Blue Jays Bullpen - The season-ending injury suffered by Joe Nathan has send tsunami warnings to baseball shores far and wide this week, with waves starting to wash ashore at Jay's camp. The Twins have reportedly expressed interest in Jason...

Cardinals SS - Brendan Ryan continues to progress. Ryan will take soft toss on Monday with hopes of seeing live BP the following week. That schedule would have him seeing game action in the third week of March. Tony La...

Blue Jays Rotation : The post-Halladay era begins in Toronto with intense focus on the three prospects acquired in exchange for the face of the franchise this offseason. Pitcher Kyle Drabek, first-baseman-to-be Brett Wallace, and catcher Travis d'Arnaud are expected...

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Carlos Quentin (OF—White Sox) Carlos Quentin finished off the season with a fairly strong September, hitting 6 home runs for the month. After struggling a good portion of the year with injuries, Quentin’s .239 batting average was much lower than...

Garrett Atkins: The complete decline of a power hitter to a back up or minor leaguer has been completed for Atkins, 2007/2008/2009 AB’s 605/611/351, Doubles’ 35/32/12, Home Runs’ 25/21/9, and Averages’ .301/.286/.228. Without any real change in his approach at...

David Ortiz (DH – Red Sox) After months of debating whether or not David Ortiz was cooked, he has very quietly put together 4 consecutive very strong months to finish the season. If you remove Big Papi’s remarkably futile April...

Drew Stubbs: After hitting just 3 home runs in 411 Triple-A AB, it is surprising that Stubbs has blasted 8 home runs in 172 AB. With just 5 doubles, the power does seem fluky for the soon-to-be 25-year-old, but with...

Felipe Paulino: Paulino’s stuff is always tantalizing, but his issues with command usually impede his success. This was not the case on Thursday night as Paulino walked 3 in 5 innings, but was able to pitch around the walks, allowing...

Brian Duensing: Duensing numbers’, 5-2 with a 3.66 ERA, look much better than the numbers that a rookie with his skills, 5.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and a 46%GB, should be producing. A 75% Strand Rate and a depressed 7% HR/FB%...

Michael Young- TEX- Hot- Young has bounced back since returning from his latest bout of hamstring troubles. This has been the first season that he has been seriously impacted by injuries, playing only 133 games so far. Still he has...

Ricky Nolasco (SP—Marlins) Ricky Nolasco finished off the 2009 season with his most impressive game of the year, fanning 16 batters in 7.2 innings and flirted with the record for consecutive strikeouts. Despite Nolasco falling 1 strikeout shy of Tom...

Ronny Cedeno (SS – Pirates) It is looking very likely that Ronny Cedeno will not return this season due to a pair of pulled hammies. About a month ago, I made the case advocating that teams have been too quick...

Juan Pierre- LAN- Cold- With Manny Ramirez out with a sore hamstring and likely to be rested a lot in the last days of the season, Pierre has been getting some playing time. That’s the good news for Pierre owners....

Stephen Drew (SS-ARI) – I was surprised to see that we hadn’t written about Drew since June 29, but the obvious reason is that he’s taken a step back this year. After batting .291/.333/.502 a year ago, Drew has dropped...

Jarrod Washburn (SP—Tigers) Well, for once it appears that Seattle may have made a good move, trading Jarrod Washburn to Detroit when he was at the height of his value. Since arriving in the Motor City, Washburn has pretty much...

Ricky Nolasco: Nolasco continues to get victimized by a horrible Strand Rate. He allowed just 5 base-runners on Friday night over 7 innings, but 3 of them found their way across home plate on a 3 run HR by Jeff...

Carlos Quentin (OF – White Sox) I think it is important to once again point out how truly unlucky Carlos Quentin has been this season. Quentin actually increased both his LD (+1.2%) and FB (+4.6%) rates this season, but somehow...

Bronson Arroyo: Consistency is a word you don’t typically associate with Bronson Arroyo, but he spun his twelfth consecutive quality start on Thursday, limiting the Pirates to just 1 ER over 7 innings. The extended hot streak has dropped his...

Placido Polanco: It has been a typical season for Polanco, moderate power in the form of 30 doubles and 10 home runs, a little bit of speed, 7 steals, poor plate patience, 5% BB%, and outstanding contact skills, 93%. The...

Scott Kazmir- LAA- Hot- Kazmir took the loss against the Yankees last night, but still pitched decently. It was a quality start, with 3 runs allowed on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4 in 6 IP. Since...

Chris Coghlan (OF—Marlins) Chris Coghlan has tossed his name into the Rookie of the Year race as he has been on fire the past couple of months. From the beginning of August, Coghlan is batting an amazing .383 in 214...

Pablo Sandoval (3B – Giants) Pablo Sandoval has experienced a true breakout in ’09, and in this season, he has adopted a much more patient approach at the plate. He has swung at 11.8% fewer pitches outside the strike zone,...

Joe Blanton- PHI- Stats- A big part of Blanton’s surge after a poor April has been a turnaround in his comparative home and road performances. He has not been effected by the hitter bias at Citizens Bank Park, posting a...

Andres Torres (OF-SF) – Torres provided all the punch for the Giants in Sunday’s loss to the Dodgers, hitting a pair of solo home runs off Randy Wolf in going 2-for-4. Torres, 31, is batting .257/.339/.522 in 113 at-bats for...

Jake Peavy (SP--White Sox) Congratulations to all Jake Peavy owners who have waited over 3 months to use the ace pitcher this season. Your patience has been rewarded. Saturday was Peavy's White Sox debut against the Royals and he was...

Cliff Lee: The National League seems to agree with Lee, as he has pitched better since the mid-season trade, AL/NL splits of ERA 3.14/2.67, K/9’s 6.3/8.4, and BB/9’s 2.0/1.3. Given his track record, 2007/2008 K/9’s 6.1/6.9, the high strike out...

Clay Buchholz (SP – Red Sox) Clay Buchholz picked up another win on Friday night by allowing just 1 ER over 6 IP, but once again he was not dominant in doing so based on his 1 K and 3...

Chris Young: With 6 home runs in 53 September AB, Young is reminding people why they were so high on him coming into this year. However with an historically low BHIP%, 2007/2008/2009 BHIP’s .192/.216/.147, Young is going to have to...

