Sometimes when you write about fantasy sports, it is important to admit when you are wrong. Well, I think it is about that time for me and Aaron Hill. He hit home runs number 23 and 24 today, and it is painfully obvious that he is having a far better season than I could have dreamed about if I wanted to dream about a good season for Aaron Hill. He is also hitting near .290 and has driven in 67 runs. It looks like Hill has a heck of a shot at 35 homers and 95 RBI. I still think there is a decent chance he struggles down the stretch, but I have to give the man credit when it is due.
I almost included in the article last night to count on the fact that Gio Gonzalez was going to get absolutely tattooed today by the Yankees. In his last start he had allowed 11 earned runs, and his ERA is over 9.00. The Yankees are rolling, winners of eight in a row. Makes sense right? And that is why, as they say, you play the game. Gonzalez was great today as he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings and struck out six. More times than not, you can figure that Gonzalez will struggle. He has been starting some and coming out of the bullpen some as well. His strikeouts are good, with 35 in 33 innings, but he is too unreliable to start each time he takes the ball.
Ted Lilly was placed on the 15 day Disabled List due to inflammation in his shoulder. Worse news than that is Lilly will be having arthroscopic knee surgery that will force him to miss four or five starts at the minimum. The Cubs are hoping that he will be able to return sometime in mid-August. This is not good news for fantasy teams, but hopefully Lilly will be back in time for your fantasy playoffs. Stash him on your injury spot if you can.
David Price is another guy that it appears that I won't be right about, but this is in the opposite direction. Considering the way that this guy pitched in the playoffs last season for the Rays, I don't think I was alone in predicting great things for the young phenom this season. He has had some short stints of greatness this year, but he has had more short outings than good outings. You really have no choice to keep Price on your roster. I can't blame you if you decide not to start him in certain matchups, but there is no way that you can cut him. Personally, I didn't draft him in any league I am in, but that was because he went before I took him, not because I didn't want him. But if I did have him, I would keep throwing him out there.
Are the Indians actually going to start to get something out of some of their young pitching prospects? In consecutive nights both Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey have both collected wins. Last night Laffey threw seven shutout innings and struck out seven to improve to 4-2, however most of those wins are from his time as a reliever. In 2007, Laffey was ranked the #5 prospect for the Indians, but he has struggled mightily in the majors and the minors. Even with his impressive outing last night, you can't add Laffey. Tonight, Jeremy Sowers returned from a stint in the minors and also threw seven shutout innings, but struck out only two. While Sowers has also struggled badly in the majors, he was always good in the minors. In six starts this year, he was 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA with 27 Ks in 37 innings. Even though the Indians are sure to be terrible for the rest of the season, Sowers might be worth a look. Unless you are really desperate, let him make another start before you pick him up, but definitely see how he does the next time out. Sowers was once one of the top 50 prospects in all of baseball, and in 2006 was ranked as the second best in the Cleveland organization.
Chone Figgins is hitting and running like it's 2005. Figgy his his third home run of the season (second this week), and stole three bases, giving him an impressive 31 on the season. He is also hitting over .310, and this isn't anything that you should be too surprised about. The last couple years he had only played 115 games a season because of injury, but when he has been healthy in his career, Figgins has been an elite basestealer who generally hits around .300. With third base becoming such a shallow position, Figgins value is at its highest point in years.
Bobby Jenks blew his second consecutive save opportunity and has now allowed at least one earned run in five of his last six appearances. I still don't think that Jenks will be replaced based on this outing, but I do think the leash that he is on is getting a little shorter. For those of you who are in the market of grabbing middle relievers in the hopes that they become closers, Matt Thornton got a save the other day when Jenks needed a day of rest.
Rodrigo Lopez continues to pitch pretty well, but you still have to wonder about how secure his rotation spot is. Pedro Martinez continues to get closer to the majors, and the Phillies are still the lead team in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes according to rumors. But Lopez improved to 3-0 after beating the Cardinals, allowing three earned runs over six innings and struck out two. This was actually his worst of his four starts for Philly. I'm not a huge fan of Lopez, but the Phillies are rolling and he is hot. For a short term fix, I think he is valuable. If you think he will fix your staff's problems, you are likely to be disappointed.
