Fantasy Baseball Advice

I just want to put it out there, I love Eric Young Jr. I have a plan in place to have Prince Fielder have a long discussion Eric Young Jr. about nogoodnik fathers and step in as EY Jr.’s surrogate.  We will vacation in Orlando and try faux exotic foods at Epcot, like Greek and Spanish.  When Eric Young Jr. Jr. needs someone to go to the PTA meetings, I will be there.  When Erica Young needs a date to a cousin’s wedding or something, the tux will be rented, the corsage will be picked from a neighbor’s yard and the Drakkar will be spritzed.  I will be Sandra Bullock and Eric Young will be my very own Michael Oher.  (BTW, I liked The Blind Side better when it was called Diff’rent Strokes.)  And if that doesn’t all work out as planned, I’ll own him in fantasy for steals.  Don’t you people need some MI speed?  Own him.  Now.  Chop-chop.  Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week:

BUY

Jose Tabata – I mentioned to Rudy I was going to do a Buy lead-in with Jose Tabata and he said, “That’s about as dated as your mustache.”  But, Rudy, he’s hitting near-.500 over the last week with steals and a little pop and he’s only owned in 23% of ESPN leagues.  Rudy, “You running for President of the Jose Tabata Fan Club?”  Yes, yes I am.

Cameron Maybin – Who knew I’d recommend him?  Show of hands.  Okay, you can put your hands down now.  “Teach, I just want to go to the bathroom.”

Scott Podsednik – Manny’s about to exit stage left and Pods will get playing time again.  SAGNOF!

Marcus Thames – The Yankees have about 6 of these interchangeable DH-types.  Continued in the next blurb…

Austin Kearns – Number two of interchangeable Yankee DHs.  You can’t own either (or both, for that matter) without having an extra bench bat.  They don’t play every day, but when they do play they can give you HRs and RBIs.

Koji Uehara – Now for the SAGNOF portion of our program.

Evan Meek – I wouldn’t go two deep for saves in Pittsburgh unless I were in a dogfight for points in the saves category.  Meek and Hanrahananananan may only get a total of 4 saves between them in the whole month of September.

Hisanori Takahashi – Confirmed closer for the Mets, should be owned in every league.  Au Bon Japan!

Ivan Nova – With Javy Vazquez moving to the bullpen until TBA, Nova moves into the rotation until TBA.  Nova had more than an adequate time in Triple-A this year (2.86 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7+ K/9).  On the Yankees he should be serviceable and get some Wins, but there’s always a chance he drops something in your drink and you wake up walking like you were just jumping hurdles.

Jordan Zimmermann – The pitch count restrictions worry me a bit with Zimmermann.  Do you need a starter to go 5 IP and give up 2 ER and walk away with a no-decision?  I don’t.  I have plenty of those guys on my staff.  Though Zimmermann is a must own in deep keepers.

Bud Norris – Just went over my Bud Norris fantasy.  If you click that link, it magically transports the post back a few days.  It’s like a time machine for words.

Daniel Hudson – Stop me if you’ve heard me tout him–

Kila Ka’aihue – Big Time Masher, Poi!  The Good Eyein’ Hawaiian!  Mauna Kila!  Choose your own nickname, and grab him if you’re hurting at corner infidel.

Mike Moustakas – He appeared in the 2010 September call-ups post.  There I said, “Has a cool… …gyro recipe… …and a picture of …Mr. Bungles… Keep effing that chicken…”  Hmm… Could’ve pulled a more coherent quote.

Dustin Ackley – Also, appeared in that September call-ups post.  I’m not very high on Ackley right now, but he should be owned in AL-Only and keeper leagues at this point.

Todd Helton – Trying to find something positive to say about him…  Dang, whatever.  He’s hitting, that’s all I got.

Juan Uribe – He gets absurdly hot at times and he’s coming off two straight games with a homer.  Since he has shortstop eligibility, he probably should be owned anyway.

