Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse

The Housies: Your 2009 Fantasy Baseball Awards Ceremony

R.J. White — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB New Studs, MLB Sleepers, MLB Value Machine

Major League Baseball announced the winners of its prestigious awards this week; now, FanHouse is following suit. We voted on winners in five categories (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Draft Day Bargain, Draft Day Bust), the results of which are revealed below. Remember, this awards show deals strictly in fantasy baseball. I'll also throw in a few awards I'm personally doling out for performances that made the 2009 season what it was.

Fantasy Rookie of the Year

The Candidates

Andrew Bailey, RP, Oakland. The AL Rookie of the Year winner is the only member of our nominees that doesn't hail from the National League. In the preseason, it was undecided whether Joey Devine or Brad Ziegler would close for the A's. Somehow it ended up on Bailey's shoulders, and all he did was notch 26 saves while posting a 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 91 Ks.

Chris Coghlan, 2B/OF, Florida. The National League Rookie of the year emerged as the new Placido Polanco for his roto teams, hitting .321 in 500-plus at-bats while adding a little bit of power (nine HRs) and speed (eight SBs). Eighty-four runs on that sad-sack team is certainly nothing to sneeze at either.

Tommy Hanson, SP, Atlanta. One of the most touted pitching prospects to come around in ages, Hanson was the rare case of the hype matching the kid. Called up after 11 terrific Triple-A starts, Hanson dominated the competition, earning a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11-4 record in 21 starts with Atlanta. His 116/46 K/BB ratio gives further proof that the talent is real.

J.A. Happ, SP, Philadelphia. Shuffling back-and-forth between starter and reliever, the then-26-year-old Happ compiled a 12-4 record for the NL champion Phillies, amassing a sparkling 2.93 ERA for the season, adding a 1.23 WHIP and 119 Ks in his 166 innings of work. The three complete games (two shutouts) are wonderful for a team that had bullpen problems.

Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates. Pittsburgh had Nate McLouth patrolling the outfield, someone whom fans and fantasy players alike loved. After a McLouth trade, we found someone that could fill the role just as well. The youngster ended 2009 with 12 HRs and 22 SBs in 433 ABs, hitting .286 in the process.

And the Housie for Fantasy Rookie of the Year goes to ... Tommy Hanson. In a unanimous decision, Hanson's emergence as possibly the game's best young pitcher was enough to take the Housie home. Bailey finished second in the voting, Happ third, and McCutchen a distant fourth. Coghlan received no votes.

Most Frustrating Player to Own in Fantasy Baseball

Manny Ramirez, OF, Los Angeles. One of your stars gets hurt, you put them on the DL and pick up another player. Manny Ramirez gets suspended, you have one of your best hitters stuck on the bench for 50 games. If you happen to play in a no-bench league, you suddenly have a black hole in one of your outfield spots, collecting zeroes day after day for two months. Hey, it's just another case of Manny being Manny.

Fantasy Draft Day Bust

The Candidates

Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas. One year after completing a widely-discussed comeback by hitting 32 HRs and amassing 130 RBIs, Hamilton went right into the tank in 2009. We knew to be cautious of his injury history, and that ended up looming over his head as he hit just .268 and 10 HRs in 336 ABs. Did I mention he was a fringe first-rounder in March?

Brad Lidge, RP, Philadelphia. Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Lidge played a key role in the 2008 Phillies run to the championship, perfect in his 41 save opportunities and lights out with a sub-2.00 ERA. Mr. Hyde came calling this year, as "Lights Out" Lidge became "Lit Up" Lidge, posting a putrid 7.21 ERA and 1.81 WHIP.

Russell Martin, C/3B, Los Angeles. Sure, Martin had the 3B distinction heading into the season, but 99 percent of his owners were felt much better off sticking him behind the plate for their fantasy team. After a few months, they didn't even want to play him there. Martin completely collapsed in 2009, hitting .250 with seven HRs and 11 SBs in 500-plus at-bats.

Grady Sizemore, OF, Cleveland. Roundly considered the best OF option in March drafts, Sizemore was a mid-first round pick in most leagues, which is understandable when a 20/30 season has become routine. Limited by injury, Sizemore's already mediocre average went in the tank as he hit .248 with 18 HRs and just 13 SBs this year.

Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago. Topping at least 28 HRs and 18 SBs for the last seven years (even 2008's injury-shortened campaign), Soriano, like Sizemore, was money in the bank to those who drafted him. Unfortunately, those same people needed a bailout as Soriano hit .241 with 20 HRs and nine SBs, even though he had more ABs than in 2008.

Geovany Soto, C, Chicago. Things just never go right for the Cubs, do they? Hailed as fantasy baseball's next great young catcher and coming off a .283-average, 23-HR year, Soto was drafted as high as the fourth or fifth round by some. A .218 average and 11 HRs assured that no one would be making that same mistake again in 2010.

And the Housie for Fantasy Draft Day Bust goes to ... Josh Hamilton. Ten homers and a .268 average from a first-rounder was the death knoll for many a team this year. Sizemore came in second, while my lone first-place vote for Martin gave him third. Hey, I owned both Martin and Hamilton, and the catcher was tougher to replace. The other three candidates picked up a third-place vote each.

The Look at the Peripherals Pitcher of the Year

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, Boston. Look, the guy gave more walks than the ASPCA in 2008. I know you were entranced by an 18-3 record and a sub-3.00 ERA, but 94 walks? That didn't raise a bit of a red flag? Thanks to injury, Dice-BB was only able to manage 12 starts, where he went 4-6 with a 5.76 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. Once 2008's absurdly-low 6.9 hits-per-nine innings rate came back up, Matsuzaka's goose was cooked.

Fantasy Cy Young of the Year

The Candidates

Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis. When he's on his game, he's a top-five pitcher, but injury after injury has led many owners to consider Carpenter undraftable. Those guys were kicking themselves this year, as he once again proved to be one of the best in the business, turning in a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while posting a 17-4 record and a 144/38 K/BB ratio.

Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City. Toiling away in obscurity by pitching for the Royals, Greinke did enough to win the AL Cy Young award this year. Think about that, and consider the years CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander had pitching for playoff teams. Greinke beat 'em all with a 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 242 Ks and a 16-8 record for one of baseball's worst teams.

Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle. King Felix has arrived, pitching up to his remarkable talent over the course of a full season for the first time in his young career. The Mariners ace posted a 19-5 record for a non-contender striking out 217 in 238.2 innings while throwing up a 2.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.

Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco. What would a top pitcher list be without the 2008 and 2009 NL Cy Young award winner? While the Giants made a surprising push at the playoffs, Lincecum was completely dominant yet again, striking out 261 batters in 225.1 innings, winning 15 games and turning in a 2.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

Javier Vazquez, SP, Atlanta. Acquired from Chicago, Vazquez became the next in a long line of elite Braves pitchers acquired from other teams. Escaping the hitter-friendly Cell, Vazquez obliterated the NL, with a 2.87 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 219.1 innings, picking up 238 Ks (while walking just 44 batters) and earning a 15-10 record along the way.

And the Housie for Fantasy Cy Young of the Year goes to ... Tim Lincecum. I know the above numbers look very similar, but was there every any question? Lincecum was the first pitcher off the board in many leagues, and he came through time and time again. Greinke scored a close second-place finish, while Hernandez (two third-place votes) edged out the other two competitors for third.

Injury that Ended Up Not Being a Problem

Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia. Remember back in March when we didn't know what to make of Utley's injury? We though for sure he'd miss the first few weeks of the season, and then figured he's take a little time rounding into top form. That dropped him into the second round of many drafts (like A-Rod, who actually did miss the first part of the season). Utley started on Opening Day and delivered 31 HRs, 23 SBs, and a .282 average. So much for that.

Fantasy Draft Day Bargain

The Candidates

Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis. We talked about Carpenter's amazing season above, one that fit right in with his amazing stretch between 2004 and 2006. After pitching just 15.1 innings for St. Louis last year, Carpenter was nothing more than a late-round gamble. Anyone that snatched him out of free agency likely finished near the top of the league.

Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City. He came just shy of winning this year's Fantasy Cy Young award, but Greinke has another shot here. His 2008 campaign, which featured a 3.47 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 183 Ks likely made him a mid-round pick in most leagues, and he turned into one of baseball's few elite pitchers. His early-season run was absurd.

Aaron Hill, 2B, Toronto. A very nice 2007 (19 HRs, .291 average) had Hill on our radars in 2008, but a concussion injury sidelined him most of the year, as he hit just two HRs in 205 at-bats. If you pegged him as a rebound in 2009, congratulations, you were rewarded with 36 HRs and 108 RBIs as well as a .286 average and a few SBs.

Mark Reynolds, 3B/1B, Arizona. Think Ryan Howard, if Howard played a position more scarce of talent and had some faster wheels. Despite breaking his own record for strikeouts in 2009, Reynolds hit 44 homers and stole 24 bases while posting a not-terrible .260 average. I drafted him late as a A-Rod fill-in for the first part the season and obviously stuck with him.

Justin Upton, OF, Arizona. While we sat around and waited for his brother to display the power worthy of B.J.'s high draft slot, Justin came through with a very nice five-category season, hitting .300 while posting 26 HRs and 20 SBs. His run and RBI totals were in the mid-80s, and his 2010 price tag should easily exceed his brother's.

Jayson Werth, OF, Philadelphia. Werth owners likely drafted him as a fourth OF, hoping for some speed mixed in with a little power (he went 24/20 in 2008). Matching the 20 steals, Werth's power bat took off in 2009, and he carried several hot power streaks to a 36-homer total. With nearly 100 runs and 100 RBIs, he was a four-category stud (.268 average).

And the House for Fantasy Draft Day Bargain goes to ... Mark Reynolds. Even with the terrible average, Reynolds did wonders at a position that proved difficult to unearth talent. Greinke came up just short yet again, while Carpenter earned third place in the voting. Hill took fourth. Upton and Werth didn't receive a vote.

Least Productive, Most Anticipated

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore. The Wieters hype in pre-season 2009 was palpable. People were spending mid-round picks on a guy they knew would spend a couple months on their bench. The Wieters-mania continued throughout the season, as people asked nearly every day when he'd be called up. Dominance was a forgone conclusion. In June, he finally arrived -- and hit just nine HRs in 354 ABs while posting a .288 average. Savior, he was not.

Fantasy Most Valuable Player

The Candidates

Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco. Our Fantasy Cy Young and the back-to-back NL Cy Young is our first candidate. If you didn't have him in a head-to-head league, you rued facing him. If you did have him, and were somehow able to get one of the breakthrough pitchers listed above, you probably went on to win pitching every week.

Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota. Like Utley, Mauer was faced with an injury heading into the season and required a bit of a gamble by the team that drafted him. That gamble paid off in spades. Mauer discovered his power stroke, hitting 28 homers (over double his previous high) while still posting a huge .365 average. 190 combined runs and RBIs were also golden.

Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis. Baseball's most feared hitter, Pujols was in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 fantasy drafts. You can't put a price on consistent excellence, Prince Albert may have outdone himself this year, combining his high RBI total from 2006 with his steals from 2005 to post a .327/124/47/135/16 line. Long live the Prince.

Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida. Also in the mix for No. 1 overall last year, Ramirez saw a dip in his HR, SB, and run totals. That was supported by a huge rise in average (from .301 to .342) and an equally great rise in RBIs (from 67 to 106). This season didn't quite live up to 2007's, but Hanley owners have nothing to complain about.

Mark Reynolds, 3B/1B, Arizona. Our Fantasy Draft Day Bargain, Reynolds was best served with a few high-average players to pump up that low .260. Do that, and you had the making of a killer lineup. One of 2010's early dilemmas will be regarding how to rank Reynolds for next season. Is this repeatable?

And the Housie for Fantasy Most Valuable Player goes to ... Albert Pujols. Of course. Pujols earned unanimous distinction as fantasy's MVP this year. Mauer's catcher-eligible explosion ranked second with our panel, while Ramirez came in third. Reynolds earned fourth, while Lincecum was right behind him.

