Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/1

For those of you who were with me last baseball season, you know that this is around the time when fantasy baseball starts to fade out some. Many of your trading deadlines are passing by the day, and some of you who were holding out hope that you were still in the race are starting to come to the realization that it might not be in the cards for you in 2009. Now, while I still welcome emailed questions about baseball right up to the last day of the season and beyond, it is time that there won't be a Fantasy Baseball Tonight article on a nightly basis. For starters there will not be an article tomorrow. I will not be doing articles on nights that I have podcasts (Tuesday and Wednesday). I can't tell you exactly what night there will be articles, because some nights I will do a shorter article. You will be able to pretty much guarantee an article from me on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, with others likely sprinkled in. If news breaks, I will also continue the email mailing group. In fact, I am starting one for football as well, if you would like to be a part of that too, please send me an email and put football mailing list in the subject line. It is time for my focus to begin to start switching over to football as that season is starting to amp up. However, don't think I will leave you hanging in baseball, I am here for you until the end.

It is all but certain that Orioles prospect Brian Matusz will be called up to start for Baltimore on Tuesday. With Brad Bergesen heading to the DL, the Orioles need a pitcher. Matusz was scheduled to pitch tonight in the minors and he did. However, he was pulled after one shutout inning. All of these factors mean that we are just waiting for the official word. Matusz is only in AA (which you know concerns me) and he is ripping it up. This is his first year in the minors, but between the two levels he has been at he has dominated. In 18 starts, Matusz is 11-4 with a 1.93 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 112 innings. Bergesen's x-rays were negative after he took the ball off his leg which means he likely won't be out too long. Matusz is likely a short term replacement, but has HUGE value in keeper leagues.

Carlos Zambrano left his start with a stiff back. Zambrano has had his fair share of nagging injuries this season, but he has pitched better than I expected. I don't foresee this being a long term injury, but he is likely a question mark for his next start. When I find more information on the situation, I will be sure to pass it along.

Hanley Ramirez suffered a bruised knee after being hit by a pitch by Carlos Zambrano. He was able to stay in the game and actually scored from second, but he was replaced in the next inning. I would be very surprised if Hanley plays tomorrow, but the fact that he did stay in the game for a little while and scored from second on a single leaves me optimistic that this injury won't cost him a long time on the bench. This is speculation on my part I want to remind you, I have seen no confirmation of any time frame that Ramirez might be out.

Although it is not yet confirmed, it looks as though Edinson Volquez is going to have Tommy John Surgery on Monday. Volquez IS going to have elbow surgery, it just has not been reported whether it was Tommy John or another form of procedure. Either wya, if you have been holding him in a seasonal league, definitely let him go now. Even in keeper leagues, he is not worth holding anymore, especially if it is Tommy John.

Wandy Rodriguez left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning with a hamstring injury. He was pitching great again, and this will be a decent sized blow to fantasy teams that own Wandy. It is too soon right now to get solid information about how long he might be out. It is probably a bit optimistic to expect him to not miss any starts, but maybe it will just be one or two.

Alexei Ramirez missed another game on Saturday, and it appears that he will be out until Wednesday at the earliest. The White Sox have Monday off, so if you play in leagues with weekly roster changes it appears that Alexei will only miss one game. He is a risky play for people in that situation, but he has been good enough lately that I will likely play him in the two leagues that I have him in with weekly changes.

Joba Chamberlain was supposed to pitch on Monday, but now will be pushed back to Thursday. This could be the Yankees answer to Joba getting closer and closer to his team imposed innings limit. For those of you with Chamberlain on your team, you have to either expect more of this kind of thing or Joba back to the bullpen. Either way, his value takes somewhat of a hit for the rest of 2009.

Jeff Niemann won again after a subpar outing, cementing his status as one of the best pitching pickups of the second half. The Rays continue to win and crawl back into the race, and Niemann is a big reason why. He pitched eight innings, allowed just one run and struck out seven. He has now struck out at least six in four straight starts. If Niemann is available and you have any need for pitching, do yourself a favor and pick him up.

I have gotten more questions over the past two weeks of people wanting to drop Rick Porcello and I have just been unable in most cases to tell people to let the kid go. Even after last time out when he gave up five runs, he gave them all up early and then settled in and pitched four more shutout innings. That is not what most young pitchers do. Well, Porcello bounced back with eight innings against the Indians, allowing just one earned run and struck out three. That is the one thing that makes people worry about Porcello is that he isn't an elite strikeout pitcher. I will tell you that fact is not going to change, but the guy is only 20 and is already a meaningful part of a contending team's rotation. That is hard to give up on.

Andrew McCutchen homered three times tonight, and while he remains a great guy to have on your team, and a fantastic guy to have as a keeper, don't think that this is the start of some sort of trend. McCutchen is a guy who shows great speed, and does have a little power, but nothing that you can count on. He had three home runs on Saturday, which is also the same number he had after his first 50 games in the big leagues. McCutchen is a good young player, but he is not a big home run hitter.