Jhonny Peralta – I’ll probably write an entire post about this.  For now, shorthand.  It’s practically September.  You can’t hold underperforming guys and let hot hitters sit on waivers.  Is Silent H a great player?  Nope, but he’s hot.

Stephen Drew – Has 7 homers in August.  That’s two off the major league lead in homers for this month.  That’s one more homer than Tulo and Holliday combined.

Ryan Raburn – I told you to pick him up in the July 30th Buy/Sell.  This is the fourth week in a row I’ve told you to pick him up.  Do you hear me?!  Don’t make me come back there!

SELL

Mike Stanton – Drop him, he looks like the K’ing of Wishful Swings right now.  Obviously you ignore said advice in keepers.

James Loney – Has 8 homers and 9 steals with a .277 average on the year.  That’s not a 1st baseman; that’s a middle infielder.  Ian Desmond’s beating those numbers.  You own this guy?

Nick Markakis – I think I’ve already mentioned dropping him, but here he is again because I hate him and his stupid face.  You thought Loney’s season numbers were bad; check out Markakis.  8 homers and 6 steals with a .287 average.  It’s an impostor in his body — Dick Fartakis.

Stephen Strasburg – The pitcher whose stuff is so inspirational that both his first and last names start with St. looks like he’ll be martyring his 2011 season.  Evidently he’s mortal because he needs Dr. Freeze to save his ulnar collateral ligament.  Yup, the dreaded Tommy John surgery.  If you have him in a keeper league, put on some Sting, shed the necessary tears for the pitcher you love, and then set him free.  But try to snag him for a low bid next year’s draft so you can get keeper rights for 2012.

The longest journey begins with a single step then, of course, an oblique injury.  Can we get a team of crack scientists working on a cure for the obliques?  The other day someone asked me for money for Doctors Without Borders so they could help people in The Congo.  Why isn’t there a guy in front of Whole Foods asking me to donate to find a cure for Jose Reyes‘ oblique?  It might be an everyday item that could fix this.  Maybe a steady diet of cucumbers is all he needs.  How do we know if no one’s doing the leg work?  Film a PSA with Chipper Jones and Julie Andrews and show that shizz before movies.  We need money to stop the spread of oblique injuries.  Now!  The Mets are saying Jose Reyes’ newest flare up is mild.  They said the same stupid thing with their same stupid mouths two months ago when he missed three weeks.  I’m hoping for the best; I’m expecting the worst.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Jon Niese – 5 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 8 baserunners, 8 Ks.  I’m probably give him more of a benefit of the doubt than maybe I should, but Niese was done in by a bloop ground rule double that was barely fair and Dessens allowing inherited runners to score.

David Wright – 2-for-3 with his 21st homer.  Just think, if he played in Toronto, he’d have 41 homers.

Stephen Strasburg – The Nationals announced they will probably shutdown Strasburg for the season.  Backdate this a week.  Of course they’re shutting him down.  The Nats announced this while Bryce Harper was taking batting practice.  The ol’ “Hey, look at this new shiny toy” trick.  Guess it’s better than the ol’ “Shine a flashlight on a wall” trick.

Ian Desmond – 4-for-7 and batting .417 in his last ten games.  Yesterday, he hit in the five hole, which is also porn-speak for the left nostril.

Jordan Zimmermann – 4 IP, 5 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks.  I can’t say I’m fully surprised by this outing.  I’d still hold him in NL-Only and keeper leagues.  Mixed leagues, you’re gonna have to hold him on your bench, unless you need to take chances.

Drew Storen – 1 IP, 4 ER.  Ouch… Wait, what?  Oh.  Ow.

Wandy Rodriguez – 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks.  Right now, if you Google “Phillies offense,” it says “Did you mean Philly defeats?”

Scott Podsednik – 3-for-5, 2 Runs.  He’s in this afternoon’s Buy/Sell.  I’ll give you a hint, it sounds like Bye.  You know, the whole Manny’s leaving and Pods will get playing time thing.

Hong-Chih Kuo – Torre (maybe it was Paul Sorvino) announced that Kuo would be his closer for now, but he wants Broxton back as closer in the landmark case of sooner vs. later.

