Gio Gonzalez - A's
Stats: 1-2 - 2.96 ERA - 25 K's - 24.1 IP.
Outlook: The big prospect didn't do much in 2009, but he did post 109 K's with 98.2 IP. He has the makings of a very good fantasy starting pitcher, but is still young and still pitches for the A's.
Francisco Liriano - Twins
Stats: 2-0 - 2.70 - 30 K's - 20 IP.
Outlook: He has been brilliant as a starter and talk still swirls about him closing. Either Liriano may be back to his stud-self and you may want to try and swing a trade for him before the season starts.
Chris Young - Padres
Stats: 2-2 - 3.32 - 21.2 K's - 22 IP.
Outlook: He is a forgotten pitcher by many, but could be a nice veteran fantasy starter. Plays in a pitchers park, gets K's and he looks healthy.
Dana Eveland - Blue Jays
Stats: 0-1 - 1.80 ERA - 21 K's - 25 IP.
Outlook: He struggled in 2009 after a solid rookie 2008 debut. He was one of the players acquired in the Dan Haren trade, so he has talent. He is one to keep an eye on in deep leagues or AL-only for now.
Fausto Carmona - Indians
Stats: 3-0 - 1.38 - 12 K's - 26 IP.
Outlook: He has been a bum since winning 19 in 2007, but he looked sharp in Spring Training and is worth a shot if you need to fill in your last SP slot. FYI: He is not much of a K-pitcher.
Ian Kennedy - Diamondbacks
Stats: 3-1 - 2.88 ERA - 17 K's - 25 IP.
Outlook: The one-time Yankee prospect is looking good for the D'backs and will be in the rotation.
Wade LeBlanc - Padres
Stats: 4-0 - 1.96 ERA - 17 K's - 23 IP.
Outlook: He played well after his call-up in 2009 and has kept it up in Spring Training. Padre pitchers are worth picking up and taken a shot at to improve you ERA and WHIP if he can get into the rotation at some point in 2010.
Mat Latos - Padres
Stats: 3-0 - 1.59 ERA - 14 K's - 17 IP.
Outlook: Unlike LeBlanc, he is in the Padre starting rotation. He played solid as a rookie in 2009 and maintains a solid K/9-ratio and that is enough to make as a low-end fantasy starter.
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.
I am the ultimate bargain shopper. If I go on a trip, I am using priceline for my hotel, ebay for my tickets, and TJ Maxx for my clothes. Restaurant.com is a staple when I go out, $25.00 certificates for $2.00 all over the country is awesome. Eastbay's Final Score is one of my favorite places to buy athletic wear.
So why would be fantasy baseball be any different. When I look back on my season my favorite players tend to be the ones that I drafted late and performed like a Top 50 player. Adam Lind was that player last year. So who will those players be this year? Today, let me give you five that you really need to target.
CRITERIA: Must be ranked below 250 SOURCE: Mock Draft Central, one of my favorite sites my ADP
Cameron Maybin, OF Florida Marlins Maybin was the linchpin of the Cabrera trade two years ago but was not ready for the major leagues. He is now penciled in as the starting center fielder for Fish and looked great at the end of 2009. He had 11 hits the last week of the season. Always draft talent and this kid has it.
Lastings Milledge, OF Pittsburg Pirates Milldge has worn out his welcome in two organizatons and for all practical purposes, this is his last chance. His ADP is, get this, is 403! Milledge will live up to his 20-20 potential and make you look like a genius, in the last round of your draft.
Skip Schumaker, 2B St Louis Cardinals With an ADP of 463, Schumaker is getting no love from fantasy owners this year. I will be happy to wait until the last round of my draft to take a .300 hitter who will score 100 runs. With the opportunity to prepare for the second base position for the first time in the offseason, I see him hitting double digit home runs and stealing ten bases as well.
Anibal Sanchez, SP Floirda Marlins He is certainly an injury risk but in his last seven starts, he pitch sub 3.00 ERA ball. Marlin pitchers are two things, talented and fragile. I am rolling the dice on Sanchez in 2010. You should as well. Bank on 12 wins, 160Ks and an ERA around 3.40
Francisco Liriano, SP Minnesota Twins Liriano was horrible last year. Just a complete blow up. But he has been dominate in winter league with a slider that has been nasty. With an ADP of 285, Liriano will end up anchoring your staff. He will not be the pitcher of 2006 but an ERA in the low 3s with 180 plus strikeouts is legitimate.
I will give you five more bargain bin specials next week. Make sure to put an asterick by each of these players on your draft sheets and be ready to find the best deals on draft day.