After being a colossal disappointment Rick Ankiel has all of a sudden decided he wants to contribute. In the last three days, Ankiel has seven hits which includes two home runs and two doubles. With Matt Holliday now in St. Louis, either Colby Rasmus or Ankiel have to lose at bats. If he can keep it up, you have to figure Ankiel will be in centerfield, as he is also a great centerfielder.
Johnathon Niese got another start in the majors for the Mets tonight, and this time he made the most of his opportunity. In his previous two starts for New York, Niese lasted just two innings and had an ERA near 6.00. But he was so hot down at AAA and the Mets needed him after the injury to Fernando Nieve. Niese allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out three. In the minors he struck out more batters than he showed tonight, so IF he can keep pitching this way and IF the Mets can get healthy, Niese could be fantasy worthy. For those of you who are out of it and looking for a potential keeper, I would grab him on speculation now. If you are competing, I wouldn't grab him unless you are desperate for pitching. Niese is out a while, so unless he really stinks, Niese should be up for a while if not the rest of the season.
Can Luke Hochevar please decide if he is going to be good or if he is going to suck, because he is confusing me. He has actually now won four consecutive decisions, but in two of them he gave up a combined nine runs. Now, in the last two he gave up a combined three runs. On Saturday he allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out 13. Although he is likely to still be inconsistent and struggle to get a ton of wins because he is on the Royals, I think he is worth adding in 12 team leagues. He was a top ten overall pick and has a ton of talent. This could be his time when he finally figures it all out.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.
David Price owners must have a range of emotions today. First, if you decided to sit him, you have to be more than a little annoyed. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't pitch him today given some of his recent performances. However, even if you did sit him, you have to be very excited that not only did he pitch well and win the game, but he outdueled Cy Young favorite Roy Halladay. Price allowed just one run, walked just one, and struck out seven in six great innings. I wrote in the USA Today Sports Weekly this week that even though Price has struggled, that there would be a turnaround. This kid is way too talented to have pitched the way he has pitched. Trust me, keep pitching him he will start to reward you for it.
Manny Parra came back from the minors today and pitched FAR past anyone's expectations. Parra threw seven shutout innings, walked just one and struck out seven. I have already fielded multiple emails about Parra and what to expect going forward. Here's what I have been saying. If there is someone on your team who has been struggling, Parra is certainly worth adding on the chance that he has fixed his issues. Parra had a very inconsistent rookie season, but has shown flashes of his potential. Don't pick him up and expect this kind of outing every time he toes the rubber, but this is possible from time to time, so he is likely worth a risk if you aren't giving up an established guy.
Ryan Ludwick hit his second home run in the past three days, and has raised his batting average 15 points in the last eight days. Is he finally rounding back into form? Is he finally healthy from his injury earlier in the year? I still like Ludwick and believe that he will at least challenge 30 home runs again, if he doesn't surpass it. I believe that he will have a very good second half and will get his average over .270 as well.
Edwin Encanacion hit his first home run since coming off the DL, but I just don't have much faith in him. He strikes out a lot, he didn't hit for a very good average either last season. He showed some power in the minors, but I don't believe that you will see him top 25 homers very many times in his career. I see Edwin as a guy who will hit .270, with 18-20 homers, and 70-75 RBI. Not a horrible player, but don't expect him to repeat last year's numbers any time soon.
Have Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal started to get it going? Furcal has 13 hits in the last six days, including three doubles and a triple. He has only driven in one run and stolen one base over that time, but this is a baby step, and perhaps he will start contributing in the other categories as well. Heck, at least he is showing a pulse. Martin hasn't been doing quite that well, but he is improving. He has multiple hits in four of his last six games. He still isn't hitting for power or running, but at least the hits are coming. Perhaps he too will get his butt in gear.