Ricky Nolasco – Torn meniscus excuses are not in Nolasco’s vocabulary.  He will make his next start.  I’d continue to roll him out there, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get shutdown at some point if the knee flares up.

Hanley Ramirez – 3-for-5 with his 17th homer and he’s now 10 for his last 15.  Thank Maybin for pushing Hanley to the three hole.

Yovani Gallardo – 6 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 10 baserunners, 10 Ks.  The Ks have been there, but, since he’s returned from the DL, his pitches have looked pretty flatulent.   After the All-Star Break, his ERA is near-6.00.  Gotta keep running him out there (unless it’s an 8 team league and you manage the other 7 teams under aliases.)

Max Scherzer – 8 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 8 Ks.  Since his return from the minors at the end of May, his ERA is… Wait for it… Here it comes…  Shoot, I think I left it in my car… Okay, got it… His ERA is 2.29 in 102 innings.  Holy heffin’ hey, that’s good.

Jhonny Peralta – If you lost Reyes to the under-researched oblique injury, Peralta is hitting over .400 with 2 homers in the last 7 days.  (It might be 8 days if you count Muesday.)

Justin Masterson – 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks.  Here’s me yesterday spot starting Masterson.  Nope, not going to look at that team for two hours.  Nope, not going to watch him pitch at all.  I am just going to pray.  Thank you, deity!

Stephen Drew – 2-for-5, 4 RBIs and his 3rd homer in two games (all in Petco).  Finally, someone is stepping up and helping Momma Drew choose a favorite.

Ian Kennedy – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners (1 Hit), 12 Ks.  A’la Guy Fieri, “That was a crackerjack performance.  And crackerjack is good!”  I loved Kennedy back in May, then the wheels fell off for a few months and he looked like the 90′s MTV VJ Kennedy.  He gets the Padres again in Arizona for his next start.  I’d give him a whirlybird in some leagues.

Mark Reynolds – 1-for-5 with his 28th homer.  It’s been an ugly month, 4 homers, hitting .179 with 1 steal.  I think he probably should’ve went to the DL a few months back rather than fighting through injuries.  Donkeys are stubborn though, mini and otherwise.

Alex Rios – 3-for-4 with his 18th homer and 26th steal.  Member after his career month I said to Sell him and people wrote something along the lines that I should shut my stupid face?  In 285 ABs since that post, he has 6 homers while hitting .277 with 9 steals.

Edwin Jackson – 8 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 10 Ks.  He’s seen the O’s and the Tigers twice each since he landed back in the AL.  He also has a 0.96 ERA.  He gets the Indians next.  At any point, he’s going to turn into a pumpkin again, but that’s not a bad spot start.

Brandon Phillips – Had x-rays on his swollen wrist and they came back negative.  He says he hopes to play this weekend.  His owners say they hope the wrist pain doesn’t affect his swing.

Francisco Liriano – 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks.  Sonavabench!  He was in Arlington, he was coming off a tired arm, he was going against Cliff Lee… He wasn’t supposed to pitch well.

Dustin Pedroia – Sounds like he’s going to be shutdown for the year.  I’d drop him.  Even if he comes back, what’s he going to give you?  A week of hustle?  Spunk’s a category in your league?  Some would find that hard to swallow.

Bud Selig – Nothing to do with fantasy, but ESPN ran an interesting story yesterday.  To appeal to a younger demographic, MLB is taking a page from Scott Pilgrim and pitting Bud Selig vs. his younger self.  (Side note: I have no idea who the guy on the right is.  It’s called “online journalism.”)

