Following Kendry - Brandon Wood

By Mark King, http://www.profantasybaseball.com/

A talked about prospect who hasn't put it together in the bigs yet. That sentence could be used for a lot of players. Last year, that was what could have been said (and no doubt was) for Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels. He finally lived up to the hype and became a stud in fantasy. Yes, there are better 1B then Morales, but that list got dramatically shorter. And how good was it for you who grabbed him late or off the waiver wire? This year, we have someone on the same team who could do the same thing. Brandon Wood.

Brandon Wood has been the future SS or 3B for the Angels for what feels like many years now. Well, the future is now, barring injury or a terrible spring, he will be the starting 3B this year. Third base, like first base, is a position that demands attention in fantasy sports. These are positions that teams count on for production. So any starting player at these positions, even unknowns, should be watched closely. Wood, however, is not a complete unknown.

Wood's minor league stats shows great talent, with a good AVG (.280+), and above average power (30 HR potential). But in his 224 big league at-bats over the last 3 years he has only managed a .192 AVG, 7 HR, and 19 RBIs - not very exciting. But his playing time was sporadic at best, not the way to get into a groove. Being an everyday player, he has the potential to start to put it together and be the guy the Angels have been looking for. Which is exactly what happened with Morales last year.

Having two guys breakout in a big way, in back to back years, is unlikely, but not impossible. Even if Wood doesn't reach his full potential, he can still have good value as a late round pick (It's worth noting that Woods has already gone deep in spring training). He's not worth overpaying for, but is worth a bench spot in moderately deep leagues. These are the type of guys that can make your fantasy year - a late pick that produces like a high one. Learn from Morales and take a chance on Wood.

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

To get more from Todd Farino, RC Rizza, and Rhett Oldham. Listen to our weekly podcast at www.blogtalkradio.com/fantasy-baseball-tonight. Listen to us LIVE every Wednesday at 10pm EST for 90 minutes of pure fantasy baseball talk.

2010 MLB Sleeper Player Profile: Brandon Wood, 3B Angels

Written By Todd Farino, http://www.fantasybaseballsearch.com/

• Player: Brandon Wood
• Team: LAA Angels
• Bats: Left
• Position: 3B

Fantasy Baseball Search Sleeper Rank: 15/30

Brandon Wood will open the 2010 season and age 25 and is ready for primetime.  Drafted out of high school by the Angels, Wood has spent 6 years maturing in the Angels farm system compiling fantastic numbers that he is now ready to turn into major league numbers.  He has had three stints with the Angels, including last year.  In just 224 at bats he's totaled seven home runs and a poultry .192 average.  Clearly that is not the sleeper I expect him to be this year. 

Wood will be the Angels third basemen with Chone Figgins departing for rival Seattle.  This will be the first season that Wood will be a full spring training in and then have consecutive at bats all season as the regular third basemen.  This should have a dramatic impact on his numbers and you will see a jump in all stats including average.  

Throughout his minor league career, Wood was known for his power, belting 31 home runs in AAA in only 395 at bats and 41 dingers in a full season at A+.  Scouts love everything about Wood.  They rave about his ability to make contact, his power, and his glove.  If Wood truly is ready for the majors, he will be a breakout in 2010.  The Angels are not known for rushing up their prospects and Wood was given plenty of time to mature.  He is entering his prime years and you can expect big numbers from him as the Angels will likely bat him in the middle of that lineup and give him ample opportunity for RBIs.  Although he's not known for his speed, expect him to steal a few bases, especially since the Angels run allot.

If you draft Brandon Wood, you can get him late.  Don't be afraid to take him in the 18th round or beyond.  If you didn't get one of the stud third basemen, forget looking until later and get Wood.  Like all rookies their is risk associated with him, but it's minimal.  I'm giving my conservative projections on average, but not home runs.

2010 Projections: .264 BA, 25 Hrs, 86 RBI, 79 Runs, 7 SB 

To get more from Todd Farino, RC Rizza and Rhett Oldham, catch our weekly podcast at www.blogtalkradio.com/fantasy-baseball-tonight . Listen to us LIVE every Wednesday at 10pm EST for 90 minutes of pure fantasy baseball talk.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/10; Congratulations Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez threw the first no-hitter of the season tonight against the San Diego Padres. He had everything going for him, and he struck out 11. It would have been a perfect game if not for an 8th inning error by Juan Uribe. This was his first start back in the rotation after being sent to the bullpen because of ineffectiveness. If it wasn't for the injury to Randy Johnson, he would still be in the 'pen. You would think that this would earn him a spot in the rotation for a while, especially since the Big Unit isn't due back any time soon. Even with this performance I wouldn't go running out and grabbing Sanchez unless you have a pitcher that is really underperforming. He gets a good number of strikeouts, but between the walks and the hits allowed he often gets himself into trouble.