Scott Feldman: It has been a breakout year for Feldman, 16-5 with a 3.65 ERA, but he has one of those skill sets, 5.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, and a 48% GB% that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that he can come...

Zack Greinke- KC- Stats- Greinke has thrown 4 consecutive quality starts in which he has given up a total of 4 runs, only three earned. There have been three factors that have driven Greinke’s success this year. First is an...

Josh Johnson (SP--Marlins) With just a little over 2 weeks left in the regular season, every game the Marlins play have serious implications as they try to hang on for the NL Wildcard spot. Josh Johnson is someone they will...

Alfonso Soriano (OF – Cubs) With Soriano out for the remainder of the season following knee surgery, we can get a head start on evaluating what was his ’09 season. Soriano posted the lowest OPS of his 9 year career...

Carlos Marmol- CHN- Caution- Marmol picked up his 9th save and has yet to blow an opportunity since his promotion into the closer role, but there are some things that can make you queasy. Half of Marmol’s 14 pitches were...

Dan Hudson - The White Sox have already brought their 2008 5th rounder up to pitch out of the bullpen, and those of you who can find value out of non-closer RP's would be well served to grab him. Even...

Will Venable (OF-SD) – The Padres are giving Venable an extended look as a starting outfielder as they look towards 2010, and as of now, he’s probably done enough to be considered a favorite to start on Opening Day 2010....

Johnny Damon (OF--Yankees) Johnny Damon has had a bit of an aching back that kept him out of the lineup on Friday and Saturday. It doesn't sound like it’s anything to worry about. This is good news since Damon is...

Miguel Tejada (SS-HOU) – Tejada was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer Sunday, with the long ball being his first since August 7. Tejada had that 1.048 OPS at the end of April, but since the All-Star break, the veteran has...

Randy Ruiz (DH – Blue Jays) Randy Ruiz cracked his 7th homer of the season on Friday night in just his 80th at bat. Ruiz makes for a very interesting case. He has spent 11 seasons in the minors, and...

Eric Young Jr: Just from the name alone fantasy owners should know what to expect from Eric Young Jr. Eric’s father was a top of the order speed threat who posted some valuable fantasy seasons in Colorado and Eric’s built...

Hank Blalock: It has been a mixed bag for Blalock this season. While he is displaying very good power, 23 home runs, his batting average is suffering, .237 in 414 AB. A depressed .195 BHIP% isn’t helping, although it is...

Albert Pujols (1B--Cardinals) It almost seems like a pointless exercise to write about Albert Pujols. Is there anyone in the fantasy baseball universe that doesn't know how great he is? Is there anyone that needs to be told that he...

Jeff Niemann: The Rays bullpen is quietly sabotaging Jeff Niemann’s Rookie of the Year prospects. For the third consecutive game Niemann pitched tremendous and left in line for the win, this time shutting out the Yankees in Yankee Stadium for...

Kevin Youkilis (1B - Red Sox) - Youkilis continues to improve every year. Heading into 2009, it would have been tough to beat his 2008 numbers. Last season, he hit .312 with 29 HR, 115 RBI, and a .958 OPS....

Matt Maloney (SP – Reds) After being sent down due to a procedural move last week, Matt Maloney returned to the bigs last night and pitched fairly well against the Rockies. He only struck out 2 in his 5 IP,...

Clayton Kershaw (SP—Dodgers) Stupid injuries are the most frustrating for fantasy owners. Like the guy who stubs his toe on the dugout step and winds up missing a week of games. Or perhaps the player that cuts his index finger...

Chris Young (OF-ARI) – Baseball is a funny game, so should it really be a shocker to see a guy enter a game hitting .181/.293/.344 proceed to hit three home runs and draw two walks? Yes, it was a surprise,...

Luke Hochevar: Anthony Perri highlighted Hochevar’s inability to bear down and get big outs and this was once again the case on Sunday. Hochevar was blasted for 7 ER’s on 9 hits and 2 BB’s in just 3 2/3 innings....

John Lackey (SP—Angels) John Lackey walked away with a tough luck no-decision on Saturday as he scattered 6 hits, allowed 1 ER over 9 innings, walking none and striking out 4. Lackey has put together a solid season albeit not...

Freddy Garcia: With reports of severely declining velocity and multiple teams passing on Garcia after showcases earlier this season, I was pretty skeptical of his return to the White Sox rotation; but after four starts things look pretty good for...

Jimmy Rollins: While his .244 batting average is a disappointment, it is hard to argue with the power/speed package, 17 home runs and 25 steals that Rollins is providing from the middle infield slot. As Rollins is now on the...

Jeremy Hermida (OF – Marlins) Jeremy Hermida left Wednesday night’s game with a strained intercoastal muscle. He is likely to miss a game or two at the minimum. I can’t quite figure out what to make of Hermida. In ’09...

Carlos Quentin: After breaking out big-time last year, 36/100/.288 in 480 AB, it has been an injury-filled, disappointing year for Quentin, 15/35/.226 in .265 AB. With his approach at the plate remaining relatively stable, 2008/2009 BB%’s 12%/9% and Ct%’s 83%/84%,...

Carlos Beltran (OF—Mets) Could things be turning around for the Mets? Not enough to make a bit of difference at anything resembling a playoff run, but maybe a few positive signs to salvage what is left of an abysmal season....

This is the last of the prospect updates for 2009, so I hope you enjoyed the future. As always, feel free to email me with comments/suggestions: dregan@fantistics.com American League 28 Lars Anderson BOS 1B B+ Not that great before the...

Jarrod Washburn (SP – Tigers) It is being reported that a bum knee is a potential reason for why Jarrod Washburn has a 6.81 ERA since becoming a member of the Tigers. I think I have a better idea as...

Chris Davis (1B - Rangers) - We recommended Chris Davis as a pickup when he was called-up and Hank Blalock was relegated to bench duty. So far, its proving to be a fruitful call if you made the claim. Davis...

Tony Abreu (2B – Diamondbacks) Tony Abreu was shipped off to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. After missing all of ’08, Abreu has done a nice job at salvaging some of his prospect status with a .351 / .382 / .609...

Jason Bartlett - A pair of singles and a double cap off a scintillating August for Bartlett, as his triple slash stats for the month read 343/435/535. You can put me in the seemingly small camp that believes that a...

