Rotoprofessor

As the minor league season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at each organization and determine who is the team’s Fantasy Baseball Minor League Player of the Year.

First, the criteria:

• The player spent the majority of their time in the minor leagues in 2010 - this has some flexibility, but if someone was just a September call-up, or had a short cup of coffee in the Major Leagues, they are going to be eligible
• The player must be primed to make an impact in 2011 - this is fantasy baseball we’re talking about, so someone who is 18-years old and dominating in Single-A just doesn’t hold much value

Other then that, everything is pretty much fair game.  Let’s kick things off with the Atlanta Braves.  And the award goes to…

First Baseman Freddy Freeman

Maybe this is a little anticlimactic, but he certainly deserves the honor.  He spent the entire year at Triple-A, prior to his September recall (though, with Derrek Lee having been acquired he shouldn’t see much time), and was incredibly impressive: Read the rest of this entry »

Fantasy owners everywhere wrote Todd Helton off earlier this season, and rightfully so.  To put it bluntly, he stunk.  There was no reason to trust him, because there was no production.

He missed the majority of July due to injury, but that was the least of his problems.  Prior to August he had hit just two home runs with 16 RBI.  His average, usually his strong suit, was just as bad.  Just look at his mark by month:

• April - .264 (72 AB)
• May - .253 (83 AB)
• June - .235 (85 AB)
• July - .125 (8 AB)

He was on the waiver wire in the majority of leagues, and actually still is.  However, one thing has changed, Helton is actually producing.

In August he hit .307 with 4 HR, 10 RBI and 11 R, not quite turning back the clock, but certainly bringing his name back into the low-end discussion of usable players.  Before fantasy owners jump in, head first, let’s take a look and see if he could continue to produce over the season’s final month. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  The NL West is home to one of, if not the, worst bullpens in the league, but also a few of the elite closers.  Let’s take a look at all the updated situations:

Arizona Diamondbacks
Closer: Juan Gutierrez
Waiting in the Wings: Aaron Heilman
Closer of the Future: ?
This situation has been such a debacle all year, there really aren’t many positive things to say about the bullpen as a whole.  While Gutierrez may not currently be the hands down closer, there is just no one option that you can say is a good one.  Gutierrez is sporting a 6.09 ERA.  Heilman, who is the star of the group, has a 3.73 ERA, but six blown saves.  Outside of Heilman and D.J. Carrasco (though he spent the majority of his season in Pittsburgh), no Diamondback relief pitcher has an ERA below 4.00.  It’s just ugly and a situation that fantasy owners should try to avoid at all costs.  Is there a long-term solution in the minor leagues?  If there is, he probably isn’t close (or is currently working as a starting pitcher), because with how bad as they have been he’d be up by now.  Time will tell. Read the rest of this entry »

Just wanted to check in with everyone as I continue my extremely slow recovery from the shoulder surgery that nearly had me sidelined for 2 months.  Things are finally looking up, as, within the past week or so, I have been able to return to typing with two hands (yes, for the past seven weeks, I was working one-handed)!

I want to apologize to everyone here if things have been a bit slower, but unfortunately real life slowed me down.  One of the sacrifices was the Around the Majors, which may or may not be back this season (but will certainly return for 2011).

I really want to thank everyone for their continued support, even as things have slowed a bit, because you are what make this site special.  I know a lot of people have began wrapping up their fantasy season or turning their attention to football, but make sure to keep checking back here.  The site runs 365 days a year, so we will continue pumping out articles trying to help you finish off 2010 and prepare for 2011.  Things are only going to get better, I promise you that.

If there is anything specific you want to see down the stretch, please let me know.  I want you to get everything you want out of this site and will do whatever I can to fulfill that.

Thanks again to everyone for their patience, understanding and continued support.  Here’s to another great season (I can’t believe this was already year #3) and many more to come!

by Ryan Lester of www.lesterslegends.com

Just because you’ve slipped behind in the Stolen Base category doesn’t mean you can’t catch up.  Here are some reasonably available SB threats.

Eric Young, Jr., 2B/OF, Colorado Rockies
Young had seven stolen bases in the past 15 days while hitting .246 with eight runs. On the year he’s hitting .245 with 12 SBs, 17 runs, and three RBIs in 98 ABs. Eric is owned in 25 percent of CBS and ten percent of ESPN leagues.

Drew Stubbs, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Stubbs had six stolen bases in the past 15 days while hitting .275 with 14 runs and five RBIs. On the year he’s hitting .240 with 24 SBs, 72 runs, 15 HRs, and 59 RBIs. Drew is owned in 44 percent of CBS and 34 percent of ESPN leagues.

Fred Lewis, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Lewis had five stolen bases in the past 15 days while hitting .234 with eight runs and three RBIs. On the year he’s hitting .264 with 16 SBs, 69 runs, 8 HRs, and 36 RBIs. Fred is owned in 15 percent of CBS and three percent of ESPN leagues. Read the rest of this entry »

According to Matt Cerone of metsblog.com, the Mets will bring OF Lucas Duda and P Jenyry Mejia up to join the big club today.  Both actually have the potential to make an impact before the year is out.

Mejia, who opened the season in the Mets bullpen, has been stretched out in the minors and returns to likely slide into Pat Misch’s spot in the rotation.  In nine starts he has posted a 1.28 ERA while striking out 45 in 42.1 innings.  His final minor league start (and only one at Triple-A) likely sealed his fate in returning to the Mets for the stretch drive.  In that start he allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 9, over 8.0 innings.

