Fantasy Baseball Advice

Brandon Phillips isn’t the shiniest tool in the toolbox, but he hit two homers off Beachy yesterday.  He’s gone from a 30/30 2nd baseman to a 20/20 2nd baseman to now an 18/15 2nd baseman, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely screwed if you overpaid for him on draft day.  As long as Dusty hits him between Votto and Bruce, good ol’ Brandon should deliver above average R/RBI at a solid average.  He might not be as sexy as an Altuve or a Jemile, but he’ll probably be a better value the rest of the way.  BTW, even if you didn’t own him last night, the best thing about BP wrecking another Beachy was we didn’t have to sit through a celebrity telethon and Sean Penn’s sourpuss.  Anyway, here’s what else we saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Psyche! Before we get into the roundup, here’s the latest podcast. We talk about the Nats bullpen, Brandon Beachy and I read a poem I wrote for Gio Gonzalez.   If that’s not enough for you, Rudy references Lil Jon and drops an F-bomb, which isn’t as deadly as an A-Bomb, but nearly as effective.  Anyway II, here’s the roundup and podcast:

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Zack Cozart – He homered again yesterday for his second in two days because he wants to make it up to me for his early season struggles.  At least that’s what my ventriloquist dummy wearing a Cozart jersey told me.

Mat Latos – 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks.  I want everyone to promise me one thing.  If you don’t want to own Latos right now because of his ERA roller coaster ride, write it down somewhere that you won’t read until next March.  So when you see his 3.50 ERA from 2012, you don’t draft him and then want to drop him for the first 6 weeks of next season too.

R.A. Dickey – 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 11 Ks.  When asked in the clubhouse where’d these strikeouts come from, Dickey said he pictured all the batters were his childhood bullies who used to pick on him.  Must’ve been hard for a guy named Dickey who was a knuckleballer.

Frank Francisco – Pitched a perfect inning for his 11th save.  Only during the Closepocalypse could a guy with 11 saves and a 7.13 ERA appear good.

James McDonald – Had another great start (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks).  E I E I Own!

Kevin Youkilis – The Greek God of Limps has returned, and homered.  Opa!

Adrian Gonzalez – Comatose Red Sox Fan, “A-Gon is in the outfield?  So Ortiz is playing first and it’s interleague play?”  Nope.  “Our pitching is doing well, but we’re trying to squeeze in more offense?”  Nuh-uh.  “Please, tell me we’re at least in first for the Wild Card.”  You might want to sit down for this.  The A-Gonz outfield experiment is lasting beyond interleague as the Sawx are stuck with Middlebrooks and Youuuuuuuk at the corners.  Maybe while in the outfield, A-Gonz can reacquaint himself with the area behind the fences.  Not sure if he’ll play there enough to gain OF-eligibility outside 5 game leagues, but it can’t hurt his value.  Hopefully he can avoid the injury curse that is befalling all the Sawx OFs (Crawford, Ellsbury, McDonald, Ross, Kalish….)

Scott Podsednik – I’m gonna go out on a limb and say if you played any post-collegiate outfield, you could receive a call from the Red Sox.  This includes Matt Stairs’ Steak and Keggers Softball League.

Gavin Floyd – 3 2/3 IP, 9 ER pitching at home against the Twins.  Yowza!  Floyd is generally a safe 5th/6th SP in shallow leagues, but you just ask that he does this against a good opponent so you have a proper heads-up.  Party foul, Gavin.

Gordon Beckham – 3rd HR in 4 games (and Vernon Wells robbed him of a HR the game before that).  Not bad for the most British-sounding 2B since William Randolph.

Travis Wood – 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 baserunners, 3 Ks, as he was recalled by the Cubs to take Volstad’s spot in the rotation.  Wood had a 4.57 ERA in Triple-A this year.  That’s depressing, until you think about how fortunate you are that you’re not the Red Sox outfield.

Bryan LaHair – Sat out yesterday because he’s in a 1-for-20 skid.  And here I thought he’d hit .400 this year.  I’m glad I didn’t request MLB to defrost Ted Williams’ head.  On May 11th, when I told you to sell him, he had a .384 average with 8 homers.  He now has 10 homers with a .315 average.  He could be a platoon player by June 15th.

Alfonso Soriano – 1-for-4 with his 4th homer.  At least he’s having the decency to hit so it’s not completely laughable that the Cubs will find someone to take him off their hands.  Kinda laughable, just not completely.

Jeff Francoeur – 2-for-4 with his 3rd homer in… Let’s see how many times have I told you to own him in the last week?