Juan Gutierrez (RP-ARI) – You’ll probably have more news on this by the time this is published, but Chad Qualls could be headed for the DL with a dislocated kneecap. We’ll see what the MRI reveals, but should Qualls have...

Ryan Rowland-Smith: Rowland-Smith stayed hot with his 4th quality start in his last 5 outings, unfortunately a continued lack of run support has left him 0-1 in these 5 starts. Rowland-Smith hasn’t been a particularly exciting fantasy asset in the...

Barry Zito - Zito tossed his third straight quality start and ninth straight outing giving up three runs or less in beating the Rockies last night 5-3. Zito is showing his best velocity since 2005 and his best control since...

Scott Kazmir (SP—Angels) The Angels seem to have acquired Scott Kazmir at the right time. He’s been on a fairly good roll of late and seems to have found some consistency that he was lacking prior to his visit to...

Andrew Bailey (RP – Athletics) Andrew Bailey re-aggravated a knee injury in Thursday night’s game. Bailey made very little out of the injury, as he has been dealing with it all season long. However, we are approaching the point in...

Vicente Padilla: Padilla found the transition to the NL to be a favorable one, even pitching in Colorado. Padilla allowed 6 hits and 1 BB in 5 innings of work, but limited the Rockies to just 2 ER’s. He struck...

Francisco Liriano: It looks like Liriano, who is on the DL with an elbow injury, is done for the year. Back in 2006, at the young age of 22, Liriano looked like the next great pitcher in baseball, 12-3 with...

Marc Rzepczynski has moved up through the Blue Jays system pretty much under the radar. Although considered to be a prospect before the start of the season, everyone including us had him outside of the top 5 prospects in the...

Oliver Perez (SP--Mets) It's like some scene out of an Agatha Christie mystery novel where several characters are in a mansion and one by one they keep disappearing until only a few remain. Such is the Mets season and the...

Note: Stephen Strasburg will be headling this year's Arizona Fall League play. Be sure to get out there if you get the chance. American League 4 Justin Smoak TEX 1B A Just .240 in 183 AAA at-bats. .930 OPS in...

Brett Myers (RP – Phillies) Just a reminder that Brett Myers is still on schedule to join the Phillies bullpen on September 1st. Myers has reportedly been throwing around 93-94 MPH in his rehab appearances. Before landing on the DL...

Randy Ruiz - Ruiz chalked up another three hits yesterday, including his fourth homer in 46 AB's, as the Jays fell to Tampa 12-7. Ruiz may have over 4500 minor league plate appearances, but don't be fooled into thinking he...

Angel Pagan (OF-NYM) – Corey Sullivan / Pagan / Jeff “.299 OBP” Francoeur isn’t quite the outfield the Mets had in mind this spring, but that’s what the Mets trotted out there on Sunday. Perhaps worse (if that’s possible) was...

Scott Feldman: Feldman hasn’t drawn as much attention as a 13-4, 3.87 ERA line would suggest, largely because prior to this August, the peripherals have been underwhelming. Feldman was a GB specialist whose GB Rate was barely eclipsing 45% (good…...

Brian Roberts (2B—Orioles) Brian Roberts had his hitting streak come to an end at 12 games on Saturday going 0 for 3 with 2 walks and a stolen base. He had been batting .385 over that span with 5 home...

Pedro Martinez: Martinez gets a chance for revenge against the team who didn’t resign him when he faces the Mets today. In 8 innings with Phillies, Pedro has fanned 9 batters and walked just 1. While 8 innings is not...

Neftali Feliz (RP – Rangers) The Rangers have rolled out an explicit plan designed to limit the amount of innings Neftali Feliz will pitch this year. This is probably a good move from an organizational and future performance standpoint, but...

Chris Volstad: Despite having his surface numbers decline in his sophomore year, 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA in his rookie season vs. 9-9 with a 4.61 ERA this year, Volstad’s skills have improved, 2008/2009 K/9’s 5.6/6.2, BB/9’s 3.8/3.0, and GB%’s...

Bill Hall: According to Manger Don Wakamatsu, the newly acquired Hall will see playing time all around the infield, which would boost his value if he qualifies for MI in your fantasy format. With the season that Hall was having...

Ivan Rodriguez- TEX- Hot- Pudge’s return to the Rangers was a smashing success at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. The crowd was definitely behind him and that may have helped. In the longer...

Bobby Parnell (SP—Mets) Well, this wasn’t how the script was supposed to play out. The way it’s supposed to go is if you pitch poorly and then you follow it up with an outstanding performance, your next start is supposed...

American League 4 Justin Smoak TEX 1B A .262 August is an improvement, but not seeing the power we'd expect yet (31.5 AB/HR). 8 Jesus Montero NYY C A- .337/.389/.562 will be his final line this year as he's out...

Ryan Doumit (C – Pirates) Ryan Doumit was dropped down into the 5 spot in the Pirates order on Tuesday night, and has yet to put anything together since returning from injury. Doumit is very clearly pressing at the moment,...

Andy LaRoche- PIT- Hot- The LaRoche Pittsburgh kept after being discovered over their legal limit and having to get rid of one has been improving of late. Not as much as Adam in Atlanta, but certainly better than the .188...

Brad Lidge (Closer - Phillies) - Deep breath for Lidge owners. He came in last night to shut-the-door on the Braves with a 3-run lead. He recorded the one out he was called to get, throwing three pitches and recording...

Derek Jeter: Remember when it was chic to rip Derek Jeter as an overrated fantasy asset, citing the drafting on name value and being able to get 85% of the value from late round lesser names like Orlando Cabrera? Well...

Randall Delgado - RHP Atlanta Braves Prospect junkies are always interested in the latest model off the line of the Braves' pitching factory. Let's talk about 19-year-old Randall Delgado. The 6-3/180 right-hander's stat line below for 2009 may not seem...

Alcides Escobar - Escobar picked up another pair of singles with two runs scored in his third career start for the Brewers, and it does look like he might be able to provide AVG, R, and SB out of the...

Ian Kinsler (2B—Rangers) After a two week stint on the DL, Ian Kinsler was back in the Ranger lineup Saturday and obviously felt refreshed and ready to play some ball as he went 2 for 3, hitting his 24th home...

