he’s 153-84 in 2042 IP, with a 3.18/1.18 ERA/WHIP, 1939 HA, and a 1687/474 K/BB. If you try to move him now, you will only get nickels on the dollar. The best thing to do now, in your NL-only, is to hold on and hope for the best. As is my bent, I always hope for the best but expect the worst!

April 28, 2011: HOLDS are a meaningless stat in baseball!

It seems that every Red Sox starter is finding a groove except Clay Buchholz, who has allowed six homers and is walking 6.2 batters per nine innings. He allowed just nine homers all season in 2010 while averaging 3.5 walks per nine. "It seemed like I never gave up home runs last season," Buchholz said. "I don't think it's one of those things. I think I need to do a better job of keeping the ball down. That would help." Cutting down on the walks would help Buchholz to go deeper in games -- he hasn't made it to the sixth inning in three of his last 4 starts. In his 5 GS, he’s gone 27 IP with a 5.33/1.85 ERA/WHIP, 34 HA, and a 15/16 K/BB. Outwardly his 2010 season looked great with a 2.33/1.21 and 142 HA in 173 2/3 IP. In fact he finished second in the AL in ERA and made his first All-Star team. He missed almost a month of 2010 with a strained hamstring he sustained while running the bases. But there were chinks on the armor as his K/BB wasn’t the best at 120/67. In fact, his K/9 has gone down the past 4 seasons. His .263 BABIP was the AL’s third lowest mark and one that’s likely to regress. And his mediocre K rate and other peripherals suggest that his ERA could rise by as much as a run and a half. I have to admit that I was staying away from Buchholz in drafts this season. He did go #19 in my AL-straight draft (Haren went #20, Scherzer #21). He was kept in my $260-AL for $12. If I owned him in my AL I would hope for a run of decent starts and then try to get something that I need for him! Before his 12 H and 4 ER in 6 2/3 IP (a season high) outing vs the O’s on Tuesday night, Buchholz had a 5-2 record in 8 GS, a 3.17 ERA and his only 2 CG shut outs of his career against Baltimore. That includes a no-hitter in his first GS back on Sept 1, 2007. Tread carefully with Buchholz! As expected Xavier Paul didn’t make it through waivers and is now a Pirate, following in the footsteps of some of the great Dodgers, Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young. The Pirates generally pick near the top of the waiver list so this sounds like Paul didn’t get that far down the list. Sad to see him be lost for nothing if you’re a Dodger fan, though I’ll admit that neither Young nor LaRoche really worked out there. Like you say, Bowker and Pearce may be similar but I think that Paul has a bit more upside. He’s just never gotten regular AB’s in the majors. I wonder if that’s the end of Garrett Jones’ stay in Pittsburgh as Paul is also a LH hitter! Paul last cracked a Baseball America handbook prior to the 2010 season, at which point he was rated a couple of spots ahead of Sands at 23rd among Dodgers prospects.  B.A. praised Paul's raw talent, but said he doesn't have enough power to compensate for his strikeouts.  He's a good defender with plus speed. Like you say, the Pirates have a glut of guys that can play the OF, though one of them will be gone when Paul reports. With Tabata and McCutchen entrenched in 2 of the OF spots, it’s hard to see Paul having a lot of value.

April 27, 2011: The best hitter in my church league was Kevin Eucharist!

An injury to Jose Contreras has resulted in the promotion of the 24-year-old, Michael C. Stutes, from Triple-A. Stutes, a strong and durable reliever, was originally a starter upon his selection in the 11th round of the '08 draft. The Phillies converted him to the bullpen in '10, and he has found a niche. He throws harder in short stints and can get his fastball into the 88-94 mph range. His slider may be his best pitch and he's able to register strikeouts with it. He also uses an average curveball and changeup in his arsenal. Because of his pitch inefficiency, Stutes will likely stay in the bullpen.  He should be thrown into late-game situations while pitching out of the pen. He was impressive in spring training and gave up two earned runs in 10 innings while striking out 14 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year. His great spring saw the RH Stutes go 11 IP, 4 HA, 1 ER, and a 14/2 K/BB. Stutes’ career minor league numbers include a 22-11 record in 291 2/3 IP, 240 HA, a 3.36/1.27 ERA/WHIP, and a 272/131 K/BB. He opened enough eyes this spring for the Phillies to put himself on the map and is a guy that I would try to invest him for your deep NL-only. All some guys need is the chance. I have a feeling that Stutes will be in the SV mix for the Phillies before long so please keep an eye on him. Jose Bautista continued to be impossible to retire against the Rangers on Monday night, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks in a 6-4 Blue Jays victory. He walked 2 more times on Tuesday giving him 6 walks in the past 3 games. Bautista has now reached base an absurd 17 times in his past five games, hitting 4 HR in the process. Forget one-year wonder, it's now an actual possibility that Bautista is emerging as the best hitter in the American League. It sounds preposterous, but the numbers are simply too staggering to ignore. He’s started 2011 with a .364 BA in 69 AB, 8 HR, 11 RBI, 22 R, 2 SB, a 16/23 K/BB and a 1.305 OPS. I know, I can’t explain it either. As we all know, Bautista came into the 2010 season with a .238 career BA and 59 HR in 1754 AB. All he did in 2010 is a .260 BA in 569 AB with 54 HR, 124 RBI, 109 R, 9 SB, a 116/100 K/BB, and a .988 OPS. He’s been even better this year! Jered Weaver was fantastic Monday, tossing a complete game shutout against the A's. Weaver allowed just seven hits and had a 10/1 K/BB in yet another dominant performance. He's now 6-0 with a 0.99/0.79 ERA/WHIP,  and a 49/10 K/BB ratio over six starts this season.  He is also the first pitcher in baseball history to have 6 W as early as April 25. We’ll know in his next few GS if it was wise to have Weaver pitch the ninth inning in a 5-0 game. He threw 114 pitches which is right at his average for 2011. Last season Weaver averaged 108 pitches/game. He came into his own in 2010 leading the AL in K’s with 233 against 54 BB in 224 1/3 IP. Weaver had a 3.01/1.07 ERA/WHIP and 187 HA. Weaver and Danny Haren make a great 1-2 for the Angels, if only they can start hitting. Currently the Angels are hitting .250 with a .713 OPS. The pitching, as you might expect, has been good with a 3.02/1.19 ERA/WHIP in 217 2/3 IP. I still have the Angels battling the Rangers for the AL-West crown. They are presently 2 games behind Texas.

April 26, 2011: Jerry Sands could be this year's version of Jason Heyward!

Jonathan Papelbon is trying to put the “misery” of last season behind him. He had a 8 blown SV and a career worst 3.90 ERA as the Red Sox failed to make the post-season, coming in third in the AL-East. It’s been a different story for Papelbon in 2011 as he’s a perfect 5 for 5 in SV and has an 11/2 K/BB in 8 1/3 IP. The Red Sox, who lost 10 of their first 12 games are now 10-11 and Papelbon is a big reason why. Papelbon was originally a SP in the Red Sox chain and even had a 153/43 K/BB in the Florida State League in 2004. He had 129 2/3 IP with 97 HA and a 2.64/1.08 ERA/WHIP. Between AA/AAA the next season, Papelbon went 115 2/3 IP with a 110/26 K/BB, 80 HA and a 2.59/0.92 ERA/WHIP. He became the team’s closer in 2006 and, in the last 5 season has averaged a shade under 38 SV/season. He did go for $32 in my $260-AL. Otis Nixon shares the single game stolen base Major League record with 6 on June 16, 1991. He also holds the Atlanta Braves single season record for stolen bases with 72 in 1991. In 1982, Nixon stole 107 bases in a combined season between the AA level Nashville Sounds and the AAA level Columbus Clippers. In the minor leagues, Nixon led the league twice in stolen bases (1980 in theSouth Atlantic League with 67 & 1983 in the International League with 94), runs scored (1980 in the South Atlantic League with 124 & 1983 in the International League with 129, hits (162 in 1983 in the International League), at bats (557 in 1983 in the International League) and walks (57 in 1979 in the Appalachian League, 113 in 1980 in the South Atlantic League and 110 in 1981 in the Southern League). He started out as an infielder but was switched to outfield in 1983 due to his superior speed and his penchant for making errors (56 in 127 games in 1981 at shortstop for the Nashville Sounds). Nixon was only one of 2 men to have at least 50 SB with 4 different teams (Juan Pierre is the other) with the Expos (50) in 1990, Braves (72) 1991, Rangers (50) 1995, and the Blue Jays (54) 1996. Nixon stole 620 bases, had a 694/585 K/BB, a .270 BA in 5115 AB, 878 R, 1379 H, 11 HR, 318 RBI, and a .658 OPS. Nixon was somewhat of a late bloomer as he accrued only 650 major league AB before the age of 30. Nixon battled a cocaine habit for much of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1987 while a member of the Cleveland Indians organization. Nixon failed a drug test in September 1991 and was suspended for 60 days, which caused Nixon to miss the 1991 World Series. Nixon ended the 1992 World Series by making an out trying to bunt his way on base, the only time in baseball history that a Series ended on a bunt. The placement of Angel Pagan on the disabled list has resulted in the promotion of the 27-year-old LH hitter, Jason Pridie, who last appeared in the majors in '09. Pridie earned four AB with the Twins over 11 games between '08 and '09 and is now in his third organization. He was a second round pick of the Rays in '02, but has never developed into the power/speed player many expected of him. Pridie displays plenty of athleticism and outstanding defense, but his approach has held him back from adding value with the bat. He has very good speed which enhances his CF range and defense while his strong arm is also an asset. To play in the Mets’ OF between Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran, you need to be able to get the ball! Pridie's plate discipline and free-swinging ways have hindered his BA, though he has the strength for moderate pop. His prospect status may be long gone, but he could find a role off the bench. He is a career .275/.319/.422 hitter in the minors. Pridie has started his first 3 games for the Mets and the Mets are 3-0. On Sunday, he hit his first major-league HR and is now 2 for 11. As long as they keep winning, the Mets will run him out there until Pagan comes back. In your deep NL-only, you may want to investigate.

April 25, 2011: Juan Pierre has 50 or more SB in a season for 4 different teams!