Matt Carpenter – Left yesterday’s game with an injury to his side.  Just when you thought the oblique couldn’t get any vaguer, teams are now just calling it an injured side.

Michael Bourn – 2 homers yesterday.  That’s typically a season for him.  Did his 3rd round drafter Matthew Berry erase his memory and Bourn suddenly assumed a power-hitting identity?

Vance Worley – Hopes to pitch again even after visiting Dr. Freeze.  Here’s what frequent commenter, Cahhhhh-stanza, said, “Jo Anne’s son, Vance, went to see Dr. Freeze Monday for a 2nd opinion.  His first opinion?  Your mom’s best acting was on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  His second opinion?  I think a 12-18 month vacation may be in your future.”

Roy Halladay – 6 IP, 5 ER.  I’m officially concerned.  Is this the beginning of the end for him being a number one?  Citizens Flank is obviously not the friendliest of ballparks for pitchers, but that hasn’t changed from the last two years.  Luckily, you didn’t draft him and just went with Anibal and Gio to anchor your staff like I told you.

P.J. Walters – The ex-Cardinal had a complete game victory vs. the White Sox – giving up 2 ER and 8 Ks.  That’s 3-for-3 in quality starts so far.  His minor league stats don’t hint at this being his breakout season, but maybe PJ’s turning into a sleeper.

Robinson Cano – 1-for-3 with his 5th homer.  Still off the 8 homer, Ian Desmond pace car.

Josh Bell – 1-for-4 with a homer.  He was hitting the feathers out of the chicken (that’s a saying) in Triple-A.  He was also striking out more than a beagle in heat (also, a saying).  I wouldn’t want him for the long term, but he has everyday playing time and might stay hotter than a camel riding a furnace (not a saying).

J.J. Putz – 3rd blown save last night with 1 IP, 2 ER.  Dickey and Putz’s fortunes seem to be going in opposite directions like Siamese twins connected at the back.  After Putz lived up to his name last night, it might be wise for his owners to handcuff themselves to David Hernandez.

Ubaldo Jimenez – 6 IP, 3 ER, 11 baserunners (6 BBs), 2 Ks.  Six walks and two Ks?  Did Francisco Liriano’s doctor do some ‘minor’ surgery on Ubaldo?

Tyler Clippard – Davey Johnson reached into his bag of relievers and pulled out Clippard to save the game against the Phillies.  Nice 1-2-3 inning.  Now get back in the bag, Tyler, before Davey Boy goes all bulldog on ya.  BB-Rod is safe to drop for Craig “The Pistol” Stammen, Sean Burnett or Tyler Clippard.  If I were picking them up, I’d do it in reverse order.  Unless you’re reading this in a mirror.  .tops dlab eht eciton neve t’nac ,doog skool riah ruoY

Ryan Zimmerman – Sat out yesterday with shoulder soreness.  I’m hoping it’s a coverup because Jordan Zimmermann pitched and they only have one jersey.

Alex Avila – Hit his 5th homer yesterday.  If someone grew bored of the .220-ish hitting Avila, he’s a decent guy to grab off waivers.  No reason to think he can’t get back to respectable.  That sounds like a title of an R&B album, Get Back To Respectable.  A soulful journey as one woman gets back on her feet after a terrible breakup, as sung by Grey Albright.

C.J. Wilson – 8 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners (1 Hit), 7 Ks.  Of course, if you read any other site, the lead story is Pujols hit a home run.  Then twenty minutes of Bruce Harper, then what does Pujols think of Bryce Harper.

Elliot Johnson – 3-for-4 with his 8th steal.  Kinda annoyed I missed out on him in the RCL, but I got Cozart homering now.  Small booya.

Carlos Pena – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 6th homer as he hit leadoff.  …HA!  Sorry, tried to keep a straight face there.  The Rays are so good, Maddon can’t even Mr. Bungle them.  Luke Scott also homered.  As we know from past experiences, Scott and Pena only homer 5 times in a ten day span, never once.

Hanley Ramirez – 3-for-5 with 2 steals.  Now him and Reyes are red hot.  Or is that red-orange?

Brian Matusz – 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 baserunners, 9 Ks against the Sawx.  Tip of the hat for the huge nutsacked owners who started him in this matchup.  That includes those whose nutsacks are enlarged due to a medical condition and who happened to have Matusz in their starting rotation before going to the hospital.

Wilson Betemit – 1-for-3 with his 7th homer.  Sure, I should’ve went with Betemit over Ryan Zimmerman, but a lot of good that’s doing me now!