Tommy Hanson avoided taking his first loss, but it was not his finest performance. He allowed four runs over five innings, walked two and struck out two. The Rockies have a pretty potent lineup, and you can't expect Hanson to be completely lights out every time he goes out. If this was a bad start, I'll take it every now and then.
Dexter Fowler is starting to steal bases again and a pretty good rate. He did get caught once tonight, but he also did swipe one bag, giving him five in the last ten days. He now has 18 on the year, and appears to have a real shot at 30. If you need some speed and guys like Nyjer Morgan and Michael Bourn aren't available, grab Fowler, he should give you a chance to win the steals category, or at least stay competitive.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.
Happy Birthday America! While we all celebrated today with parades, barbeques, and fireworks, let's not forget what this day is about. This is the day that we declared our independence from England, and the greatest country in the world was formed. We live in a place where anything is possible if you have a dream and work hard. Be thankful for the freedoms and the opportunities that are afforded us here in America, there is truly no other place like it. And of course, be thankful for the men and women who protect our country and keep us safe. Our Armed Forces are a special group and perform an important job. I have the utmost respect for each and every one of them and a special thank you goes out to them on this day. So again, Happy Birthday to the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world! Now, what's more American than baseball? Let's find out what happened today.
Josh Hamilton will not return to the Rangers on Sunday. His rehab game on Saturday was rained out, delaying his return to the majors at least one more day. There is still a chance that Hamilton might return on Monday, but nothing definite has been announced. I will give the news on this again tomorrow, because I am a Hamilton owner as well and I am very curious to see if I will be able to play him in my one league with weekly transactions. Hopefully he will be back on Monday.
Despite pitching less than great in a rehab assignment, Oliver Perez will be back in the Mets' rotation on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perez allowed three runs over five innings, walking four and striking out four. I understand that given the Mets' situation that they need to get their starters back from injury as soon as possible, but this start doesn't instill any confidence in me that Perez will be any better than he was before he went on the DL. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole before this start unless you are really desperate for help in pitching.
Kevin Slowey was placed on the 15 day DL, right after he had his worst outing of the season. Slowey allowed six earned runs over just three innings, but he got off the hook for the loss. Slowey has been diagnosed with a strained wrist. I have been unable to come up with a timetable for his return as of now, hopefully it will just be the required 15 days.
Howie Kendrick has been recalled by the Angels, and they optioned Sean Rodriguez. Kendrick hit .346 with two homers, 11 RBI, and four steals while he was in the minors. I would likely give Kendrick a try if he is available in your league. He has always supposed to be a great talent but has struggled in his time in the majors. He should hit for a good average with 10-12 homer power and a dozen steals. Not great, but if you need help at middle infield he could be worth a shot.
Erik Bedard is set to start on Tuesday against the Orioles. Bedard has been great when he has been able to stay on the mound, however he has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career. If you own him, definitely have him ready to start on Tuesday, Bedard is the kind of pitcher that you start against anyone.
Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs over 5.1 innings, and after the game it was announced that he was diagnosed with a strained shoulder and bursitis. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday, but it seems likely he will miss his next start. I doubt he is owned in too many leagues, but if he is, it might be time to let him go.
Rich Harden had his worst start in who knows how long, and I am struggling to come up with an explanation for why he is pitching so poorly. I have speculated that he could have some sort of injury, but there is absolutely no sign of a report of anything wrong with him. Harden gave up seven earned runs in just two innings and struck out only one. All you can do is keep pitching him every time out. Harden is better than this, and it has to be just a matter of time before he starts to pitch like it.
Although the bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him, Tommy Hanson was great again. It might have only been against the Nationals, but Hanson allowed just one run over seven innings, striking out five. In five of his six starts, Hanson has allowed two runs or less, including three in which he allowed no earned runs. The walks are higher and the strike outs are lower than I expected, but Hanson has been everything else that he was supposed to be, and has to be the early front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year. Continue to start him every time out with extreme confidence.