Kevin Kouzmanoff homered and drove in four runs Saturday as the A's exploded for nine runs in a rout of the Mariners. Kouzmanoff had an RBI single in the fourth and then completely broke the game open with a three-run homer off rookie Josh Lueke in the sixth. It's worth noting that both of his homers this year have come off mediocre middle relievers, but at least it's a start. He's now hitting .226 with 9 RBI, 6 R, and 13 K in 59 AB. I don’t know what’s more surprising, the HR or the fact that the A’s scored 9 R in a game! Maybe he'll even draw his first walk of the season before much longer. (Ask an you shall receive. He did garner his first BB last night). His 4 full seasons in the majors include a 435/106 K/BB. Kouzmanoff did enter the majors with a bang, hitting a grand slam on the first pitch he saw on Sept 2, 2006 off Texas SP Edinson Volquez. I’m the owner of Kouzmanoff in my $260-AL but he shouldn’t be used in mixed league. My AL team is so bad that I have to use him! Ryan Roberts has started 8 consecutive games for the D’Backs at 3B for the injured Melvin Mora and it may be tough to get him out of the line-up when all is said and done. Roberts had only 66 AB for ARI in 2010 and did not seem to factor much into the Diamondbacks' plans in 2011. Roberts did, however, see 305 AB with ARI in 2009, and he displayed decent walk and contact rates. Thus, there are some skills there, and due to Mora's slow start and injury problems it would not be surprising for Roberts to continue to chip away at Mora's playing time. After all, Mora is 39 years old and has produced mediocre stats for the past two seasons, so a continued hot streak by Roberts could certainly keep Mora on the bench for a little while. I could have kept Mora for $8 in my $360-NL but ended up throwing him back and buying him for $4 in the draft with the news that he was the D’Backs starting 3B. But that seems like a lifetime ago and is a story for another day! Roberts is stroking it at .320 in 50 AB with 4 HR, 13 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB, and an 9/10 K/BB. Darren Oliver, like Old Man River, just seems to be chugging along! Every season is the same, a handful of W’s a good ERA/WHIP and 60 or so K’s. In fact, in his past 5 seasons, the LH Oliver has 352 IP, a 3.07/1.15 ERA/WHIP, 309 HA, and a 289/97 K/BB. It’s hard to remember back to when Oliver was a bad SP. In his second go-round with Texas in 2000-2001, Oliver had a 13-20 record, a 153/107 K/BB, 340 HA, and a 6.60/1.71 ERA/WHIP in 262 IP. It’s like he’s a completely different man nowadays! Darren Oliver earned his first save of the season Saturday in the Rangers' 3-1 win over the Royals. The 40-year-old veteran struck out one and walked zero in a perfect ninth inning. Oliver is expected to see the majority of save opportunities in Texas while Neftali Feliz recovers from shoulder inflammation. So far, so good. That was game #602 for Oliver and only his fourth SV. He had 2 as a rookie in 1994 and 1 in 2010. He’ll be in his mid-60’s by the time he reaches double figures. Currently Oliver has allowed only 4 H in 9 1/3 IP with 2 ER and a 5/0 K/BB.

April 24, 2011: What's the Easter Bunny's favorite music?--Hip Hop!

Rick Ankiel has started the first 18 games for the Nationals in CF. He’s 15 for 68 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 3 SB (his career high is 4), a 13/8 K/BB and a .597 OPS. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Nationals are seeking an upgrade over Ankiel for center field. The Nationals traded Nyjer Morgan to the Brewers at the end of spring training and while they certainly had their reasons at the time, Ankiel just doesn't profile as an everyday player. Roger Bernadina is a possibility, but the Nationals aren't convinced that he can play center field. Meanwhile, Jerry Hairston Jr. is off to a slow start with the bat. There's nothing out there to suggest that the teams are actually talking, but Rosenthal writes that "in a perfect world," the Nationals would be able to acquire Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who comes from the same part of Virginia as Ryan Zimmerman. Upton is off to a slow start but would be an upgrade over Ankiel in CF. For you history buffs, Ankiel came up through the St.Louis system as a SP. He had some success during the regular season of 2000 with an 11-7 record on 30 GS, 175 IP, 137 HA, a 3.50/1.30 ERA/WHIP, and a 194/90 K/BB. But in the post-season of that year Ankiel summoned up the ghost of Steve Blass and in 3 GS, went 4 IP, 5 HA, 7 ER, and a 5/11 K/BB. He had a 7.13/2.08 and a 27/25 K/BB in 24 IP in 2001 and it was back to the minors for Ankiel. He worked hard in his transition to the OF and made it back to the majors in 2007 with 11 HR, 39 RBI and a .285 BA in 172 AB. He followed it up with 25 HR, 71 RBI, and 65 R in 413 AB. With St.Louis, Kansas City, and Atlanta in 2009-2010, Ankiel could only hit .232 with a .298 OBP in 583 AB. On December 20, 2010, he signed a 1 yr/$1.5-mil deal with Washington. He’s a mediocre option in NL-only but I wouldn’t chase after him in mixed leagues! How do you figure some games? There are times in life when things are just too obvious! I mean, on Friday night the scheduled SP’s for the D’Backs/Mets game were Joe Saunders and Mike Pelfrey. In 2011 the 2 have combined for 7 GS, 32 1/3 IP, an 0-4 record, 29 ER, 52 HA, and a 15/20 K/BB. For those of you that don’t want to take the time to figure out the ratios, that comes out to an 8.07/2.23 ERA/WHIP. Those are numbers that would make Jeff Suppan proud! Well, of course, the Saunders/Pelfrey duo combined for 13 IP, 1 W, 2 ER, 7 HA, and an 8/5 K/BB. That’s a 1.38/0.92 ERA/WHIP! And as much as you think you know about this sport of baseball, there’s always a few things, like the 120 day jail term for Lindsey Lohan, the continued popularity of rap “music,” and the thought process behind why Felipe Lopez doesn’t want to hustle down to first base, there are always things that keep you up at night scratching your head! Another thing that I don’t really understand is why Brett Tomko is still drawing a major-league salary. He was called up by the Rangers this week after going 11 2/3 IP at Triple-A, to the tune of a 6.35 ERA and a 6/5 K/BB. He spent 2010 in the minors and, in 62 2/3 IP, Tomko had a 7.18/1.72 ERA/WHIP, 92 HA, and a 50/16 K/BB. Tomko has pitched for 9 teams in the majors and has a 100-102 career record in 1798 1/3 IP, a 4.65/1.37, 1883 HA, and a 1195/572 K/BB. There’s no need to keep an eye on Tomko at this point!

April 23, 2011: If I'm not here tomorrow, rest assured that I'm dead!

Taylor Teagarden, the long time back-up and third catcher for the Rangers was recalled from Triple-A. Teagarden was in 28 games for the Rangers last season. He held a batting average of .155 with four home runs and six runs batted in. The strike out has always been his problem and he did K 34 times in 71 AB last year for Texas. He spent most of 2010 at Double-A and ended up hitting .230 in 226 AB with 30 R, 5 HR, 34 RBI, a 90/27 K/BB and a .667 OPS. Teagarden looked like he would have a better career going by now. Back in ’07 between AA/AAA, Teagarden hit 27 HR, 83 RBI, 94 R, and batted .310 in only 394 AB. In fact, he was called up to the majors in 2008 and batted .319 for the Rangers in 47 AB with 6 HR and 17 RBI. He did K 19 times however. His major league career consists of a .218 BA in 356 AB with 16 HR, 47 RBI, 46 R, a 717 OPS and a terrible 129/27 K/BB. In his six games while in the minors this season, Teagarden was 7-for-18, an average of .389 over six games. He had 2 HR and 4 RBI. He probably won’t see too many starts for Texas unless injuries strike but his presence will allow the Rangers to use Mike Napoli as a DH and back-up at 1B without fear of having no catcher left in case of injury or pinch-hitting. Napoli did hit 26 HR in 453 AB for the Angels in 2010 and already has 3 HR, 5 RBI, and 6 R in only 27 AB, with a 3/7 K/BB and a 1.145 OPS. James Loney is like a guy in Colorado or Texas. His home/road splits are pretty severe! He has 1244 P.A. at home with a .265 BA and .701 OPS. In 1259 P.A. on the road, he has a .303 BA and an .845 OPS. A team like TB that needs a first baseman could buy low on Loney. He’s a tough one to figure out. You know, he'll be 27 in a couple weeks and you would think he'd be entering his prime. He came up with a bang in 2007 with a .331 BA, 15 HR, 67 RBI, and a .920 OPS in only 344 AB. A year ago at this time Texas could have used his services until they found Mitch Moreland down the stretch. It does seem like Loney's LA days are numbered. I feel that Jerry Sands will eventually move to first. The only thing is that Loney's contract is $4.875-mil for this year which is a lot to pay for what Loney has bought to the table since the 2nd half of last year. That bit of adversity came in at .224 with 5 HR, 32 RBI, and 23 R in 277 AB. It's hard to believe that from the ages of 22 to 26, Loney has lost more than 100 points of slugging! It's also hard to get excited about him when you can't even count on the .300 BA or 15 HR. 2011 has been a continuation of struggles for Loney. He's 13 for 76 (.171) with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, and a 13/2 K/BB. It's hard to even recommend buying low on Loney in NL-only as he could be out of the NL in the next few weeks. Depending on where he ends up, he could have a little value.

April 22, 2011: An optimist is an Ethiopian in a dinner jacket!

Angels designated INF Brandon Wood for assignment. The Angels activated Erick Aybar from the disabled list Wednesday, so Wood gets the boot. The former top prospect has a .168 batting average over his first 493 major league plate appearances to go along with an ugly 153/13 K/BB ratio, so he has no business being on a big-league roster right now. He did hit .242 this spring with 4 hr, 13 RBI, and a 16/3 K/BB in 66 AB. It will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him. In 2005 at Double-A, Wood had 51 doubles, 43 HR, 115 RBI, and 109 R in 536 AB while batting .321. Wood has 161 career minor league HR but that largess never translated to the majors as he’s just 78 for 464 (.168) with 11 HR, 33 RBI, 40 R, and 5 SB. He turned 26 years old in March. Time may be running out for this one-time uber-prospect! Wood should draw some interest on the waiver wire, despite his .168/.197/.259 batting line in the big leagues. The Orioles might not be a fit as they reportedly have no interest in him, but he'd make some sense for teams like the Astros, Pirates, Mariners and Dodgers. The latest report that I have on Wood is from USA Today. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Brandon Wood has "zero chance" of clearing waivers. Nightengale reports that Wood is currently drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Pirates. The former first-round pick has a lousy .168 batting average in the big leagues, but has plenty of power potential and is a capable defender at either shortstop or third base. He's still only 26 years old, so somebody will take the chance. The Cleveland Indians have the AL’s best record at 12-5 and part of the reason for that is the great work of closer Chris Perez. He’s presently 6 for 6 in SV opps having given up 2 H in 7 2/3 IP, 0 ER, and a 4/2 K/BB. (Since this was published, Chris Perez blew his first SV vs the Royals last night.) He was traded to the Indians from the Cardinals with RP Jess Todd for Mark DeRosa in July, ’09, and became the Indians closer on the trade of Kerry Wood to the Yankees on July 31, 2010. He finished the season with 23 SV, 63 IP, 40 HA, a 61/28 K/BB, and a 1.71/1.08 ERA/WHIP. I wonder if the Cardinals regret trading Perez as their own closer situation is up in the air! Yes, I did say that Brad Emaus would be the next Dan Uggla. It was funny too how their minor league numbers compared to each other. I also mentioned in passing that Pablo Sandoval would be the NL Player of the Month for Sept 2010. So, what do I know? I guess the Mets couldn't stomach Emaus' .162 start in 37 AB with 1 RBI, 2 R, and a 9/4 K/BB. And 2 for his last 17 was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. I did call that Emaus would be the Met starting 2B after the Rule-5 Draft but now it looks like he'll be returned to the Blue Jays. Other teams could hold the Mets up a bit, knowing that they want to shed salary. I'm just not sure how much Reyes can expect on a new contract this winter. I really don't see him as a $100-mil player but it's not my money. Teams would have to make sure that they can get a full season from the 27 year old also. I think the Mets malaise offensively has taken its hold on not only guys like Reyes and Pagan but Wright as well. It's a long season but, at this point, it looks like a longer season for the Amazins!