Adam Wainwright – 4 hit shutout against the Padres with 9 Ks.  We told everyone who listened to last week’s podcast to buy him as it only seemed like a matter of time before he Wainwrighted the ship.  We have one word for how that must’ve tasted…

Yan Gomes – The Brazilian whacks another one!  Just an FYI to those of you who are getting sick of LaHair in that slot.

I told you two days ago to own Justin Smoak in his series in Texas.  Three straight games, three homers.  To paraphrase Young MC from We’re All In The Same Gang, “I try my best to set an example, talkin’ up hyped players over hip-hop samples.”  (BTW, the M’s lost yesterday when the catcher went to complete a strikeout by throwing the ball to first for the final out in the ninth but the ball sailed into right field and allowed the runner on first to score.  Ha-HA!)  Now the question is should you own Smoak the rest of the year… Sure, but that’s not the question.  Tricked you!  The question is about next year.  He hasn’t reached his potential yet, but he is only 23-years-old.  Some have compared him to Te(i)x.  He definitely slumped for half a season like him.  I think those ‘some’ were using that as a compliment though.  Next year, Smoak should have the starting job out of spring training and could provide 25 homers with a decent average.  In AL-Only keeper leagues and dynasty leagues, I’d make sure Smoak’s owned.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Chone Figgins – 4-for-4 as Chode tries to make his season numbers seem a whole lot better than they were.  Never trust a guy that spells Sean ‘Chone.’

David Murphy – Out with a strained groin.  Sounds like an injury that would sideline a porn actress.

Jeff Francoeur – 2-for-5 and hitting over .300 in the last week with 2 homers.  With the Rangers playing their B lineup and Hamilton and Murphy hurting, I grabbed Frenchy in a few arrondissements.

Josh Hamilton – Says his rehab went well and, assuming there’s no relapses, he’ll return on Friday.  What, bad choice of words?

P.J. Walters – 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 4 Ks.  He sounds like the star of an 80′s detective show where he solves all the cases in his pajamas.  P.J. Walters:  The Groggy Eye.  On yesterday’s episode, The Groggy Eye nabbed the cat burglar with nothing but his cunning and nightcap.  Afterwards, he put the Pirates to sleep.

Yovani Gallardo – 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER.  Now has an ERA of 3.84 and 1.37 WHIP on the year.  In the preseason when I announced I was avoiding YoGa, ironically, for fear of stress, I said, “We had a good run (in 2009), but it went on too long and wasn’t that pretty towards the end.  I could see my avoidance of Gallardo biting me in the ass because he is an extreme strikeout pitcher, which I like, but the innings jump from 2008 to 2009 raises too many questions for me.”  And that’s me quoting me!  I was right and wrong.  Right to avoid him, wrong saying it would bite me in the ass.

John Axford – Recorded his 23rd save yesterday.  Rudy and I were talking yesterday (we talk, ya’ll!) and he mentioned to me how Axford was one of the top free agent grabs this year.  Rudy’s got a point.  8 Wins, 2.53 ERA, 23 Saves, 74 Ks in only 57 IP.  That’s donkeycornlicious.

Javier Vazquez – 4 2/3 IP, 7 ER.  In the preseason, Vazquez was in a group of pitchers I said NOT to draft.  Along with Gallardo, Peavy, Hanson, Scherzer, Shields, Brandon Webb, Jurrjens, Edwin Jackson, Kazmir and Lackey.  You’re welcome.

John Buck – Now has two homers in the last three games and is playing every day.  Nothing fancy, but might be able to help.

Travis Snider – 2-for-5 with his third homer this week.  Seriously, pick him up right now.

Angel Pagan – 4-for-9 with two steals in the doubleheader.  Don’t forget to say thank you to Pagan on Sunday.  He gave you what you were hoping you’d get from Victorino.

Jonathon Niese – 2 2/3 IP, 6 ER.  Jonathon (no relation to Dickie Thon) ended the season with a 4.20 ERA and decent Ks.  I could see him being a fifth fantasy starter sleeper next year.

Lucas Duda – Hit his 3rd homer.  Zip-a-dee-Duda, zip-a-dee-ay.  My, oh my, what a Duda day.

Carlos Beltran – Shut down for the year.  Backdate this to May, 2009.

Ryan Raburn – 4-for-8 with a homer in the doubleheader.  I may not need the 2nd base eligibility to get excited about Raburn next year.  He may be one of my upside 5th outfielder picks.