Last week our borderline fantasy starters, I came away with an 3.95 ERA.  Not too shabby considering two of those earned runs came from Ross Ohlendorf, who I warned you to only start in extreme circumstances, and Travis Wood got absolutely rocked for 7 earned runs.  Without those two, the ERA was 2.90 in 62.1 IP.  There were also 62 Ks with 6 Wins.  To recap, these aren’t guys I’d drop anyone worthwhile to get, these starters are meant for streaming purposes and all of their ownership in ESPN is under 50%.  These streamers are listed alphabetically.  Anyway, here’s some borderline starters for this week in fantasy baseball:

Friday, August 27th

Barry Enright – Hey, ya’ll!  It’s Uncle Barry Enright.  Hey, Uncle Barry, good luck in your game vs. the Giants, and please stop touching me there.

Nelson Figueroa – I went to school with a Nelson Figueroa.  He was a midget.  Don’t think it’s the same guy.  Not a great kickoff to the streaming post, but Figueroa has a 2.25 ERA with 15 Ks in his last 16 IP.

Saturday, August 28th

Nick Blackburn – He’s dazzlingly bad, but he gets the Mariners who are slightly worse.  In most leagues, because of his lack of Ks, it’s thans, but no thans.

Joe Blanton – Is in Petco.  Yes, that’s all you need to know.

Jon Garland – See 1/8th of an inch above.

Daniel Hudson – I’m guessing at some point his ownership will move up to normal levels, but, for now, here ya go.

Sunday, August 29th

R.A. Dickey – Was a bit surprised to see him owned in so few leagues.  I don’t trust knuckleballers, but he gets the Astros in his next start.

Jason Hammel – Has a 3.36 ERA at home this year and gets a team (Dodgers) that he’s owned in his career.  Hopefully he can settle that with Jamie and Frank McCourt.

Bud Norris – Goes to Metco.  You’re not going to get Wins, but you will get Ks.

Clayton Richard – Hodgepadre.

Monday, August 30th

Jorge de la Rosa – Solid vs. the Giants and they’re in AT&T Park (is that still the name of it?).

Jake Westbrook – Last week I said something along the lines of, feel free to ignore this recommendation.  And that’s me paraphrasing me!

Carlos Zambrano – If I come out of this day without recommending a real clunker, I’d be surprised. FWIW, Big Z gets the Pirates.

Tuesday, August 31st

Brian Duensing – Has like twenty quality starts in a row!  (The preceding was a small exaggeration, but Duensing has been good outside of his last game in Arlington, which you can’t blame on him.)

Mike Minor – Back in the rotation to go against the Mets.

Wednesday, September 1st

Tom Gorzelanny – Goes against the Pirates, who are marginally better vs. lefties, but, in the end, they are still the Pirates.  Argh.

Jason Vargas – Who says I don’t like AL pitchers? (As streaming options, I really don’t like them.  Vargas is only listed because I hadn’t recommended many AL starters and felt bad.  Don’t start Vargas in mixed leagues.  I almost recommended TBA on the Angels over Vargas.)

The first time Manny Ramirez went on waivers was before the 2004 season when the Sawx dared any team to accept his $20MM/year contract.  No one did and he helped the Sawx win the World Series.  Now it’s the Dodgers’ turn.  Say goodbye to Mannywood?  Could be.  If no one dares take him, the McCourts will be fighting over custody of him during the divorce proceedings (You take him…No, you take him…No, you take him to Central Park and let him play on the jungle gym then, when he falls, carry him 20 blocks to the nearest ER).  Hopefully for Manny’s sake, the Patron Saint of Bad Contracts (Kenny Williams of the ChiSox) claims him.  If Manny goes to a new team, it could invigorate him like a healthy dose of estrogen.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Octavio Dotel – In the closerousel in L.A., Dotel recorded the save.  Broxton worked a perfect 8th, then Torre threw three relievers in the ninth with none of them being Kuo.  Of course not, why would Kuo be used?  He was only labeled the closer replacement while Broxton figures his shizz out.  Assuming no meltdowns, Broxton will be the closer again soon.

Russell Branyan – In his last ten games, he has 6 homers in only 6 hits.  It’s like he’s playing Intellivision.

Madison Bumgarner – 2 2/3 IP, 7 ER.  After the Giants beat up on the Reds lefty rookie pitcher (Wood), the Reds returned the favor on the Giants’ Bumgarner.  If there was any team you think would go easy on a lefty, it’s the Reds but they’ve now hit two solid lefties in a row.