April 21, 2011: I'm actually a lesbian trapped in a man's body!

Angel Pagan has reached base just 3 times in his last 25 plate appearances. Pagan was selected early in fantasy drafts this season after a fantastic 2010 campaign, but he's off to a slow start and has looked lost at the plate recently. The center fielder is batting just .175 on the season in 63 AB with 1 HR and six RBI. He does have four SB, 7 R, and an 8/8 K/BB. I don't think it's time to bail on him! He does at least hold value with his speed. I can't see him floundering into May. And I believe that the team has been so bad that Pagan feels he has to do too much instead of just relax. That’s part of the pressure of playing on a big market team like the Mets! I did trade Pagan in a purge of trading 7 or 8 good keepers in my $260-NL league in order to assure 1st place. I also traded for Pagan in my 15-team mixed league for a 16th round pick and did have Pagan on my roster as one of my 7 keepers. Unfortunately, I'm 146 for 738 (.198) in that league and Pagan isn't my only under-achiever. I also have Uribe, Carlos Pena, Dunn, Austin Jackson, Werth, McLouth, and Venable, all hitting around or below the Mendoza Line. In fact, Mario Mendoza himself might be the best hitter on my team right now! Just for good measure, I'm also last in OBP at .297. The guys directly above me in those ratio categories are now at .239 and .310 respectively. I know that early in the season Mets' manager Terry Collins said that the Mets would be aggressive on the base paths which is good news for Pagan. After having 37 SB in 2010, Pagan has 4 so far in '11. Of course the old adage is that you can't steal first! I'm sure that he won't be hitting .175 all season with a .540 OPS either. I believe that now would be a good time to acquire Pagan before he rights the ship! Not only did he bat .290 in 2010 in 579 AB, he also batted .306 in 343 AB in 2009 with 14 SB and 54 R. So there is some history of good hitting and speed. I would love to re-acquire him from my lifelong friend, Stork, but I'm sure he's thinking along the same lines as me! Just a feeling that Pagan wakes up over the next few games. I had proposed a trade on the site this winter, a trade for real baseball, not fantasy, of Jose Reyes to the Red Sox for SP Jon Lester. At the time I thought that it was a trade to fill a need for both clubs. The Red Sox had just signed Carl Crawford and traded for Adrian Gonzalez and I thought that they could use the top of the order SS in Reyes. That way the team could make Marco Scutaro a utility guy. And the Mets certainly could have used a legitimate #1 SP for their rotation in a guy like Lester. They ended up trotting out the over-matched Mike Pelfrey for Opening Day! I think that Mets’ fans are still trying to get over that! Of course it would have taken guts by both teams to do such a high profile trade. But now with the emergence of the ultra-hot Jed Lowrie at short for the Sox, they may have been fortuitous in not doing anything. Lowrie is presently 16 for 31 (.516) with 2 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R, and a 3/2 K/BB. At this rate, he’s going to make Red Sox Nation forget Nomar Garciaparra! Though, as hard as it is to cultivate a great SP like Lester, who had 225 K's each of the last 2 seasons, I feel it is equally as hard to get a SS capable of big SB numbers while scoring over 110 R/season. Before a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Reyes averaged 64.5 SB and 113 R in 4 seasons from 2005-2008. And, he's started the 2011 season on fire. The Mets would do themselves proud getting a legit #1 SP for Reyes. I agree with you that his value will never be higher and the cash-strapped Mets won't go to the $100-mil+ that it would take to keep him.

April 20, 2011: Nothing really matters, anyone can see, nothing really matters to me!

Diamondbacks infielder Willie Bloomquist is also getting far too much attention in fantasy leagues. He did a fine job filling in for Stephen Drew while Drew was sidelined by an abdominal strain, but that's all over. Bloomquist has a .266/.318/.340 career big league batting line and his playing time going forward is going to come in waves. He's an attractive option because he has eligibility at a range of positions, but even the worst players can have nice 12-game stretches. Remember, it's only April 20. But you do get excited about a guy that has 5 SB in his first 5 games. Bloomquist only had 8 SB in 2010 in 83 games but from 2004-2009, he averaged 14.8 SB/season. In his first 12 games of 2011, Bloomquist has a .316 BA in 57 AB with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 7 SB, and a 5/2 K/BB. In trying to ne a “nice guy” I mentioned to the commissioner of my $360-NL that Bloomquist was still available for his last OF spot. And, as Leo Durocher once said, “Nice guys finish last!” Bloomquist shouldn’t be available in NL-only but, if he’s out there, pick him up while he’s still playing. Eduardo Sanchez has fanned eight of the first nine major league hitters that he's faced. An electric start for the 22-year-old youngster, who was called up on April 13. He posted a strong 1.67 ERA and 31/12 K/BB ratio across 27 IP last year at the Triple-A level and is now mowing batters down with ease in the majors. Sanchez probably won't get consideration for the ninth inning this season because of his inexperience, but he's an intriguing talent. This spring Sanchez went 7 IP, with 3 ER, 7 HA, and a 7/2 K/BB. He will, for now, operate in a middle relief role and should be on all NL-only radars. Mitchell Boggs has so far out-performed his past numbers. It seems like a mirage, but he's also new to the bullpen. He could be next in line. Boggs has been fantastic this season and has a closer-like arsenal with a high-90s fastball. He should be the first choice, but it's hard to make assumptions about a roster formed by unpredictable skipper Tony LaRussa. Miguel Batista, for instance, might also get ninth inning looks. Jason Motte is another name worth monitoring. Sanchez, as we said, is an intriguing talent, but LaRussa tends to shy away from youth. Sometimes you just have to go with the hot guy until something better comes along! Boggs ahould have been picked up in all NL formats by now, and keep an eye on his role for mixed leagues. In his first year as a full-time RP last season, Boggs appeared in 61 games, good for 67 1/3 IP, a 3.61/1.30 ERA/WHIP, 60 HA, and a 52/27 K/BB. The walks are a little worrisome as, between 2008-2010, Boggs gave out 82 free passes in 159 1/3 IP. I don’t want to say that he’s seen the light, but in 9 IP in 2011, Boggs has given up 2 ER and 3 H with a 12/3 K/BB. He’s been unscored on in his last 5 1/3 IP with 1 HA and an 8/1 K/BB. I think that one more Ryan Franklin melt-down (or sooner) Boggs may be given the reins to the ninth inning.

April 19, 2011: I'm a man of means by no means; king of the road!

Pirates SP Rudy Owens continued to pitch well for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, reports MLB.com. Owens, one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, moved to 2-0 for Indianapolis with the W Saturday. Owens has allowed just two runs over 13 1/3 IP thus far. "He continues to do what he does -- command his fastball to both sides of the plate, mix his curveball and changeup, get ahead of hitters and keep guys off balance," said director of player development Kyle Stark, who was present for Owens' first start. "He has not shown any fear with Triple-A hitters at this point. He has had an encouraging start." Owens is definitely a candidate for a mid-season call up by the Pirates, especially the way he's been pitching at Triple-A thus far. "He is very effective," Indianapolis infielder Brian Friday said of Owens. "He knows how to pitch. He mixes things up and throws for strikes. Any guy that can do that is tough. He is impressive." When he gets to the Pirates, he'll have some sleeper appeal in NL-only leagues. Until then, however, he only has long-term fantasy appeal. This is his first foray at Triple-A. He spent 2010 in Double-A where, in 150 IP, Owens was 12-6 with a 2.46/0.98 ERA/WHIP, 124 HA, and a 132 /24 K/BB. The LH was even better between A and High-A in 2009 with an 11-2 record, a 2.10/0.94, 100 HA, and a 113/17 K/BB in 124 IP. His total minor league K/BB, including this year is 315/63. Owens has won back-to-back minor league pitcher of the year awards for the Pirates. He remains on my bench in my 15-team mixed league, a league that my team, as we speak, is 132 for 685 (.193). By the way, the owner above me is hitting .238. Maybe I shouldn’t have concentrated on pitching so much with King Felix (first overall pick), Haren, Hamels, Shields, Derek Lowe, and Aaron Harang as my SP. Josh Collmenter made a rise through the Diamondbacks' system last season, pitching well in High- and Double-A before scuffling at Triple-A at the end of the year. It wasn't enough to earn him a spot among their top 30 prospects, however, at least not according to Baseball America. He allowed one earned run while striking out seven over six innings in his first start for Reno this season. With Aaron Heilman headed to the disabled list, the Astros opted to recall the 25-year-old righty from Triple-A. In his major league debut against SF on Sunday, Collmenter received the W in extra innings with 2 IP of perfect relief with 2 K’s. He was a SP in the minors and across 3 levels in 2010, Collmenter was 14-6 in 152 IP, with 136 HA, a 133/51 K/BB, and a 3.38/1.23 ERA/WHIP. He uses a deceptive delivery and high arm slot that allow his 86-90 mph fastball to play up. Collmenter generally has high-quality command and control of three offerings, but he may not have the natural stuff to last in a starting rotation in the Majors. His changeup is an above average pitch and he can battle left-handed hitters with it. As a flyball pitcher, Collmenter has little room for error, particularly with a low K rate. I would keep an eye on him from a distance for now. By the way, as you know I picked up Jack Wilson in my AL-straight draft league. He was also my best keeper this season on my ill-fated $260-AL team for $1. Since I’ve picked up Wilson he’s 0 for 14 with 1 R and 1 SB. But what else could I expect?

April 18, 2011: Just a guess but my fantasy season is going pretty badly so far!

Dave Sappelt went 3-for-5 with a homer and a double as Triple-A Louisville's leadoff man on Wednesday. Sappelt, one of March's biggest surprises when he hit .564 with three homers in 39 at-bats for the Reds, has kept it going in April, starting off at .350 in 10 games for Louisville. Even if the Reds don't develop any crisis in the outfield, they may have to give the 24-year-old a look at some point. Sappelt jumped from Class A Lynchburg to Double-A Carolina and finished the season at Triple-A Louisville. In 89 games at Carolina, his .361 average led the Southern League and set a new club record. In 133 games combined, he batted .342 with a .395 on-base percentage and was named the organization's Minor League hitter of the year. A speedy 5-foot-9 and 193 pounds, Sappelt stole 25 bases last season but was also caught 18 times. The organization wants him to work on improving his base-stealing technique and continue his progress of becoming more consistent as a hitter. In A-Ball in 2009, Sappelt had 47 SB but had 22 CS and hit .281 in 552 AB. Keep an eye on the 24 yr old OF especially if you’re in need of cheap speed. Desperate for a middle infielder in your deep National League only fantasy league? There is nothing wrong with picking up Angel Sanchez as long as you temper your expectations, because chances are the bloom will fall off this fantasy rose very soon. After batting .277 in 253 AB for Houston in 2010, Sanchez has been more than a capable fill-in for Clint Barmes. Starting all 14 games for the Astros so far, Sanchez is at .322 in 59 AB with 1 HR (his first major league), 9 RBI, 11 R, and a 10/4 K/BB. Though his time as a fantasy stalwart may be winding down as he’s 2 for 16 over his last 4 games. Jim Hoey is expected to be promoted by the Twins soon. He'll either replace Jeff Manship or Alex Burnett on the roster. Hoey, who was acquired in the J.J. Hardy deal over the offseason, has a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 8/1 K/BB ratio over 6 2/3 innings at Triple-A. He could be used in a setup role with Joe Nathan moving to less pressurized innings. I always waited for Hoey to fulfill his closer-of-the-future label but it was never to be. Hoey hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2007. He split 2010 with Double-A and Triple-A and posted a 3.25/1.33 ERA/WHIP in 52 2/3 IP, allowed 36 H, and a 70/34 K/BB. His major league career could make you sick. In 35 games and 34 1/3 IP, Hoey has an 8.13/1.81, 39 HA, and a 24/23 K/BB. The 28 year old RHP is running out of chances but, if you need a set-up type, I have a feeling that you can do worse than Hoey. Giants purchased the contract of RHP Ryan Vogelsong from Triple-A Fresno. The 33-year-old Vogelsong is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2006 and will replace the injured Barry Zito in the rotation. He pitched well in spring training and has been lights-out in his first two starts at Triple-A, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 17 over 11 1/3 innings. Even if your NL is 40 teams deep and you can play 30 guys, Vogelsong is a tough guy to recommend. He has a 10-22 career mark in 315 IP, with a 5.86/1.59 ERA/WHIP, 347 HA, and a 216/154 K/BB. I would leave the possibility of Vogelsong to another owner.