Brooks Conrad – Three-run homer as he yelled, “Prado who?”  Then the choir answered, “Martin Prado.”

Matt Kemp – Wrapped up in a deuce, he hit two homers in two games, which isn’t too late for H2H leagues.

Hong-Chih Kuo – Of course Torre brought Kuo into a save situation in the 8th and gave the save to Belisario.  Of course he did!  Maybe Torre lost track of the inning because he was working on his next tell-all exposing Tommy Lasorda’s penchant for calling tomato sauce ‘gravy.’

Clayton Kershaw – The news confirmed he’s been shut down.  Then the news confirmed the last confirmation was wrong and he’s not being shut down.  Then the news reconfirmed the early confirmation and unconfirmed the latter confirmation.  Paddle through the verbiage and you’ll find Kershaw is getting shut down.

Jhoulys Chacin – 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks and 5 unearned runs for the always ulcer-inducing ticker shock!

Matt Thornton – Recorded another save.  While Ozzie says Sale is the closer, Thornton’s obviously getting the saves.

Erick Aybar – 1-for-4 with his 21st steal.  He’s hitting .253 with 68 Runs and 29 RBIs, which are soul-crushing numbers.  In the preseason, I said, “I get a utility man vibe from Aybar.  If you draft him, there’s a 95% chance of you dropping him before May.”  I hope you did just that if you drafted him.

Joe Mauer – Will return and DH today.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sit another day or two in the final four days.

Kila Ka’aihue – Hit his 4th homer in the last week and third in two days.  If you want to read my Ka’aihue fantasy, it’s under that clickie-link thingamabob.

James McDonald – 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks.  Deserved a better fate than a loss against a Cards team that was featuring Mark Hamilton at first.  Don’t worry, McDonald, January Grey won’t forget you.  January Grey, “That’s more on February Grey.  Oh, and could you wire me some money?  Turns out asking a female if she needs a ride is ‘solicitation.’  Who knew?”

It’s finally here. The Strasburg watch is finally over as the second coming of fantasy Jesus is here. I saw him in the cave on Sunday getting limber for his 2 awaited starts. I am tempering expectations, since he is going to be on a innings limit. Still he should be owned everywhere, my best comparison is Roy Halladay, sorry for being unoriginal. I’m sure you have heard that already, but people like knowing what they are getting. Week 10 has slim pickings in the deep end of the pool for 2 start guys that can push your team to a victory. Sorry, I don’t make the schedule, but if I did I would make mandatory doubleheaders on Sunday with Mondays off. So with bated breath, take a gander at the least owned, but still valuable (in their own momma’s hearts, at least) 2 start pitchers for fantasy baseball, week 10:

Jeff Francis (Hou vs. Moehler) (Tor vs. Marcum)
Regaining some of his form to being the ace that he once was supposed to be. Only concern would be depth, that and getting mauled by a bear. Not a great K guy. Good play for first start and a “sit and play the scoreboard” for start 2.

Chris Volstad (@Phi vs. Kendrick) (@ TB vs. Niemann)
This week’s road warrior. Minus one start vs. COL, has been effective enough to be fantasy worthy. 3 ER or less in 9 starts. No run support seems to kill him… Well, that and a bullpen filled with crap. 2-0 career at Citizens Bank.

Armando Galarraga (@ Chw vs. Floyd) (Pit vs. Karstens)
Somewhere Jim Joyce is still crying. Is he as good as the “perfect” game? Definitely not. Is a 4.5 era pitcher. At least he got a new Corvette out of the deal, I threw a perfect game in Little league and all I got was Pizza Hut.  Though there breadsticks are tasty.

Kyle Kendrick (Fla vs. Volstad) (@ Bos vs. Wakefield)
Getting better. Has been effective in 3 of last 4. Previously lost to the Red Sox in an ugly 4 2/3 inning showing. Only the desperate would be looking this low for quality, but in an off week for 2 start sleepers he qualifies.

Kris Medlen (@ Ari vs. Jackson) (@ Minn vs. Slowey)
Must be a California thing to wear your hat like you sat on it. Is gathering innings and getting stretched out. His spot, I think, is safe after this week when Jair comes back. Will get his fair share of K’s vs. the D-Backs. 36/9 K/BB is pretty effective.

Clayton Richard (@Nym vs. Pelfrey) (Sea vs. Hernandez)
Basically gets 2 home starts. Has been decent last 5 out of last 6 starts, ERA is still under 3 as is everyone else’s that plays for the Fathers. Good for 10 K’s and a win with an ERA of 3 for the week. Gotta love a guy who has 2 first names.