Francisco Liriano might not have gotten the decision, but he had his third straight start that his owners had to be happy with. He allowed just three runs over seven innings and struck out eight. He has been much better over the last six weeks or so, and hopefully he will continue to improve and he can get back to the form that once made him one of fantasy baseball's most coveted pitchers. I have said before that I don't see his rookie year statistics coming back, and that hasn't changed, but it would be nice to see him pitch like this more often.
David Price was terrible again, and I don't know where the guy who pitched in the playoffs last year went. Price lasted just 1.1 innings, allowed six runs and walked five. Coming into the year I thought that Price was that rare young pitcher that wouldn't be susceptible to the growing pains that most rookies go through. Obviously that won't be the case. Keeper league players, I'm sorry to tell you that you just have to live through these tough times. Price has all the skills, and he will be awesome, who knows when that will be. Honestly, this might be a good opportunity for those who don't own him in keeper leagues to buy low on Price. Seasonal leagues I still wouldn't drop him, but I might see if there was someone in the league who might give you a good deal for him.
Jimmy Rollins is starting to show some signs of life, with five hits in the last three days. He also has three doubles and has driven in four runs over those games, and PERHAPS this is the start of something good. He's still hitting .213, so don't get too excited, but for those of us who have owned him all season long this is about as exciting as it has been all year long.
Is Emilio Bonifacio working his way back to fantasy relevance? He was 4/4 on Saturday and stole his 17th base of the year. He now has a hit in ten of his last eleven games, and six bases over that stretch. I would say if you need stolen bases that he is worth adding to your roster, but just be ready to cut ties with him if another cold streak starts to show.
ESPN.com has relaunched the ESPN Arcade with hundreds of games for you to play. Regardless of your interests there is sure to be something to get you addicted. Sports games, driving games, cards, puzzles, and even action sports. So far I have played Carniball (skeeball), a basketball shooting game, a baseball game in which you try to make a comeback in the bottom of the Ninth, and of course, some video poker. However, my favorite game so far is the Hair & Staches Concentration. This is a timed memory game in which you try to match up cards with some of the more interesting looks in baseball history. Not only fun but funny as well.
Mailing List
I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.
I think the Phillies are going to come up with a new promotion. It will be Brad Lidge Night sponsored by Tums. Lidge did collect his 14th save, but as usual there was drama. Lidge gave up a bunt single, followed by a walk. The good news is he wiggled out of it, but boy he likes to make them interesting. Obviously, Ryan Madson can't get the job done, so it will take something monumental for them to take the job away from him. However, he will make you sweat and won't do any favors for your ERA or WHIP.
Tommy Hanson is really looking like the real deal. After his six shutout innings on Sunday, he now hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three starts against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Reds. His strikeout numbers have been a little lower than I had expected, but how can you complain about 4-0 with an ERA under 2.50? If Hanson can beat the Yanks and the Red Sox then you can feel free to start him against any opponent. He will likely come back to Earth a little bit, but he is showing that you were wise to hold him on your bench all that time.
David Price on the other hand continues to struggle some. Today he only allowed one run over 6.1 innings, but he still is having trouble with control, as he walked five batters. In five of his first seven starts in the majors, he has allowed two runs or less, so the walks aren't killing him as far as ERA is concerned. However, he usually doesn't go deep into the game, and his WHIP is over 1.50. You have to just hope that he is figuring it out and he will start to be the guy we figured he would be. The good news is they didn't take him out of the rotation when they brought back Scott Kazmir, so the Rays still believe that he can get hot and pitch well.
Ryan Sadowski had a pretty good start to his major league career, but his minor league numbers suggest that you shouldn't put too much stock into this. He did have a pretty good record in the minors, as he was 13-6 over the past year and a half, but his ERA was over 4.50. He was a pretty decent strikeout pitcher down on the farm, but he wasn't a guy who was highly thought of. If he has another couple good starts, perhaps you can think about him, but right now he isn't worth a look.