And there you have it. If you made it to this point, thanks for sticking with us. I hope you enjoyed yourselves! Keep checking in with FanHouse periodically, as we'll keep you abreast of matters of fantasy baseball importance throughout the offseason.

The Housies: Your 2009 Fantasy Baseball Awards Ceremony originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: AL Cy Young Dogfight

R.J. White — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Love some Cy Young award discussion? Two of the AL's top pitchers were in action yesterday, and both walked away with their 17th wins of the season. This puts the pair of Cy Young contenders two wins ahead of Zack Grienke, who has by most accounts been the best pitcher in baseball this season, yet may be in a bit of a race for the award. On Thursday, Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez showed why they, along with Grienke and CC Sabathia, are part of a very tight AL Cy Young race.

Verlander's signature this season has been his gaudy strikeout numbers, and he came through again, striking out 11 batters in seven innings while allowing two earned runs. This gives Verlander 256 Ks on the season, a number that will impress anyone. His ERA is now 3.41, which puts him right in the same area as Sabathia (3.31). The Yankees pitcher has a slightly better record, though, and with a better record and better ERA, Verlander is more likely to finish fourth than first in the voting.

Hernandez also struck out 11 batters in his game while holding the Blue Jays to three earned runs in eight innings. He poses the most serious threat to Grienke in terms of the Cy Young award. Not only is Hernandez's 2.49 ERA in the same league as Grienke's 2.08 ERA, but Hernandez now sports a 17-5 record, which looks much better to the voters than Grienke's 15-8 record.

What works against Grienke and Hernandez is the fact that their teams haven't been in playoff contention at all this season, and that's why Sabathia may sneak into the picture and nab the award, even with an ERA over 3.00. When all is said and done, I feel the voters will remember how dominant Grienke was in the first few months, and the once embattled righty will take home his first Cy Young award.

Bits From the Box Scores
o. Two Rockies launched milestone HRs last night. First came Troy Tulowitzki, who hit his 30th HR in the first inning of Colorado's game against San Diego. Tulowitzki came into this season with 33 homers over 1,000-plus at-bats in his career, and his 30th homer of 2009 came in his 508th at-bat of the season. Then in the eighth inning, Ian Stewart connected for his 25th HR of the season. Considering Stewart's 2B eligibility, his power has offset the terrible average to a degree and made him a valuable fantasy commodity this season.

o. Big props to Knox Bardeen, who gave you Jack Cust as a fantasy fill-in for yesterday's abbreviated schedule. All Cust did was homer, single and walk to finish 2 for 4 with two runs and the one RBI. Knox also suggested Lastings Milledge, who hit his third homer of the season on Thursday. Way to go, Knox, and stay dry!

o. You wouldn't have believed this in June, but Jimmy Rollins smacked his 20th homer of the season, which gives him a very nice 20/30 season, if you can avoid looking at the average and remembering he was a first-round pick in most leagues. Anyone that traded for him on July 1st got themselves a pretty useful hitter over the second half of the season.

o. Bronson Arroyo came through with yet another great start, holding the Pirates to one earned run in seven innings and picking up the win. Arroyo's ERA for the season is now under 4.00, so do yourself a favor and pick him up for his last start(s). Francisco Cordero picked up his 39th save in the victory.

o. Also shining on the mound was Clay Buchholz, who shut out the Royals through 6.2 innings, allowing no walks and striking out eight batters during the win. The young pitcher has seen a massive turnaround, and now has a 4-0 record in five September starts, with a 1.38 ERA for the month.

o. Jacoby Ellsbury stole two more bases yesterday, giving him 66 now on the season. The .303 average is nice as well, and I'm very surprised the speedster doesn't have more runs this season (he now has 88). That speaks to the letdown the middle of the Boston lineup has suffered, although David Ortiz did hit his 26th homer of the season in yesterday's game as well.

o. Ian Kinsler stole his 30th base of the season and sits one HR shy of a 30/30 campaign, but like Rollins, you'd be wise to cover up that average and remember the good times. Adam Kennedy also reached a milestone, stealing his 20th base in the same game. He hasn't had that many SBs since his 2003 year with the then Anaheim Angels.

o. Lastly, Michael Brantley had a 2 for 5 day atop the Indians lineup with a stolen base. As the leadoff hitter, he could be a sneaky good source of runs and steals over the last week of the season, and he's been hitting at a very good average to boot. If he wins a starting spot in 2010, I'd use a late-round flier on the guy.

Lineup Lock Time: We're jumping off at 7:05 ET tonight. Have a great weekend!

Roto Rush: AL Cy Young Dogfight originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark DeRosa Rubs Salt in Cubs' Wound

Matt Snyder — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

On the day Milton Bradley began serving a team-mandated, season-ending suspension, former Cubs fan favorite Mark DeRosa suited up for the Cubs rival. He's been doing so since coming over in a trade from Cleveland. This past offseason, the Cubs moved DeRosa to the Indians as part of a concerted effort to free up payroll. The target: Bradley.

Thus, it was only fitting the chain of decisions were further cemented as awful when DeRosa hit two home runs and drove in four runs Monday night.

At the time of the move, it could have been argued the Cubs were moving DeRosa after his career year. After all, he'd never hit more than 13 home runs in a season, and he knocked 21 out of the park in 2008. Being 33, it's not like he was just entering his prime.

Well, he entered Monday night with 21 bombs, meaning his first homer of the night marked his career high. At age 34. His rate stats are down, but with his positional versatility and power, you could do much worse than DeRosa in fantasy baseball or in real life.

Bradley, on the other hand ... I just don't have the energy anymore. What a waste. Of everything. I'm embarrassed that I even bothered to give him a chance. It won't be happening again.

Bits From the Box Scores
- Chase Headley is quietly putting together a nice extended stretch. He went 5-for-6 with 3 doubles and a home run last night, which is hardly quiet, but look at his numbers for the last few months. Since July 29, Headley is hitting .328 with a .406 on-base percentage and .884 OPS. He's only hit 3 home runs during that time, but you aren't going to get power in San Diego from anyone other than the huge power threats. Headley is definitely someone to keep an eye on for 2010.

- David Purcey has now strung together two good starts. He's thrown 13 1/3 innings and allowed just 3 earned runs in those outings. Still, the Jays look to have a crowded rotation for next season and he's walked 8 batters in those innings.

- Tim Wakefield is having a rough September. In two starts, he's lasted just 9 innings. Not only that, he's given up 11 hits, 10 walks and 8 earned runs in those outings (6.55 ERA and 2.33 WHIP). He's not worth running out there again this season.

- Josh Anderson stole his 22nd base of the season Monday night. He won't help anywhere else, but he's a good source of cheap speed in large AL-Only leagues.

- Nick Blackburn threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 6 and walking no one. He's a good spot-start down the stretch as the Twins look to take down Detroit.

- Kenshin Kawakami will be an interesting option next season. The Braves will likely trade him if they don't plan to have him in the rotation, which means he'll be a starting pitcher somewhere. He was dominant in 4 innings of relief work Monday night, and he had a 3.30 ERA in his last 10 starts.

- Julio Borbon has been pretty impressive in his time this year. Expect the Rangers to hand him the leadoff spot next year, which is a prime place to accrue runs. He's also stolen 16 bases and hit .321. The 4 homers aren't too shabby either. The 23-year-old prospect appears to be headed for stardom and he'll be a hot late-round commodity in fantasy leagues, too.

- Alex Rodriguez has had a down year in terms of batting average, but he's hitting .371 since September 2. In fact, his rate stats are looking like they'll be quite similar to those of Mark Teixeira before it's all said and done.

- Take note: Brian Fuentes did get the save Monday night -- against the Yankees. The Angels still obviously have some trust in him.

The Afflicted: Denard Span left Monday's game after getting beaned with an apparent head injury. The guess here is he'll be day-to-day.

Called Up: Tyler Colvin, a 24-year-old Cubs outfielding prospect, has gotten the call -- in a corresponding move with the suspension of Bradley. It didn't take long for him to make an impact, as he garnered his first major league hit and RBI Monday night. Looking at Colvin's minor league stats, he's not an entirely appealing fantasy prospect. Just a solid all-around player who hit .286 with 15 home runs, 60 RBI and 8 stolen bases in the minors this past season. He can play center, but he's more suited for the corners. It will be interesting to see if the Cubs can move Bradley in the offseason. If they can, Colvin has a real shot of playing for the 2010 Cubs.

Lineup Lock Time: 7:05 PM ET

Mark DeRosa Rubs Salt in Cubs' Wound originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five Thursday Hitters to Stream

Knox Bardeen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Our weekly fantasy baseball podcast topic on Tuesday night was gaining ground in a rotisserie league. It was a good listen, as most Cram Sessions are, but a topic that I wanted to expand upon today is streaming hitters into your lineup on Mondays and Thursdays.

We've all heard of streaming pitchers, in fact if you've listened to R.J. White in his Stream Team column every day since the All-Star break you now have an extra 17 wins on your fantasy team. R.J. has streaming pitchers down to a science. It's really no different to stream in hitters. You just only need to do it two days a week.

On Thursday there are only four teams with the day off. So, you're likely only going to be missing a player or two. But, if you have any of the big-time hitters from Detroit, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Minnesota, you may want to find a daily replacement. Especially, if you're nowhere close to your innings limit at the particular position you're streaming in.

James Loney, Dodgers - Loney isn't having the best month, and recently he's been hampered by flu-like symptoms. But, he returned to action Tuesday night and more importantly he loves facing Jorge De La Rosa, his opposing pitcher on Thursday. In 11 lifetime at-bats, Loney has seven hits (.637 batting average). Loney is owned in 60% of fantasy leagues.

Andrew McCutchen, Pirates - Over the last week McCutchen is batting .353 with three stolen bases. He's also proven he can hit J.A. Happ, his opposing pitcher on Thursday, going 1-for-3 in their only meeting. McCutchen is owned in 40% of fantasy leagues.

David DeJesus, Royals - DeJesus is only owned in 7% of fantasy leagues and is batting .478 with two home runs over the last seven days.

Matt Diaz, Braves - Diaz may be performing better at the plate right now than at any other time in his career. And, he absolutely murders left-handed pitching. Fortunately for Diaz, he's facing Clayton Richard on Thursday -- a lefty. Diaz is 11-for-22 over the past week and only owned in 5% of fantasy leagues.

Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners - Over the last week Gutierrez is batting .296 with two stolen bases. As icing on the cake, he's facing Kyle Davies on Thursday whom he's 6-for-10 lifetime against. Gutierrez is only owned in 26% of fantasy leagues.

Five Thursday Hitters to Stream originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: The Comeback Kid

R.J. White — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

By all accounts, this has been a season to forget for Josh Hamilton. While it would have been hard to meet the expectations that come after a 32-HR, 130-RBI season (Hamilton's numbers in 2008), no one could have predicted a fall this precipitous.

After a .242, two-HR April, we called it a rough start. Hamilton followed that up with a .237 May and went on the shelf for a month. The struggling Texas outfielder entered the All-Star break hitting .243 with just six HRs on the season. By August 2, his average was down to .220.

And then, something finally clicked.

Since that low point at the beginning of August, Hamilton has seven multi-hit games in ten outings, raising his average 40 points to .260 on the season. The latest stellar outing was a 4-for-4, two-double night against Cleveland on Thursday, a game the Rangers won 4-1. This gave Hamilton an incredible nine hits in his 12 at-bats against Cleveland this series. The power isn't back yet, but this latest hot streak is very encouraging for owners that have stashed the slumping Hamilton, waiting for some signs of life.

We had just nine games on the schedule Thursday, but that doesn't mean we have any less to discuss.