Raul Ibanez: Ibanez has really been scuffling at the plate and another 0-4 on Friday night dropped his August line to .225/.262/.350 with a horrid 2:13 BB:K Ratio in 40 AB’s. Ibanez’s HR pace all season has been unsustainable and...

Jayson Nix (2B – White Sox) Just when it appeared as though some of Jayson Nix’s playing time was about to dry up with the arrival of Alex Rios, Chris Getz landed on the 15-day DL, which opens up 2B...

Garrett Jones: The regression continues for Garrett Jones who went 0-4 on Thursday with 4 K’s. For the month of August he’s now hitting just .239/.327/.457 after posting a .310/.361/.700 July. The nearly 300 point dip in OPS comes despite...

Shaun Marcum: There is still a chance that Marcum, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, could pitch with the Blue Jays in September. Before getting injured last year, Marcum was putting up good numbers, 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA,...

JJ Hardy (SS—Brewers) JJ Hardy has been mired in a season slump where his top BA was .247 for one day back in May. His season has been so poor that he was only hitting in the .240’s for three...

American League 40 Michael Saunders SEA OF B .271 with no HR and 14:3 K:BB in 48 at-bats. Playing just about every day. 41 Lou Marson CLE C B .276 in 8 games since trade to Cleveland. Not sure where...

Jhoulys Chacin (SP – Rockies) After Aaron Cook’s start was pushed back due to injury, Jhoulys Chacin made his first career major league start on Tuesday night. He had a nightmare of a start as he struggled mightily to find...

John Lannan- WAS- Caution- Imagine there’s no road games. It’s easy if you try. That’s what Lannan wishes was the case as he takes the mound in Atlanta. In the Nation’s Capital, he pitches like a Cy Young candidate, with...

BJ Upton: The entire fantasy community has been giving BJ Upton a free pass for most of the season. The shoulder injury and the late start to the season allowed writers to give a free pass during the first few...

Todd Wellemeyer: Wellemeyer will rejoin the Cardinals rotation with a start on Tuesday against the Reds. His dominance, 2005/2006/2007 K/9’s of 8.9/6.2/6.8, always gave him potential, but control problems, BB/9’s of 6.1/5.7/4.5, always held him back, ERA’s of 6.12/4.14/4.54. However...

Junichi Tazawa - RHP Boston Red Sox The reeling Red Sox recalled right hander Junichi Tazawa from Pawtucket and threw him onto the breach on Friday night against the Yankees in the Bronx. The designation of John Smoltz may be...

Neftali Feliz (RP—Rangers) There is nothing like a good, old fashioned Texas barbecue. And the Rangers now have someone coming out of their bullpen that is bringing the fire. Neftali Feliz can throw heat! Flaming, red-hot fastballs that consistently border...

Zach Duke: Considering the team he is on, Duke is having a very good season, 9-10 with a 3.45 ERA. However, be aware that he is doing it with a soft skill set, 4.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and a 45%...

Julio Borbon (OF – Rangers) Julio Borbon was recalled on Friday, and should have the opportunity for some fairly regular playing time while Nelson Cruz is sidelined. Borbon was a supplemental 1st round pick two years ago, who would have...

Billy Wagner: Wagner is about 10 days away from beginning a rehab assignment which means he should see action this year. There is some talk that the Mets will try and trade him, but they will have to eat up...

Joba Chamberlain: Despite picking up a win against the Red Sox last night, Chamberlain was less than impressive with 7 walks, but for year his numbers still look good, 8-2 with a 3.73 ERA. The 8.0 K/9 and 44% GB%...

Chase Headley: Chase Headley’s been a complete enigma to me early in his career. Despite posting an OBP of nearly .400 (.399) at the minor league level, he’s shown a middling walk rate at the major league level (9.6%) and...

Marc Rzepczynski – TOR- Hot- It wasn’t a quality start because he allowed 4 runs in his 6 IP, but everything else about Rzepczynski’s outing was positive. He allowed only 5 hits and walked 1 while striking out 7. This...

Luis Castillo (2B--Mets) Here's a suggestion: rather than play "Take me out to the Ballgame" at CitiField, during the 7th inning stretch, about the Mets play the theme from M*A*S*H? There must be some dark magic that is working against...

American League 30 Aaron Hicks MIN OF B Just .225 on the year, but 15% BB% is encouraging and just needs time for tools to translate. 35 Tyler Flowers CHW C B .277 in 47 at-bats in AAA but oddly...

Gordon Beckham (3B - White Sox) - Gordon Beckham continued his torrid hitting on Monday, going 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBI against the Angels. It was his 3rd straight multi-hit game and his 7th in the last 8...

Miguel Montero (C - Diamondbacks) Chris Synder got the start behind the plate on Tuesday night, which gives Montero 4 starts in the 7 games since Snyder's return. In these 7 games, the Diamondbacks have faced left-handed pitching 4 times,...

Johnny Cueto- CIN- Cold- One thing has been contributing greatly to the almost doubling of Cueto’s ERA from 2.17 on June 14th to the 4.06 ERA. That is an inability to keep the baseball from reaching the stands. In his...

Brett Anderson - Anderson was great again last night, limiting the Rangers to two runs over 7 2/3 innings. Over the past seven starts, Anderson is pitching to under a 2.00 ERA and is fanning more than a batter per...

Drew Sutton (OF-CIN) – With his normal leadoff man, Willy Taveras unavailable due to a wrist injury, Dusty Baker managed to find about the only guy with a worse OBP than Taveras’ .279 in Drew Sutton. Sutton entered Sunday’s action...

Rajai Davis: AL-only players certainly know Rajai Davis well as he’s been a cheap source of SB’s without much playing time over the last few years (52 SB’s last two seasons despite just 404 AB’s), but now its time for...

This week we deal with some names we haven't covered yet that changed teams at or near the trade deadline this week ... most of whom are headed to Cleveland ... Jason Knapp - RHP Cleveland Indians Not to be...

Jeff Niemann (SP—Rays) You can add Jeff Niemann’s name to the list of very talented young pitchers that are in the Tampa Bay organization. Niemann’s season thus far has been peppered with outings that have been sub-par combined with some...

Burke Badenhop (SP-FLA) – With the acquisition of Nick Johnson this week, the Marlins certainly consider themselves contenders, so letting guys “learn” at the major league level isn’t going to happen. Badenhop on Saturday surrendered six runs (five earned) in...