Pablo Sandoval – 4-for-6 with a steal.  He’s also 10 for his last 17.  He’s much cuter when he’s hitting.

Juan Uribe – 3-for-6 with a homer in his 2nd straight game.  Uribe gets crazy hot at times; this could be one of those times.  Act like you know, MC Lyte.

Homer Bailey – 5 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 11 baserunners, 4 Ks.  Wasn’t a great few days to be a pitcher in AT&T.  I’d continue to hold Bailey for now.

Joey Votto – 4-for-7 with 2 homers.  You know those mannequins that you put in your passenger seat so you can illegally ride in the carpool lane?  I have one of those outfitted in a Votto jersey.  Last week, we went to see Eat Pray Love at a drive-in, but we didn’t watch much of the movie.

Brandon League – Recorded the save in yesterday’s game even though Aardsma hadn’t been used in a few games.  Something could be going on with Aardsma; I grabbed League in a few, uh, leagues.

Kila Ka’aihue – Two games, two homers.  It’s on like Steve Wiebe from The King of Kong hitting a bong with some Vietcong.

Stephen Drew – 4-for-4 with 2 homers.  From a guy who hasn’t had an extended hot streak for almost two years, this game was long overdue.

Ryan Dempster – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 8 Ks.  Nationals aren’t quite the pushover they have been in the past (partially because Nyjer Morgan will throw a ball at your head if you talk smack).  This was just a solid start from a guy who has become a very reliable fourth fantasy starter.  He’s like Ted Lilly-lite.

Adam Dunn – Made a cameo in last night’s Top Chef.  He ate all the cheftestants’ dishes and then sucked up the Potomac River to quench his thirst.  BTW, gray tuna?  What, was it wearing an away uniform?

Aramis Ramirez – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 20th homer.  Soriano hit his 21st homer in this game.  Are there two guys that got older overnight than these two?  Oh, wait, here’s one…

Todd Helton – 3-for-5, hitting around .350 in the last week.  SPOILER ALERT!  I already wrote my lukewarm recommendation for Helton in Friday’s Buy/Sell.

Huston Street – Was seen warming up (by me) in the bullpen, but Tracy stayed with Belisle since Street had worked a few days in a row.

Eric Young Jr. – 2-for-5 with his 10th steal.  *Grey drools*

Dexter Fowler – 1-for-3 with a Paul O’Neill homer (triple + error).

Omar Infante – 1-for-5 with his 7th homer, third in the majors in hitting since the All-Star Break.  BTW, the Rockies and Giants both came back from 9 run deficits on the same day.  Somewhere Tim Kurkijan is making dolphin noises.

Logan Morrison – 3-for-5, has hit in nine of his last ten games (still with no power).  In 101 ABs, he has 14 BBs and only 19 Ks with a .391 OBP.  At 23 years old!  Yeah, I’ll be targeting him next year.

Cameron Maybin – 2-for-5 as he hit leadoff.  Every time I try to get out, Maybin sucks me back in.

Alex Sanabia – 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 1 K.  Could roofie you at any time, but he looks to be emerging as a decent spot starter.

J.A. Happ – Revenge is a dish best served over 6 1/3 innings while giving up only 2 earned runs.

Michael Bourn – Hit a home run.  I didn’t see it, but I’m assuming they let him hit from 2nd base.

Jimmy Rollins – 0-for-4, hitting .245, Victorino hitting .254, Utley’s at .271.  Right now, the Phillies look pretty listless.

Marcus Thames – Two homers, two games.  Since Berkman’s out with old age, Thames has seen pretty frequent starts.   He’s also hitting over .300 over the last week and you know he has power.

Mike Napoli – 2-for-4, 6 RBIs with his 21st homer.  I switched to a new blood pressure medicine, so I don’t want to even discuss how Napoli will probably be benched in the Angels’ next game.  Sciosciapath!