April 17, 2011: "A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives!"

When you’re a lifetime .248 hitter in 2867 minor league AB as a good fielding SS what else can you do? Of course, you become a member of the White Sox bullpen. And for Sergio Santos, the time may be near for a try as the team’s closer. His first foray into pitching went over like a lead balloon over 3 minor league levels in ’09. He did K 30 in 28 2/3 IP but flashed an 8.16 ERA and an 0-3 record. He did well as a rookie with the Sox in 2010, in 51 2/3 IP with a 2.96/1.54 ERA/WHIP, 53 HA, and a 56/26 K/BB. 2011 has shown a little more prosperity for Santos as he remains unscored upon in 82/3 IP with 5 HA, and an 11/4 K/BB. As the White Sox game reached extra innings vs the A’s on Wednesday, a “friend” of mine got on the site and alerted me about the bullpen meltdown and Thornton’s part in the festivities. And I also hear that my friend broke the news of the Kennedy assassination to Rose Kennedy. Because some people like to live vicariously through other people’s misery. But I deserve whatever torment I get with Thornton. If I simply drafted Mariano Rivera in that straight draft AL-only of mine, I would be in the driver's seat. I drafted Thornton #53 (the 2nd "closer" taken). Rivera went at #58. Ironically, John Danks went #57. Danks's bullpen stuck him with a no-decision after a fantastic start Wednesday against the Athletics. Danks went eight innings, allowing only one run on five hits and striking out seven. While we're at it on closers, I could have taken Brian Fuentes who went #198 in the same league (I did draft Grant Balfour in 2 other leagues). All Fuentes has done is go 6 2/3 IP with 5 SV, 2 ER, 4 HA, and a 6/1 K/BB. And he'll be in that spot until the brittle Andrew Bailey comes back. That was until a meltdown of epic proportions. After blowing a save by allowing a solo homer in the ninth, Brian Fuentes gave up five runs -- four earned -- in the 10th Friday to take a loss to the Tigers. It was pretty surprising to see Fuentes sent back out against the right-handed-heavy Detroit lineup. In his defense, things could have gone a whole lot better for him. The bottom of the 10th started with a Daric Barton error, and the A's opted to have him intentionally walk Jhonny Peralta before any runs scored and then later Miguel Cabrera after two runs were already in. The inning exploded from there, and the Tigers ended up taking an 8-1 lead. Fuentes should remain the clear favorite for saves in Oakland with Andrew Bailey out, though we're guessing it'd be Grant Balfour who gets the call if there's a ninth-inning lead Saturday. Matt Thornton has been part of a total bullpen collapse for the White Sox. I saw an interview with Ozzie Guillen after the game on Wednesday and he looked inconsolable. All he kept saying is that he has no one to give the ball to in the 9th inning! The bullpen has given up 22 ER in 36 2/3 IP, with 7 HRA, and a 31/14 K/BB. The worst stat is 6 blown SV in 7 OPPS. Matt Thornton, a guy that I loved enough to make him the 2nd closer off the board has been brutal. In 4 2/3 P, he has an 0-2 record, 3 BS, 10 R (4 ER), 11 HA, and a 3/4 K/BB. What you were so politely trying to say before, Abbie, was 1 IP, 3 HA, and 2 BB today for Thornton. And, like Ozzie Guillen, I'm inconsolable! But should the question be, is Matt Thornton just not built for he ninth inning? Last season, in 60 2/3 IP, Thornton saved a career high 8 games. Held batters to a .191 BA, with a 2.67 ERA. He also led AL RP in K’s with 81. Thornton didn't give up a run in 15 2/3 IP in the ninth inning last season. In those final frames, he struck out 24, walked three and gave up four hits. My feeling is that Thornton is built for the final 3 outs. His career with Chicago is based off these pressure situations.

April 16, 2011: She's my best friend's girlfriend and she used to be mine!

This is always one of the toughest things to do for a fantasy owner. It’s when you have to put in your starting line-up for the week before the Monday’s games and you have a guy on your bench that only had 1 AB for the season until that point. What are you going to do? Of course you’re going to leave him on your bench! Who knows when any particular guy is going to have a career week? Especially when there’s no data to back it! Colorado Rockies 2B, Jonathan Herrera went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, walk and two stolen bases Wednesday, April 13, against the New York Mets. Herrera has hit safely in his past five games, going 9-for-18 (.500) with eight walks and four steals during the impressive span. Of course he’s been on my bench in my $260-NL the whole week. And why not? He hadn’t played in 6 consecutive games until April 8 and had received only 1 AB for the season up to that point! He also sports 7 R and 3 doubles. Like the Rockies, you may have no choice but to ride this hot streak out. And enjoy the SB as he only had 3 coming into this season in 283 AB. He is out of the starting line-up for the first game of Thursday’s double-header vs the Mets. Herrera had started the last five games at second base and hit safely in all of them, so his spot in the lineup looks pretty secure right now. Jose Lopez will start the first game of the doubleheader, but Herrera should be back for the second game. And Herrera came back in with a bang! Jonathan Herrera went 2-for-5 and hit his second major league home run -- a three-run shot off Taylor Buchholz -- as the Rockies beat the Mets 9-4 in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. The Rockies swept the four-game series in Citi Field. Herrera, who didn't play the first game, entered the day with one homer in 302 major league at-bats. He's been hot this season, though, going 11-for-24 with 3 doubles and a 2/8 K/BB, and he already has four steals after swiping just two bases in 76 games last year. The Rockies are going to have to stick with him at second base and sit Jose Lopez, at least until he cools off. Rod Barajas hit a two-run bomb in the fourth inning of the Dodgers loss to the Giants on Wednesday. It is his third home run of the year. He won't give you much average, but the potential for 15 or so home runs puts him on the radar for NL-only leaguers in need of a catcher. Barajas is who he is and makes no apologies for it. A lifetime .238 hitter with 112 career HR. This season the 35 year old backstop is 8 for 38 (.211) with 3 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, and a 13/2 K/BB. And when all is said and done, this is the Rod Barajas you’re going to get. A .230-.240 BA along with some cheap power. And for a catcher, he makes a good low cost investment for your fantasy team.

April 15, 2011: Manny Ramirez can never be called the smartest guy that ever lived!

Chipper Jones tagged Randy Choate for a solo home run in the ninth inning on Wednesday, driving in the Braves' lone run in their loss to the Marlins. The homer was Jones' first of the season, and upped his average to .310. It was also Jones’ career RBI #1500, the third switch hitter to accomplish that feat (Murray and Mantle are the others). He's not about to turn into the Jones of old, but looks to set to post a better average than the combined .265 he hit in 2009 and 2010. Jones said he hasn't been walking much lately because he is seeing the ball well and expanding the zone a bit, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien. "It goes through stretches where I'm feeling good at the plate, and I feel like I can hit more pitches when I'm feeling good," Jones said. "So I may expand the strike zone a hair, but I'm also taking advantage of people coming at me. If I'm not feeling good, you'll see me probably a hair more passive, probably drawing more walks." He is hitting .370 (20-for-54) with eight doubles, one home run and nine RBIs in his last 15 games dating back to last year. Joe Blanton has certainly struggled more with runners on base this year. The opposition is batting .500 (9 for 18) with three walks when runners are on base against Blanton, as opposed to hitting .296 (8 for 27) with no walks and seven strikeouts with the bases empty. Hopefully, (Phillies pitching coach) Dubee and Blanton get on the same page and fix the right-hander's issues. Blanton seems to think that his problems stem from working out of the stretch. Dubee feels that the problem with Blanton is that he’s just allowing innings to snowball. Slow starts are nothing new for Blanton. He had a 7.11 ERA through eight starts in 2009 and a 7.28 ERA in his first eight starts last year. The fact he is pitching for a top contender gives Blanton some fantasy appeal, but he is nothing more than a low-end option. His next scheduled start is for Sunday against the Marlins. He went 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts against Florida last season. Blanton is a big guy. Some may even say that he has more chins than an Asian phonebook! He did have one good season of bounty, in his last year with the A’s in ’07. Blanton went a career high 230 IP with 14 W, a 3.95/1.22 ERA/WHIP, 240 HA, and a 140/40 K/BB. 2 years later, Blanton had a 4.05/1.32 for the Phillies with 198 HA and a career high 163 K’s (59 BB) in 195 1/3 IP. In fact, Blanton’s 3 best seasons are 2005. 2007, and 2009, 3 odd years. Maybe 2011 will continue the trend. Blanton remains glued to my bench in my 15-team mixed league but does have a spot in my $260-NL rotation.

April 14, 2011: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain!