Jake Peavy (SP—White Sox) Wow! This one came out of the blue. Jake Peavy apparently does think that Chicago is his kinda town as he waived his no trade clause and has decided to pitch for the White Sox. Still...

Bud Norris - SP HOU: In one of the more unusual occurrences in a baseball season the two starting pitchers in the Cubs-Astros game yesterday were both informed they were no longer with the teams immediately following the game. While...

Josh Anderson: The Royals acquired Anderson from the Tigers for cash. He has outstanding speed, 13 steals in 15 attempts despite having only 175 PA. Without any power, Anderson’s contact skills, 87% Ct5, and ground ball approach, 58% GB%, are...

Joaquin Arias- TEX- Rise Value- Arias was called up to the Rangers yesterday due to the injury to Ian Kinsler. He will serve primarily as a backup middle infielder until Kinsler’s hamstring is better. Arias has seen his stock fall...

Mat Latos (SP—Padres) It’s difficult to determine how rookies will do once they come up. Even the rookie “sure thing” will endure struggles. Look at David Price and Matt Weiters. They have hardly been the impact players out of the...

Lots of movement this week with the trade deadline just a day a way. The Pirates look to be the big winners so far, acquiring Jeff Clement, Tim Alderson, and a host of others in return for guys who won't...

Jason Marquis (SP – Rockies) As has been his style this year, Jason Marquis wiggled his way through 6 effective innings on Tuesday night. As Paul pointed out yesterday, Marquis’ .274 BABIP and 7.7% HR/FB rate are ripe for some...

Melky Cabrera - Let's call this a big up arrow, as Brett Gardner's injury opens the door for Cabrera to get even more playing time to take advantage of his semi-breakout season. Cabrera's stats sell him a bit short I...

Adam Wainwright- STL- Caution- Wainwright has performed very well this season but he has been throwing many more pitches than he has done in the past. In his first two seasons as a starter he hit the 110 pitch mark...

Todd Wellemeyer (SP-STL) – Wellemeyer might very well find himself out of the St. Louis rotation after Sunday’s performance in Philadelphia. Lasting 5.2 innings, Wellemeyer allowed seven runs (five earned) on a whopping 11 hits, walking one, striking out three,...

Jason Frasor: Frasor worked a clean 9th inning, striking out 1 in the process, and now has 7 consecutive scoreless appearances. It was a 4 run lead so there is no indication of a switch in the closer’s role but...

Deolis Guerra - RHP Minnesota Twins Yes, he's still around ... and he's still only 20. Deolis Guerra came to the Twins in the Johan Santana trade and I talked at the time about how I feel that despite the...

Jorge de la Rosa - Jorge won his sixth in a row yesterday, holding the Giants to two runs over 7 1/3 innings, striking out seven without a walk. De la Rosa has made great strides this year in almost...

Luke Hochevar (SP—Royals) There is little doubt that Luke Hochevar has plenty of upside and after Saturday’s start against a potent Ranger lineup where he struck out 13, you might suspect that there is a sense that Hochevar might be...

Aaron Rowand: Rowand has missed some time after getting hit with a Tommy Hanson pitch earlier in the week, but he should avoid the DL. His skills are heading in the wrong direction, 2007/2008/2009 BB%’s of 7%/7%/7% and Ct%’s of...

Carlos Guillen (OF – Tigers) Carlos Guillen returned from the DL on Friday, and started both games of a double-header. He was used at DH, and batted 5th in both contests. Guillen returns to quite an ugly .200 / .267...

Mark Reynolds: I continue to be amazed by Reynolds development. Depsite making few improvements to his K:BB Ratio, an area most experts thought he’d need to vastly improve to maintain consistent success, Reynolds has taken giant steps forward in 2009....

Chris Duncan: The Red Sox sent the newly acquired Duncan to Triple-A. Prior to the deal, Duncan had been mired in a horrible slump, just 1 hit in his last 31 AB, so a stint in Triple-A to regain his...

Jarrod Washburn- SEA- Caution- A couple of things have come together for Washburn in this career (so far) year. One is under his control and one is not. First, Washburn has put together his best K rate EVAR! Second, he...

Miguel Montero (C-Diamondbacks) –Generally, fantasy owners fall into three different categories. You’ve got one type who have assembled their All-Star team and will ride that team ‘til the end, win or lose, with the belief that the cream will rise...

American League 10 Desmond Jennings TAM OF A- On fire: .485 in last 10. .328/.412/.510 with 36 SB and 1.02 EYE. Crawford's replacement? 11 Jesus Montero NYY C A- Just .211 in last 10 games but HR in 2 of...

Gaby Sanchez (1B – Marlins) Gaby Sanchez was called up on Tuesday. Sanchez’s defensive skills are ideally suited for 1B, but he has shown the ability to handle the hot corner adequately in Triple-A this year. It is way, way...

Doug Davis- ARI- Cold- Davis was crushed yesterday, giving up 8 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 2-1/3 IP. Since a run of 4 consecutive starts in which he threw 110 or more pitches he has gone...

Sean O'Sullivan (SP - Angels) Sean O’Sullivan was scheduled to start on Monday night, but the game was postponed due to rain. Since the game never even started, it would seem logical to have O’Sullivan get the start Tuesday night...

Matt Kemp (OF-LAD) – It was encouraging to see Kemp in the fifth spot in the order Saturday against left-hander Mike Hampton, but Kemp was two slots lower Sunday against the right-hander Russ Ortiz. Just a thought, but Joe Torre...

Marc Rzepczynski (SP—Blue Jays) Marc Rzepczynski nailed down the first victory of his career and did it impressive fashion against a tough team in the Red Sox. Rzepczynski has only logged 18 innings in 3 starts this season but he...

Ted Lilly: Lilly missed his start yesterday due to inflammation in his left knee, but may start tomorrow in Philadelphia. He always had the dominance to succeed, 2006/2007/2008/2009 K/9’s of 7.9/7.6/8.1/7.6, but it was not until Lilly improved his control,...

Fausto Carmona (SP – Indians) Carmona has certainly surprised with his immediate effectiveness in the minors. He was dominant in his lone Single-A and lone Double-A start, and now has looked very solid in his three starts at Triple-A (3.79...