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.
Happy Birthday America! While we all celebrated today with parades, barbeques, and fireworks, let's not forget what this day is about. This is the day that we declared our independence from England, and the greatest country in the world was formed. We live in a place where anything is possible if you have a dream and work hard. Be thankful for the freedoms and the opportunities that are afforded us here in America, there is truly no other place like it. And of course, be thankful for the men and women who protect our country and keep us safe. Our Armed Forces are a special group and perform an important job. I have the utmost respect for each and every one of them and a special thank you goes out to them on this day. So again, Happy Birthday to the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world! Now, what's more American than baseball? Let's find out what happened today.
Josh Hamilton will not return to the Rangers on Sunday. His rehab game on Saturday was rained out, delaying his return to the majors at least one more day. There is still a chance that Hamilton might return on Monday, but nothing definite has been announced. I will give the news on this again tomorrow, because I am a Hamilton owner as well and I am very curious to see if I will be able to play him in my one league with weekly transactions. Hopefully he will be back on Monday.
Despite pitching less than great in a rehab assignment, Oliver Perez will be back in the Mets' rotation on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perez allowed three runs over five innings, walking four and striking out four. I understand that given the Mets' situation that they need to get their starters back from injury as soon as possible, but this start doesn't instill any confidence in me that Perez will be any better than he was before he went on the DL. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole before this start unless you are really desperate for help in pitching.
Kevin Slowey was placed on the 15 day DL, right after he had his worst outing of the season. Slowey allowed six earned runs over just three innings, but he got off the hook for the loss. Slowey has been diagnosed with a strained wrist. I have been unable to come up with a timetable for his return as of now, hopefully it will just be the required 15 days.
Howie Kendrick has been recalled by the Angels, and they optioned Sean Rodriguez. Kendrick hit .346 with two homers, 11 RBI, and four steals while he was in the minors. I would likely give Kendrick a try if he is available in your league. He has always supposed to be a great talent but has struggled in his time in the majors. He should hit for a good average with 10-12 homer power and a dozen steals. Not great, but if you need help at middle infield he could be worth a shot.
Erik Bedard is set to start on Tuesday against the Orioles. Bedard has been great when he has been able to stay on the mound, however he has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career. If you own him, definitely have him ready to start on Tuesday, Bedard is the kind of pitcher that you start against anyone.
Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs over 5.1 innings, and after the game it was announced that he was diagnosed with a strained shoulder and bursitis. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday, but it seems likely he will miss his next start. I doubt he is owned in too many leagues, but if he is, it might be time to let him go.
Rich Harden had his worst start in who knows how long, and I am struggling to come up with an explanation for why he is pitching so poorly. I have speculated that he could have some sort of injury, but there is absolutely no sign of a report of anything wrong with him. Harden gave up seven earned runs in just two innings and struck out only one. All you can do is keep pitching him every time out. Harden is better than this, and it has to be just a matter of time before he starts to pitch like it.
Although the bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him, Tommy Hanson was great again. It might have only been against the Nationals, but Hanson allowed just one run over seven innings, striking out five. In five of his six starts, Hanson has allowed two runs or less, including three in which he allowed no earned runs. The walks are higher and the strike outs are lower than I expected, but Hanson has been everything else that he was supposed to be, and has to be the early front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year. Continue to start him every time out with extreme confidence.
Francisco Liriano might not have gotten the decision, but he had his third straight start that his owners had to be happy with. He allowed just three runs over seven innings and struck out eight. He has been much better over the last six weeks or so, and hopefully he will continue to improve and he can get back to the form that once made him one of fantasy baseball's most coveted pitchers. I have said before that I don't see his rookie year statistics coming back, and that hasn't changed, but it would be nice to see him pitch like this more often.
David Price was terrible again, and I don't know where the guy who pitched in the playoffs last year went. Price lasted just 1.1 innings, allowed six runs and walked five. Coming into the year I thought that Price was that rare young pitcher that wouldn't be susceptible to the growing pains that most rookies go through. Obviously that won't be the case. Keeper league players, I'm sorry to tell you that you just have to live through these tough times. Price has all the skills, and he will be awesome, who knows when that will be. Honestly, this might be a good opportunity for those who don't own him in keeper leagues to buy low on Price. Seasonal leagues I still wouldn't drop him, but I might see if there was someone in the league who might give you a good deal for him.
Jimmy Rollins is starting to show some signs of life, with five hits in the last three days. He also has three doubles and has driven in four runs over those games, and PERHAPS this is the start of something good. He's still hitting .213, so don't get too excited, but for those of us who have owned him all season long this is about as exciting as it has been all year long.