Sam Fuld fell a single shy of a cycle on Monday night against the Red Sox, as he scored three runs and drove in four in a 16-5 Tampa Bay victory. Fuld could have had his cycle in the ninth inning, but opted not to pull up at first base after ripping his second double. He also continued to play a mean left field, as he made a number of excellent defensive plays. It's hard to get excited about Fuld's fantasy prospects — his home run tonight was just the second of his 106-game career — but he's at least worth keeping an eye on in AL-only formats, as the playing time should be there. IN the last 2 days, Fuld was picked up in my no-trade AL as a free agent and was purchased for $6 FAAB in my $260-AL. And after having just 2 SB in his first 98 major league games (with the Cubs), Fuld now has 6 SB with the Rays in 2011. He is also hitting .313 in 32 AB with 5 R, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI and a 3/3 K/BB. His career K/BB is 21/26. Replacing Drew Stubbs in center field and in the leadoff spot, Chris Heisey hit a two-run homer Monday as part of the Reds' 3-2 win. Heisey has started just three games, but he's driven in seven runs in his 15 at-bats. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him back in the lineup on Tuesday, perhaps in right field in place of the struggling Jay Bruce. Heisey hit the game-winning homer in Monday's 3-2 win over the Padres. He also had a big catch in the Padres' two-run first inning, when they had the bases loaded and no outs, preventing a much bigger inning. Heisey came close to hitting another homer in the first inning, flying out to the wall in center field. He got the start in center field in place of the slumping Drew Stubbs. He's played well in multiple games when he's gotten spot starts. We've surmised in the past that Heisey could replace Gomes eventually, but it's also possible that he could displace Stubbs. Right now, as far as fourth OF go, Heisey is as good as they come. In 201 AB for the Reds in 2010, Heisey hit .254 with 8 HR, 21 RBI, and 33 R. He’ll have to work on his 57/16 K/BB but would be a defensive improvement over Gomes in LF and possibly even an offensive improvement over Stubbs in CF. He shouldn’t be a free agent in your deep NL-only. This was some news on Jason Motte in February. Motte is working on his sinker. "There were even times last year, that I'd throw it, and I'd baby it and it would be at 90(mph), 91 (mph) and it'd work," Motte said. "You'd get a guy to to roll over. But you go and you look and it's like, 'That was terrible.' It worked. It was effective at the time. But still, I was babying it. If I give up a hit on it, I want to be something that I put all my effort into it." He's been toying with a sinker since 2007, while converting from catcher at High-A. Certainly, the effective use of a sinker would be a good addition to the setup man's arsenal. He could be St. Louis' closer of the future. His spring, though, with the new sinker was nothing to write home about. In 9 1/3 IP, he had 13 HA, 10 ER, a 6/4 K/BB and 2 HBP. Motte earned a hold Monday, retiring all four batters he faced in his first clean performance of the season. In three appearances so far this year, Motte still has not struck out a batter, which is curious considering he has struck out over a batter an inning in his career. He'll continue to pitch in the late innings for the Cardinals, but if he doesn't get his strikeout rate up he may be relegated to lower-leverage appearances. Add in the fact that Mitchell Boggs K’d all 3 batters he faced Monday and Ryan Franklin’s 3 blown SV and it’s hard to see which way LaRussa will lean in the next SV situation. I’d say the job still belongs to Franklin but it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on!

April 13, 2011: As the ancient Greeks once said, "Count no man lucky until he's dead!"

I did some digging on Preston Mattingly and didn't realize that he was the 31st overall pick (by the Dodgers) in the 2006 amateur draft. So the scouts must have seen something besides being the son of a great player, Don Mattingly. His minor league numbers don't scream out for a future in the majors however. In 1544 AB between Rookie, A-Ball, and High-A, Mattingly is a lifetime .232 hitter with 184 R, 20 HR, 146 RBI, 67 SB (25 CS), a .609 OPS, and an alarming 467/88 K/BB. He did hit .258 in High-A in 2009 as a 21 year old in 454 AB with 59 R, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 25 SB (13 CS), a 150/35 K/BB and a .647 OPS. The K's are just way too much for a non-power hitter like Preston. He was bought down by injuries in 2010 and batted just .218 in 165 AB with 2 HR 17 RBI, 24 R, 8 SB, and a 51/6 K/BB. In a touch of irony, Preston was traded to the Indians on September 26, 2010 one week after his father was named to replace Joe Torre as the Dodger manager for the 2011 season. Preston Mattingly is still young enough and, I'll assume, athletic enough to give up on the dream. He may just have to hit the batting cages every day to try to recreate what I'm sure his father had taught him growing up. How to stay back on the ball and go the other way! Though, I don't hold out much hope on Donnie Baseball's kid. I saw that he did sign with the Dodgers the other day and can only hope he finds some hitting nirvana in his father’s organization. If Donnie Ballgame were my father, I may have made something of my own life! Mike Leake was pounded for six runs in 4 2/3 innings by the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Leake pitched well against the Astros in his first start, but this was a tougher assignment and he looked more like the pitcher who finished the spring with a 7.29 ERA. That ERA came with a 7/9 K/BB, 5 HRA, and 33 HA in 21 IP. Leake probably won't remain in the rotation if the Reds get Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey back at the end of the month as hoped. First off, let’s give Mike Leake a big pat on the back about never spending a day (so far) in the minors and being thrown right into the Reds rotation to begin 2010. And, in spite of leaping right from college to the majors, he showed some prosperity in the first half.  He had a 3.38/1.42 ERA/WHIP, a 6-1 record and 67 K in 101 IP. But he couldn’t keep up the bounty and had a 6.57/1.70 in the second half before being shut down in September. Keep an eye on Indians minor league INF, Cord Phelps. 2008 third-round pick Phelps hit a pair of homers Sunday for Triple-A Columbus. Phelps is another one of the Indians' minor leaguers potentially in the mix for playing time at second or third as the year goes on. He's 8-for-17 with 4 extra-base hits, 7 RBI, 4 R and a 2/4 K/BB for the Clippers. The 24 year old Phelps hit .308 between AA/AAA in 2010 with 8 HR, 54 RBI, 66 R, and a 68/39 K/BB in 442 AB. Don’t forget about Phelps in your AL-only, especially keeper leagues.

April 12, 2011: Think about this: Sam Fuld has 5 SB in 2011!

Russell Martin went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI in a 9-4 win over the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. Martin connected for a three-run shot in the fourth and added a solo blast in the seventh. It was his second career multi-homer game and his first since August 15, 2007 against the Astros. The 28-year-old backstop looks rejuvenated early on in the season and is well worth using in all formats right now. Martin is currently 9 for 30 (.300) with 3 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB, 5 R and a 5/1 K/BB, and is making me eat my words over a $13 buy for him by the commissioner in my $260-AL league. I got it into my head that with the 12 HR, 79 RBI, and .249 BA over his last 836 AB (’09-’10), Martin could be on the downside. At least so far in 2011, I couldn’t be more wrong. He found fantasy nirvana for his owners in 2007-2008 with a .286 BA in 1093 AB, 32 HR, 157 RBI, 174 R, 39 SB, and a 172/157 K/BB. The smart Russell Martin owner may want to “sell high” on him. You may just want to look into purchasing Martin if the price isn’t too prohibitive because, by the looks of him so far, he’s far from done! And I will do what I do best and that’s eat a lot of humble pie! And, speaking of humble pie, here’s another one for you! The first guy that I bought up in my $360-NL was Chris Narveson for $1. I do it every year just to be a little bit of a wise ass and to draw some money out of the draft. I thought I pulled the wool over everyone's eyes when Narveson ended getting caught up in a bidding war and went for $14. Incidentally, the owner that "wisely" spent the $14 is in first place in that league as I sit in 11th out of 13 teams. And, of course, right now Narveson would be my best pitcher. And he's a guy that I have to admit has been on my radar since he was in the Cardinals organization back in the middle part of the decade. But injuries always seemed to get the better of him and, when he resurfaced with the Brewers in 2009, he was on my radar again. Kind of like an old girlfriend (especially after she meets another guy). He had a 46/16 K/BB in '09 with a 3.83/1.30 ERA/WHIP in 47 IP for the Brewers. I drafted him in my $260-NL for $2 and he ended up on Stork's great team for the 2011 season. He made 28 starts for the Brew Crew in '10 (37 games total) with 167 2/3 IP, a 4.99/1.38, 172 HA, and a 137/59 K/BB. His 2nd half WHIP was more bountiful (1.26) and his other numbers incrementally got better as the season went on. But when I look at 2 GS in 2011, 13 IP, a 0.00/1.00 ERA/WHIP, 9 HA, and a 14/4 K/BB, I'll be left to wonder if I didn't "outsmart" myself. Because sometimes I'm not as good as I think I am or as bad as my teams are doing this year! But it's finding that gray area that has become a bit of a nuisance! When I handed in my keepers for my $260-AL team, the terrible squad that I inherited, where the best keeper was Jack Wilson for $1, I was asked why I didn’t keep Vinnie Mazzaro the SP from KC. After all, I had no real keepers and Mazzaro was “only” $5. He did have 18 GS (24 games) for Oakland in 2010 with 122 1/3 IP, 127 HA, a 4.27/1.45 ERA/WHIP and a 79/50 K/BB. I have to admit that for a very brief time, I even thought about keeping him! But I decided that even I wasn’t that desperate. I saw him through spring and that came out to a 6.06 ERA and a 10/7 K/BB in 16 1/3 IP. And then today, I read this. Vin Mazzaro gave up five runs and walked seven in 2 1/3 innings for Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. Mazzaro is supposed to be the Royals' fifth starter, and the plan was for him to join the rotation on Saturday. However, such an ugly outing could change that. Just 29 of his 63 pitches yesterday were strikes, and he also hit a batter. If the Royals bypass Mazzaro, then Sean O'Sullivan likely would move into the rotation. That last sentence just about says it all!

April 11, 2011: Todd Helton is out again with a balky back!

John Lackey won Friday despite yielding six runs in five innings to the Yankees. Lackey has had two really tough assignments out of the gate, pitching in Texas and then facing the Yankees at Fenway. Still, that 15.58 ERA is ugly no matter how one looks at it. He's given up runs in nine of the 10 innings in which he's pitched. In those 8 2/3 IP, Lackey has given up 17 H and 4 BB. That’s a WHIP in the stratosphere! In 2010 Lackey did improve his K/9 from 5.3 in his first 19 GS to 8.1 in his last 14 GS.  Obviously, he's not worth using in mixed leagues at the moment. But that wasn’t always the case. He was a pretty good SP for the Angels, having a 19 W season, a 3.01/1.21 ERA/WHIP in 224 IP in ’07 and 389 total K’s in ’05-’06 in 426 2/3 IP. In fact, Lackey was 102-71 in 8 seasons with the Angels. You know that I’m not a big fan of giving long term deals to pitchers but on December 16, 2009, John Lackey signed a 5 yr/$82.5-mil deal with the Bosox. He gave them 14 W in 215 IP with a 4.40/1.42 ERA/WHIP, 233 HA, and a 156/72 K/BB. Not what the Red Sox had in mind. Cubs recalled RHP Jeff Stevens from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs need an extra arm in their pen now that James Russell is moving to the starting rotation. Stevens, 27, has a bloated 6.53 ERA over 29 major league appearances, including a 6.11/1.80 ERA/WHIP and 15/10 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings last season. He didn’t pitch in the majors last season after July 23. I used to love Jeff Stevens. It always seemed like he had the stuff but it could never translate to the majors. At Triple-A in 2009, Stevens gave up 35 H in 57 2/3 IP with a 61/25 K/BB. But his 7.11/1.80 for the Cubs that season left a lot to be desired. Maybe he’ll get it someday but, at 27, time is getting short. As Yogi Berra so astutely said, “It’s getting late out there early!” And for Stevens, truer words were never spoken. Jason Marquis fanned nine while allowing three runs in six innings Sunday versus the Mets. That's his high strikeout game since 2004 and just the third time he's reached nine in his career. It helped that Marquis was able to fan opposing starts Chris Young three times. Marquis has a 3.65 ERA after two starts. He's still not recommended in NL-only leagues. Next to the expression “innings-eater” in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Marquis. He spent most of 2010 on the shelf but from 2004-2009, Marquis averaged 32 GS, 196 1/3 IP, 13 W, and 108 K per season. Washington signed Marquis to a 2 yr/$15-mil deal after his 15-13 2009 season in which he had a 115/80 K/BB, 218 HA, and a 4.04/1.38 ERA/WHIP in a career high 216 IP for the Rockies. In fact, Colorado left him off the playoff roster that season as he lost his starting spot at the end of September. I’m still scratching my head over that contract. At least it wasn’t for 5 years!