Bits From the Box Scores:
o. In a game that featured several good power hitters, Cincinnati's Jonny Gomes stole the show, hitting homers in his first three at-bats against Washington. Gomes had been a platoon OF throughout the season, but he's been seeing more work than usual in August, and on this day at least, it paid off. I don't think he was in many fantasy lineups for this power spectacle, nor do I think he should be grabbed out of free agency.

o. In the same game, Bronson Arroyo held what is usually a very potent Washington offense to two hits and a walk in a complete-game shutout. Arroyo now has quality starts in his last four outings, and in six of his last seven starts. Despite his recent success, the lack of strikeouts -- Arroyo has only six total strikeouts in 23 August innings -- is disconcerting.

o. Another start, another great performance from Cliff Lee. This latest win (8 IP, 1 ER, 8 Ks) makes Lee 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his three starts with the Phillies. Not that it matters in your fantasy league, but Lee is also swinging a hot bat, going 1-for-3 today with his second double since coming to the National League. If Cole Hamels can turn around his rough August, this team will be tough to beat in the playoffs.

o. It's about time Ryan Howard went yard again. It had been 14 games since the slugger had blasted one out of the park, but he came through on Thursday with a three-run shot, his 27th home run of the season, in the fourth inning. He also added his fifth steal of the season, and he hasn't been caught once on the base paths. With the way Jimmy Rollins has been swinging (five HRs in August), I almost got him and Howard confused. OK, maybe not.

o. Coming off a great July (.293, 5 HR, 19 RBI), Hideki Matsui was having trouble carrying the magic over to August. He had no problems last night, homering twice as part of a 4-for-5, four-run, five-RBI night. With Alex Rodriguez on the bench, Matsui hit cleanup and led the Yankees to a blowout win against the Mariners. CC Sabathia picked up a win for the fifth time in his last six starts.

o. Break out the humidors: Nothing was keeping the ball in the park in Thursday's San Diego-Milwaukee game. The teams combined for seven HRs. Prince Fielder and Mike Rivera each had two for the Brewers, and Ryan Braun had one for the team. Adrian Gonzalez and Oscar Salazar went deep for the Padres. Gonzalez's blast was his 30th of the season, and Fielder now has 29 this year.

o. A pitching duel broke out in Boston. It was encouraging to see Clay Buchholz perform well (7 IP, 1 ER), but the real story was Justin Verlander, who threw eight shutout innings, striking out eight batters in the process of earning his 13th win. Verlander was coming off two five-run starts, so his owners must be happy to see the dominance return. Stick with Verlander every time out.

o. Troy Tulowitzki has been one of the hottest players this month. He hit his third homer in his last four games in Thursday's win, and a .367/.392/.755 August line speaks to his growth as a hitter. Tulowitzki's OPS currently stands at .905, which is remarkable considering it was .683 on June 6. He's a top-five SS heading into 2010, and a must-keep for any dynasty owner.

o. In the midst of hitting .435 in August, Joe Mauer is working on making another run at .400 on the season. His average is now up to .370 after Thursday's 2-for-4, one-HR and four-RBI game. Of the elite catchers, Mauer was the one with the question marks heading into the season, but he's outperformed all at the position, and quite a few at other positions as well.

o. Coming to the bullpen, Joakim Soria put together a two-inning save to send Mauer and the Twins home with a loss. The elite closer has only been used in three games in August, and this was just his second save opportunity of the month. The other was of the two-inning variety as well.

o. Rookie Neftali Feliz has been outstanding since joining the Rangers bullpen. He had enormous control problems in the minors, but he has yet to walk a batter in 6.2 innings in the bigs. On Thursday, he struck out five batters in two innings, giving him 13 Ks. Yes, he's averaging about two Ks per inning right now. It'll be interesting to see if he can overcome the struggles he'll eventually have, but for now he makes a great bullpen add to your team.

They Tried to Make Me Go to Rehab: Tim Hudson threw four innings for Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing two runs and striking out three. He's likely two weeks away. Jake Peavy looked much better in his Triple-A start, going three innings while striking out five and giving up no runs. He should also be back in two weeks. Torii Hunter homered in Single-A and remains on track to be back with the Angels this weekend. I'm activating him next week.

Down on the Farm: Jeff Clement is loving the International League. Since being acquired by the Pirates, Clement has hit .320 with six homers in 13 games. On Thursday, he came through with three hits and a walk, plating two runs. If he keeps this up, he'll be manning first base in Pittsburgh in no time.

Lineup Lock Time: The Pirates-Cubs game kicks off at 2:20 ET, and everything else starts at 7:05 ET or later.

Roto Rush: The Comeback Kid originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stud or Shelton: Padres' Young Sluggers

Matt Snyder — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Sleepers, MLB Stud or Shelton, MLB Waiver Wire

Remember Chris Shelton's nine home runs in the first 13 games for the Detroit Tigers in 2006? Stud or Shelton examines whether currently hot players are displaying a similar mirage or will continue to play at a high level.

With the Jake Peavy trade and whispers about a possible deal of Adrian Gonzalez at the trade deadline last week, the Padres have been in the headlines quite a bit for a team playing really bad baseball. Of course, they haven't been in said headlines for on-field activity. Thus, you might have missed the power strides being made by two youngsters: Kyle Blanks and Will Venable.

Is it real? You know how we roll ... it's Stud or Shelton time.

Kyle Blanks

Blanks is 22 years old, and he's an absolute specimen; 6-foot-6, 270 pounds of what appears to be pure muscle. He hits prodigious home runs when he gets a hold of them, and he even hit for average in the minors (.325 last year). The Padres are fully committed to the future, even to the point they considered dealing Gonzalez and leaving Blanks to replace him at first base.

You expect growing pains when a youngster like this tries to adapt the majors midseason. We saw that when Blanks struggled early. He only had six hits through his first 40 at-bats, including zero home runs.

If you merely look at Blanks' current batting average on the season you will still be unimpressed. He's hitting only .218. Since July 21, though, he's hitting a respectable .275. More importantly, he's left the yard six times in 51 at-bats during that span. Three of those bombs were at home, in the ridiculously spacious Petco Park. Despite the bad average, his season OPS is .787, which gives him a solid 117 OPS+.

There are also signs he's going to continue bringing that average up. His BABIP is still a tad bit low, meaning he should see a continued progression in his rate stats. His high walk total has helped make his on-base percentage solid. That means he's already grasping the strike zone.

Verdict: He's definitely a future stud, and we're going to say he's studly with power the rest of the year.

Will Venable

He's surging in a much more thunderous way than Blanks right now. Venable, the 26-year-old outfielder, has been on an absolute tear for the past week. Actually, he went 0-for-4 Thursday night. Before that, though, he went through a seven-game span where he hit .481 with a 1.554 OPS, 5 home runs, 12 RBI and 7 runs. Like I said, he was sizzling.

We can't totally discount the short little streak as a fluke, because he's never gotten the chance to play every day and he's still young enough to be breaking out. So, let's check it out.

In the minors, he made a quick ascent to Triple-A. Last season, he hit .292 with 14 homers in 120 games of Triple-A play. He was an average big-league hitter for 110 at-bats. This season, he hit just .260 in 53 minor-league games, but he did drop 12 bombs. Nothing in his peripherals is jumping out as ridiculous, but he has been a bit fortunate in terms of fly balls leaving the yard and balls in play finding open areas.

Verdict: Shelton. I can't pull the trigger on him. He appears to be pretty ordinary in all categories, meaning he just recently hit a small-sample-size aided hot streak. There is some power there, but he's not playing in a park conducive to long-term success unless you have the kind of strength Blanks or Gonzalez do.

Stud or Shelton: Padres' Young Sluggers originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thirty-Five Hits and 45 Consecutive Outs

R.J. White — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Adam Kennedy: 5-for-7. Mark Ellis: 4-for-6. Orlando Cabrera, Kevin Youkilis, and J.D. Drew: 3-for-5 each. Six other players with two hits. Five more with a single hit. 35 in all, and nary a home run to be found. Boston's Clay Buchholz and Oakland's Vin Mazzaro each gave up nine hits in the game, and Boston was able to piece together five runs in the third to end up with a 6-2 lead after six innings. But as they say, that's when things got interesting.

Oakland scores one in the seventh on a Ryan Sweeney single. 6-3 Boston. Kennedy adds an RBI single in the eighth. 6-4 Boston. Drew scores on a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth to stake the Red Sox to a three run lead with Jonathan Papelbon on his way to the mound to seemingly end the hit barrage. But on this night, not even Papelbon was immune to the Oakland bats.

With two outs and a runner on third, back-to-back hits have the A's within one. After Ellis steals third, an infield single by Rajai Davis scores the tying run, handing Papelbon his third blown save of the season. In extras, Oakland puts two runs up in the 11th inning, with the second of those runs coming as the result of a key steal by Davis. As is obivous by now, the A's had no qualms trying to nab every bag they thought they could get. After the 34th and 35th hits of the game lead off the bottom of the 11th, Andrew Bailey is able to strand the tying run on third to record the save.

There you go. 35 total hits. Not one of the seven Sox pitchers escaped the outing without giving up a hit, while the A's pen was just good enough to win.

Bits From the Box Scores
o. For half of the White Sox-Twins game, it looked like Mark Buerhle might do the impossible and be perfect in back-to-back games. A sixth-inning walk ended that fantasy, and the Twins were able to dink and dunk their way to a win, chasing Buerhle from the game with five earned runs charged to the Chicago pitcher. Buerhle did break the record for consecutive batters retired with 45 in all spanning three games, so big congrats to him!

o. Mark DeRosa has now homered in three consecutive games, with the latest a three-run job with two outs in the eighth inning of last night's game. Much of the focus of the post-trade St. Louis offense goes to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday (and rightly so), but DeRosa is loving hitting in front the two mashers. His multi-eligibilty at second, third, and in the outfield make him one of the better second-half investments in the league.

o. Chad Billingsley and Adam Wainwright were locked in a pitching duel until the bottom of the sixth, when the Cardinals hit everything Billingsley threw at them for a six-run inning. Wainwright continued to cruise and now has throw seven straight quality outings. The St. Louis pitcher has been a workhorse, pitching at least six full innings in every start dating back to early April.

o. Everth Cabrera stole two bags off Bronson Arroyo, giving him six in his last six games. He's also 9-of-16 in his last four games and makes an excellent pickup for those lacking in steals. Adrian Gonzalez homered for the second straight game, predictably heating up the minute I had to play him in a head-to-head league. The buy-low window is closing fast.

o. It was tough for many owners to start Scott Kazmir yesterday, as the Tampa Bay lefty had been all over the map since coming off the disabled list in late June and had to take on the Yankees in this start. But against the league's best offense, Kazmir threw seven innings in what was his longest outing to date, allowing just one run in the process. Great step forward for Kazmir, and his owners will be more confident next time out.

o. Check your free agency pool for Nyjer Morgan. Since Washington made the trade for the true centerfielder at the beginning of July, he's hit .389, stolen 13 bases, and scored 17 runs. He added a steal, a homer, and three RBIs last night. Hitting atop a very good Nationals lineup, Morgan has the potential to keep providing help in runs and stolen bases for the rest of the year.

o. Rafael Soriano blew a save for the first time since mid-May in Atlanta's loss to Florida. You really can't complain about the eight saves the undisputed Braves closer has given you this month though. Across the dugout, Leo Nunez picked up his third win of the season despite giving up a homer himself.

o. Apparently you can run on Miguel Montero. Chase Utley nabbed a couple bases in the Philles-Diamondbacks game, and Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. The Flyin' Hawaiian also added a homer in the contest, as did Mark Reynolds, who hit a monster two-run blast off Brad Lidge in the ninth inning to make it a one-run game. Lidge rebounded to get the save after the home run. Reynolds has a 12-game hitting streak and still hasn't slowed down a bit.

o. Rough week for Brian Fuentes owners. After giving up four runs on Monday without recording an out, Fuentes gave up two runs last night, again without recording an out. His ERA jumps from 2.78 to 4.29 after the two lousy outings. Jason Bulger cleaned up the mess for his first major-league save.