Bronson Arroyo: Arroyo’s struggled all season battling a declining K Rate, increasing BB Rate and general overall decline, but for the last 2 outings; he’s been spectacular. Arroyo started off the 2nd half right where he left the first half...

Seth Smith: Seth Smith continues to get the raw end of the Colorado OF rotation. A commitment to get youngsters Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler AB’s and Ryan Spilborghs dominance against LHP leaves Smith as the odd man out in...

Jose Bautista: Bautista’s powerless .266 batting average, just 2 home runs in 143 AB, is even worse than it appears. With a 69% Ct%, an inflated .310 BHIP%, and a history of low BHIP%’s, 2006/2007/2008 BHIP%’s of .221/.217.227, expect Bautista’s...

John Smoltz (SP—Red Sox) – There are a lot of red flags where John Smoltz is concerned. First, he’s 42; he’s no spring chicken and is certainly in the twilight of a hall of fame career. Second, he’s returning for...

Russell Branyan: With a BHIP% over 90 points higher than Branyan’s career average in the middle of June, some significant batting average regression was expected. Here in July we’re seeing it come fast and furious. Branyan’s in the midst of...

Miguel Montero - Montero hit in his eighth straight, dragging his AVG up 20 points during that stretch to .273. The 26 year old backstop isn't showing as much power growth as I would have expected this year, but his...

Brandon Wood (3B - Angels) Brandon Wood was called up yesterday; but, with Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter landing on the DL, he still does not have a consistent place to find at bats. Wood ripped up Triple-A last year...

Livian Hernandez: After a poor outing on Thursday, 8 ER in 4 innings, Hernandez’s spot in the Mets starting rotation could be in jeopardy. With his skill set, 4.7 K/9, 3.4, and a 40% GB, Hernandez is lucky just to...

Joel Pineiro: Pineiro’s resurrection as an extreme control/ground ball specialist continued on Thursday as he manhandled the Brewers on Thursday with ease. He needed just 100 pitches to finish off the Brewers in a complete game effort and rolled 19...

Marco Scuturo: As the Jays starting shortstop, Scuturo is having a good season, 6/37/.283 with 62 runs scored in 410 PA. With a great approach at the plate, 14% BB and an 88% Ct%, Scuturo has no problem getting on...

Alfredo Aceves- NYA- FYI- Aceves takes the mound for a spot start today and will have a limit of about 65 pitches. That may or may not give him enough to stick around for a potential win, but his performance...

Oliver Perez (SP--Mets)—Dim the lights, cue scary music. Yes, Oliver Perez is back. And were you thinking that now would be a good time to add Perez to your lineup? The “New and Improved” Oliver Perez? Did the notion enter...

In case you're wondering, I'm not adding 2009 draftees until they sign a pro contract. Stephen Strasburg for example, isn't likely to sign until just prior to the August 15 deadline. American League 30 Lars Anderson BOS 1B B .299...

Angel Pagan (OF – Mets) Angel Pagan is nearing a return to the majors, and with the Mets outfield desperate for some warm bodies, I see some real value here. Pagan does not offer much at the plate (.713 career...

Casey Kotchman- ATL- Stats- Looking at Kotchman’s Fantistics Player Charts, certain numbers are almost identical between 2008 and so far in 2009. His batting average, singles average and Batting EYE are all just about the same. The thing that kills...

Ricky Romero - Romero tossed his seventh straight quality start yesterday against the Yanks, holding the Bombers to three runs over 6 1/3 innings to keep his ERA under 3.00. The high groundball/high strikeout combination that he's flashing is a...

Victor Martinez (C—Indians)—Cheer up Victor Martinez owners. You knew that at some point he was going to have to slow down. You didn’t think he was going to bat .350 the whole season, did you? A huge bonus compared to...

Ryan Hanigan (C-CIN) – Hanigan was 1-for-2 with a walk Sunday after not starting the previous two days after a 3-for-3 effort. Hanigan is now batting a fine .338/.428/.404 in 126 at-bats with a very impressive 12:22 K:BB (1.83 EYE)....

Joe Saunders: Back at the beginning of June I outlined the plan of attack with Joe Saunders, against bottom-half OPS teams in the league, he’s dominant, against top-half OPS teams in the league, he’s below average. Simply start him against...

Alcides Escobar - Shortstop, Milwaukee Brewers Alcides Escobar, Baseball America's Top Brewers prospect will be playing SS for the World Team in the Futures game coming up in St Louis on July 12th. The 6-1, 175 Venezuela native was signed...

Fernando Martinez: Martinez is day-to-day with a sore knee. The 20-year-old is suffering from horrible luck, a .143 BHIP%, which is contributing to his poor numbers, 1/8/.176 in 91 AB. However, he is also not generating much power or plate...

Daisuke Matsuzaka (SP – Red Sox) Dice-K left yesterday for Florida where he will commence a conditioning program. The Sox are essentially treating this as a do-over, and have likened it to Spring Training, which Dice-K missed due to the...

Felipe Paulino (SP-HOU) – Paulino returned from a groin injury to post a very impressive 7-3-1-1-0-9 against the Tigers in his last start, seemingly securing the No. 5 rotation spot. Flash forward to Friday and now we’re not so sure....

Scott Hairston: Hairston continues to be an underrated commodity in fantasy. Hairston’s owned in an astoundingly low 9% of ESPN leagues despite posting a .914 OPS while on pace for a 20-20 season. Hairston’s bounced around quite a bit at...

Vicente Padilla: Padilla’s next start has been pushed back to Tuesday because of some minor soreness in his shoulder. With below average skills, 4.9 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and a 50% GB%, Padilla has been mediocre, 6-4 with a 4.75 ERA....

Alexei Ramirez- CHA- Injury- Ramirez will be out of today’s game, but it has nothing to do with the beaning he took on Monday. He is apparently fully recovered from that, going 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. Ramirez injured...

David Wright (3B--Mets)--Is David Wright having a terrific season? I guess it depends on who you ask. I will say it’s a very unique season. Yes, his BA is in the .340 area, which is wonderful, but where has all...

American League 18 Jesus Montero NYY C A- .304/.377/.478 in 69 AA AB. Doesn't turn 20 until November. Can he stick at C though? 19 Eric Hosmer KC 1B A- ,896 OPS in May but dropped to .590 in June....