As for Duda, with Jeff Francoeur being dealt to the Texas Rangers for Joaquin Arias, the Mets now have a hole in the outfield.  Given where they are, why not see what this kid can bring to the table?  He is hitting .304 with 23 HR and 87 RBI in 425 AB this season, splitting time between Double & Triple-A.  He has a decent eye at the plate, with 84 strikeouts vs. 60 walks.  The left-handed hitter has struggled against southpaws at Triple-A (.244), so look for the Mets to employ a platoon.  Still, for those in five outfielder formats he has the potential to hold low-end value.

Both players are risks and no guarantee to have an impact, but both are certainly worth watching, especially in deeper/keeper leagues.  What are your thoughts?  Will either player prove useful?

When you look at Phil Hughes’ numbers on the surface, things look good.  He’s got 15 wins.  He’s sporting a respectable (though not as much in 2010) ERA of 4.12.  His WHIP is solid at 1.25.

However, entering last night’s start those numbers are a bit deceiving.  Just look at his ERAs over the past three months:

• June - 5.17
• July - 5.52
• August - 4.33

After throwing just 105.1 innings in 2009, spending significant time in the bullpen, he has already thrown 144.1 innings this year (plus an additional five innings against the A’s last night, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks, striking out one).  It would be hard to imagine the Yankees shutting him down, especially with the playoffs on the horizon, but they certainly could slow things down.

There are two ways they can do that, either giving him more time between starts or moving him back to the bullpen, where he could be a huge asset in the playoffs.

The problem with the latter idea is the struggles of Javier Vazquez and A.J. Burnett.  If those two were pitching well, the decision would be significantly easier and much more predictable.  At this point, exactly how the Yankees handle the situation is really a guessing game.  Considering how poorly the mishandled Joba Chamberlain in 2009, there’s no way to make any definitive statements. Read the rest of this entry »

According to the Marc Topkin of the Tampa Tribune (click here for the post), the Tampa Bay Rays will be calling up the following players tomorrow when rosters expand:

• OF Desmond Jennings
• OF Rocco Baldelli
• OF Brad Hawpe
• C Dioner Navarro
• P Jeremy Hellickson

The team needs to free up room on the 40-man roster for Hawpe & Baldelli.  J.P. Howell was moved to the 60-day DL, freeing one spot, but another move is forthcoming.

Of these players, Hawpe probably looks to have the most potential immediate impact.  There’s no guarantee, but it certainly is plausible to see him get regular playing time in the outfield or as the designated hitter.  While he struggled for the Rockies we all know the upside he has.  They certainly could catch lightning in a bottle and ride him for a few weeks.

Jennings may have the most talent, but he is expected to be here simply to get his feet wet and be used as a pinch runner.  Hellickson, while he made an impact in the rotation earlier, will most likely serve out of the bullpen for now.  Both are tremendous option in keeper leagues, but those in yearly formats can safely ignore them for now (barring any major changes).

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Who has the chance t make the biggest impact?

We all knew the writing appeared on the wall.  Manny was simply being Manny, being ejected after one pitch over the weekend in his final plate appearance as a Dodger.  Clearly, that was the last straw, as the Dodgers yesterday allowed Manny Ramirez to head to the Chicago White Sox on a waiver claim, receiving nothing but cash relief in return.

When he’s been on the field, Ramirez has been an impact bat, but he hasn’t been on the field all that often this season.  In just 196 AB (66 games), he has hit .311 with 8 HR, 40 RBI, 32 R and 1 SB.

It’s pretty much the status quo, and the move back to the AL should only help him produce big numbers.

First of all, Ramirez gets new life and a new environment, something that generally helps to ignite him.  Just look at his splits the last time he switched teams, going from the Red Sox to the Dodgers in 2008:

• Red Sox - .299 (109-165), 20 HR, 68 RBI, 66 R
• Dodgers - .396 (74-187), 17 HR, 53 RBI, 36 R

The situation is similar, as well, as his contract was set to expire and he was trying to impress for a big payday.  While it’s unlikely he matches the 2 year, $45 million contract he was awarded by the Dodgers, he certainly could convince the White Sox to give him a deal if he produces. Read the rest of this entry »

The Seattle Mariners have shut down top pitching prospect Michael Pineda for the season, after throwing 139.1 innings for the year (last season he was limited to just 12 appearances and 47.1 innings).  Let’s take a look back and review his year.

Pineda opened the year at Double-A where he excelled.  In 13 starts (77.0 innings), he went 8-1 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.  If that wasn’t enough, he did a tremendous job of keeping the ball in the ballpark (only 1 HR), piled up the strikeouts (9.1 K/9) and was stingy with the walks (2.0 BB/9).

The one red flag was lefties hit .286 against him, but it was based on a .374 BABIP.  It certainly was nothing to be concerned about.

Once promoted to Triple-A, some of the numbers fell, significantly actually.  The PCL is certainly a hitter’s league, but he allowed 9 HR in just 62.1 innings while there.  It’s not like he is an extreme fly ball pitcher (35.4% while at Triple-A and 34.2% for his career), so you have to consider this an aberration.  He has never been plagued by the long ball before, so the competition and the stadiums were a major factor. Read the rest of this entry »