Rich Harden left plenty to be desired in his latest start and is his record is now under .500. Harden had a rough day against the Cardinals, allowing four runs over five innings, walking four and striking out six. Sure, the strikeout numbers are still good, but the rest are not helping you. I keep saying that something has to be wrong with Harden, because he has never pitched this poorly. Sure he has had his troubles staying healthy, but he has always been a dominant pitcher when he's on the bump. Proceed with caution, but continue to start him every time out.

Brett Cecil hadn't been able to get our of the fourth inning in his last two starts, but turned it around on Friday against the Orioles. Cecil threw six shutout innings and struck out five. Unlike his teammate Ricky Romero, Cecil did have a good minor league career (and was the #3 ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system coming into the year), and I have more faith that he can keep this going. He did have a good start to the season before having an injury (four earned runs in three starts), so this didn't come out of nowhere. I'm not saying that you HAVE to have Cecil, but if you are looking for pitching he could be a decent option.

Ryan Garko has been getting playing time now, and he is making the most of it. He has a ten game hitting streak going that includes two home runs and four RBI. Garko won't give you a great average and has the capabilities to hit 20-25 homers, but until recently had found himself on the bench. The Indians want to put him in the outfield to give him at bats, so now it seems he will be in there most days. He is no more than a fourth outfielder on your team, maybe he can get on a hot streak.

Brian Bannister pitched a heck of a game against the Red Sox, and since June started he has been a pretty decent fantasy pitcher. That being said, I do not trust Bannister going forward and I would not trust him for any long stretch, and I certainly would not have started him tonight. He has allowed two runs or less in six of his last seven starts, but I am just not a fan. If he gets a good matchup, I would consider starting him, but I think this recent hot streak will be followed by a stretch of stuggles.

Ryan Church was traded today by the Mets to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. This is surprising that two division rivals made a trade, but who is better off from a fantasy perspective? I would go with Church on this one. Both had been benched at different times this season and had fallen out of favor with their teams. Francoeur has always had trouble with plate discipline and strikes out plenty. Not only that but now he goes to a park that doesn't allow many home runs. Church, on the other hand, goes to a team that he will most likely play for, isn't in the doghouse. He also gets out of Citi Field and although Turner Field isn't the best hitters park, it is an upgrade.

Much love to Dustin Pedroia for his late game double that extended my Hit Streak at usatoday.com to eight, by far the most I have gotten to. Tomorrow's pick will be Lance Berkman. I am hesitant to pick an Astro hitter, but against the Nationals I will take my chances.

Jeff Niemann threw a complete game shutout tonight against the Athletics and struck out six. He is now 8-4 and has been good most of the season. He was one of the top ten prospects in the Rays organization coming into the year and won the fifth starter job over David Price. I don't expect him to win 15 games for Tampa, but he still should have a decent year. He could win 13 or 14 games before the year is out.

Chad Billingsley had another subpar outing today, and hasn't been his usual dominating self for any stretch of time since early May. He allowed five runs over five innings, walked four and struck out four. What is the deal with Billingsley? He is still doing OK, but I am looking for him to be one of the elite, and he hasn't pitched like that recently. I still start Billingsley with extreme confidence against any opponent, and fully believe that he will get on a hot streak after the All Star Break.

A laundry list of guys have hit the DL today, let's get to the carnage.

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto could miss a month with his oblique injury he suffered during batting practice. The only good news that might come out of this is that those of you on the Jake Fox bandwagon MIGHT be rewarded. Fox has done some catching before and could do that some for the Cubs. If he gains catcher eligibility, that would be huge.

Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero also went on the DL today. I don't have any details as of now if they will miss more than the required 15 days. Prospect Brandon Wood has been called back up, and maybe he will actually get at-bats this time. However, given the way they treated him last time, I can't say if he will get playing time.

Ryan Doumit of the Pirates and Raul Ibanez of the Phillies have both been activated. If Doumit is available I would grab him if you have any need at catcher, and of course get Ibanez back in your lineup.