Craig Stammen (SP – Nationals) Despite early indications to the contrary, Craig Stammen will remain in the rotation upon the return of Scott Olsen, while Shairon Martis is sent down to Triple-A. I am a bit more bullish on Stammen...

Dan Haren- ARI- Caution- At this point last season Haren had hit or exceeded the 110 pitch mark twice. So far this year he has done it 5 times. For a pitcher who has exhibited a noted second half fade...

Scott Rolen - The 34 year old Rolen is having one of his best years (sans power, of course) ever in 2009, courtesy of a line drive rate that rivals the game's best. His .360 BABIP is actually quite a...

Ryan Sadowski (SP-SF) – The Giants have an enviable top four in their rotation, but the No. 5 spot has been a black hole this year due in large part to Jonathan Sanchez. Sadowski will attempt to plug that hole...

John Danks: Since my June 1st post on Danks suggesting a buying opportunity had been created, Danks has been spectacular. His peripherals haven’t changed much in that span (.92 K Rate, .35 BB Rate compared to .90 K Rate, .36...

Pablo Sandoval - Sandoval blasted two more homers yesterday against the Brewers, giving him 11 for the year. Sandoval has basically come out of nowhere to become the Giants' best hitter by far....he did virtually nothing in 2006 and 2007,...

The preliminary rosters for this years Futures Game have been released. Let's start by taking a look at some of the players on the US team that we haven't talked about yet this year... Kyle Drabek - Starting Pitcher Philadelphia...

Kevin Slowey (SP—Twins)—I’m a little perplexed by Kevin Slowey. I can’t really decide what kind of season he is putting together. Yes, he is tied for the major league lead in wins at 10, so he has been getting the...

Robinson Cano (OF – Yankees) A bounce-back season was predicted from Cano in ’08. This projection was largely based on an unlucky BABIP of .286 in ’08, but we have seen more than just regression to the mean from Cano...

Chris Young: Young, who has been out with a shoulder injury, is not expected back until after the All-Star break. Before hitting the DL, Young was struggling, 4-6 with a 5.21 ERA, and the drop in his skills, 2008/2009 K/9’s...

Casey McGehee: McGehee stayed hot on Thursday knocking out his 3rd HR of the season in a 1-4 effort. He’s now hitting .414/.469/.672 here in June with 9 extra base hits in 58 AB’s (15.5% exbh rate). Unfortunately while the...

American League 36 Tyler Flowers CHW C B .311/.411/.607 in June after a poor May. Just .239 vs. RHP vs. .361 vs. southpaws. 38 Brandon Allen CHW 1B B Promotion to AAA looks well-deserved: 8-for-17 with a HR there. Konerko's...

Yuniesky Betancourt: Betancourt will likely land on the DL with a hamstring injury. Despite having great contact skills, 92% Ct%, Betancourt is a hacker, 4% BB%, with little power, 2 home runs in 224 AB, or speed, 3 steals. Even...

Matt Lindstrom (RP—Marlins) -- I know closers are hard to come by, at least reliable closers. You just can’t turn the corner and find a Rivera or a Papelbon standing on every street corner. But at the rate that Matt...

Ian Snell (SP – Pirates) Kudos to Paul for predicting the bomb of a start that Snell tossed up against the Indians last night. Snell needed 70 pitches to labor through just 2.2 innings while walking 3 and striking out...

Max Scherzer- ARI- Caution- With the Rangers coming to town starting tonight, it’s time to take a quick look at Scherzer’s home/road splits. They are not pretty for someone facing the Texas lineup in his home park, if you have...

Skip Schumaker (OF-STL) – No sense writing about Albert Pujols and his two homers / six RBI day, as we all know how good Pujols is. Instead, let’s look at Schumaker, who went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI, and...

David Aardsma (RP—Mariners)—OK, let’s get real here for a second. Prior to this season, David Aardsma had a career ERA of 5.29, had a BB/9 of 5.6, an H/9 of 9.3, a WHIP of 1.65 and never had saved a...

Manny Corpas: Corpas has bone chips in his elbow, which will likely lead to a stint on the DL. His 5.40 ERA is misleading as he is showing good skills, 6.5 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and a 49% GB%. A low...

Alexei Ramirez (SS - White Sox) - Alexei has been hot and cold the last few weeks, hitting only .182 over the last 7 days, but with 4 HR and 2 SB in the month of June. He looked to...

Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzalez busted out of a slump in a big way on Thursday going 4-4 with a 2B, HR, and 2 RBI’s. As usual he was the majority of the Padres offense accounting for half the Runs scored and...

Roy Halladay: Halladay was placed on the 15-Day DL retroactive to June 13th with a groin strain. He should return as soon as he is eligible on June 28th. Considering that he probably has the best skill set of any...

Joba Chamberlain- NYA- FYI- In 12 starts this year, Joba has walked at least 4 batters 5 times. None of those outings was longer than 6 IP. This indicates some real problems at times locating the strike zone. Joba still...

Mike Hampton (SP-Astros)—it’s hard to be surprised that Mike Hampton has returned to the disabled list on Wednesday, this time with a groin injury. Hampton has done decently for the Astros this season from time to time, holding his own...

American League 22 Ben Revere MIN OF B+ Just .222 in June after a .388 May, but did have 3 hits on Tuesday, so perhaps a surge? 26 Chris Carter OAK 1B B+ .321 with 3 HR in June but...

Hank Blalock - Blalock has definitely flown under the radar a bit this year, but the 28 year old has had a much better year than meets the eye. What's killing his stat line is twofold: a drastic reduction in...

Dave Bush- MIL- Cold- Despite being 29 years old, Bush may still be affected by high pitch count games. He has not thrown a quality start in his last 5 outings, the first of which was a 116-pitch effort. Last...

Chris Coghlan (OF-FLA) – Playing left field with Josh Willingham out, Coghlan was one of eight hitters with at least two hits on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of walks Sunday against the Blue Jays. Most...

Brett Anderson: The results weren’t particularly great for Brett Anderson on Sunday, but the peripherals continue to show improvement. Anderson was battered around for 8 hits in just 4 innings which turned into 6 ER’s and resulted in his 7th...