The Afflicted: Roy Oswalt left his start in the second inning with a back strain and will probably be placed on the disabled list. Oswalt was on his way to his customary big second half, so this is a big blow to fantasy teams. Ian Kinsler left the Rangers game with a strained hamstring and will likely miss some time. A rotator cuff tear will keep Randy Johnson out until at least September, making him droppable in all leagues. Also droppable is Chien-Ming Wang, as the Yankee pitcher is having season-ending surgery to his shoulder. Scott Richmond is back with Toronto and should start Friday. Chris Snyder gets activated, but Montero should remain the starter in Arizona.

Lineup Lock Time: The action kicks off at 2:20 ET today.

Thirty-Five Hits and 45 Consecutive Outs originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stream Team: Tillman's Debut

R.J. White — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:05:00 EST

Filed under: MLB New Studs, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.

Hey, two straight wins for the Stream Team, first from Phille Joe Blanton, then from his teammate Jamie Moyer. Moyer pitched around trouble beautifully last night, allowing six hits and four walks but no runs. Our post-All Star Break ERA is down to 2.79, and we've got 56 Ks in 67.2 innings. If you're playing along with us in your league, I have a no-brainer add for tomorrow.

One of the best young pitchers in the minor leagues is on his way to the Show, and I encourage you to grab him right away. Chris Tillman is an accomplished pitcher that has the ability to be a #1 or #2 starter in the bigs. He came over to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard-to-Seattle trade, along with Adam Jones and George Sherrill. Matt Snyder took a good look at him last week, so I'll just focus on his opponent tomorrow, the Royals.

Kansas City has the third-worst away OPS in the league, sporting just a .289 OBP on the road. And despite the heroics of Billy Butler, they haven't done a great job scoring runs lately, averaging under four runs per game in their last seven contests. The Royals also aren't a good team against righties, as they're tied for last in OBP and in the bottom five in OPS when facing off against right-handers. While Tillman's odds of nabbing a win are reduced by Zack Greinke's presence, the home crowd will definitely be behind the rookie, and his debut should be solid all around.

Stream Team: Tillman's Debut originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 Fantasy All-Stars, All-Scars, All-Sleepers and All-Keepers

R.J. White — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Kids Are Alright, MLB Sleepers, MLB Value Machine

Ah, the All-Star break. A time for fantasy owners to take three days off from the grind of a six-month baseball season. To most, it's a welcome reprieve. To myself and other baseball-obsessed individuals, it's the three most excruciating days of a season. By the time Thursday rolls around, I'd even be willing to watch the Mets play.

Since we have to find some way of passing the time till then, let's name some illustrious fantasy squads -- one comprised of the best players at each position, another comprised of players that scarred their teams' chances of postseason glory, the third comprised of the draft picks that brought us the most bang for our buck, and the last comprised of the best young talent around. The voting for these three teams opened on July 4th at 8:00 PM and closed promptly on July 4th at 8:01. Since I was the only one to submit a vote, these teams might be a little skewed to my point of view.

Midseason Fantasy Baseball: Play for Free at Fleaflicker.com

The Albert Pujols All-Stars

1B: Albert Pujols. Duh.
2B: Chase Utley. Remember when some injury concerns caused Utley to drop to the second round? Yeah, neither do I.
3B: Mark Reynolds. If you would have told me I'd get 24 HRs, 15 SBs and a .258 average from Reynolds this year, I would have taken it. He has that -- and two-plus months left in the season.
SS: Hanley Ramirez. Am I the only one that thinks Hanley would've traded this awesomeness to be the starting SS of the Red Sox?
C: Joe Mauer. Anyone that played the over on "Number of Joe Mauer homers in 2009" can already cash in their winning ticket. Mauer Power checks in at 15 HRs and counting.
OF: Carl Crawford. After eight HRs and 25 SBs last year (along with an un-Crawford like .273 average), this year's eight HRs and 44 SBs (along with a .310 average) put Crawford in the OF elite.
OF: Torii Hunter. A strained abductor will likely end Hunter's chances of staying on this list at season's end. Can't complain about the 17/13 HR/SB combo and .305 average he's given you.
OF: Ryan Braun. The HRs seem a tad light, don't they? He's still swiping a handful of bases and hitting for great average. Fear not, a power surge will come and he'll end the year with 35-plus dingers.
UT: Prince Fielder. Block Pujols' season for a second and consider how great a step forward the big man has taken. .315/.442/.614 and 22 HRs make him the close choice for our utility slot.
SP: Dan Haren. Some owners are dealing the ace based on fear of future volatility. I think he'll be winning leagues across the nation for shrewd owners.
SP: Tim Lincecum. Honestly, Lincecum could throw eight no-hitters this year with his stuff and it wouldn't shock anyone. The Giants have the young pitching in place to make a dynastic run -- if only they could find some bats.
SP: Zack Grienke. Any pitcher that can win ten games by the ASB playing with the Royals deserves all the credit in the world. Once upon a time, he made DL stints for unstable young talents all the rage.
SP: Felix Hernandez. Lights out since May 24, the former buzz-inducing young phenom (you know, before Lincecum took the crown) has been an excellent mid-round bargain.
RP: Joe Nathan. Nathan's line: 1.31 ERA, 43 Ks, 7 BBs, 23 saves. And he hasn't allowed a run in 21 consecutive outings, racking up 17 saves in that time. So, you know, the anti-Brad Lidge.

The Russell Martin All-Scars

1B: Chris Davis. In December, he was an intriguing 10th-round pick. By February, he was a popular eighth-round selection. By March, he was going in the fifth or sixth round. If the season started in May, he'd have been the No. 1 pick.
2B: Howie Kendrick. Even if the power numbers aren't there, at least you can be confident that Kendrick will bring a high .300-plus average to your squad. Oh, .239 you say? Are you sure that's not Kyle Kendrick?
3B: Garrett Atkins. I know, you drafted Davis and Atkins to play your corner infield spots and entered the season with unbridled enthusiasm. Atkins recently went 8-for-13 with a HR in a three-game stretch -- hope you sold high.
SS: Jimmy Rollins. Sorry, Jimmy. You know I love you, but it's going to take more than a hot two weeks in July to undo all the damage you've wrought to our teams.
C: Russell Martin. Hindsight is 20/20. Which Russell Martin never has a chance of being. Sorry, guys that still hold a connection to the 2007 Martin, it's time to let go.
OF: Josh Hamilton. I want to give Hamilton a pass due to his time on the DL. He'd make it easier if he hit some homers. 150 at-bats of suckitude is enough to put him on the All-Scars. I'll spare Vladimir Guerrero and Carlos Quentin though.
OF: Magglio Ordonez. Maggs was able to lose the ability to hit for average and power at the same time, not an easy task to accomplish. Now he's platooning with someone name Clete, who really sounds like a Nike spokesperson.
OF: Chris Young. Did you know that Chris Young the pitcher actually has a higher average than Chris Young the outfielder? OK, that's a lie, but it's sad I had to look that up to be sure -- wait, check that. The pitcher is batting 65 points higher. And he plays half his games in Petco.
UT: Rafael Furcal. 2009 has been a mirror opposite of 2008. No power and no speed while showing the uncanny ability to stay healthy and in fantasy lineups everywhere.
SP: Francisco Liriano. At this point, his owners are probably praying for another injury. Liriano has done a good job in the last six weeks of bringing the ERA down to the mid-fives. Not good enough, however.
SP: Ervin Santana. I'm convinced that Ervin has an identical twin that sells baked goods in some quiet Midwestern town, and that they switch lives every 12 months. Fine then, you explain it.
SP: Rich Harden. Remember the good ol' days when Harden would give us a handful of fantastic starts and disappear to the disabled list? I miss those days.
SP: Joba Chamberlain. He was supposed to be the Next Big Thing. I had him in Roy Oswalt territory heading into 2009. To me, he's probably the most disappointing of these names
RP: Carlos Marmol. This was the year Marmol was to inherit the Cubs' closer gig -- or so you thought. Flash forward to now, and Marmol's "breakout" three-save season (complete with horrible WHIP) has you once again cursing the overhyped mid-round closer.

The Justin Upton All-Sleepers

1B: Russell Branyan. You grabbed him thinking he'd supply you with some late-round pop and nothing more. Who knew he'd match Ryan Howard's first-half HR total, while hitting for a better average to boot?
2B: Aaron Hill. A concussion cut Hill's 2008 short. As a repayment, he's making as many AL pitchers' heads hurt as possible in 2009.
3B: Reynolds. Sell high. No, I'm serious -- stop reading and go get your buddy on the line. The guy that's in eighth place and needs a shakeup. It's OK, we can wait.
SS: Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist. I really wanted to include Reid Brignac in this list too, but three Tampa Bay shortstops would just be overkill.
C: Pablo Sandoval. We knew he was capable of a high average. Where did the 15 HRs and four SBs come from? Oh, and if Sandoval isn't a catcher in your league, we'll give you Brandon Inge.
OF: Justin Upton. 21-year-olds shouldn't be this good in the majors. If he keeps this up, he's joining Pujols and Lincecum in the soon-to-be-created all-universe league.
OF: Raul Ibanez. What were the Phillies thinking, signing this old dog to a four-year contract and letting Pat Burrell walk? Yeah, I never questioned it either.
OF: Jayson Werth. He's putting up Jason Bay numbers at a fraction of the cost. If the Phillies can add some good pitching at the deadline (like they did with Joe Blanton last year), they'll run away with the NL East.
UT: Adam Lind and Shin-Soo Choo. I couldn't decide between these two, so let's give them half-a-vote each. The two lefties exhibit different skill sets, but neither cost a high draft pick and both are top-ten outfielders at the break.
SP: Chris Carpenter. Sure, he missed a little time at the beginning of the season. He's been great since, with only one six-run game in June tarnishing his 2.47 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
SP: Edwin Jackson. The Tampa Bay Rays traded Jackson to the Tigers for Matt Joyce, or as he's affectionately known as now, a bag of balls.
SP: Josh Johnson. How mad are you going to be when Johnson signs with the Yankees or Red Sox after his arbitration years run out? 14, maybe 15 on a ten-point scale?
SP: Jarrod Washburn. I couldn't tell you how he's doing it, but Washburn enters the break with a sub-3.00 ERA and an excellent 1.09 WHIP. Who does he think he is, Cliff Lee?
RP: Ryan Franklin. It's time to come off the ledge, Chris Perez owners. You thought you had a bargain, but it just wasn't in the Cards. See what I did there? Hey, where are you going?

The Matt Wieters 25-or-Under All-Keepers

1B: Fielder. A year younger (at least) than Miguel Cabrera, Fielder is an easy choice here. I'd still trade either for Pujols in a keeper league, but I'm just sayin'.
2B: Ian Stewart. The guy is 24 and looks like he's on his way to figuring it all out. The power has come, now will the average?
3B: Evan Longoria. The 23-year-old Tampa Bay third baseman has quickly become one of the top options at the hot corner. We hope he's the next A-Rod (unless you're a Tampa Bay fan).
SS: Ramirez. Hanley is still only 25, making him by far the No. 1 keeper league commodity in the majors.
C: Brian McCann. Be patient, my Matt Wieters-owning friends. I know the category is named after him, but the sweet-swinging McCann is only 25 and is far more proven than the Baltimore rookie.
OF: Braun. Remember when we were worried about Braun's long-term stock when the Brewers moved him off third? Turns out a 35-HR, 100-plus RBI bat plays anywhere. Who knew?
OF: J.Upton. At your live draft, the B.J. Upton owner laughed at your Justin Upton pick in the late rounds. "Sorry dude, but I got the only Upton that matters." Loser.
OF: Matt Kemp. Any other manager would waste Kemp's huge potential by hitting him in the top half of the order. That's why Joe Torre makes the big bucks, because he understands baseball better than you.
UT: Matt Wieters. C'mon, you know I couldn't put together a keeper list without the Baseball Jesus. I've already cleared a weekend in 2030 for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
SP: Lincecum. He'd be the first pitcher taken in any redraft, keeper, dynasty, NL-Only, roto, H2H, points, animated-pitchman, Fleaflicker, or any other league. (By the way, sign up for your post-ASB leagues here.)
SP: Chad Billingsley. Sure, he walks too many people, but that type of talent can't be forsaken. He could have a Hamels-like run en route to leading the Dodgers to a title this year.
SP: Yovani Gallardo. Racking up strikeouts quicker than a fantasy baseball writer at a Victoria's Secret fashion show, Gallardo mixes sheer awesomeness with the consistent ability to be unabashedly amazing.
SP: Tommy Hanson. Premature? You bet. But I had to get a man-crush in here somewhere. Tommy Boy will eventually lose the walks. I hope you've traded for him by that point.
RP: Joakim Soria. I'd take him over Jonathan Broxton if I had the choice. Soria has posted sub-1.00 WHIP seasons in 2007 and 2008, as well as a sub-1.00 WHIP season in the first half of 2009.