Is Emilio Bonifacio working his way back to fantasy relevance? He was 4/4 on Saturday and stole his 17th base of the year. He now has a hit in ten of his last eleven games, and six bases over that stretch. I would say if you need stolen bases that he is worth adding to your roster, but just be ready to cut ties with him if another cold streak starts to show.
ESPN.com has relaunched the ESPN Arcade with hundreds of games for you to play. Regardless of your interests there is sure to be something to get you addicted. Sports games, driving games, cards, puzzles, and even action sports. So far I have played Carniball (skeeball), a basketball shooting game, a baseball game in which you try to make a comeback in the bottom of the Ninth, and of course, some video poker. However, my favorite game so far is the Hair & Staches Concentration. This is a timed memory game in which you try to match up cards with some of the more interesting looks in baseball history. Not only fun but funny as well.
Mailing List
I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.
I think the Phillies are going to come up with a new promotion. It will be Brad Lidge Night sponsored by Tums. Lidge did collect his 14th save, but as usual there was drama. Lidge gave up a bunt single, followed by a walk. The good news is he wiggled out of it, but boy he likes to make them interesting. Obviously, Ryan Madson can't get the job done, so it will take something monumental for them to take the job away from him. However, he will make you sweat and won't do any favors for your ERA or WHIP.
Tommy Hanson is really looking like the real deal. After his six shutout innings on Sunday, he now hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three starts against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Reds. His strikeout numbers have been a little lower than I had expected, but how can you complain about 4-0 with an ERA under 2.50? If Hanson can beat the Yanks and the Red Sox then you can feel free to start him against any opponent. He will likely come back to Earth a little bit, but he is showing that you were wise to hold him on your bench all that time.
David Price on the other hand continues to struggle some. Today he only allowed one run over 6.1 innings, but he still is having trouble with control, as he walked five batters. In five of his first seven starts in the majors, he has allowed two runs or less, so the walks aren't killing him as far as ERA is concerned. However, he usually doesn't go deep into the game, and his WHIP is over 1.50. You have to just hope that he is figuring it out and he will start to be the guy we figured he would be. The good news is they didn't take him out of the rotation when they brought back Scott Kazmir, so the Rays still believe that he can get hot and pitch well.
Ryan Sadowski had a pretty good start to his major league career, but his minor league numbers suggest that you shouldn't put too much stock into this. He did have a pretty good record in the minors, as he was 13-6 over the past year and a half, but his ERA was over 4.50. He was a pretty decent strikeout pitcher down on the farm, but he wasn't a guy who was highly thought of. If he has another couple good starts, perhaps you can think about him, but right now he isn't worth a look.
Alexei Ramirez homered today for the fifth time in the last eleven games, and you can't deny any more that the guy is back on track and is someone that you can count on. I was very tempted a couple of times to let him go or trade him cheap during the first two months of the season, but boy am I happy that I didn't and you should be too if you were patient. He hit his tenth homer of the season, and I believe that he is a lock to go 20/20 again.
Francisco Liriano won his second consecutive start, so maybe he just needs to pitch against National League teams. Liriano allowed just two runs over seven innings and struck out six. The best news may be that he only walked one guy. Until I start seeing him do this against American League teams that he will face more often, I'm not ready to put too much stock in this win. I am hopeful still because I like the guy, but I am not ready to say that he is back.
Matt Palmer may have improved his record to 7-1, but he hasn't been impressive his past couple times out. Palmer was the beneficiary of great run support to get the win, as he allowed six earned runs over just five innings and didn't strike out a batter. He's been decent most of the time and could be used against weaker teams, but I don't believe that he is a guy that you start every time out.
Chad Gaudin is a guy you can target if you really need strikeouts, but just be careful how much stock you put in him. Gaudin won his second straight start to raise his record to 4-6 with a dominating performance against the Rangers. He allowed just one hit over eight innings and struck out nine. Gaudin now has 75 Ks in just 70 innings. He isn't a rookie, and has bounced around the majors, last making an impact in Oakland. He is an OK pitcher, but his ERA of just under 5.00 should tell you exactly what to expect from him if you play him on a regular basis.
Where has the power gone for Nick Markakis? With just two days left in the month, Markakis has a grand total of ONE homer for the all of June. He did only hit twenty in 2008, so it isn't like he is way off his usual pace, but when he had five in May we thought he could top 25 for the year. It now appears that he will fall into the 20-22 range. He is still a .300 hitter and is a quality outfielder. He will get hot again, don't trade him off cheap.