Zach Duke - Zach Duke is, to put it simply, a microcosm of pitching in general. In 2005 (8-2, 1.81 ERA, .296 BABIP, 26.4% LD) you saw extremely lucky Duke. In 2006 and 2008 (15-29, 4.62 ERA, .327 BABIP, 20.4%...

David Ortiz (DH--Red Sox)-- It has been well documented what a difficult season it has been for David Ortiz. Fantasy owners that were expecting the usually offensive numbers from Ortiz have instead acquired one of the biggest fantasy busts so...

Joba Chamberlain (SP – Yankees) Joba was extremely wild on Friday night by needing to throw 100 pitches to make it through just 4 innings. He walked 5 batters on the night, but managed to limit the damage to just...

Wesley Wright: The Astros recalled Wright from Triple-A to work in middle relief. His dominance shows some nice potential, 2008/2009 K/9’s of 9.2/9.9, but until he gets the walks in check, BB/9’s of 5.0/4.0, you will see a high ERA,...

Max Scherzer: Scherzer dominated the Giants for 7 2/3 innings limiting them to just 3 hits and a walk, while striking out 6. Scherzer’s peripherals stack up pretty well with his actual production as his FB tendencies and bouts with...

Jed Lowrie: Lowrie is close to starting a minor league rehab assignment which could put him on target for a late June to early July return to the Red Sox lineup. In his debut last year, Lowrie showed some interesting...

Dioner Navarro- TB- Cold- Navarro was a big part of Tampa Bay’s 2008 World Series run, hitting .295. This season, a combination of bad luck (.198 BHIPx) and hideously poor patience (3 BBs in 173 ABs) have crushed him. After...

Willie Bloomquist: We haven’t touched on Bloomquist yet this year but the speedy/no power MI option has found a way to make himself fantasy valuable. Bloomquist had always been a deep AL only MI option because of the consistent double...

Stephen Strasburg- WAS- FYI- Matt Wieters? He is so last month. The latest hype machine surrounds Stephen Strasburg, who will officially become property of the Nationals as soon as the Major League Draft gets underway this evening. If you’ve been...

Ben Zobrist - Zobrist reached base three more times yesterday against the Yanks, keeping his OPS up near the 1.100 mark for another day. I like Zobrist quite a bit three years back when he was a high AVG minor...

Michael Bourn (OF-HOU) – Bourn was 2-for-4 with a walk on Sunday, bringing the 26 year-old center fielder to .298/.371/.399 in 208 at-bats. He’s stolen 19 bases in 23 attempts and now has five multi-hit games in his last six,...

Erik Bedard: Bedard’s effort yesterday was enough to pick up a win, but also enough to raise some concerns. Bedard allowed just 2 hits and 2 ER’s in 5 innings while striking out 4, but he needed over 100 pitches...

Every year about this time ... actually a week later than this time ... I recap the first few picks of the MLB First Year Player Draft. And every year I get a few emails saying that these players are...

Aaron Miles: Miles started his rehab assignment yesterday and should be back with the Cubs on Wednesday. With injuries and inconsistent play in the Cubs infield, Miles should see plenty of playing time. He doesn’t hit for power, 0 home...

Ricky Nolasco (SP – Marlins) Ricky Nolasco is expected to be recalled from the minors and will start on Sunday in place of the injured Anibal Sanchez. I still firmly believe in Nolasco, as the peripherals from last year are...

Ervin Santana (SP – Angels) Ervin Santana looked great on Friday night as he came within one out of tossing a complete game. In the process he allowed 1 ER, 6 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 7. This was...

Jordan Zimmermann: Zimmermann continues to suffer from some poor luck as he allowed just 3 base-runners in 6 innings on Thursday, but managed to let 2 of them cross home-plate and that was enough to pick up his 3rd loss...

Gordon Beckham: After just 25 trips to the plate in Triple-A, the White Sox promoted Beckham to the major leagues. Given his hot prospect status, the Sox are not calling him up to sit on the bench. He was handling...

Brandon McCarthy- TEX- Hot- McCarthy enters tonight’s start against the Yankees with 3 consecutive quality starts under his belt. His season will e an interesting test of the new philosophy Nolan Ryan and pitching coach Mike Maddux have brought to...

American League 1 Matt Wieters BAL C A Off to a slow start, but should be more Ryan Braun than Alex Gordon in year one. 5 Justin Smoak TEX 1B A- Just 2 HR for the year, but hard to...

1. Alex Rios (OF - Blue Jays) - Alex Rios has finally heated up for his fantasy owners. Over the last 7 days, Rios has hit 2 HR and driven in 5 runs while hitting .429 wit a .478OBP ....

Matt Maloney (SP – Reds) With Edinson Volquez hitting the 15-day DL once again, Matt Maloney appears to be the favorite to receive the start on Saturday. The Reds could turn once again to Homer Bailey, but I feel that...

Joba Chamberlain - Joba continued his string of strong road performances, posting his most efficient outing of the year against the Indians last night. Joba made it through eight innings before yielding to the Sandman, allowing only four hits, two...

Adrian Gonzalez- SD- Great Player- Silly Phillies. They chose to pitch to Gonzalez with no one on in the 6th inning and, naturally, Gonzalez parked one, his 21st of the season. It was only his 6th homer this year at...

Pablo Sandoval (1B/C-SF) – The Giants are certainly glad to have Sandoval back in the lineup after a brief hiatus. Sunday, playing first base, Sandoval had a single and double in four at-bats with an RBI, the third multi-hit game...

Ervin Santana: After two decent starts off the DL, Ervin Santana figured to be a nice two-start option for this week with favorable matchups against the White Sox and Mariners (two teams that rank 23rd and 28th respectively in OPS)....

Mark Reynolds - Reynolds continued his hot hitting with a pair of doubles yesterday against the Braves, continuing a hot streak that has seen his AVG climb to a respectable .263. His BABIP is a good 70 points higher than...

Gordon Beckham (SS – White Sox) Gordon Beckham started at 3B in his first game at Triple-A on Thursday. This is significant due to the fact that Josh Fields and Chris Getz are both reeling at the moment. Beckham has...

Will Ohman: The Dodgers placed Ohman on the 15-day-DL with a sore left shoulder. After having a solid season with the Braves last year, 3.68 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and a 3.4 BB/9, Ohman has been a disaster this year, 5.84...