Howie Kendrick – 5-for-6 with a RBI and 2 Runs.  Since most of his fantasy value comes from his average, it’s good to see him finally get it up to .285.  I’d put Kendrick on a short list of the most overrated players in fantasy.  He’s owned in 100% of ESPN leagues.  Ian Desmond, who really hasn’t been far away from him in value, is at 35%.  Well, whatever.  Can’t solve the world’s problems.

Dan Haren – 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 8 Ks.  Comatose Angels Fan, “Hey, been in this coma since March and just woke up yesterday.  Awesome that we got Haren and we’re scoring 12 runs a game!  We must be in first by what?  10 games?”   Off my head shake.  “Damn, those stupid Mariners are in front of us, aren’t they?”  You should sit down, Comatose Angels Fan.

Jake Westbrook – 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Looks like the novelty of the new league might be wearing off.

Aaron Hill – Hit his 19th homer, too bad he’s hitting .208 on the year.  How does one even hit .208 over 414 at-bats?  That’s 42 points off Adam Dunn’s career average.

Trevor Cahill – 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 baserunners, 2 Ks.  It’s appropriate his last name starts with a hard C, not a K.

Jeff Niemann – 3 1/3 IP, 10 ER.  Hopefully you forgot to activate him.  Personally, I’d forget to own him.

Jason Jaso – 3-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 4th homer.  Doesn’t have much power, but Jaso hits leadoff and has a .391 OBP.

Brian Matusz – 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 5 Ks.  It took to almost the point where he’s about to get shutdown, but he’s been dominant of late.  In his last 5 starts, he has an ERA of 2.32.  It’s hard to recommend him because of his team and division, but he really can be this good.

Koji Uehara – Great, now this schmohawk is the closer.  Earth to Buck Showalter, Mike Gonzalez has closer stuff!  Buck said he won’t name a closer so you can either lose all of them or hold one.  I’d hold Uehara simply because he’s recorded the last two saves.

Gordon Beckham – 1-for-2 with his 2nd homer in as many games.  Ozzie kills most of his value with the nine hole placement, but he has been hitting lately.

Dustin Pedroia – Francona arranged for Pedroia to talk to Michael Jordan because he suffered from a similar injury back in 1985.  I know how this story ends.  Jordan lures Pedroia to Vegas where his scrappiness and spunk are useless against the 15s and 16s he gets dealt at the blackjack table.  He gets out of town with only his stubble and a pair of Hanes he got from Jordan.

Josh Beckett – 6 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks vs. the Mariners.  According to Beckett, the Mariners offense is worth as much as an Alvin Davis rookie card.

Matt Moore | LHP – SP | Tampa Bay Rays | DoB: 6-18-1989 | 6’2” | 200 lbs | B/T: L/L | 8th rd, 2008 from H.S | TB #4 ranked prospect according to Baseball America (2010) | MiLB Player Page

Currently considered a steal in the eight round, Moore has dominated the lower minors with his 90 to 94 MPH fastball with sinking action, a sick-nasty curve, and an above average circle changeup with screwball-like action. His curveball so far has missed more bats than his fastball, according to Keith Law who describes the pitch as, “[S]lurvy at 79 to 81 mph … with downward tail .. more likely to [generate] ground balls (implied: at the higher levels).” Mechanically speaking, his delivery is fluid and easy. Furthermore, he is able to change speeds on his fastball effectively, pushing the upper limits of his heater and dropping the speed from that pitch too. The only thing holding Moore back is his erratic control (4.5 BB/9 for career). With improved command and control, he could be a dominant front line starter and one of the top minor league prospects.