2009 Fantasy All-Stars, All-Scars, All-Sleepers and All-Keepers originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Price Finding His Edge Again

Tom Herrera — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Before David Price took the mound Thursday, he said he was looking to rediscover his missing edge. "I just haven't had that edge, haven't had that mentality when I was out there," said Price. "I have to get back to the same way I was last year, the same way that got me to this point..."

For one night, at least, the 23-year-old lefty found what he was looking for.

There's no question Price has the talent. There's also no question that pitching is a cerebral game. Mastering the mental side is a very big part of success "out there."

Rays manager Joe Maddon tried something interesting this time around. Maddon asked pitching coach Jim Hickey to not go over the data reports on opposing batters with Price. "We have so much information, and it's good. It's good to utilize it and we do utilize it," said Maddon. "But there are certain moments when you really want to walk away from it and just permit your instincts" to take over.

Price gave up one run over six innings, struck out seven, and most importantly, only walked one. It was just the second time this season that Price issued less than two free passes. Oh, and he outdueled Roy Halladay in the process.

If you're playing from behind this season, it's time to acquire the disappointments. Even if Price doesn't show the kind of consistency we all want, he remains a strong buy-low, in hopes that the edge has returned.

The Afflicted: Our cram session fears were warranted. Torii Hunter is likely headed to the DL with a strained adductor muscle, but thankfully there's no tear. If waivers seem shallow and you need some speed, take a shot with Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. He'll help you fill three categories in Hunter's absence -- steals, runs and average. He also has six RBI over his last three games. Yunel Escobar left Thursday's game with a lower back strain. He's currently day-to-day. Corey Hart should be back in the lineup against the Dodgers after missing two games with a bruised foot.

Bits From the Box Scores:
o. OK, what's in Jayson Werth's Wheaties? With homers in four straight games, he's up to 20 for the season. He's on pace for 40 HR, 107 RBI and 24 steals. Talk about exceeding draft value.

o. Dustin Pedroia remembered how to hit for power. He's homered twice over his last four games after not hitting one out since May 31. He can still manage a 15-HR season.

o. "Tommy Hanson has to get his walk rate under control. Two walks killed him in the 4th inning." -- via Knox Bardeen's Twitter (which you should track, there's a reason he eclipsed 1,000 followers). Hanson gave up four runs in five innings.

o. Paul Konerko keeps chugging along on his RBI tear. He's got 11 total over seven games in July with a .500 batting average. I find it bizarre he's actually unowned in a decent portion of leagues.

o. How is David Huff in a major-league rotation? A 6.71 ERA over 11 starts now. Yikes, Tribe.

o. Manny Parra returned to the Brewers' rotation with very encouraging results: seven innings of shutout ball, seven strikeouts and one walk. Easily his best start of his season in the bigs. Parra had a 2.92 ERA down at Nashville before the call-up, though command was still an issue. Take a flier but tread carefully.

o. I'm not going to try to explain how Joel Pineiro has seven wins and a 3.20 ERA. Aaron Gleeman does a fine job of breaking it down in Rotoworld's Daily Dose. He's a groundout machine. Pineiro, not Gleeman.

o. Ryan Ludwick is heating up. He blasted his second three-run home run in his last three games. Remember, he hit 37 bombs last year and was banged up for a good portion of this season. Many more homers could be on the way.

o. Jimmy Rollins is batting .400 over his last nine games. Second-half surge. It's coming.

Lineup Lock Time: Our first game Friday is the Cardinals and Cubs at 2:20 PM ET. Ace Chris Carpenter takes the mound for St. Louis.

Down on the Farm: Kila Ka'aihue (yes, I had to copy and paste that) is up to 13 homers and 36 RBI for Triple-A Omaha. The Royals' first base prospect is worth keeping a close eye on in AL-only leagues; he hit 38 homers between three stops last season. Mike Jacobs had a brutal .189 in June and he's not getting any better as the All-Star break approaches. Also worth watching, even in mixed leagues, is Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman (Triple-A Norfolk). He's lowered his ERA to 2.50 with seven wins and 88 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings pitched.

Don't Forget About: Ryan Doumit. We talked about the Pirates catcher on the podcast, and now it looks like he may be ready to return this weekend. With Geovany Soto's status very up in the air, Doumit could be your answer.

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David Price Finding His Edge Again originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't Sleep on Pitcher Turnarounds

Tom Herrera — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

By the looks of his season stats, you wouldn't know that Jordan Zimmermann has actually been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors over the past month. We're talking a 1.90 ERA and a .198 batting average against. On that same note, Minnesota's Scott Baker is holding opposing hitters to a .205 average over his last five starts. The turnaround of these pitchers teach fantasy owners an important lesson about staying patient and swooping in when the time is right.

Zimmermann is four years younger than Baker and just starting his promising career, yet he's followed a similar trajectory for the 2009 season. Both pitchers were racking up great strikeout totals and generally keeping the walks down. But after a brutal month of May, many fantasy owners gave up hope that either would be worthy. Now they're throwing like No. 3 options, and have been steals for those who paid attention. Zimmermann's actually still unowned in 80 percent of mixed leagues.

Always keep the overall rate stats in mind when a pitcher is struggling. Is his strikeout-to-walk ratio strong and he's only getting bit by the long ball? Is there only one or two awful showings weighing his numbers down? Try not to place every start under the microscope and instead look at the body of work. After all, it's how we knew Ricky Nolasco would rebound.

Bits From the Box Scores:
o. Don't expect to see Jimmy Rollins in the box scores for the next two games. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has benched the scuffling shortstop temporarily, creating the perfect "fantasy felony" opportunity for astute owners. There's no better time to deal for a star then when he's sent to the pine. Panic is creeping in. Knox and I disagreed on Rollins' rebound chances in the latest cram session podcast, but remember, there's only one way to go from here -- UP! (good flick by the way).

o. The Cubs are going to find ways to get Jake Fox's bat in the lineup. On Thursday, he benefited from interleague play and came through as the DH and No. 5 hitter. Fox smacked his first home run of the season -- a three-run shot that gave Chicago an early lead in the first. Whether he's getting play at third base, outfield or even DH, Fox could quickly become relevant in mixed leagues.

o. Remember when so many people freaked out (not us) after one brutal start by Johan Santana? Yeah, well he's pitched back-to-back strong games and gone seven innings in each. So much for that.

o. Paul Konerko is a machine right now. He abused Dodger pitching with home runs in three consecutive games. Like I've said before, I think he has a good shot at 30 this season.

o. Give John Smoltz some time. Yes, it was a bad start against the Nats, but he threw 62 of his 92 pitches for strikes. He'll be serviceable as a spot starter in mixed leagues as long as he stays healthy.

o. Lance Berkman is just warming up. He smashed two out of the park against the Royals on Thursday. Remember, Berkman has been streaky over the last few years. In 2008, he hit 22 of his 29 homers before the All-Star break. In 2005, he hit 18 of his 24 homers after it.

o. Frank Francisco is not ready to pitch in back-to-back games yet. The Rangers' pseudo-closer gave up a two-run home run to Mark Reynolds in Thursday's game, so it wouldn't be surprising to see C.J. Wilson back in the mix. And speaking of Reynolds, man is he having one heck of surprising year. He's on pace for 47 homers and 223 strikeouts! Yet, he's maintained a respectable batting average.

o. A four-hit game from Chris Davis? I thought it was a misprint when I saw it. It's brutal watching his rough games, but manager Ron Washington is sticking with Davis. Since May 26, he was hitting .169 with one home run and 34 strikeouts in 23 games before this breakout game.

o. I've decided Andrew McCutchen is my favorite 22-year-old player. How can you not like this kid? He's got 18 RBI and a .330 average in his first 91 at-bats. One of the only glimmers of hope for Pirates fans.

Position Eligibility Alert: According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Michael Cuddyer could get a start at second base this weekend with Nick Punto ailing with a rib injury. He hasn't played the infield since 2005, but it's certainly worth watching.

The Afflicted: D'backs outfielder Eric Byrnes suffered a fractured left hand and is expected to miss 4-to-8 weeks. Yankees' Xavier Nady removed himself from a rehab appearance Thursday after making an awkward throw from right field. Surgery now seems probable. It looks like Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton could return from the disabled list prior to the All-Star break. Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit heads to the spring training facility to continue rehabbing his injured right wrist. Finally, a couple of bits of Mariners news: Erik Bedard (shoulder) is eyeing a return to action July 4 in Boston. And Kenji Johjima will be activated from the DL and start against the Dodgers on Friday night.

Down on the Farm: Keep a very close eye on National League prospects Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco) and Mat Latos (San Diego). They're much more than funny names. Both starting pitchers were very impressive again in Double-A on Thursday. For the season, Latos has a 1.89 ERA with a 38:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 38 innings. He also hasn't given up a home run. Bumgarner has a 1.96 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 46 innings, and he's only given up one homer. We'll be talking about them a lot more in 2010.

Saturday's Aces in the Hole: Paul Maholm (4-4, 4.48 ERA) got rocked in his past couple of starts, but I think he'll rebound at home vs. Kansas City on Saturday. Trevor Cahill (5-5, 3.68 ERA; 2.32 ERA in June) is a strong play against Colorado at home. Opposing batters are only hitting .230 off Jeff Niemann (6-4, 4.23 ERA), aka Gigantor, in June. He'll face the Marlins at home in a battle of the Florida teams. And if you're scouting for Sunday, Koji Uehara vs. Washington and Hiroki Kuroda vs. Seattle are my favorites. I'm surprised Cahill and Kuroda are so readily available in mixed leagues. Get 'em.

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Don't Sleep on Pitcher Turnarounds originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: Nolasco Finds Redemption, Magglio Finds the Bench

Tom Herrera — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Kids Are Alright, MLB Sleepers

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Fantasy football season is a sprint. Fantasy baseball is a marathon. You might have heard this before, but it bears repeating when we see such headlines as: "Opening-day starter Ricky Nolasco demoted to minors" and "Magglio Ordonez benched indefinitely."

If you take a reactionary approach, there's a good chance you'll make a mistake. Those who tossed Nolasco aside are kicking themselves a bit now.

Nolasco pitched five innings of one-hit ball against the Red Sox in Thursday's rain-shortened matchup. Since he's been brought back, Nolasco has reeled off 18 impressive innings with 18 punch-outs and a 2.50 ERA. Most importantly, he's only given up one homer in that span. It doesn't look like he's going back to the minors any time soon.

Frustrated Ordonez owners will be kicking themselves later, too. There's no way he's a waiver-wire outcast. The 35-year-old outfielder hasn't homered since April 27 and only has 22 RBI, but he's maintained a respectable .273 average, with a hit in 10 of his last 13 games. Advanced stats at The Hardball Times show us he's hitting more infield flies and his home run per fly ball ratio has taken a big dip. I believe we'll see both trends change by the end of the season, whenever Jim Leyland gives his six-time All-Star another crack at being a starter.

Unless you're in a shallow league, I don't see how you can dump Maggs.

Down on the Farm: San Diego, prepare to meet Mt. Banks. The Padres have decided to call up their 285-pound slugging prospect, Kyle Blanks, who had 11 homers, 35 RBI and 34 runs at Triple-A ball.