Emilio Bonifacio stole another base on Sunday, giving him three on the weekend. He has gotten a hit in six straight games, and if you are DESPERATE for steals I would give him a try, but I think he will go into a tailspin again before too long.
Mariano Rivera owners should be petitioning their leagues to allow hitting stats for pitchers to count. Rivera was forced to bat tonight against the Mets and earned a walk with the bases loaded for his first career RBI. Francisco Rodriguez inexplicably walked the Yankee closer to force in a run, as you can just add one more blooper to the Mets' season. The fact that they are even close in the standings is a minor miracle between their injuries and many blunders in the field, on the basepaths, and with the pitching.
Mailing List
I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.
Butler started the season with the big club, but he struggled with the bat, showed almost no power, and was sent back to AAA.Butler obviously has nothing more to prove in the minors, as he went right back to ripping it up when he was sent down.It is just a matter of time before he is back in Kansas City, and he is certainly someone you want to have on your team when he does.Butler has the talent to be one of the best pure hitters in the majors, a high average and lots of power, he just needs to find a position.
The jewel of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, Maybin could be a 30/30 player in the near future.The Marlins wanted him to start the season in centerfield, but he struggled in Spring Training, and was sent to AA to hone his skills.His batting average is lower than you might expect, and he is striking out at an alarming rate.Don't let this scare you away, particularly if you are in a keeper league.Maybin has mad skillz, and when he does come to the majors, he should have an immediate impact.
The Cardinals best hitting prospect since that Pujols guy, Rasmus will be held in the minors perhaps for most of the season.With the way the Cardinals outfield has been playing, coupled with Rasmus' struggles, there's no reason to rush their young prize to the majors.Any injury in the outfield in St. Louis (which is possible the way they are falling for the Cards), and you could see Rasmus with the big boys.Don't let the low average fool you, Rasmus has the tools to be a great player very quickly.
There's good news and bad news for Matt LaPorta.The good news is he is having one of the more impressive seasons in all of the minor leagues.The bad news?With Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, and Ryan Braun in the Brewers' outfield, it would take an injury to have him arrive in Milwaukee.More bad news?All three of those guys are under contract next year as well.LaPorta obviously has a ton of potential as a power hitter once he gets his opportunity, and a name to watch the news for because he should be on all fantasy teams when he arrives.
McCutchen is a rare, young talent.He has good power potential with the possibility of hitting 25+ homers and could easily steal 50 bases.The emergence of Nate McLouth has kept him at AAA, but at just 21 years old, McCutchen has an insanely bright future in front of him.He might not make the majors until September, but he is someone all keeper league players will want to own.
What really needs to be said about Liriano?In 2006, the greatest pitching prospect in a long time set the major league world on fire with an 11-2 record then was lost for a year with Tommy John Surgery.His attempted return in 2008 was halted by wildness and inconsistency and he was returned to the minors after being unable to get anyone out or throw the ball over the plate.Liriano has been much better of late, and a return to the majors after the All-Star Break seems likely. Will he return to his pre-surgery form? That is still up for debate.
Last year's minor league leader in strikeouts, Gonzalez has been struggling for most of the season.He was traded to the A's in the Nick Swisher trade, but so far this is one guy that Billy Beane might have missed on.Gonzalez has plenty of potential, and certainly knows how to miss bats, but he needs to work on being more consistent before he gets a sniff of the majors.He is someone to keep your eye on, but his shining star has dimmed some in 2008.
When Miller is healthy, he has been one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.Unfortunately for him, that hasn't been the majority of the time.Miller is currently out right now after undergoing surgery to repair a frayed tendon in his middle finger.This injury history will always follow him, and it will cause him to be overlooked in the future by fantasy players, but for those risk takers out there, Miller could be a great option if/when he reaches the majors.
The Angels top pitching prospect has nothing more to prove in the minors, but was less than stellar when he was called to the big leagues.Lately, however, Adenhart has been struggling at AAA as well.He has lost six of his last seven starts, and he has fallen to 5-6.It has gotten to the point where I would wait until he is called up AND had three or four quality starts before I thought of adding Adenhart to my roster.
This is one of the most dynamic pitching prospects to come around in some time. Price has dominating stuff, and although he is just in Single-A right now, it isn't out of the question that he could be in the majors before the end of the season.He is awesome at all things, he doesn’t walk many, his strikeout rate is just overone an inning, and he doesn't allow many runs.Now that the Rays are a team that actually scores runs and wins games, Price is probably the hottest commodity to get your hands on in those leagues that allow minor league players.
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