2010 Stats: 12.7 K/9 | 4.1 BB/9 | 132 2/3 IP | 3.66 ERA | 2.66 FIP | 1.22 WHIP | .5 Hr/9 | 6.9 H/9 | .331 BABIP | 41.1 GB% | 18.8 LD% | 32.0 FB% | 6.1 Hr/FB%

Career Stats: 12.8 K/9 | 4.5 BB/9 | 330 1/3 IP | 3.08 ERA | 2.75 FIP | 1.18 WHIP | .4 Hr/9 | 6.3 H/9 | .302 BABIP | 46.2 FB% | 16.0 LD% | 31.2 FB% | 5.5 Hr/FB%

High strikeout rates – check. Solid advance metric – check. Low home run rates – check. Best pitcher in the minors in 2011 – not a stretch. Never once has his strikeout rate dropped below 12.7 K/9 since he’s been a pro, albeit his walks are tough to swallow. However, he has only give up 20 free passes in his last 10 starts (59 innings) to go with his 89 strikeouts. Last year he had 33 walks in his first 165 PA and only 37 walks in the next 357. Maybe there is a trend here. Maybe I am just looking for reasons to make Matt Moore so exciting Brad Evans finally runs out of alliterations. Things to also note:  his line drive rate is probably the culprit to the higher BABIP, but it isn’t so unlucky to call it fluky. Also, his FIP (2.66) shows how great he’s been pitching this year. He has yet to be promoted to Double-A where his first real test will be. Barring any setbacks, he could be the next Clayton Kershaw / Tim Lincecum / Tommy Hanson of the 2011 fantasy season if only he was given the chance. Seeing as Jeremy Hellickson hasn’t been given much of a chance, Moore is going to need many injuries or a trade for any long-term major league cup of Joe to happen. Deep keeper leagues, grab Moore NOW, and in redraft leagues, eye him closely in May 2011, and watch to see if the Rays have a lot of injuries.

Brandon Belt | 1B | San Francisco Giants | DoB: 4-20-1988 | 6’5” | 195 lbs | B/T: L/L | 5th rd, 2005 from College | Unranked prospect according to Baseball America (2010) | MiLB Player Page

Want to know about playing over your head? Just ask Brandon Belt. Passed over by the majority of the scouting handbooks, Belt has literally hit his way onto the scene. As a lanky first basemen with moderate, or as Sickels says, “considerable,” power potential, solid defense, surprising athleticism, and good plate discipline, he was overlooked because few thought his strength would translate into baseball power. Another flaw, he is vulnerable to the inside pitch due to his stance. Jason Grey of ESPN wrote a detailed scouting report a couple of weeks ago with information coming from major league scouts. Some highlights: “Has quick hands and good bat speed,” has changed his swing to a “more upright stance – helps avoid getting jammed and still have great reach across the plate.” In regards to his power, “Good raw power, but more line-drive hitter / gap power (*20 homer potential with a lot of doubles). “Solid pitch recognition. Played at a hitter friendly home ballpark.” In regards to his steals, “Although Belt has 20 steals this year, it won’t be a part of his game at the big league level, as he doesn’t have above-average speed. He stole a number of bags earlier in the year simply by taking advantage of Class A pitchers not paying attention to him, but his running game has petered out at Double-A.” Defensively, “Belt is consistent and above-average at first base.” How well has his first year gone? (*emphasis was mine)

2010 Stats (and Career): .360/.460/.624 | 433 AB | 66 XBH | 19 Hr | .236 ISO | 84:79 K:BB | 20/8 SB/CS | .416 BABIP | 33.3 GB% | 25.2 LD% | 41.4 FB%

Pretty effin’ awesome, and with another week of regular season play, he could improve even more on these numbers. With a mind-boggling 25 percent line-drive rate, a .236 ISO and a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio, there is a lot to be excited about. However, there is one huge caveat that should be mentioned: .416 batting average on balls in play! That’s absolutely absurd, yet alone to sustain year in and year out. There is a lot to get excited about, yet, there is just as much to hold reservations about as well. I’ve been patiently waiting for the floor to bottom out on his season, not because I don’t think he’s a good enough prospect, but because he’s going to be overhyped next year. He has 20 to 25 homer power max, a .300 average potential with some doubles, a few steals and solid patience. He won’t be anything more than a lighter hitting Derek Lee. Although he had breakout potential for Sickels in the preseason, this was his breakout. He may get a call up this September, but don’t expect much until next year.