April 10, 2011: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco!

Mark Buehrle surrendered five runs over five innings in a no-decision Wednesday against the Royals. Buehrle has a 7.36 ERA after two starts, both of which have come against offenses that projected to be among the AL's weakest (he faced the Indians last week). He also has just two strikeouts in 11 innings. With the way his strikeout rate has diminshed in recent years, it's possible that he's in for a real decline. Over his last 5 seasons, Buehrle has 1047 1/3 IP and has given up 1163 H. He’s a 4-time All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner who pitched a no-hitter in April, ’07 and a perfect game on July 23, 2009. That game will be remembered for the great catch at the wall by DeWayne Wise in the 9^th inning! If you have Buehrle for a buck, maybe $2, I can live with that! Call Buehrle a younger version (most are) of Jamie Moyer. He’s a command pitcher who relies on finesse and location and not velocity. Buehrle does have 148 career W’s and has logged at least 201 IP the last 10 seasons. Pete Orr made his first start of the season at second base Wednesday night against the Mets. Wilson Valdez got most of the night off (he appeared in the late innings). Orr, 31, has a .261/.288/.336 batting line over 557 major league plate appearances, so we weren’t expecting too much. But, batting 7^th in the Phillies order, Orr smacked 2 H in 3 AB with 2 R. He’s a guy that in parts of 5 major league seasons has never really been fantasy relevant! In 519 AB spread out over 347 games, Orr has a .261 BA with 3 HR, 35 RBI, 80 R, 13 SB, a 98/19 K/BB, and a .623 OPS. for Atlanta and Washington. He spent the 2010 season in Triple-A and, in 489 AB, batted .264 with 12 HR, 45 RBI, 63 R, 25 SB, a 90/34 K/BB and a .762 OPS. For fantasy purposes it’s safe to stay away from Orr. His only month of bounty may have come in his first month in the majors, April ’05, when Orr batted .289 in 45 AB with 9 R. All this talk about the talented Drew Storen, and it's this relative no-name who appears to have the edge in the Nats' closer-by-committee setup. Sean Burnett has the team's 2 SV (as of Thursday), and it's not like this came from nowhere. The lefty had a 1.14 WHIP in 2010, followed it up with a good spring and has 4 scoreless innings in 2011 with a 3/0 K/BB and 3 HA. Burnett had a second straight uneventful save opportunity, but it's also worth noting that Drew Storen looked terrific in two perfect innings on Thursday, striking out three while flashing upper 90s heat and a devastating slider. Storen also threw a hitless inning on Friday and now has a 1.59 ERA. Though Burnett is the closer right now, we still like Storen over the long haul this season. What’s odd is, Storen is owned in 94 percent of ESPN leagues, Burnett only 12 percent. Burnett gave up 52 H in 63 IP in 2010 with a 62/20 K/BB and a 2.14 ERA. If he can get past the bias of “lefthandedness,” you may be seeing the new closer for the Nationals, at least in the short-term. An owner in my $360-NL made what I would call the most astute buy of the draft by purchasing Burnett for $1.

April 9, 2011: You can see a lot by observing!

An executive who used to work with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told John Harper of the New York Daily News that he wouldn't be surprised if Mike Pelfrey is traded this season. "He's not a No. 1," the executive said. "He doesn't have a pitch to put hitters away, and he may not get better than he is right now. I think Sandy is going to be looking down the road there, knowing (Scott) Boras will be looking for big money for Pelfrey in a couple of years, and knowing the value might not be there." Pelfrey is making $3.925 million this season and remains under team control through 2013. Hard to say if there's anything there, but Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has heard similar things from other executives around baseball. Of course, Pelfrey will have to make some serious improvements from his first two starts for the Mets to get anything substantial in return. You've got to be a little concerned that Pelfrey's shoulder issues have cropped up again, though he was able to mostly pitch through them last season. Pelfrey, of course, was named the Mets Opening Day SP in what turns out to be a cruel April Fool’s joke played by the Mets. After 2 GS in 2011, Pelfrey has 6 1/3 IP, a 15.63/2.68 ERA/WHIP, 11 ER, 12 HA, and a 3/5 K/BB. In 96 GS from 2008-2010, Pelfrey had given up 635 H in 589 IP with a 330/198 K/BB. Pelfrey did win 15 games for the Mets in 2010 but in 7 GS, from June 30-August 4, Pelfrey went 30 IP, with 62 HA, a 14/16 K/BB, and a 9.00/2.60 ERA/WHIP. He did finish the season strong and that’s when the Mets should have looked to get something for him! He went at least 7 innings in his last 5 GS in September, going 35 2/3 IP, 26 HA, a 19/10 K/BB, and a 2.27/1.01 ERA/WHIP. I’m sure the Mets, as well as fantasy owners want to know, who is the real Mike Pelfrey? If you want, you may make the Pelfrey owner in your NL-only a low ball offer on him. I’m sure his owner is as exasperated as the Mets! To call Wilson Valdez’s 4 for 4 day with 3 R and 3 RBI on Thursday a career day would be an understatement. Coming into this season the well-traveled Valdez was a .240 hitter in 675 AB with 5 HR, 62 RBI, 77 R, 11 SB and a 96/43 K/BB. He has spent time with the White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Dodgers, Mets, and now the Phillies. I wasn't totally surprised that, unlike Paul Janish, after I belted out the name Wilson Valdez in the draft room of my $360-NL draft (I bought him up before Janish), that nary a sound was heard (not even a mouse). The story of the 33 year old Valdez wasn’t always fraught with bad hitting! He had a season of bounty at Triple-A in 2006 hitting .297 in 528 AB with 94 R, 6 HR, 53 RBI, and 26 SB. He was hitting .343 in 361 AB at Triple-A in 2007 when he was called up by the Dodgers. He felt a change of scenery was in order and spent the 2008 season in Japan and Korea. I wonder if he met Colby Lewis in his travels? He came back to the States in '09 for a 41 game stint with the Mets in 2009 before moving to the Phillies before the 2010 season. With injuries to Rollins and Utley last season, Valdez received a career high 333 AB and hit .258 with 4 HR, 35 RBI, 37 R, 7 SB, and a 43/21 K/BB. Valdez is now 9 for 21 on the young season with 4 R, 5 RBI, and 1 SB. In fact, the NL batting title could come down to the last day of the season between Janish and Valdez. Teddy Ballgame must be turning over in his grave. Or, wherever he is! Right now I'm glad I threw the $1 out for Valdez and, if Utley makes it back someday, it may be the saddest day of my life!

April 8, 2011: Brian Wilson's beard is sweeter than even the most perfect honey!

After sitting out the whole 2010 season Jermaine Dye has decided to retire from baseball at the age of 37. Dye had a terrific first half in 2009, but after fading all of the way to .179 after the All-Star break, he failed to attract much interest as a free agent after the season. Unwilling to settle for a $10 million paycut, he ended up going unsigned last year.  He talked about coming back this year, but again, there wasn’t a lot of interest and he didn’t seem interested in signing a minor league contract. Now apparently finished, Dye ends a 14-year career with a .274/.338/.488 line, 325 homers and 1,072 RBI.  A two-time All-Star, he had his best season in 2006, when he hit .315/.385/.622 with 44 homers and 120 RBI for the White Sox.  That earned him a fifth-place finish in the AL MVP balloting.  He never topped 35 homers outside of 2006, but he had back-to-back seasons of 119 and 118 RBI for the Royals in 1999 and 2000. Dye was the World Series MVP in ’05 as the White Sox swept the Astros in 4 games. Dye hit 1 HR, 3 RBI and was 7 for 16 (.438). Dye also played for the Braves, Royals and A’s and added 984 R in 6487 AB. Alexi Ogando tossed six shutout innings in a win over the Mariners Tuesday, striking out four while allowing just two hits and two walks. It was the first start of his major league career and he made it count, baffling Seattle's lineup. In fact, it was the first start of his professional career. There was only one damper on the night. Ogando suffered a blister on his right index finger during the sixth inning, which the team checked on before deciding to let him finish the frame. He was lifted after that having tossed 90 pitches. We'll update you on his status when it becomes available. He was drafted as an OF in 2002 and didn’t play in the states from 2005-2009. Ogando resurfaced in 2010 with a new name as a RP and gave the Rangers 41 2/3 IP, with a 39/16 K/BB, 31 HA and a 1.30/1.13 ERA/WHIP. He also had a 42/11 K/BB in 30 2/3 IP between Double-A and Triple-A. He shouldn’t be available in your AL-only but if guys weren’t paying attention don’t make the same mistake! I really wanted to get Aaron Harang in my $360-NL with my last pitching spot but when the bidding went up to $10, I dropped out. I believe he'll have better numbers pitching half his games in SD. Because, when you look ay it, even a mediocre pitcher in SD becomes fantasy relevant! He did get the "all important" QS last night with 6 IP of 1 ER ball, 6 HA, a 6/2 K/BB, and a W. Harang is, unfortunately, on my bench in my 15-team mixed league. Whether it's a coincidence or not, his career has never been the same since a 4 IP relief stint on May 25, 2008 when he gave up 2 H and had a 9/1 K/BB. He also threw 63 pitches in that game between starts. His next 3 GS produced 15 1/3 IP, 30 HA, 16 ER and 4 HRA. He went on the DL after his July 8 start that season. His last 3 seasons, like Abbie said, show an 18-38 record, 458 1/3 IP, a 377/131 K/BB, 530 HA, and a 4.71/1.44 ERA/WHIP in 75 GS. The 2 seasons before that ('06-'07), Harang had 69 GS, 466 IP, a 434/108 K/BB, 455 HA, and a 3.75/1.21 ERA/WHIP. And this is pitching half his games in Cincinnati! Maybe that 4 inning relief stint back in '08 had an effect on Harang. It sure looks that way! If you can get Harang at a low cost or if he's a free agent in your league (he shouldn't be), you could investigate. I do think that you can get some fantasy usefulness out of the soon-to-be 33 year old in 2011.

April 7, 2011: Closer Brian Wilson got a little beat up in his first appearance of the season!