Alexei Ramirez homered today for the fifth time in the last eleven games, and you can't deny any more that the guy is back on track and is someone that you can count on. I was very tempted a couple of times to let him go or trade him cheap during the first two months of the season, but boy am I happy that I didn't and you should be too if you were patient. He hit his tenth homer of the season, and I believe that he is a lock to go 20/20 again.
Francisco Liriano won his second consecutive start, so maybe he just needs to pitch against National League teams. Liriano allowed just two runs over seven innings and struck out six. The best news may be that he only walked one guy. Until I start seeing him do this against American League teams that he will face more often, I'm not ready to put too much stock in this win. I am hopeful still because I like the guy, but I am not ready to say that he is back.
Matt Palmer may have improved his record to 7-1, but he hasn't been impressive his past couple times out. Palmer was the beneficiary of great run support to get the win, as he allowed six earned runs over just five innings and didn't strike out a batter. He's been decent most of the time and could be used against weaker teams, but I don't believe that he is a guy that you start every time out.
Chad Gaudin is a guy you can target if you really need strikeouts, but just be careful how much stock you put in him. Gaudin won his second straight start to raise his record to 4-6 with a dominating performance against the Rangers. He allowed just one hit over eight innings and struck out nine. Gaudin now has 75 Ks in just 70 innings. He isn't a rookie, and has bounced around the majors, last making an impact in Oakland. He is an OK pitcher, but his ERA of just under 5.00 should tell you exactly what to expect from him if you play him on a regular basis.
Where has the power gone for Nick Markakis? With just two days left in the month, Markakis has a grand total of ONE homer for the all of June. He did only hit twenty in 2008, so it isn't like he is way off his usual pace, but when he had five in May we thought he could top 25 for the year. It now appears that he will fall into the 20-22 range. He is still a .300 hitter and is a quality outfielder. He will get hot again, don't trade him off cheap.
Emilio Bonifacio stole another base on Sunday, giving him three on the weekend. He has gotten a hit in six straight games, and if you are DESPERATE for steals I would give him a try, but I think he will go into a tailspin again before too long.
Mariano Rivera owners should be petitioning their leagues to allow hitting stats for pitchers to count. Rivera was forced to bat tonight against the Mets and earned a walk with the bases loaded for his first career RBI. Francisco Rodriguez inexplicably walked the Yankee closer to force in a run, as you can just add one more blooper to the Mets' season. The fact that they are even close in the standings is a minor miracle between their injuries and many blunders in the field, on the basepaths, and with the pitching.
Mailing List
I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.
Jhonny Peralta homered for the second time in three games, and now looks like he might be rounding into shape. He homered for the second time in three games, and now has eight hits in his last five games. He still has a ways to go to get anywhere near the stats he had last season, but ne no longer looks like someone you should drop. In fact, if you need shortstop or third base help, Peralta should be a solid option going forward.
David Huff had his best start as a pro on Wednesday, as he threw eight shutout innnings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been showing some improvement, allowing just three runs in each of his last three previous starts. He was ranked as the eighth best prospect in the Indians organization coming into the year, but struggled at AAA in '09. He wasn't an elite strikeout pitcher in the minors, but his stats were fairly impressive. In pieces of four seasons he was 20-9 with a 2.95 ERA, with 229 strikeouts in 253 innings. Huff is worth a flier if you are in need of starting pitching, or could be a good spot starter against favorable matchups. At worst, at least keep your eye on him.
There are a handful of Toronto Blue Jays that I don't believe in, no matter what kind of season they are having. Marco Scutaro hit his sixth homer of the season, but it was his first since April 30th. His career high in homers is nine, and while I expect him to eclipse that, he won't do it by much. He has rarely been a full time player in his career, He is certainly not peaking at age33. Rod Barajas has had a few good seasons in his career, but he is another guy who has generally been a part of a platoon during his major league career. He hit his seventh home run of the season, but if he is able to get past 15 I will be very surprised. Scott Rolen has a longer track record of success, and his his fifth home run of the year. It isn't that I don't have faith in Rolen's abilities, but he hasn't played more than 115 games in the past two seasons. As he gets older I don't gain more confidence that he will be on the field all year long.