He should get some starts in the outfield, though he's only exciting in NL-only leagues for now. He could have both first base and outfield eligibility in your league.

Bits From the Box Scores:
o. Like Nolasco, Alexei Ramirez was another touted star who many fantasy owners gave up on. Not us. Ramirez has homered in back-to-back games and he'll only get better in the second half.

o. Four hits -- including two doubles and a triple -- for Arizona's Chris Young. He's batting .276 in June with seven steals. He's available in about 60 percent of leagues. You won't be able to wait much longer.

o. Four straight quality starts for rookie Vin Mazzaro. Don't sleep on him, either.

o. After stealing 11 bases over 27 games in May, Jacoby Ellsbury has stolen eight over 12 games in June. He's put nagging injuries behind him to hit .349 this month and appears on track to top last year's swipe total.

o. Another player who's hitting over .340 this month is Chris Coghlan. Surprised as I was? Coghlan's really done a great job in June as the leadoff hitter (.424 OBP). He could be a very cheap source of runs and steals if he sticks in that spot.

o. Where is the ceiling for Adam Lind? The 25-year-old breakout smacked his 14th homer of the season while raising his average to .371 this month. If this trajectory keeps up, we could be looking at a perennial 30-homer, 100-RBI outfielder for years to come.

o. Nick Blackburn has been the true ace of the Twins' staff and one of the most underrated pitchers in fantasy leagues. Blackburn hurled a complete game for his sixth win and lowered his ERA to 3.09. He has given up two runs or less in eight of his starts. Have I piqued your interest yet? Good, because he's available in over 60 percent of mixed leagues.

o. Carlos Gonzalez hit his first homer for Colorado but still appears to be a little overmatched. He'll continue to be worth playing in NL-only leagues, though.

o. Another strong start from Ubaldo Jimenez, whose outstanding turnaround was masked by an ugly first month. Jimenez had a 7.58 ERA in April, but a 2.88 ERA in May and 2.43 ERA in June.

o. Gerardo Parra is starting to show some power as part of his hitting display. Parra smacked his third homer as part of a three-RBI day at Kansas City. He could be starter-worthy in deep mixed leagues.

The Afflicted: Toronto placed closer Scott Downs on the 15-day disabled list with a sprain of the big toe on his left foot. Jason Frasor takes over ninth-inning duties in his place. He's worth grabbing in all mixed leagues since Downs could be out up to a month. Alex Rodriguez is being benched for two days due to "fatigue." We'll discuss the A-Rod situation in depth as part of the podcast this weekend. And in a tale of two anxiety disorders, the Tigers placed Dontrelle Willis back on the DL, while the Cardinals activated infielder Khalil Greene. Neither player is fantasy relevant.

Weekend Aces in the Hole: Way under the radar, Jason Hammel (4-3, 4.10) has collected three straight wins with a 2.45 ERA in those starts. He'll face Pittsburgh at home Saturday. In deeper leagues, take a shot with Brett Cecil (2-1, 4.38 ERA) against the Nationals. And guess who I'm going with Sunday? Yep, Ricky Romero (3-3, 3.73 ERA) vs. the Nats. The backup Sunday is Dallas Braden (5-5, 3.31 ERA) at San Diego.

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Roto Rush: Nolasco Finds Redemption, Magglio Finds the Bench originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chatting Ibanez, Peavy and Cheap Trade Targets With Sid Rosenberg

Tom Herrera — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Fantasy Felony, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Can you believe we're almost through three months of the fantasy baseball season? If you're serious about making a push for the title, now's the time to evaluate your roster and make moves. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to chat with Sid Rosenberg of OPENSports.com on their Fantasy WHIPlash segment to discuss Jake Peavy's injury, selling high on Raul Ibanez, and players you can acquire at terrific prices. Check out the video after the jump.

Chatting Ibanez, Peavy and Cheap Trade Targets With Sid Rosenberg originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Scherzer

Matt Snyder — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Max Scherzer, the 24-year-old fireballer for the Diamondbacks, has worlds of talent. He also takes a step back every time you think he's finally hitting his groove. This past week, he was a two-start pitcher in the fantasy baseball world. His first start was pure gold (that's gold, Jerry!). He threw 7 shutout innings and struck out 10 before getting chased in the eighth inning -- after allowing a few earned runs. He followed that up with an absolute catastrophe on Sunday. The light-hitting Braves touched him up for 10 hits and 8 earned runs in only 3 2/3 innings.

So, what gives?

It's actually not that difficult to figure. He's turning 25 this season. He's only made 17 starts in his major league career. He throws absolute smoke and has nasty off-speed pitches. When he's on, he will mow down the opposition. If he's missing his spots -- young power pitchers are often plagued by control issues -- he'll probably stink up the joint.

If you feel like you can accurately predict when Good Max will show up, you have a veritable fantasy ace. Check out the cherry-picked numbers:

Six Good Outings: 2-2, 36 innings pitched, 8 earned runs (2.00 ERA), 41 K, 12 BB, 1.11 WHIP.

Four Decent/Bad Outings: 0-2, 18 1/3 innings, 19 earned runs (9.16 ERA), 16 K, 10 BB, 1.98 WHIP.

Overall, I'm willing to sit through a few bad outings, because he's got all-world talent, in addition to the fact that he's developing at the big league level. Just remember that every once in a while -- 40 percent of the time so far -- you'll be saddled with Bad Max.

Bits From the Box Scores
- Asdrubal Cabrera just keeps hitting. He's now sitting there with a .318 average, 27 RBI, 38 runs and 7 steals. He's been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league. He's also been the beneficiary of finding the holes with a high frequency (.383 BABIP). That should come down a bit eventually, and with it his numbers suffer a bit.

- Chien-Ming Wang looked much better than Phil Hughes. Keep your eyes on that situation, because the Yankees will win games.

- Ricky Romero -- along with most of his Jays teammates -- has fallen back down to the Earth. After an inexplicable beginning to the season, he put together a 9.64 ERA in his last two outings (after 1.71 in his first three). This shouldn't be a huge surprise, especially in this division.

- How about those 12 strikeouts from Jon Lester? Granted, the Jays are struggling to swing the bats right now, but he has too much talent to continue scuffling.

- John Maine's last two outings? 2-0, 0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP. He's throwing strikes, he plays for a good team and in a ballpark that helps pitchers. Take a look in all leagues.

- If you need power in large leagues, take a look at Josh Willingham. In the past three weeks, he has started 16 times. He's hitting .308 with 7 (solo) home runs in that time span. Of course, he's only accrued 8 RBI in the same time-span. Seriously, Josh, mix in a home run with someone on base.

- B.J. Upton gathered a pinch hit single Sunday. Keep the faith (yes, I'm going down with the ship).

- Considering it's now June 1, we have to start considering that guys who are off to a "slow start" and haven't start to turn it around are simply having a bad season. David Ortiz is a perfect example. Another? Corey Hart. In the last 8 games he is hitting .333 with a home run, but that's such a modest "hot streak." He's also struck out 10 times without walking. Consider other options if he doesn't turn it around real quick.

- On the other hand, since May 4th, Brandon Phillips has been mashing. We're talking .377 with 6 home runs, 25 RBI, 4 doubles, 2 triples and an even strikeout to walk ratio (6:6) in 18 games. He's an elite fantasy second baseman in every format, and if you can still get your paws on him, do it.

- Frank Francisco allowed a run a lost a game. That sucks. I was really hoping he'd go untouched all season. Still, he's back healthy, he's 11-for-11 on save chances, has a 0.48 ERA and strikes out more than a batter per inning. He's an elite closer.

- Adrian Beltre is an established veteran and he's had an awful start. In the last 10 games, though, he's hitting .349 with a home run and 6 RBI. He's not scorching or anything, but we know his track record. I'd expect him to start getting hot in the upcoming weeks.

- I couldn't have been more wrong about Ervin Santana. Shelf him for now until he gets things figured out. You have to wonder if he's really completely healthy should this funk continue.

- Kris Medlen had a nice outing against the DBacks, going 6 innings and striking out 9 for the win. He only allowed a solitary earned run to lower his ERA to 6.28. Meanwhile, Tommy Hanson had his worst outing of the season (plummeting his ERA to 1.49). Guess the Hanson watch will continue for a bit.

The Afflicted: Joel Pineiro will miss his next start, though Kyle Lohse will probably be ready to jump right in. Willy Taveras missed his second consecutive game Sunday with hammy woes. That's a problem for a base-stealer, so buyer beware. With Rich Harden not due back anytime soon (shocker, I know) and Ryan Dempster being pushed back to Saturday, both Randy Wells and Sean Marshall will remain in the Cubs rotation -- even with Carlos Zambrano's suspension concluding Thursday. Chipper Jones may have to hit the disabled list, so keep him on the bench in all leagues for the time being.

Lineup Lock Time: Kick those feet up (er, actually do some real work at your actual job), because there's no baseball until 7:05 PM ET Monday night and only 18 teams are in action.

Down on the Farm: Gordon Beckham was recently promoted to Triple-A, and he's tearing it up. In a small sample of four games, he's 7-for-15 (.467) with a 1.038 OPS.

Stash Him: Jeremy Bonderman threw 8 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts and no walks yesterday for the Toledo Mud Hens (of Lou Brown fame). He should be recalled any day to join the first-place Tigers.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Scherzer originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fantasy Cram Sessions: Projecting Matt Wieters, Dissecting B.J. Upton

Tom Herrera — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Sleepers, Podcasts

It's about time Fantasy FanHouse stuck its nose into all this podcast business. In our first fantasy baseball podcast segments of the year, Will Brinson, Knox Bardeen and I delve into expectations for uber-catcher Matt Wieters in anticipation of his major league debut Friday night for Baltimore.

We also talk about another young power hitter who's lost his luster, Chris Davis, and try to find out what's eating B.J. Upton. Oh, and if you're riding Juan Pierre's hot streak, you'd be wise to listen to the second segment, too.

Session 1: Matt Wieters' upcoming debut, Chris Davis' strikeout fest
( Play it above or click here to download mp3 )

Session 2: B.J. Upton's awful average, Juan Pierre's absurd play
( Play it above or click here to download mp3 )

Coming up next session: Stars worth worrying about and surprises worth keeping.

Fantasy Cram Sessions: Projecting Matt Wieters, Dissecting B.J. Upton originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Fri, 29 May 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Categorically Speaking: Four Hitters to Increase Your Fantasy Batting Average

Knox Bardeen — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Categorically Speaking is designed specifically for Rotisserie GM's. The information is great for all fantasy baseball formats, but for those of you who could use some help bolstering a specific roto category, this is for you. We're going to pay close attention to players who might be readily available on your waiver wire or who you might target in non-blockbuster trade talks.

If you've got mashers on your fantasy baseball team like Chris Davis or Dan Uggla who only seem to be able to hit the ball 425-plus feet and not much else, you may be hurting in the batting average category. Here are four options who may be on your league's waiver wire to remedy that issue.

Juan Pierre, Dodgers - Forced into action when Manny Ramirez was suspended, Pierre is as hot as any hitter in big league baseball right now. He's batting .408 over the last month and has even swiped eight bases. His days are numbered as Ramirez will return on July 3rd, but you can surely grab him off of the waiver wire in your league and ride this lightning bolt while you can. He's only owned in 62% of fantasy leagues right now.

Freddy Sanchez, Pirates - Sanchez has 11 hits over his last five games and is currently hitting .326 on the season. He's not a big home run hitter with only four, but he has 17 doubles which has his slugging percentage up at .505. If your league uses that stat, Sanchez is extra delicious. He's currently owned in only 50% of fantasy leagues and is in the top-5 among second basemen for batting average with 100 or more at-bats.

Jason Kubel, Twins - You could pretty much have written it down in March. Kubel will hit in the low to mid .270's with 15 to 20 home runs. The home run prediction still looks spot-on, but what's Kubel doing batting .340 headed into June? There aren't dramatic changes in his strikeout and walk rates. And his ground ball, line drive, and fly ball numbers are somewhat normal too. He is, however, enjoying a 39.3% hit rate, which is way out of the norm. You can go ahead and grab Kubel off the waiver wire (he's only owned in 41% of fantasy leagues) but don't expect this good fortune at the plate to last all year.