P.J. Walters (@ Lad vs. Montaserios) (@ Ari vs. Jackson)
Hate initials, especially ones that are short for pajamas. Got lambasted last outing. The ‘Lou is playing like they are lying in the weeds. Has Duncan in his pocket so that is always a good thing. Really low end guy this week since I’m not convinced he has the goods.

Carlos Monasterios ( Stl vs. Walters) ( Laa vs. Weaver)
Good old Charlie Monastery. Has the house of the holy literally on his side. Can’t be all that bad.

Scott Rolen went 2-for-4 as he hit his 3rd homer in the last week.  Now has 11 homers and 30 RBIs.  I’d say he’s in this afternoon’s Buy/Sell, but he’s not.  He almost was then I thought about what I would write about him.  I didn’t want to write about how I wasn’t sure what to write about him.  I figured that was pointless.  Wait…  Oh.  Soooo, Rolen will hit 25 homers this year with a decent average and RBIs or he’ll get hurt and play only 100 games.  I’m thinking the latter happens, but I’d own him if I needed power for a chance at the former.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Johnny Cueto – 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 9 Ks.   Could say his run of 6 straight solid starts has to do with his opponents, but he’s in the NL Central who’s he gonna face?  1985 Cards?  Ooh, Tommy Herr, I’m scared.

Brandon Phillips – I don’t own him anywhere but I get comments about trading him away or some shizz.  So I looked at his stats today.  He has 6 homers and 7 steals.  I’ll agree when you’re going along that’s fairly yawnstipating, but that’s also a 20/20 pace, exactly where he should be.  Phillips is who he is.  Like with boxers, you gotta your boys breath.

Nelson Cruz – Another day, another hamstring injury.  Wouldn’t be surprised to see him back on the DL within a few days.  The alternative is he plays through the hamstring injury for a few days then hurts himself worse.  If I could bottle a way to strengthen hamstrings, I’d misplace it then find it three years later wondering what it is.  Then I’d open it, smell it and think to myself, “Is this Drakkar?”

Curtis Granderson – To return today.  Isn’t it weird how it’s today?  Tomorrow makes sense.  It’s to morrow.  You’re going to morrow.  Going to day is redundant.  Should be just day.  Hmm, I sound like I’m on narcotics.

Joey Votto – Out for a second day with a stiff neck.  Maybe he has a Viagra lodged in his throat.  Thank you, Shecky Greene!

John Ely – 7 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks.  Loving Ely so far, even if I benched him in certain leagues yesterday.  Hey, can’t blame him that I need a cup check.  WHY DO YOU LOVE HIM SO MUCH?  Thanks for asking, Mr. Caps.  He has 32 Ks against 6 walks and a 1.00 WHIP through 39 innings.  He is doing a better impersonation of Slowey than Slowey himself.

Ted Lilly – 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Now has a 3.63 ERA on the year or exactly the same ERA you would think Ted Lilly would have for the last ten years if you didn’t actually look it up.

Geovany Soto – Has one hit since May 16th.  One way to have people stop saying how bad your sophomore slump is by making your junior slump even worse.

Casey McGehee – Kinda weird how it looks like his stat line:  24/9/41/.315/1 and Prince Fielder’s 29/7/19/.264/1 look like they’re in the movie, Vice Versa and Prince Fielder is Fred Savage.

Daisuke Matsuzaka – 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 10 baserunners (8 Walks), 1 K.  You know it’s bad when you drop a guy before the game is even over and it doesn’t even feel liberating when you lose him.  I don’t know how I got bamboozled into starting Dice-BB in a league.  Such a bad judgment call.  I blame Alfredo Simon for going on the DL and giving me room on my roster.

P.J. Walters – 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks.  Guy sounds like he’s on an 80′s detective show where he solves all the cases in his pajamas.  P.J. Walters:  The Groggy Eye.  So, this start was vs. the Padres in Petco.  He’ll probably stick for now in the rotation with the lose of Lohse.  I’d look at him in NL-Only leagues, but no mixed leagues yet.

Josh Willingham – Now has 3 homers in the last week while he bats near .400.  Something’s cooking and it smells like ham.

Justin Maxwell – 0-for-3 as he bats .138 for the year.  He leadoff yesterday.  Nyjer Morgan’s sucking up a boba straw’s worth of crap this year.  He bats leadoff all the time.  Know how many times Desmond’s hit leadoff?  Not once.  Thanks, Nats, for my ulcer.