David Price did not pitch well again, and I'm not sure exactly what is his issue. Price allowed five earned runs (ten total) over 4.1 innings, walked two, and struck out two. He is now 1-2 on the year, with an ERA just under 4.50. He is not going deep into games, he is walking too many and not striking out enough. Seasonal leagues I might try to capitalize on his name and see if you can still get a great trade for him. You likely will have at least one person who is drooling over his potential. Not saying he won't live up to the hype, but if it isn't a keeper league, the risk is limited. I still wouldn't consider dealing him in a keeper league. The ceiling is just too high.
Tommy Hanson threw 5.1 shutout innings against the Yankees on Tuesday, but he continues to struggle with his control. He did strikeout four, which is good, but walked five.......not so good. However, Hanson is now 3-0 with an ERA just over 3.00 in his first four starts. Do I need to tell you to keep starting him no matter of the matchup? I didn't think so.
Chien-Ming Wang was likely good enough to remain in the rotation again, but he fell to 0-6 on the season after allowing three runs over five innings and struck out four. Wang was not horrible, but not great by any stretch, and it is hard to say what New York should do with him going forward. This is a guy who has won 19 games twice in his career, so you have to believe that there are better days ahead of him, but from a fantasy perspective you can't keep him on your team right now. The guy fantasy players all want in the rotation, Phil Hughes, threw two hitless innings in relief of Wang, and continues to pitch well no matter what his role is.
Matt Wieters connected on his second home run, and is now hitting .262 on the year. He has driven in six runs in his last five games, and is starting to look like he might be worth all the hype that he was given before the season started. In my opinion, he is someone that you can even count on now, even in seasonal leagues and I would feel good with him as my only catcher. I believe that he will soon be the star he was projected to be.
Hideki Kuroda has never been a guy that I have had much confidence in, but he nearly threw a complete game on Tuesday. He was one out away from finishing the game, but when he allowed a run he was removed from the game. Kuroda is now 2-3 on the year, with an ERA just under 4.00. He is getting far more strikeouts in 2009 than he did last year, but he isn't someone that I would keep on my roster. He could be an OK start against the Pirates, Nationals, or Padres, but not a guy I hold on my roster.
Troy Tulowitzki hit two homers tonight, one day after I endorsed him as a solid shortstop on an everyday basis. Hopefully you jumped on him if it was possible yesterday, but if not, today's action should give you enough confidence to make the move. He is now up to twelve homers on the season.
Again, there will be no post on Wednesday, as I am traveling to Citi Field to see my Cardinals take on David Wright and a bunch of guys I've never heard of. OK, maybe that's not true, but have you seen the lineup the Mets are forced to play with all of their injuries? I almost feel bad for them, but not really. We are all fighting for playoff spots, and if the Mets lose a few extra games, perhaps that's enough for the Cards to get the wild card if they can't win their division.
I also will be missing the Wednesday edition ("The Big Show") of the Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast, but this is certainly not one that you should miss as the great Cory Schwartz will be a guest on the show. For those of you new to the site, Cory is from mlb.com and always doles out great information. Definitely a must-listen, and I'm disappointed he will be on the week I am out. So, check it out, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru to listen at 10pm EST Wednesday.
Mailing List
I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.
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I guess the old and whiley Joe Madden had enough of the slow starts of Neilman, Sonnanstine, and now the injury to Kazmir. "That's too many," as Ace Ventura would say. Joe had to finally call up his prized reinforcement of David Price.
Price did not make his scheduled start today in the minors and is set to start on Monday against FaustoCarmona and the Cleveland Indians. It is on the road, but against a slumping offense and shaky starter. If Price can get off to a fast start he could cruise for an easy win and chalk up some strikeouts.