Cristian Guzman, Nationals - The fact that Guzman is only owned in 44% of fantasy leagues amazes me. Hitting for a high batting average is nothing new to him. Last season he batted .316 over 579 at-bats and in 2009 he's raking at a .340 pace. Guzman doesn't steal much or do anything at all resembling power, but he'll bring your team's batting average up and score you a lot of runs.

Categorically Speaking: Four Hitters to Increase Your Fantasy Batting Average originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Thu, 28 May 2009 11:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: Chris Carpenter Is Good

Matt Snyder — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Dare we say it? He's back. The man who won the 2005 Cy Young and finished third the following season is officially back in the Cardinals rotation. He made the Brewers -- one of the best hitting teams in the league -- look stupid for eight innings Monday, which means he's now thrown 23 innings of shutout ball this season. His staggering numbers thus far: 23 innings, 0 earned runs, 23 strikeouts, 10 hits, 4 walks.

With his next outing being Sunday in San Francisco, it's a pretty good bet Carpenter continues his mastery of the opposition. You still have to be a bit worried about his health -- due to age and the issues of the past few seasons -- but there's no reason to trade him now. He's not a sell-high guy. He's a cling to me for dear life guy when he's at his best, and he's at his best.

Bits from the Box Scores
- Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Yovani Gallardo also hurled a gem Monday. The four walks were a bit much, but other than that he was masterful as well. In 8 shutout innings he allowed only two hits and struck out six. His ERA is now down to 3.32 and he's emerging as a bonafide staff ace.

- Just in case SportsCenter didn't hammer it into your brain enough, Freddy Sanchez went 6-for-6 with a double, a bomb, 4 runs and 3 RBI. He even stole a base for good measure. You couldn't have asked for a more potent fantasy day. He's definitely useful in larger mixed leagues at this point.

- Milton Bradley is probably a bit touched in the head. We know that. We also know that he's always hit in the past, which makes his slow start this year a bit frustrating. Usually when he's on the field he hits. Well, he's been hitting the ball pretty hard recently and Monday is a sign he's ready to bust out. A double, a no-doubt home run, and 4 RBI were all very encouraging.

- Jeremy Guthrie stymied the Blue Jays' bats for 7 innings, but it appears to be more a product of how poorly the Jays are playing right now. Guthrie is never going to be an overly helpful fantasy pitcher, especially since his strikeout rate is so low and most of his opponents (AL East) can rake.

- Adam Lind is now 3 for his last 30 with nary an RBI. It might be wise to sit him down for a few days until he breaks out of his funk. I have confidence, however, that he will break out of it.

- Nelson Cruz, on the other hand, is going bonkers right now. In the past six games, Cruz is hitting .458 with five home runs and 10 RBI. Add in the two doubles and you have a 1.667 OPS since May 20. Let this be a lesson that he's too streaky to sit. He'll go through dry spells, but the second you give up he'll hurt you.

- Phil Hughes came through with possibly the best outing of his major league career. Not only did he hurl 8 scoreless innings, but he did so against the awesome Rangers' offense in one of the best hitter's parks in baseball. The Yankees have a difficult decision in front of them regarding Hughes, because Chien-Ming Wang is sitting around in the bullpen and Hughes looks like he's ready to stay at the big league level permanently. In fact, if you remove his disastrous outing against Baltimore, you're looking at a 3-1 record with a 2.89 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 28 innings. If the Yanks decide to leave him in the bigs, take a look in all leagues.

- Does everyone believe in Justin Verlander as a fantasy ace yet? In five years we'll be looking back at his 2008 season as an inexplicable aberration.

- Michael Cuddyer's past eight games have yielded the following numbers: .424 average, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, 11 runs, 1.503 OPS. Ride him while he's hot.

- I guess there was a reason David Price was in triple-A for so long. He was spotted a 10-run lead and still couldn't command the strike zone enough to get through the fourth inning. He threw 3 1/3 inning and was removed after his 100th pitch. The 6 strikeouts were good, but you can't walk 5 guys with that huge a lead. You have to hold him in larger leagues because of his potential, but he should be on the bench until we see noticable changes in his ability to throw strikes.

- Fausto Carmona is awful. Just dreadful. I would drop him in every league. Seriously.

- Alexei Ramirez is starting to hit the ball as the weather turns. In his last 12 games, the Cuban Missile is hitting .341 with a .906 OPS. He's really starting to get hot now, though. In his last 4 games, he's hitting .471 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. He's even stolen 2 bases in that span as well.

- What an encouraging outing for John Maine and the Mets. It's easy to see the record of the Nationals and dismiss the start, but the Nats are actually one of the best hitting teams in the league. He still needs to get the walks under control, which would enable him to work deeper into the game, but only allowing 1 earned run is a great start.

The Afflicted: Matt Capps got lit up in the pitching arm by a line drive off the bat of Geovany Soto. No real word on what happened to him, but you can bet he's not taking the ball for the next couple days at the very least. John Grabow will probably get the save chances in his absence. Akinori Iwamura is done after tearing his ACL. It's now worth taking a look at Ben Zobrist (.286, 8 homers, 24 RBI in only 105 at-bats) in all leagues, as he looks to get at-bats almost everyday now. Carlos Quentin just can't shake his foot injury. This looks like something that wil linger at least until the All-Star break. Brian Roberts has a bruised shin, which seems like something that could keep him on a shelf for a day or so. He could also play through it.

Lineup Lock Time: You have all the way until 7:05 PM ET, so baseball won't be a distraction during return-to-work-after-a-long-weekend day.

Wednesday's Ace in the Hole: Manny Parra has the talent, but he just can't stay consistent. He actually had a five start stretch with a 2.79 ERA and a 3-1 record, although it came to a screeching halt last time out when he couldn't complete the fourth inning. Still, he held down St. Louis last time out. As long as he avoid Albert Pujols (meaning he should walk him every time) he's a good bet for a solid start.

Roto Rush: Chris Carpenter Is Good originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 26 May 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: D-Train Rolls Into Station

Will Brinson — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

There's an awful, awful fantasy baseball stigma that's attached to players who struggle in April and May. See: Papi, Big. Although his is much worse because he's a bulky DH declining swiftly; additionally, he's not a pitcher with the potential to be labeled "inconsistent" or "a slow starter."

Like, say, you know, CC Sabathia. Or Cole Hamels. Or Dontrelle Willis. Okay, scratch that last one -- he's just kind of ~~insane~~ kooky. But the point is this: Tuesday night was a suddenly wonderful bit of relief, because we got to see some big pitching names come through with nice outings.

Willis was probably the biggest surprise. He was a two-start pitcher this week, but one you were unlikely to start because of all his struggles. If you did, he rewarded you with 100 pitches over 6 1/3 innings, 5 K's and no earned. Not. Too. Shabby.

Speaking of which, Hamels finally looked sharp again, picking up his second win of the season as the Phillies knocked off the Reds, 4-3. Hamels went six and allowed three, but he struck out seven. He'll come back around, I promise, and he's still a good trade target, too.

And then there was the suddenly white-hot-kind-of-early Sabathia, who won in his third straight start, holding the O's to three hits over seven innings (one run) while fanning seven as well.

To sum up: this is why you don't panic early. Oh, and on Dontrelle, I'm not drinking that Kool-Aid even if he did pitch against the mighty Rangers lineup. They're free-swinging enough to warrant a tough night against a pitcher most of them haven't ever seen who happens to have a really funky delivery.

If you can get someone to purchase high on him, I say you make a play. But he's certainly worth holding on to if no one's interested, at least for the perceived name value and his potential to pitch like he did Tuesday night.

Bits From the Box Scores
o. Not to repeat Snyder from the last edition, but there's another reason why Sabathia is having an easy time picking up wins in the Bronx: my preseason MVP choice, Mark Teixeira, is destroying the ball, and hit another homer (11 now) Tuesday night. Not hurting him? Alex Rodriguez's return and subsequent destructive stretch as well. It's funny, too, because A-Rod now looks like a pretty ridiculous value pick in most leagues already, and he might actually end up being a low-priced keeper for some people.

o. As my good friend Enrico noted on Twitter Tuesday night, Jimmy Rollins fought back from a tough count and laced a big double for the Phils in their aforementioned win over the Reds. He's starting to creep towards respectability, so if you have any interest in trading for him, now would be a pretty good time.

o. Jay Bruce has 12 home runs. That is all.

o. Of course, Colby Rasmus hit his fourth tater of the year. If he's not owned in a keeper league of yours, I would ask you, "Why the *%$^ not?" And then I would tell you to pick him up. It's not like he's destroying the ball, but he seems to -- for such a highly-touted guy with an awesome name -- been somewhat forgotten with the heavy influx of prospects in the bigs right now.

o. Some people refer to Tim Wakefield as a "borderline starter" which is fine, I guess, except the guy is just a freaking fantasy anchor; he picks up wins, he posts a respectable ERA and he never destroys you. Just highly underrated.

o. Barry Zito lost Tuesday night. Not a huge shock, really, but he did throw up the always annoying CGL (complete game loss) while running his record to 1-4. I'm not going to say that there's any excuse to use Barry Zito, but, well, he's been, um, respectable this year. Heath Bell, meanwhile, would be a fantasy behemoth if he played on a decent team.

o. People earning saves from Tuesday night: Jonathan Papelbon (11), Brad Lidge (8), Chad Qualls (9), Trevor Hoffman (10). I don't need to tell you where those guys got drafted or point out how much it would have cost you in auction money to get the first two vs. the latter two, right? You see why targeting saves is worthless, right? K. Just checking. Thx.

The Afflicted: I don't feel like being negative, so I'm just going to point out that Chris Carpenter is starting Wednesday night. I don't care for the Cardinals, particularly, but it's kind of nice to see a guy with his story and his injury history return to the mound (again) and pitch well. Plus, I like it when the Cubs aren't the best team in their division. Oh, what the hell -- I'll be negative too. Orlando Hudson is day-to-day with a shoulder bruise. Yes, the Dodgers seem locked for some bad karma. Or something.

Lineup Lock Time: It looked like 7pm might be a nice time slot for Brinson to fire out a (very) late Roto Rush. But NO, some jerkstores had to play an early game -- first pitch is at 5:10 PM ET, Arizona vs. Florida. (I'd say "boo" but there's nothing wrong with more baseball.)

Wednesday's Ace in the Hole: Jonathan Sanchez. Holy gulp of terror, Batman. There's nothing to suggest that Sanchez will be good here -- he's been awful all season and his road splits are worse than his home splits (go figure, right?). But he'll be in Petco and he's actually -- WHIP aside -- been decent against the Padres for his career. I'm banking on a quality start with seven K's.

Roto Rush: D-Train Rolls Into Station originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: Teixeira Scorching in Bronx

Matt Snyder — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:10:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

It was only a matter of time. As much as people want to talk about the New York pressure and how you can't continue to look at his career's worth of slow-starting seasons, all we had to do was be patient and wait for the inevitable stat correction when it came to Mark Teixeira. Now, we're right in the middle of it. In his last six games, Teixeira is hitting .458 with 3 home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.458 OPS. Low and behold, he's on pace for 42 bombs and 119 RBI.

This isn't so much a statement on strategy. If you have Teixeira, we'll hope you were smart enough to have weathered the storm, knowing his history of starting slow. If you don't own him, you sure aren't gonna be able to pry him from another owner now. No, this is more a statement on what we preach in fantasyland. While it's certainly possible for someone to have a down year, Mark Teixeira is too great a hitter to be flirting with a .200 average for long. I always have to laugh when people go panicking about players in the middle of their primes who are going through a bad stretch. This isn't Big Papi. Numbers fix themselves over the course of a long season more often than not with super studs. Patience is a virtue.