Jose Reyes – 3-for-4 as he raised his average 39 points in the last 7 games.  In the beginning of the month, I said he’d be hitting .255 by the end of the month with 17 steals.  He needs to hit around .300 in his last three games with a handful of steals.  Even if it doesn’t happen what he’s done over the last week shows not only what he can do but what any struggling star can do.  Sure, Holliday looks lost.  But at some point he will turn it on and you’ll be glad you have him.  Nobody talks about the fantasy baseball championship they won on May 31st, still plenty of time left.  Over 4 months to be inexact.  Okay, school’s out, Alice Cooper.

Carlos Beltran – Mets say Beltran is unlikely to return before mid-July.  A report out of New York said a kid who was born the day Beltran went on the DL said his first words yesterday, “Beltran sucks.”

Seth Smith – Has now hit 3 homers in the last two days.  He should be in today’s Buy/Sell but he won’t be because I’m telling you to pick him up right now.

Jason Hammel – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 9 baserunners, 8 Ks.  Been a complete and utter mess this year, but he had a 3.13 ERA last year in Away games and his next start is in San Francisco.

Gavin Floyd – 7 IP, 3 ER, 5 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Now has two solid starts in a row.  His peripherals were saying he should be better and it looks like he’s been listening.

Jeff Niemann – 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Now has a 2.37 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.  I’m going to sound like an obstinate broken record here.  But I don’t buy into Neimann at all.  At all.  At–

B.J. Upton – Sat out his second straight day for a mental rest.  As frequent commenter, Steve, said, “Well, owning him is driving me mental so I guess it’s fair enough.”

Jason Kubel – 3-for-4, 5 RBIs and 2 homers as someone popped the Kubel.  Now has 5 doubles and 5 homers on the year as he bats .233.  I didn’t think he’d only hit 3 homers and .200 the whole year, so he had to hit at some point.  This could be the point.  He’s really no different than Cody Ross or Luke Scott or a dozen other guys who could hit 25 homers this year.  Just depends whose outfield basket you want your eggs.

Javier Vazquez – 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 11 baserunners, 2 Ks.  He left with a bruised finger.  His fantasy owners have a middle finger he can borrow.

Brad Lidge – Wants to return on Monday.  Philly fans, prepare your vomit.

St. Louis Cardinals 2009 Minor League Review
Overall farm rankings via Baseball America (2009)
2009 (8) | 2008 (13) | 2007 (23) | 2006 (21) | 2005 (30) | 2004 (28)

Record of Major and Minor League Teams
MLB: [91 – 71] NL Central
AAA: [77 – 67] Pacific Coast League
AA: [71 – 69] Texas League
A+: [61 – 77] Florida State League
A: [61 – 78] Midwest League
A(ss): [37 – 39] New York – Pennsylvania League
R: [37 – 30] Appalachian League
R: [25 – 31] Gulf Coast League

The Run Down
The Cardinals 2010 ranking isn’t looking pretty (#29) and here is why. Colby Rasmus graduated and they traded their numbers 2,3,4,6,28, and 29 ranked prospects this year, not to mention releasing their number 23 ranked prospect (who was picked up off the waivers by Pittsburgh). Here is the breakdown of what happened:

• Received Matt Holliday (OAK) for (#2 3B) Brett Wallace, (#6 RHP) Clayton Mortensen, (#28 OF) Shane Peterson and $1.5 Million
• Received Mark DeRosa (CLE) for (#3 RHP)Chris Perez and a PTBNL (#4 RHP Jess Todd)
• Received Julio Lugo (BOS) for Chris Duncan and cash
• Received Khalil Greene (SD) for (#29 RHP) Luke Gregerson
• Released (#23 RHP) Tyler Herron

Good thing they resigned Holliday otherwise that would have been one of the largest rental seasons for an entire organization since they lost DeRosa and Greene. I won’t rate the trades, but I will say they lost a gratuitous amount of talent. Grey just mentioned David Freese and what kind of value he may possess, thus I will withhold my comments. Furthermore, the fifth rotation spot is worth watching as the winner may hold more value for you playing in deeper leagues (Jaime Garcia versus Ben Jukich versus P.J. Walters versus Kyle McClellan). Personally, I like Garcia and Jukich. With Spring Training underway, hopefully we (Razzball readers) will start to see some of these players mentioned vying for a 25 man roster spot. Without any further ado, the Cardinals Minor League Review:

Arizona Fall League Players – Surprise Rafters
Pitchers – Gary Daley; Scott Gorgen; Mike Parisi; Adam Reifer
Hitters – (C) Bryan Anderson; (2B) Daniel Descalso; (OF) Tyler Henley; (OF) Daryl Jones

Graduating Prospects
#1 (OF) Colby Rasmus; #8 (RHP) Jason Motte; #14 (RHP) Mitchell Boggs

Players of Interest for 2010
Hitters
#26 Allen Craig | 1B-LF-3B | AAA | 24 | .322/.374/.547 | 472 AB | 53 XBH | 26 HR | .225 ISO | 95:37 K:BB | .358 BABIP | 44.5 GB% | 18.8 LD% | 36.6 FB%
With Pujols clogging first base for the rest of his career (Yes, I am that sure he’ll remain a Card for life.), Craig isn’t going to get many options to play first base beyond the Pacific Coast League. All the scouting reports mentioned that he’ll probably stay in left field but first base is his best defensive position. His defense is average in the outfield where his below average speed and arm strength are noticeable. However, if Holliday wasn’t resigned, Craig may have been given multiple opportunities to start in the majors this year. Offensively, Craig has the skills to hit between .280 to .300 at the major league level with 20 to 25 homers. His poor strikeout-to-walk ratio doesn’t necessarily tell how well he controls the zone, yet, this is the culprit for predicting a lower average at the major league level – plus the inflated stat line from the PCL and his high batting average on balls in play (.358). Ranked as the seventh best prospect in the Cards system for 2010, Craig could provide some midseason help off the bench if he continues to play well to start the season. He could also be used as trade bait as the season progresses. He’ll make his major league debut sometime in this season. Just remember, it’s his bat that is going to get him to the majors to stay.

#16 Tyler Greene | SS | AAA | 25 | .291/.369/.482 | 340 AB | 30 XBH | 15 HR | .171 ISO | 31/3 SB/CS | 86:38 K:BB | .354 BABIP | 44.4 GB%| 21.8 LD% | 33.8 FB%
An injury to his kneecap in 2007 derailed much of his confidence and speed as this was the most steals since 2006 when he was at Single-A and High-A. This was easily his best year as a pro and it happened to come while playing in the PCL. I am hesitant to claim he is going to be much more than a utility fielder (supported by the scouting reports). He is vying for that role this spring. His greatest assets is his speed and multiple positions he is able to play. His strike zone judgment is Delmon Young-like and defense is spotty at short. If given a full time gig, you’d be looking at a .260 hitter at best with 30 to 35 steals. Great for fantasy purposes as he looks like Everth Cabrera but he is four years Cabrera’s senior. With the recent signing of Felipe Lopez, look for Greene to be back at Triple-A.

Pitchers
#13 Jaime Garcia | LHP | R/A+/AAA | 23 | 9.8 K/9 | 3.3 BB/9 | 37 2/3 IP | 2.87 ERA | 3.69 FIP | 1.04 WHIP | 1.2 HR/9 | 6 H/9 | .212 BABIP | 62.4 GB% | 6.4 LD% | 24 FB%
Following two straight seasons (2007 and 2008) of ending with elbow problems, Garcia went under the knife of Dr. Freeze in 2008 and returned for the end of the 2009. Since his 2009 season is such a small sample, here is his career line:

8.3 K/9 | 3.3 BB/9 | 402 IP | 3.49 ERA | 3.71 FIP | 1.25 WHIP | .6 HR/9 | 8.3 H/9 | .308 BABIP | 58.7 GB% | 14. LD% | 23.4 FB%

Note the groundball ratio (slightly over two-to-one) and the good strikeout rates. He has an 88 to 92 mph fastball with a devastating curve and a new cutter he developed while rehabbing. The favorite to win the fifth rotation sport, Garcia still has to prove he is durable enough to pitch a full season. Further, his control is inconsistent. Don’t be surprised to see the Cards place him at Triple-A for a couple of months and call him up at the end of May. Think of J.A. Happ (but a groundball pitcher instead) and Randy Wells (without the control) for his expectations for 2010. While everyone is watching Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, Brain Matusz, Neftali Feliz, Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis Chapman and Madison Bumgarner, keep an eye on Jaime Garcia. With Dave Duncan as his coach and the revival of Joel Pinero’s career via extreme groundball splits, Garcia could provide excellent value in 2010.