Sean Rodriguez is back in the majors with the Angels, and he played in the outfield tonight, but I would not be targeting him this time around unless you are planning on using him as a keeper. He is still hitting for a great average in the minors, but not nearly the power he was contributing before his call up to the big leagues. Just like last time, I don't know where regular at bats would come from, so it seems that Rodriguez will spend most of his time on the bench.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Down on the Farm: Top Hitting and Pitching Prospects Statistics

Hitters

Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals

22 Games, .369 AVG, 5 HRs, 12 RBI, .631 SLG, 1.079 OPS

Butler started the season with the big club, but he struggled with the bat, showed almost no power, and was sent back to AAA. Butler obviously has nothing more to prove in the minors, as he went right back to ripping it up when he was sent down. It is just a matter of time before he is back in Kansas City, and he is certainly someone you want to have on your team when he does. Butler has the talent to be one of the best pure hitters in the majors, a high average and lots of power, he just needs to find a position.

Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins

67 Games, .260 AVG, 12 HRs, 33 RBI, 14 SB, 86 Ks, .480 SLG, .836 OPS

The jewel of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, Maybin could be a 30/30 player in the near future. The Marlins wanted him to start the season in centerfield, but he struggled in Spring Training, and was sent to AA to hone his skills. His batting average is lower than you might expect, and he is striking out at an alarming rate. Don't let this scare you away, particularly if you are in a keeper league. Maybin has mad skillz, and when he does come to the majors, he should have an immediate impact.

Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals

73 Games, .247 AVG, 10 HRs, 33 RBI, 9 SB, 61 Ks, .402 SLG, .743 OPS

The Cardinals best hitting prospect since that Pujols guy, Rasmus will be held in the minors perhaps for most of the season. With the way the Cardinals outfield has been playing, coupled with Rasmus' struggles, there's no reason to rush their young prize to the majors. Any injury in the outfield in St. Louis (which is possible the way they are falling for the Cards), and you could see Rasmus with the big boys. Don't let the low average fool you, Rasmus has the tools to be a great player very quickly.

Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee Brewers

71 Games, .295 AVG, 19 HRs, 58 RBI, 1 SB, 52 Ks, .610 SLG, 1.021 OPS

There's good news and bad news for Matt LaPorta. The good news is he is having one of the more impressive seasons in all of the minor leagues. The bad news? With Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, and Ryan Braun in the Brewers' outfield, it would take an injury to have him arrive in Milwaukee. More bad news? All three of those guys are under contract next year as well. LaPorta obviously has a ton of potential as a power hitter once he gets his opportunity, and a name to watch the news for because he should be on all fantasy teams when he arrives.

Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

70 Games, .286, 8 HRs, 28 RBI, 20 SB, .436 SLG, .804 OPS

McCutchen is a rare, young talent. He has good power potential with the possibility of hitting 25+ homers and could easily steal 50 bases. The emergence of Nate McLouth has kept him at AAA, but at just 21 years old, McCutchen has an insanely bright future in front of him. He might not make the majors until September, but he is someone all keeper league players will want to own.

Pitchers

Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins

12 Starts, 3-3, 4.00 ERA, 32 ER, 72 IP, 60 Ks, 25 BB, .237 BAA

What really needs to be said about Liriano? In 2006, the greatest pitching prospect in a long time set the major league world on fire with an 11-2 record then was lost for a year with Tommy John Surgery. His attempted return in 2008 was halted by wildness and inconsistency and he was returned to the minors after being unable to get anyone out or throw the ball over the plate. Liriano has been much better of late, and a return to the majors after the All-Star Break seems likely. Will he return to his pre-surgery form? That is still up for debate.

Gio Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics

14 Starts, 3-5, 5.01 ERA, 44 ER, 79.1 IF, 78 Ks, 38 BB, .262 BAA

Last year's minor league leader in strikeouts, Gonzalez has been struggling for most of the season. He was traded to the A's in the Nick Swisher trade, but so far this is one guy that Billy Beane might have missed on. Gonzalez has plenty of potential, and certainly knows how to miss bats, but he needs to work on being more consistent before he gets a sniff of the majors. He is someone to keep your eye on, but his shining star has dimmed some in 2008.

Adam Miller, Cleveland Indians

6 Starts, 0-1, 1.88 ERA, 6 ER, 28.2 IP, 20 Ks, 12 BB, .239 BAA

When Miller is healthy, he has been one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Unfortunately for him, that hasn't been the majority of the time. Miller is currently out right now after undergoing surgery to repair a frayed tendon in his middle finger. This injury history will always follow him, and it will cause him to be overlooked in the future by fantasy players, but for those risk takers out there, Miller could be a great option if/when he reaches the majors.

Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

12 Starts, 5-6, 4.66 ERA, 35 ER, 67.2 IP, 47 Ks, 35 BB, .285 BAA

The Angels top pitching prospect has nothing more to prove in the minors, but was less than stellar when he was called to the big leagues. Lately, however, Adenhart has been struggling at AAA as well. He has lost six of his last seven starts, and he has fallen to 5-6. It has gotten to the point where I would wait until he is called up AND had three or four quality starts before I thought of adding Adenhart to my roster.

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

5 Starts, 3-0, 1.27 ERA, 4 ER, 28.1 IP, 30 Ks, 5 BB, .225 BAA

This is one of the most dynamic pitching prospects to come around in some time. Price has dominating stuff, and although he is just in Single-A right now, it isn't out of the question that he could be in the majors before the end of the season. He is awesome at all things, he doesn’t walk many, his strikeout rate is just overone an inning, and he doesn't allow many runs. Now that the Rays are a team that actually scores runs and wins games, Price is probably the hottest commodity to get your hands on in those leagues that allow minor league players.

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