Is it due to the return of Alex Rodriguez? Probably. Who cares, though? A-Rod's healthy and Teixeira is hitting. It doesn't matter why.

Oh, while we're here -- the Orioles' starting pitchers the Yankees face in the next few games? Brad Bergesen, Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Eaton. Anyone think Teixeira's gonna slow down?

Bits From the Box Scores
o. John Lackey wasn't great by any stretch, but he got the victory in his first non-ejection-in-the-first-inning start of the season. He wasn't near as sharp as he'll be after a few outings, but there were flashes of his good stuff and he didn't walk anyone. He'll be an ace by June.

o. Being removed from the closer's role doesn't appear to have helped Brandon Morrow. The Angels took him for 4 hits and 2 earned runs in 2 innings of relief work. In his last four outings, Morrow has an absolutely sickening 19.64 ERA. Opponents have a 1.577 OPS in the same stretch. He's allowed 11 hits, 4 walks and 3 home runs in only 3 2/3 innings. It's safe to say he's not sniffing that closer role again any time soon.

o. Randy Wolf is startable in all formats right now. In his past five outings, he's sporting a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings of work. His WHIP is just a hair over 1.00 and he's struck out 23 during the stretch. His last two haven't exactly come against pushover offenses (Phillies and Mets).

o. David Wright is helping everywhere but in home runs. He's attempted 17 stolen bases already, and he only attempted 20 all season in 2008. He's hitting a career-high .359 as well. We've mentioned this before, but he had an early power outage in 2007. In fact, he only had 4 home runs through May 18 that season (he has 3 through the same date this year). The rest of the way, he hit 26. If you can still pry him from a frustrated-with-his-lack-of-power owner, do so immediately.

o. Good rebound outing for Scott Richmond after consecutive losses. He shut the White Sox down completely for seven innings. He also had 7 strikeouts, but I like him as a sell-high again after that outing. His BABIP still has some normalizing to do, and his track record shows he can't consistently throw like this for an entire season.

o. Chris Getz is hitting only .132 since May 2 with nary a home run or RBI. As the White Sox scuffle, you wonder how long they'll wait before promoting a certain someone (we'll check him out Thursday in Kids Are Alright after doing more research).

o. Jason Bartlett has already tied his career high in home runs. He's a career .285 hitter who has eclipsed .300 only once (hit .309 in 2006). I feel more strongly about this than anything else I've written this season. Trade him immediately if you can. There is no possible freaking way he even remotely keeps this up. His BABIP is an absurd .425, so he's hardly going to continue to just find the holes when putting the ball in play. The only category that is real thus far are his 11 steals. Still, when he quits getting on base at a .423 clip (and he will) his chances will go down.

o. Chris Iannetta is hitting .357 with a .971 OPS in the past 8 games. Keep riding him, there's more where that came from.

o. Mat Gamel hit his first home run of many major league shots to come. Hopefully the Brewers allow him time to hit at the major league level with the loss of Rickie Weeks. He could be this year's version of Ryan Braun or Evan Longoria.

The Afflicted: Casey Blake has missed two games with hamstring issues. Those can linger, so you might look around for other options (Gamel!?!).

Lineup Lock Time: Nothing until 7:05 PM ET. Enjoy your work day.

Wednesday's Ace in the Hole: If Jason Marquis can shut down the Braves, why can't Jorge De La Rosa? De La Rosa is having a very solid season despite getting terrible run support en route to a 0-3 record. A win here might be tough to come by against Javier Vazquez, but if you need rate-stat help and/or strikeouts, he'll help.

Roto Rush: Teixeira Scorching in Bronx originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Tue, 19 May 2009 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roto Rush: The Rangers Can Pitch?

Matt Snyder — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:10:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Sleepers, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

With a starting rotation containing Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman and Brandon McCarthy, it's pretty safe to say many mixed leagues went through draft or auction day without mentioning a single starting Rangers pitcher -- unless it was in jest.

The joke is on us, because the Rangers starting rotation is pretty damn legit right now. After Sunday, the Rangers now sport the fifth-best starter's ERA (4.25) in the American League.

Many fantasy analysts would cringe at my saying this, but the main reason for the Rangers drastic improvement on the hill has absolutely nothing to do with numbers. First of all, Nolan Ryan and Mike Maddux have instilled a new mentality throughout the Rangers' system. Secondly, the Rangers offense and defense are both stellar. It's much easier to pitch when you know there's a solid defense to back you up, or when you know allowing a few runs doesn't necessarily mean you're headed for a loss. The Rangers starters likely feel a combination of the two, and that's a great recipe.

We're here to analyze fantasy baseball, though, so here's a quick rundown of the five in the starting rotation:

Millwood has had two straight bad seasons, but, at 34, he's not too old to regain his form. With the defense behind him and his confidence re-growing, he's an ownable pitcher in many leagues.

Padilla is a guy I actually don't buy into. He's still sporting a modest-at-best K/BB (26/20). He's allowed more hits than innings pitched, and his 4.71 ERA isn't exactly mind-boggling.

The 23-year-old Harrison is someone to watch. He's not going to blow people away with strikeouts, but his ERA and WHIP were always solid in the minors. He got off to a rocky start this season, but has gone 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA and 15 strikeouts to only 1 walk in his last three starts -- the latter two of which were complete games. He'll greatly benefit from the tutelage of Maddux and Ryan, in addition to the added confidence given by the offense and defense. He's worth a look in all leagues.

Feldman is also growing into a major league starter quite well. It's only his second season as a starter, but he's 2-0 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.18 WHIP right now. Respectable numbers. His K/BB (19/12) leaves a lot to be desired. You'd also expect his BABIP (a low .241) to normalize a bit. He's worth a look in mono-leagues and incredibly deep mixed formats, but don't go nuts just yet.

McCarthy is 3-1 due to 6.54 runs in support per start. He can't be counted on until he can get the ERA under control by keeping the ball in the park (10 home runs in 38 innings pitched). You can continue to ignore him for the time being.

Together, the five are much better real pitchers than fantasy, which I'm guessing is just fine for Rangers fans.

Bits From the Box Scores
o. Geovany Soto exited April with no multi-hit games, zero home runs, 2 RBI and a disgusting .109 batting average. In May, though, he's hitting .298 and has reached base in all 13 of his starts. He finally collected his first home run last Wednesday and is hitting the ball hard. In fact, Sunday he hit a scorching line drive which would have won the game for the Cubs had it not been directly at Jeff Keppinger. He's back, so hopefully you were patient with him.

o. We've said it before and I'm sure we'll say it again. When you have someone with the talent level of Clayton Kershaw, you are going to see gems. When he's 21-years-old and hasn't made a full season's worth of major league starts, you'll get inconsistency. Sunday, we saw good Clayton. He had a no-hit bid for much of the outing, and left after working 7 innings and allowing only 1 hit and 1 run to go with 9 strikeouts and the win. Still, expect the fickle nature of his first full season to continue with the roller coaster-like hills and valleys.

o. Dan Uggla is a very interesting case right now. Throughout his career, he has been a much better first half hitter -- especially power-wise. He's hit 57 home runs in April, May and June, for example, compared to only 37 in July, August and September. His career OPS is almost 100 points higher in the first half. After Sunday, though, Uggla was hitting only .190 -- though he does have 4 home runs and 21 RBI. It's entirely possible Uggla's splits thus far in his career point more to his streakiness than actually being a bad second-half player. We do know he has the track record to start hitting sometime soon. I'll advise buying low on him if you need second base help.

o. Very encouraging week for Jimmy Rollins. He hit .333 and stole 2 bases. He had 10 hits, 5 walks, a double, a triple, a home run, scored 8 times and drove home 4 runs. Much of the work was done against the abysmal pitching staff of the Nationals, true, but this isn't some rookie. We know the talent level Rollins possesses. Having a week like this is something that could catapult him into a major surge.

o. Johnny Damon's power isn't slowing down. He's on pace for 43 home runs and 118 RBI. Sell-high candidate? You betcha. He's 35 years-old.

o. Adam Kennedy, who the Cardinals couldn't use, is having a nice early-go in Oaktown. He's hitting .346 with 1 home run, 1 stolen base, 3 RBI and 4 runs in only 7 games. He's going to continue to play everyday, especially while he's hot. He's worth riding in AL-Only leagues at this point.

o. Ramon Santiago went 4-4 Sunday and he's now 9 for his last 15 (.600 average) since May 9. He's packed power in the same stretch (1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 RBI). He'll have to find time over either Placido Polanco or Adam Everett, but Jim Leyland may want to keep this hot bat in the lineup. If you're looking for MI help in AL-Only leauges, here's an option.

o. Ubaldo Jimenez put together a nice start, but the bullpen blew it pretty convincingly after his exit. He continues to be an intriguing option due to his immense potential, but he's a tricky one. At 25, it's possible he puts things together, but it's also possible he's Oliver Perez-lite (as Will Brinson said earlier this season).

o. Zach Duke continues to impress, and he's got enough talent to keep it up. His strikeout to walk ratio is back to where it was his rookie season when he went 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA. The difference, though, is that he's never allowed a BABIP of less than .302 and it's currently .266. That will normalize, and he's not a strikeout pitcher (32 in 57 innings).

o. J.J. Hardy is hitting .326 with 14 RBI in 13 May starts. In that same stretch he's walked more times than he's struck out as well. This means he's seeing the ball really well. Having 5 home runs at present is hardly anything David Eckstein-esque, but we know Hardy has a penchant for ridiculous power streaks. I feel one coming on. If you can still get ahold of him, do so sooner rather than later.

o. Since his last home run (May 4), Mike Lowell is hitting .250 with 2 RBI (12 games). Considering he's still on pace for a career high in RBI and he's 35-years-old, expect the mediocrity to continue. Sell high if you can still do so, because his numbers will continue to normalize, and he's also got a decent chance to fall injured.

o. On the flip side, what is going on with Adrian Beltre? His .558 OPS is abominable. He's struck out 28 times with only 6 walks. On the other hand, he's managed to steal 5 bases already (his career high is 18). Based upon that, the fact that his BABIP is only .246, and that we know his track record for hitting in the .270-range with 25 home runs, he's a buy low if you need third base help.

o. I'd love to see more efficiency from Matt Cain, but there's no doubting his stuff. Plus, he's actually (read: Finally) having good luck in the wins/losses department! So now the geezers who only judge on records will think he's a stud. That's cool for him, I guess.

Lineup Lock Time: We've got one day game, and it starts at 1:07 PM ET. Make sure those weekly lineups are set by then.

Rehabbin' It: Carlos Zambrano has completed his rehab assignment and is ready to rejoin the Cubs' rotation. His owners get even better news, in that his first start back will be in spacious Petco Park against the weak-swinging Padres. Get him active in all formats before that game. Chien-Ming Wang worked seven scoreless innings in triple-A Sunday, and only needed 75 pitches to do so. That's the Wang we've come to know over the years, as opposed to the dreadful version we saw earlier this season in the majors. No firm word on when he returns to the Yankees rotation, but he's worth keeping an eye on at this point.

The Afflicted: Josh Hamilton hurt himself again by slamming into the wall, but it didn't appear serious. Rickie Weeks tweaked his wrist and had to leave the game, but there is cause for concern. He's injured that same wrist in the past, and it crippled a few seasons of development. It would be a shame if his strong power surge was derailed by this, but it's very possible. Keep an eye on the situation. Elijah Dukes has been having some hammy woes. He was removed from the game Friday after initially injuring his left hamstring, and Sunday the thing got reaggravated in the first inning. These things tend to linger, so prepare to be without Dukes for a week or so.

Tuesday's Ace in the Hole: Jason Hammel will look to build upon his solid start last week, when he toes the rubber against the Braves -- who are struggling to hit the ball right now (13th in NL in runs). The majority of the Atlanta team has never faced Hammel, which is an advantage for the youngster.

Roto Rush: The Rangers Can Pitch? originally appeared on Fantasy Baseball Fanhouse on Mon, 18 May 2009 11:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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