Scooter Gennett

Dan Pants

Braun to DL With Bruised Ego, Thumb

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 176 Comments

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It’s been a rough month for Ryan Braun, you guys. A top three pick in the preseason, he’s on pace for career lows in home runs and steals, he could be seriously implicated in this biogenesis business depending on what delivery service he decides to use this time (go with USPS, they guarantee to screw it up), and don’t even mention the Game of Thrones “Red Wedding” to Ryan, because he’s taking it all pretty hard. Braun hits the DL for the first time in his career for his thumb injury, but owners knew this was coming. The move is retroactive to Monday so he could return at the end of June. If he comes back with an comically over sized thumb and hits 20 homers and steals 20 bases going forward, we’ll know everything is back to normal. Logan Schafer went 3-for-5 last night and was one of several Logan’s in this weeks BUY/SELL. He’s available everywhere. As long as Braun’s out Schafer should see plenty of playing time. I will call him Weapon X. Berserker! He’s no Hebrew Hammer, but Schafer’s got some below average to decent power and speed and could be a useful fill in if you need an outfielder while Braun’s on the shelf.

Here’s what else happened in fantasy baseball last night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

Braun And A-Rod Nuts In Miami Vice

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 1,000 Comments

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Did someone call Glenn Frey? Cuz the H is O. When the news hit, I was on the toilet, which reminded me of that famous Lawrence Taylor quote when he said, “My life is in the toilet and no one is flushing.” Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez‘s lives are in that same proverbial toilet; hopefully they avoid sleeping with an underage prostitute. “Baby, you ever see me break Theismann’s leg?” “The Theismann Trophy? Wow, isn’t that bronze?” “Joe Theismann, woman!” “Woman? I’m 16.” That’s an audio recording of LT in the hotel room. So, the world is ablaze with ESPN’s report that a suspension is forthcoming for Braun, A-Rod, Yasmani Grandal, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta and Everth Cabrera, amongst notable fantasy names. Gio Gonzalez isn’t in danger because he makes people write down shizz in invisible ink. “I bought this pen from the back of comic book, forgoing the 3-D glasses.” That’s Gio at the steroid reception desk. By the by, how buff was the lady taking calls at Biogenesis and how bad did A-Rod hit on her? I got questions, y’all! If Ryan Braun is suspended, the repercussions will obviously be huge for your fantasy team. However, Braun looks like he’s already battling something — the Jewish guilt? P to the erhaps. If you’re doing well in your league with the Braun that you have, chances are you can rotate through hot schmotatoes in shallower mixed leagues to give you his production. If A-Rod is suspended? Well, no one cares outside of the buff receptionist. EverCab could also send people scrambling for steals on waivers, while Cruz and Jhonny are replaceable in most mixed leagues. On the bright side, Braun’s lawyers will probably fight this for at least a month or two, and they’ve won before over what mail carrier someone used, so you never know. On the brighter side, the publishers of the Jewish Sports Hero Pamphlet can hold off on an expansion for a while. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Grey

How Now Brown Wow

| Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 495 Comments

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Domonic Brown went 3-for-4, 2 RBIs and yet another homer, his 17th. Can we just bask in the Brown glow? Or Basque, if you’re Spanish. A run like this only happens once in a blue moon. Or Blue Moon, if you like orange wedges with your beer. Brown is in the zone, then the zone called and said Brown doesn’t need to pay his room service bill. It’s on the house! (The zone just doesn’t do that sorta thing usually.) Everyone wants a piece of Brown. The League of Extraordinary Italian-Americans called and claimed True Romance was right and Domonic is Italian. The Mexican American hip hop duo, A Lighter Shade of Brown, is going to a tanning salon in anticipation of changing their name. Charlie Manuel said he’s known all along what Brown was capable of, but no one understands a word he says. From my mouth to your deity of choice, please let him stay hot until October. That is all I ask. That and to win the lottery. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Scott Evans

2013 Minor League Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

| Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 2 Comments

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Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (25) | 2011 (30) | 2010 (14) | 2009 (10) | 2008 (21)