Butler started the season with the big club, but he struggled with the bat, showed almost no power, and was sent back to AAA.Butler obviously has nothing more to prove in the minors, as he went right back to ripping it up when he was sent down.It is just a matter of time before he is back in Kansas City, and he is certainly someone you want to have on your team when he does.Butler has the talent to be one of the best pure hitters in the majors, a high average and lots of power, he just needs to find a position.
The jewel of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, Maybin could be a 30/30 player in the near future.The Marlins wanted him to start the season in centerfield, but he struggled in Spring Training, and was sent to AA to hone his skills.His batting average is lower than you might expect, and he is striking out at an alarming rate.Don't let this scare you away, particularly if you are in a keeper league.Maybin has mad skillz, and when he does come to the majors, he should have an immediate impact.
The Cardinals best hitting prospect since that Pujols guy, Rasmus will be held in the minors perhaps for most of the season.With the way the Cardinals outfield has been playing, coupled with Rasmus' struggles, there's no reason to rush their young prize to the majors.Any injury in the outfield in St. Louis (which is possible the way they are falling for the Cards), and you could see Rasmus with the big boys.Don't let the low average fool you, Rasmus has the tools to be a great player very quickly.
There's good news and bad news for Matt LaPorta.The good news is he is having one of the more impressive seasons in all of the minor leagues.The bad news?With Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, and Ryan Braun in the Brewers' outfield, it would take an injury to have him arrive in Milwaukee.More bad news?All three of those guys are under contract next year as well.LaPorta obviously has a ton of potential as a power hitter once he gets his opportunity, and a name to watch the news for because he should be on all fantasy teams when he arrives.
McCutchen is a rare, young talent.He has good power potential with the possibility of hitting 25+ homers and could easily steal 50 bases.The emergence of Nate McLouth has kept him at AAA, but at just 21 years old, McCutchen has an insanely bright future in front of him.He might not make the majors until September, but he is someone all keeper league players will want to own.
What really needs to be said about Liriano?In 2006, the greatest pitching prospect in a long time set the major league world on fire with an 11-2 record then was lost for a year with Tommy John Surgery.His attempted return in 2008 was halted by wildness and inconsistency and he was returned to the minors after being unable to get anyone out or throw the ball over the plate.Liriano has been much better of late, and a return to the majors after the All-Star Break seems likely. Will he return to his pre-surgery form? That is still up for debate.
Last year's minor league leader in strikeouts, Gonzalez has been struggling for most of the season.He was traded to the A's in the Nick Swisher trade, but so far this is one guy that Billy Beane might have missed on.Gonzalez has plenty of potential, and certainly knows how to miss bats, but he needs to work on being more consistent before he gets a sniff of the majors.He is someone to keep your eye on, but his shining star has dimmed some in 2008.
When Miller is healthy, he has been one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.Unfortunately for him, that hasn't been the majority of the time.Miller is currently out right now after undergoing surgery to repair a frayed tendon in his middle finger.This injury history will always follow him, and it will cause him to be overlooked in the future by fantasy players, but for those risk takers out there, Miller could be a great option if/when he reaches the majors.
The Angels top pitching prospect has nothing more to prove in the minors, but was less than stellar when he was called to the big leagues.Lately, however, Adenhart has been struggling at AAA as well.He has lost six of his last seven starts, and he has fallen to 5-6.It has gotten to the point where I would wait until he is called up AND had three or four quality starts before I thought of adding Adenhart to my roster.
This is one of the most dynamic pitching prospects to come around in some time. Price has dominating stuff, and although he is just in Single-A right now, it isn't out of the question that he could be in the majors before the end of the season.He is awesome at all things, he doesn’t walk many, his strikeout rate is just overone an inning, and he doesn't allow many runs.Now that the Rays are a team that actually scores runs and wins games, Price is probably the hottest commodity to get your hands on in those leagues that allow minor league players.
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