Newly appointed closer Jordan Walden did not have to wait long to earn his first save of the season, nailing it down against the Rays on Tuesday. He threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes. He struck out 1 and retired the winless Rays (0-4) 1-2-3 with 1 K. With solid pitching and good hitting, the Angels should give Walden plenty of save opportunities for the remainder of the year. This is why you draft skills and not roles. Rodney was taken #86 in my straight AL-draft while Walden was taken #216. That same owner also had the foresight to take Alexi Ogando at #217. Those are 2 skilled arms and I let them both slide in that draft. Walden was drafted in my $260-AL for $1 but before you go patting that owner on the back, consider that he also drafted Kazmir ($2), Vargas ($3), Matsuzaka ($3), and Freddy Garcia ($2). So maybe it is true about a broken clock being right twice in the same day. And no excuse for me to overlook Jordan Walden in all my leagues! I wasn't sure if Walden was going to make it after a 2009 season in Double-A that saw him go 60 IP, a 5.25/1.68 ERA/WHIP, and a 57/29 K/BB. That was his first season as a RP. In 2008, he had 27 GS and 156 1/3 IP, with a 2.76/1.14 ERA/WHIP, 122 HA, and a 141/56 K/BB as a 20 year old between A-Ball and High-A. So there is a history of bounty. He took the league by storm last September with 23 K's in 15 1/3 IP while adding a SV and a 2.35 ERA. In 2011, he had 6 K in 3 1/3 IP with 1 HA and 1 BB. I have a sneaking feeling that Walden will keep the job and will be kicking myself in the ass for overlooking him. I don't know what that means for Fernando Rodney but, like you say, it could lead to his eventual release or banishment to the bushes! And then there was the closer-in-waiting that got away! The Pittsburgh Pirates released Craig Hansen yesterday. Hansen pitched 6.1 innings for the Pirates.  He had a nerve disorder in his neck that limited his abilities, mainly the ability to throw strikes.  (24 walks and 12 strikeouts.)  His numbers from last year were favorable, albeit limited as he threw only 16 innings. Reports were that Hansen was sitting at 88-89 miles per hour at Bradenton. In fact Hanson, who was involved in the Jason Bay trade from the Pirates to the Red Sox, appeared in only 17 games the past 2 seasons because of his condition. Over his major league career, Hansen has 93 2/3 IP, 3 SV, a 6.34/1.72 ERA/WHIP, 98 HA, and a 70/63 K/BB. He may head back to the minors where in 145 2/3 IP, Hansen has 4 SV, a 2.78/1.39 ERA/WHIP, 127 HA, and a 134/75 K/BB. He was the 26^th pick in the first round of the 2005 draft by the Red Sox. There’s a lot to be said when the Pirates release you, especially a pitcher! This once and future closer should be well off your radar!

April 6, 2011: She makes a proper cup of coffee in a copper coffee pot!

About once every season there’s a little blurb about relief pitcher Matt Anderson and you say to yourself that you’ve heard of this guy! Baseball fans sure should have heard of Anderson. After all, he was the overall #1 draft pick by the Tigers back in 1997 and later, for one summer, became the closer for Detroit. In 2001, Anderson had 22 SV a 4.82/1.32 ERA/WHIP, 56 HA and a 52/18 K/BB in 56 IP for the Tigers. But that’s the only baseball providence that Anderson was to find. Early in the 2002 season, Anderson tore a muscle in his right armpit and, after topping 100 MPH earlier in his career, he was barely able to reach 90. He did bounce around between the majors and the minors until 2005. All he could manage at the major league level after ’01 was 44 1/3 IP, 3 SV, 61 HA, a 25/28 K/BB and a 7.92/2.01 ERA/WHIP. His minor league numbers weren’t much better. In 56 games, Anderson amassed 2 SV, 67 1/3 IP, 76 HA, a 65/45 K/BB and a 7.08/1.80 ERA/WHIP. Some guys could ask, “What if?” But not Anderson. Matt Anderson tried again this spring with the Phillies but it just wasn’t meant to be. This past Saturday, the Phillies released Anderson and all the pomp and circumstance that was there at the turn of the century was left behind! I wish him well in his next journey in life. As you probably read by now, Paul Janish caused quite a stir at my $360-NL draft the other night. An owner with just his SS spot to fill and $14 left bought up Janish for $1. It went all around the table with every owner turning their cups over. That was until the last possible owner said “$2.” This owner had some money left and, apparently, wasn’t going to let Janish go for a buck. The original owner then bid his whole $14 for Janish. What does the 2nd owner do? He bids $15, shutting out the first owner. It was something out of the movie “Animal House.” There was plenty of bad feeling but the original owner did end up with a $2 Edgar Renteria which, in my opinion, was the guy to go after anyway. In most of 3 seasons with the Reds, Janish is a .226 hitter in 536 AB with 64 R, 7 HR, 47 RBI, and 3 SB. Yes he does have the “starting” SS job with the Reds and is already 4 for 9 on the young season with 1 R and 1 RBI. But $15? Come on! I will agree that Janish makes a good $1 guy as your last MID inf but that’s it. Tampa Bay OF Johnny Damon was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Orioles, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Damon is dealing with a tight right calf. He's day to day. Damon thinks his issue could be related to the turf in Tampa Bay. "I woke up at 7 this morning and my right calf felt tight,'' he said. "I don’t know what it was from. Maybe it's from the turf, I don't know.'' Signed to man left field, the Rays better hope their home field is not the problem. "Right now I'm saying no, I hope it's not an issue ongoing,'' Damon said. "And it better not be an issue ongoing. I think I'm stuck out there in leftfield; I think Manny (Ramirez) is happy swinging the lumber (as the DH).'' Damon has 2571 career hits as he makes his run toward the magical 3000 hit mark. He’s played at least 141 games the past 15 seasons. I am an owner of Damon in my 15 team mixed league and in my $260-AL for $8.

April 5, 2011: The pen is indeed mightier than the sword!

You can tell a lot about a guy when he’s called up to the majors for the first time and starts off 1 for 33. I had picked Lucas Duda up in my $360-NL the day he got the call and may have been more perturbed than Duda himself over this inauspicious beginning. But Duda kept working on his game and Mets manager at the time, Jerry Manuel, kept throwing him out there. He finished out the 2010 season with the Mets at .202 (17 for 84) with 4 HR, 13 RBI, 11 R, a 22/6 K/BB and a .673 OPS. He wasn’t even on the Mets or fantasy owner’s radar heading into the 2010 season. But a .304 BA across Double-A (161 AB) and Triple-A (264 AB) with 23 HR, 87 RBI, 74 R, 40 doubles, and an 84/60 K/BB changed all that! He was ticketed to start 2011 in Triple-A but the uncertainty surrounding Carlos Beltran and the late injury and subsequent DL of Jason Bay gave Duda a spot on the big squad. He was given chances in spring training getting a team high 71 AB with a .254 BA, 6 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, and a 14/7 K/BB. He did go for $1 in both of my NL which is a good buy. In fact, in my $360 NL, at the end of the draft an owner bought up Jay Gibbons for $1 and another owner went to $2 on Gibbons. That rankled the first owner who only had $1 left. I was moderating the draft and suggested to the second owner that with his last $1 he should investigate Duda. So both owners were happy with a $1 Gibbons and a $1 Duda. I would personally opt for Duda no questions asked. Keep an eye on what happens to him when/if Jason Bay comes off the DL. Because, as it stands right now, I have a feeling that the Mets realize 4 yr/$66-mil spent on Bay wasn’t the way to go! Brennan Boesch went 4-for-4 with four runs and four RBI in the Tigers' first win of the season. Tigers manager Jim Leyland made room for Boesch at DH by starting Victor Martinez at catcher. The move paid off, as Boesch smacked his first home run of the year to help pace Detroit's victory. His quick start helps erase last season's collapse, when he hit .163 in his final 68 games and 221 AB. He primarily will battle fellow left fielder Ryan Raburn for playing time in 2011. Last year, after he was called up by the Tigers, Boesch hit .342 with 12 HR and 49 RBI before the All-Star Break. I had picked him up in my no-trade AL and when talks came about on a possible AL ROY for Boesch, I felt like a genius. But that’s usually short-lived as Boesch crashed and burned in the 2^nd half. The LF job for Detroit was supposed to be given to the RH hitting Raburn. Keep an eye on this situation as it could either result in a platoon situation, or AB at the expense of RF, Magglio Ordonez. Any comparisons to Boesch being the latter day version of Kevin Maas may be greatly exaggerated! Red Sox manager Terry Francona feels that Jarrod Saltalamacchia has lost his patience at the plate. Saltalamacchia is now 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in a brutal start to the season. If it gets any worse, perhaps Jason Varitek will begin getting more looks. "The one thing he does so well is work the count and swing at strikes,’’ Francona said of Salty. "He’s anxious right now swinging at a lot of first-pitch strikes. He needs to relax and do what he can do and not try to get it all back in one at-bat.’’ Besides having a the longest last name in baseball history and being a pain-in-the ass to put into onto the AL draft page, Salty really hasn’t done much with his chances so far in the majors. In parts of 4 seasons, he is a .248 hitter in 813 AB with 23 HR, 95 RBI, 102 R, and a 251/78 K/BB. There’s still time for the 25 year old Saltalamacchia (26 in May) but he better start putting together some good games or the veteran Varitek, who I put in my $260-AL line-up for this week will start stealing some time. I still like him as a #2 catcher in mixed leagues until further notice!

April 4, 2011: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down!

Chris Tillman held the Rays hitless over six innings Saturday in an eventual 3-1 Orioles win. Tillman was pulled after throwing 101 pitches and exited to a tie score, so he saw no "win" in the stellar debut outing. The right-hander had a decent spring and looked fantastic Saturday against a tough Tampa Bay lineup. He finished with five strikeouts against three walks. It was the right move taking the kid out by Showalter as you can ruin a young kid’s arm leaving him in to throw 140 or so pitches on the off-chance of a no-hitter. It hasn’t been all bounty for Tillman, who’ll turn 23 in two weeks. Coming into this season, Tillman had a lifetime major league mark of 4-10 in 118 2/3 IP with 128 HA, a 5.61/1.54 ERA/WHIP, and a 70/55 K/BB. His Triple-A work from 2009-2010 was much more bountiful. In 218 IP, Tillman had a 3.06/1.20 ERA/WHIP, a 19-13 record, 205 HA, and a 193/56 K/BB. There’s a lot of talent in that right arm of Tillman’s. RH hitters smacked Tillman around last year also to the tune of a .940 OPS. His minor league largess didn’t accompany him to the show. His spring training consisted of 18 1/3 IP, 20 HA, 8 ER, and a 10/9 K/BB. He will have his ups and downs, especially in the tough AL-East, but is a guy to keep an eye on particularly in keeper leagues. Teammate Zach Britton has a good low 90’s fastball and a solid slider to get plenty of groundballs. The O’s were happy to send him down to Triple-A, possibly to delay his arbitration/free agent clock! In 26 GS between Double-A (87 IP) and Triple-A (66 1/3 IP), Britton had a 10-7 record, a 2.70/1.24 ERA/WHIP, 139 HA, and a 124/51 K/BB in those 153 1/3 IP. But when Brian Matusz injured his back, Britton was summoned to the show. And it wasn’t undeserved as he was their best pitcher this spring. In 20 IP, the 23 year old Britton had 22 HA, 3 ER, and a 13/5 K/BB. A 3rd Baltimore SP, 25 year old Jake Arrieta has been named the #4 SP by the club. Arrieta’s spring wasn’t anything to put in a time capsule as he went 18 2/3 IP, 22 HA, 12 ER, an uninspiring 5 HRA, and a 14/7 K/BB. He put up bountiful numbers at Triple-A in 2010 covering 73 IP, a 1.85/1.12 ERA/WHIP, 48 HA, and a 64/34 K/BB. Called up to the big club in June, Arrieta went 100 1/3 IP, a 4.66/1.54, 106 HA, and a 52/48 K/BB.  Arrieta was scheduled to undergo elbow surgery in September but, after getting a 2nd opinion, it was decided that surgery wasn’t required. That thinking doesn’t always work out but, for now, he’s been OK with rest and by saying 20 Our Fathers and 20 Hail Marys! He can be picked up in deeper AL-only for now but I would stay away in mixed formats.