2012 Affiliate Records
MLB:  [83-79] NL Central
AAA:  [67-77] Pacific Coast League — Nashville
AA:  [65-74] Southern League — Huntsville
A+:  [63-72] Florida State League — Brevard County
A:  [78-61] Midwest League — Wisconsin

Arizona Fall League Players — Phoenix Desert Dogs
Nick Bucci (RHP); Kyle Heckathorn (RHP); Johnny Hellweg (RHP); Jimmy Nelson (RHP); Hunter Morris (1B); Josh Prince (SS); Khris Davis (OF)

Graduated Prospects of Note
Jean Segura (SS); Michael Fiers (RHP); Taylor Green (1B)

The Run Down
Though he’s already graduated his prospect status, it’s impossible to discuss the Milwaukee Brewers’ young talent without mentioning Jean Segura, the prized piece acquired in the trade that sent Zack Grienke to the Angels.  Segura gathered enough at-bats (148) with the Brewers to earn rookie status, and thus, I cannot rank him here.  But in case you’re wondering, he’d be #1 — the 22-year-old has tremendous potential with the bat, and he figures be a well-above average hitting shortstop at the Major League level.  Sloppy defensive play is certainly a concern with Segura, but 15 homers and 30 steals will be valuable no matter where he plays.  After him, though, the still-are-prospects prospects of the Milwaukee Brewers are not quite as exciting.  Not to suggest that this is a particularly awful system — it’s flush with solid young arms, which is a wonderful asset to a ball club — but it sure lacks that pizazzy element we all so desperately desire.   

Top Ten Prospects
1.  Wily Peralta, RHP:  Peralta regressed in 2012 during his time in the minors, casting some concern over his prospect status, but the 23-year-old was quite good in six appearances with the big club last year, posting a 2.248 ERA, and a K/9 above 7.  He still looks like a future #2 or #3-type to me.  ETA:  2013

2.  Tyler Thornburg, RHP:  I wrote a brief scouting report on Thornburg during the season, so check that out here for a closer look.  The gist:  he’s an undersized flamethrower with a filthy change, a solid curve, and control issues.  If he can command his plus stuff, he’ll miss plenty of bats and could be a nice option in all fantasy formats.  ETA:  2013

3.  Johnny Hellweg, RHP:  Hellweg — the other dude snagged in the Grienke deal — is tall.  He’s 6-9 and he throws in the upper-90s and, at times, he’s utterly unhittable.  At other times, he struggles finding his release point and cannot locate the strike zone.  Projections for Hellweg vary from front-of-the-rotation starter, to high-leverage reliever.  Either way, he’ll be useful to the Brewers sometime soon.  ETA:  Late 2013

4.  Clint Coulter, C: Milwaukee took Coulter out of high school with the 27th overall pick in June.  And while the 19-year-old’s numbers weren’t quite mind-blowing during instructional league play, scouts have fallen in love with him nonetheless.  He’s a long way off, and it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the Brewers choose to develop him, but it’s already fair to consider Coulter among the most promising catchers in the minors.  ETA:  2016

5.  Hunter Morris, 1B:  It’s tough to ignore 28 homers and a .920 OPS.  That’s what Morris did in 2012 in a full year at Double-A Huntsville.  His big year will surely earn him consideration for a major league job in 2013.  ETA:  2013

6.  Taylor Jungmann, RHP:  At 6-6, 210, Jungmann is a big righty with a power repertoire and good command.  As such, he’s a very safe bet to reach the bigs as an innings-eating mid-rotation starter, possibly more.  He’ll start 2013 at Double-A, and could certainly reach Milwaukee before year’s end if things go well.  ETA:  2014

7.  Scooter Gennett, 2B:  Gennett is praised for his outstanding hitting tool, and he projects as a .300 hitter in the bigs.  But with no immediate opportunity for the 22-year-old, he’ll spend the next year or two refining his defensive skills in the upper minors.  ETA:  2015

8.  Jed Bradley, LHP:  The 6-4, 225, power lefty struggled with command at High-A in 2012 — a year that was cut short due to injury and workload.  But like Hellweg and Jungmann, Bradley’s frame and arsenal should be enough to carry him to the bigs.  ETA:  2014

9.

Please, blog, may I have some more?