Lou Blasi - Page 5

Today we are going to take a look at some of the players we haven't profiled yet that show up on Baseball America's mid-season Top 25 (or so) prospects. Jacob McGee  - Rays Starter - Throws Left - 6-3,...

Keep your eyes open for the most predicable injury in sports history. With two phony baloney homers yesterday Barry B*nds moves to within two homers of a tying Hank Aaron on the All-Time homerun list, the most predictable sham...

A couple of returns highlight this week’s Closer Look.   In Tampa Al Reyes returned from his rotator cuff strain on the first day he was eligible. He returns to the closer’s role in Tampa replacing veteran Gary Glover...

It was a great pitching duel at the Dome on Tuesday as Nate Robertson and the Tigers beat Matt Garza and the Twins 1-0. Nate went 7 shutout IP allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5....

I have often felt that fantasy baseball presents a good analogy to financial investing. The players of course would be the stocks and our teams would be our portfolios. I know next to nothing about evaluating a stock but I...

(Editors Note: This is not the complete Prospect Central Report that is e-mailed to  Insiderbaseball.com's subscribers today. It is an edited version.) This week my son and I attended the Eastern League (AA) All-Star Fogfest at Dodd Stadium in...

  Manny Parra – Brewers Starter – Throws Left – 6-3, 200 – 10/30/1982   Manny caught everyone’s attention on June 25th when he retired 27 straight hitters against the Round Rock Express to record the 8th perfect game...

Brad Penny developed a blister in the first inning of last night's start against the Braves and limped to his worst outing of the season, allowing 6 runs, all earned in 4 IP on 9 hits, 4 walks and 5...

Injuries and ineffectiveness have shuffled the deck in a couple of MLB bullpens as we take a post-July 4th Closer Look. Devil Ray's closer Al Reyes was placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a "mildly"strained rotator cuff. The...

Happy July 4th everyone! Having faced yesterday's opposing pitcher Ryan Feierabend in the minors, Billy Butler knew what to expect and he entered the game in a comfortable state of mind. The result was a 3- for -5 performance with...

This week we will pick up some players from the Futures Game rosters that haven’t yet appeared in Prospect Central, and introduce you to a rising young star in the Red Sox System… Keep in mind that our Prospect...

It is dateline Chicago once again as we review the big bullpen news of the week. Ryan Dempster was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with a strained left oblique. With Sweet Lou's alleged "closer in waiting"Angel Guzman also...

My base of minor league operations sits on the banks of the meandering Merrimack River in Manchester New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Eastern League. Their new...

Rodrigo Lopez improved to 4-0 on the year with a win over the Yankees on Thursday. He went 5.2 IP, allowing 7 hits and a walk while striking out 3. Rodrigo lowers his ERA to 2.93 on the year in...

It is another slow week in the back end of Major League bullpens this week. Of course, the injury to Brad Lidge tops the closer headlines. Before he could collect his first save of this tour of duty as the...

Chad Durbin limited the Nationals to 1 run over 6 IP at RFK on Tuesday. He gave up 5 hits without a walk and struck out 5 to improve to 6-3 on the year with a 4.37 ERA. Chad is...

When last we talked I set out some offensive team splits so we could identify particularly good or bad matchups for your pitchers.   This morning let’s check out the particularly good and bad matchups for hitters. Here are...

Felix Pie – Cubs Outfielder – Bats Left – 6-2, 170 – 2/8/1985 2006 pretty much constituted a “Take 2” in Felix Pie’s pro career. After an ankle injury sidelined him for half of the 2005 season the Cubs...

We are starting the second half of what has been another relatively stable week in MLB bullpens. The major news among closers happened at the end of last week when the Astros returned Brad Lidge into the closer's role. The...

We are starting the second half of what has been another relatively stable week in MLB bullpens. The major news among closers happened at the end of last week when the Astros returned Brad Lidge into the closer's role. The...

A.J. Burnett left last night's game after 4.2 IP with what is being termed a "shoulder strain". "They don't think it's any big deal," manager John Gibbons said. "It's a mild strain. You're always concerned when a pitcher feels something...

The 2007 MLB First Year Player Draft is in the books and we all want to look ahead to see what the prognosis is for the highest selections. ESPN2 televised the first round of the draft live for the first...

Lots to chew on in last night Great Adventure between the Jays and Rays but Roy Halladay's pitching line is what stands out to most fanatsy owenrs. Eight runs allowed, 7 earned, on 12 hits, a walk and one K...

For the first time this season, there no major changes to report in this week’s Closer Look. All of the pitchers who held the primary closer roles for their teams last week at this time are still seated, but...

Josh Beckett was outstanding in his return from the DL on Tuesday limiting the Indians to 2 runs on just 3 hits and a walk while fanning 7 over 7 IP. He improves to 8-0 and becomes the first Red...

The Actual Art of the Deal Itself In the first two parts in our series on trading, we talked about how perceptions can skew player values and how you should use that to your advantage. And we offered ideas on...

Jay Bruce – Reds Outfielder – Bats Left – 6-2, 206 – 4/3/1987  The Red’s first round pick in 2005 should be on everyone’s radar by now when considering top offensive prospects. Last year all Jay accomplished was the...

This week’s closer’s report centers around Chicago where I warned you earlier that Lou Piniella was about to start flailing. Sweet Lou is considering moving Ryan Dempster to the starting rotation in the near future and using 25-year-old Angel...

Corey Patterson was told to sit in the corner last night and think about what he's done with his last 17 ABs which is nada. He is down to .219 on the year. No word as to whether he'll...

Shaking the Trade Tree In the first part of our series, we talked about how one critical aspect of the trading game is being aware that every player has more than one absolute value. He has, in fact, a different...

Jesse Litsch – Blue Jays Starting Pitcher – Throws Right – 6-1, 175 – 3/9/1985 The 22-year-old right-hander was strong in his MLB debut against the Orioles on May 15th, holding them to 1 earned run on 4 hits...

Plenty of hope for us sub-6-footers in Houston last night where Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt put in a show. Roy went 5.2 IP without allowing a hit. In the end he went 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits...

Lots to talk about when we take a Closer Look this week, starting in Oakland where Huston Street hit the DL with an ulnar nerve irritation on Tuesday.   Justin Duchscherer becomes the primary closer while Street is sidewalked...

Felix Hernandez seemed a bit rusty in his first start for the M's since April 18th. He went 3.2 IP allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Felix only used his strong slider a...

Homer Bailey – Reds Starting Pitcher – Throws Right – 6-3, 190 – 5/3/1986 The Reds’ first round pick in 2004 out of La Grange Texas has been considered as one the top pitching prospects in baseball. As a...

There is a power shift in Washington this morning as Jon Rauch takes over the closers role in place of Chad Cordero who has been placed on the bereavement list.   Rauch’s indicators hardly spell c-l-o-s-e-r. This year in...