April 3, 2011: I always wanted to share a repast with a group of cannibals!

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said David Hernandez will be the primary setup man for J.J. Putz this season. Juan Gutierrez, Sam Demel and Aaron Heilman were others that could have been considered for the role, but Hernandez is the best choice. He tossed a scoreless inning Friday, touching 97 MPH on the radar gun a few times. "Just based upon his stuff," Gibson said. "He can overpower people!” Hernandez, 25, posted a sparkling 1.05 WHIP and 79/18 K/BB ratio over 57 1/3 innings this year at the Triple-A level. He's been used as a starter in the past, but the Diamondbacks seem likely to use him as a long reliever at first. He was traded with RP Kam Mickolio for the popular, yet strike out-prone, Mark Reynolds. He hit .198 in 499 AB with 79 R, 32 HR, 85 RBI, and 7 SB. Paired with Mickolio, who has also shown some promise in the minors, the D'Backs got a nice package for Reynolds. As a starter in the Orioles organization, Hernandez had 488 Ks in 432 IP from 2006-2008. Hernandez went completely undrafted in my $360-NL and remains on the list of free agent pitchers for now. I did draft Hernandez onto my $260-NL team (along with pen mate, Sam Demel). I still think that J.J. Putz for $20 by ne was the best buy of the $360-NL draft on Friday night. Health is always an issue with Putz. By the way, with his strike out totals, if Mark Reynolds were a pitcher he’d be worth $30. As it was, he went for $21 in my $260-AL and was taken with pick #64 in my straight AL-draft. Reynolds has “enjoyed” a 638/223 K/BB in the last 3 seasons, including a record 223 K’s in 2009. He seemed like a star in the making after that season when he hit 44 HR, 102 RBI, 98 R, 24 SB, 78 BB, and a .260 BA in 578 AB. That put Reynolds in the upper-tier of 3B heading into the spring of 2010. But lemonade turned to lemons for Reynolds and his fantasy owners as the .198 BA is just a fantasy killer. The upside for Reynolds in Baltimore could be another 40 HR and a .240 BA. But the downside could be a killer as well! It would seem from his short history in the bigs, J.P. Arencibia is a guy who likes to get things done in a big way right off the "bat!" I mean to say, in his major league debut on August 7, 2010, Arencibia was 4 for 5 with a double, 2 HR, and 3 RBI. He couldn't stand that opening game prosperity and went 1 for 30 the rest of the season including a trip to the minors. In Triple-A in 2010, the 25 year old Arencibia belted 32 HR, 85 RBI, with a .301 BA and a .985 OPS. His spring wasn't anything to take pictures over and send them to your family either! he was 10 for 62 (.161) with 1 HR, 5 RBI, and a 19/7 K/BB. His OPS was an anemic .492. So what does the 25 year old do on Opening Day batting out of the #9 spot? He goes 3 for 5 with 2 R, 2 HR, and 5 RBI. Yes, Arencibia just loves first days. Make sure you trade for him at the All-Star break and then trade him after the first game! In my opinion, if you can live with a low BA from Arencibia, he will be a top-5 C in AL-only in terms of power.

April 2, 2011: All my drafts are over and I can live again!

Last night I participated in my fourth draft in the last 8 nights, the Rainbow League, a $360-NL. I didn’t have a great team coming into the 13 owner draft, maybe the third worst! I did come into the draft with Martin Prado ($16), Alex Gonzalez ($10), Omar Infante ($6), and Mike Morse ($10) as my hitters. Nothing great but affordable and there is some multi-position eligibility with Infante and Prado which is always useful in a draft. I decided to throw back Melvin Mora ($8) but after seeing the keeper lists earlier this week, I may have made a mistake. Aramis Ramirez, Polanco, Chipper, Freese, and Jose Lopez are the “best” 3B available, although if I have to, I can move Prado from 2B to 3B. The pitchers I chose were SF closer Brian Wilson ($29), SPs Ubaldo Jimenez ($25), R.A. Dickey ($10), and Jake Westbrook ($10), and potential closer Hong-Chih Kuo ($10). If Wilson started the season on the active roster, I probably don’t keep Kuo. I did throw Sergio Romo ($10) and Tyler Clippard ($10) back into the draft. I came into the draft the same as the night before, not a great team but some money to spend. The first guy bought up was Halladay and he went for a league record (for pitchers) $77. I was in on him until $70 but other owners were going to stop at nothing to get him. Cliff Lee came up shortly after and went for $66. I was in on him too, until the low 60’s. Toward the end of the first round I was in on the bidding for Roy Oswalt and ended up with him for $57. Two picks later, I got Ted Lilly for $40. I later added J.J Putz for what I thought was a bargain at $20. I still hadn’t bought my first offensive player but that changed soon with Raul Ibanez for $38. A few picks later I added Cameron Maybin for $27. The rest of my hitters were catchers Towles ($2) and Ramos ($1), COR guys Mora, who I did get back for $4, and Polanco ($22), 2B Wilson Valdez ($1), Geraldo Parra ($4) in my utility spot and OFs Bonifacio ($4) and Denorfia ($1). I didn’t do a great job with offense as I spent $117 on the 3 pitchers early. I rounded out my staff with Luke Gregerson ($1). I think my pitching is as good as any in the league but my offense is definitely from hunger. I should contend in all 5 pitching categories and hope to accumulate at least 25 points in the 5 hitting categories. Starting Opening Day 0 for 13 won’t help my BA all that much. Some funny/strange sidelights to the draft included an owner bidding $15 on Johan Santana and then hearing crickets. The same happened when another owner bought up Todd Helton for $20. I never heard that draft room so quiet. And he looked like the most surprised guy in America getting stuck with Helton for that price. As has become my style to bring up my first player at $1 and watch what happens, I bought up Chris Narveson and there was actually a small bidding war on him that ended at $14. Toward the end of the draft there was a bidding war between a few owners with money left for Rick Ankiel that also culminated in a $14 buy. There was a spirited bidding war pitting the 2 owners with the most money in the latter stages of the draft over Nate McLouth that seemed like it went on for days and ended up garnering $30 for the “winner.” Both owners looked like they were about to cry during this war. And, mark my words, there was no winner there. Just a lot of bad feelings. And speaking of bad feelings who would have ever thought that the name of Paul Janish would be tantamount to threats and trying to find out “where another owner lived?” One owner had one spot left for a SS and $14 to spend and bought up Janish for a buck as his last guy. Another owner, who was in his first draft in this league, took him to the cleaners bidding $15. And, as you might expect, the first owner didn’t like this one bit. All over Paul Janish! Ramon Hernandez who normally would go for $3 or $4 in this draft, went for $8, coming off his 4 for 5 opener with a game winning HR. On the flip side, Houston closer, Brandon Lyon, only bought in a check for $9. I guess that’s what 6 hard hit singles in the 9th inning will do because I have a feeling if he went 1-2-3 with a couple Ks, the bid may have been closer to $20. All in all this was a good draft for all and a draft that I look forward to every year!

April 1, 2011: March came in like a lion and went out like a lion and that's no April Fools!

I did have another draft last night in the Kirby Puckett AL-only ($260). I'm new to that league and when the commissioner e-mailed me my team, he did mention that the team had no keepers. I did keep Podsednik ($6), Kendall ($1), and Jack Wilson ($1) along with Pineiro ($6), Mitre ($2), Outman ($1), and Hochevar ($3). It's definitely the worst team that I've ever had and maybe ever seen. You may be asking why Mitre is on the team in an AL-only when he's in the NL. When keepers were put in, Mitre was still a Yankee. I never liked this rule but, in this league, you keep the guys if they go to the NL for the rest of that season. Another owner is trying to disallow my "keeping" of Mitre and a league vote may be taken. If he looked at my team he must be scared and think that I have a #1 SP in him. Podsednik, Pineiro, and Kendall are all starting the season on the DL, Outman is in the minors making my best hitter Wilson and my best pitcher Hochevar. The team wasn’t always this God-awful mind you! When I got the team at the beginning of spring training, I had Marcum ($5), Saunders ($5-he stinks), Carlos Pena ($17), Russell Branyan ($2), Putz ($10), and Wigginton ($1). The problem with those guys is, unfortunately, they’re all in the NL and can’t be kept. If they were traded to the NL during this season, of course their stats would stay! Nothing was said about Mitre at the draft and I wonder now if that’s a good thing. My team coming in was so bad that I was like an afterthought. I knew I had to spend on a stud guy early and right in the first round I secured Felix Hernandez for $42. Pitching was expensive in the early going as Sabathia went for $39, Lester for $37, Price for $37 and Haren for $39. I was in the bidding on all but Price which I believe I went up to $27 for. I didn’t get another player until the third round when I bought my first offensive guy, Adam Dunn, at $36. Right after Dunn, I secured SS Alexei Ramirez at $25 (Jeter went for $31). Teixeira ($41), Adrian Gonzalez ($42), Hamilton ($39), Longoria ($45), Ichiro ($37), A-Rod ($44), and Choo ($35) all went for more than I was willing to go. Unbelievably, Mariano Rivera went for ($40), Papelbon ($32), and Valverde ($26). I never saw closers go for so much in any $260 league! I filled out my team with OF Bobby Abreu ($20), Johnny Damon ($8), Nick Markakis ($24), and later on in the draft, Melky Cabrera ($3). I added Tsuyoshi Nishioka as my 2B for $14 and my COR guys were taken very late by me in Kouzmanoff ($3) and Barton ($10). I added DH Hideki Matsui ($4) and my last pick was catcher Yorvit Torrealba ($5). The commissioner also wanted Torrealba but I mentioned to him that I could go to $11. He still had 3 spots to fill! I came in with a God-awful staff and, after King Felix, I didn’t do much to help myself. This staff was so bad that Jeff Suppan would have been my #1 SP! I got James Shields for $18 and John Lackey for $12 as my other SP and added Slowey ($4), Balfour ($1), and Soriano ($6). I kept Josh Outman on my reserve team and added, in order, Orlando Cabrera, Lastings Milledge, Bruce Chen, Mark Teahen, Bartolo Colon, Mike Cameron, Chris Dickerson, Jason Varitek, Elliot Johnson, Don Kelly, Jason Frasor, Rick VandenHurk, Brent Lillibridge, and Casey Kotchman. Not my best work ever and if I avoid the cellar, I’ll consider it a minor success! And maybe even a moral victory! Tonight I have my $360-NL draft where the prices are really skewed. We’ll talk more about that later.

March 31, 2011: Kevin Slowey will be a useful fantasy player before the season is over!

What’s gotten into George Kottaras? He’s a guy that came into this spring, in parts of 3 major league seasons with a .213 BA in 310 AB, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 40 R, a .698 OPS, and a 71/44 K/BB. With the injury issues of top Brewer catcher, Jon Lucroy, Kottaras has gotten a good look from Milwaukee behind the plate this spring. All he’s done is go 22 for 60 (.367) with 11 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB, and a 14/2 K/BB. He l