Ben Jukich | LHP | AAA | 26 | 7.8 K/9 | 2.9 BB/9 | 123 IP | 4.10 ERA | 4.28 FIP | 1.34 WHIP | 1.2 HR/9 | .306 BABIP | 51.3 GB% | 16.8 LD% | 26.9 FB% (career 53.6 GB% | 15.3 LD% | 27.9 FB% | .6 HR/9)
Jukich had a great year, but with better defense (as noted by Bryan Smith from FanGraphs) and his great career ground ball ratios (53.6%) he’ll perform better than expected. He is rather old and his prospect status is non-existent. His fantasy prospects aren’t much different, but each year a ground ball pitcher can come up and surprise (Matt Palmer had a few good outings, Scott Feldman had a great year relying on a sinking 2-seam fastball, etc). I accidentally placed him in the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Review, however, with the Cardinals he is vying for the fifth rotation spot with Jaime Garcia and P.J. Walters. Read Garcia’s ending sentences about Dave Duncan for what Jukich could provide in 2010.

#17 P.J. Walters | RHP | AAA | 24 | 8.4 K/9 | 3.3 BB/9 | 121 IP | 4.54 ERA | 3.58 FIP | 1.42 WHIP | .4 HR/9 | 9.5 H/9 | .348 BABIP | 49 GB% | 18 LD% | 27.9 FB%
Walters is a finesse pitcher with a deceptive changeup and an 88 to 91 mph fastball. He saw 16 innings of the major league last year too. He isn’t sexy and doesn’t have the skills to overpower hitters at the major league level. His control and durability are better than Garcia’s. However, his upside is nowhere near Garcia’s. Walters had a high batting average on balls in play (.348), which inflated some of his peripherals (ERA and WHIP). With a more normal BABIP, Walter’s could provide some nice fifth starter value for the Cards. His upside is Aaron Cook. Nothing stellar, but serviceable.

Honorable Mentions
Hitters
Tyler Henley | RF | AA | 24 | .303/.367/.482 | 423 AB | 47 XBH | 13 HR | .179 ISO | 9/4 SB/CS | 64:40 K:BB (15.1 K% | 8.5 BB%) | .312 BABIP
Invited to spring training and ranked number 18 in the current Baseball America Handbook (non-roster invite), I am not sure why he doesn’t have extended stats at Minor League Splits but he doesn’t. Oh well. Henley projects as a fourth outfielder with good contact skills and strike zone judgment, solid but not great defense and gap power. The Cards have other high ceiling outfield prospects in their system and Henley happens to be the lowest ceiling but most predictable. If there are several injuries to the outfield to the major league club, Henley may be the one called upon to cover the open spot.

#25 Steven Hill | C-1B | AA | 24 | .282/.333/.470 | 464 AB | 47 XBH | 19 HR | .168 ISO | 106:36 K:BB | .326 BABIP | 41.9 GB% | 17.5 LD% | 40.3 FB%
Defensively, he is a liability and his future as a catcher seems to be closing. Swing for the fences only works for so long in the minors before the pitchers catch on. The reason I mention him is that his defense could improve and natural power is difficult to teach. Let’s watch how the 2010 season unfolds for him. If things go well, he could be a sleeper candidate in 2011.

Pitchers
Eduardo Sanchez | RHP | A+/AA | 20 | 9.8 K/9 | 3.0 BB/9 | 75 IP | 2.28 ERA | 3.49 FIP | .92 WHIP | .7 HR/9 | 5.3 H/9 | .234 BABIP | 51.3 GB% | 15.9 LD% | 30.2 FB%
He was aided by an extremely low BABIP (.234) and an even lower one at High-A (.185). Mainly a closer or late inning setup man, Sanchez could provide a mid season boost to a rather uninteresting bullpen for the Cards. He has a 94 to 97 mph fastball and a good slider. Touted as the next closer (over Motte) for the Cardinals because he is actually able to control his pitches. He has the makings of a great closer or reliever with ability to blow his pitches past the batters and keep the ball on the ground (51.3 GB%). For those MR. B’s out there, Sanchez may help sooner rather than later. Might be a midseason call up as he needs to work on his game a little more.

#15 Lance Lynn | RHP | AA | 22 | 7 K/9 | 3.6 BB/9 | 126 1/3 IP | 2.92 ERA | 3.79 FIP | 1.33 WHIP | .4 HR/9 | 8.3 H/9 | .307 BABIP | 47.9 FB% | 16.6 LD% | 31.1 FB%
Possesses an 89 to 92 mph sinking fastball and a solid slider, curveball, and changeup. An inning eater type pitcher, Lynn looks poised for a good season in 2010. If that happens, 2011 may be when he makes his MLB debut.