Buy-Sell: August 15th Edition

Looking for who you might be able to either add or remove from your roster to improve your team down the stretch? Here are a few ideas:

BUY

• Marlon Byrd, OF, TEX
• Melvin Mora, 3B, BAL
• Joey Devine, RP, OAK
• Jensen Lewis, RP, CLE
• Jeff Kent, 2B, LAD

SELL

• Jed Lowrie, IF, BOS
• Jorge Campillo, SP, ATL
• Paul Byrd, SP, BOS
• Daniel Cabrera, SP, BAL

For the entire list and commentary, check out Grey's latest post on Razzball. (I know, two posts in a row pumping Razzball - what can I say, it's the best post I've come across today!)

Meathook Jr. [Razzball]

Late season sources of steals

Need to add some extra speed to your roster for the stretch run? There are several guys out there from the recently called up, to the long dropped and almost forgotten. Here's a quick partial list to consider:

• Chris Dickerson, OF, CIN
• Denard Span, OF, MIN
• Chris Gomez, OF, MIN
• Lastings Milledge, OF, WAS
• Jerry Hairston Jr., MI/OF, CIN
• Emmanuel Burriss, MI/OF, SF - Warning: He's playing almost everyday, but he's only hitting .168 with one stolen base in 43 August at-bats

For the full list and analysis, check out Grey's most recent post on Razzball.

Cheap Steals [Razzball]

2008 Master List of Sleepers: Running Backs

At the bottom of this post is the list of 14 different sources of sleeper lists that I've reviewed to compile a master sleeper list. The one thing you can count on is that if a player is appearing on a LOT of sleeper lists, they are NOT going to be a sleeper in most drafts! Let's look at the RBs, ranked by the number of sleeper lists they appear on:

6 lists - too many to really be a sleeper:
- Rudi Johnson, CIN

5 lists - still too many to be a sleeper:
- Matt Forte, CHI
- Selvin Young, DEN

4 lists - possibly still a sleeper if your league mates don't study at all:
- Thomas Jones, NYJ
- Kevin Smith, DET


3 lists:
- Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG
- Justin Fargas, OAK
- Rashard Mendenhall, PIT
- DeAngelo Williams, CAR

2 lists:
- Felix Jones, DAL
- Laurence Maroney, NE
- Willis McGahee, BAL
- Jonathan Stewart, CAR
- Michael Turner, ATL
- Ricky Williams, MIA

And the massive list of every other RB in the NFL that made one list - Jacob Hester, SD ; Maurice Morris, SEA ; Ryan Torian, DEN ; Lamont Jordan, OAK ; Julius Jones, SEA ; Jason Wright, CLE ; Pierre Thomas, NO ; Adrian Peterson, CHI ; Chester Taylor, MIN ; Chris Brown, HOU ; Michael Pittman, DEN ; Steve Slaton, TEX ; Kevin Jones, CHI ; Ray Rice, BAL ; LenDale White, TEN ; Tim Hightower, ARI ; Jerious Norwood, ATL ; Ernest Graham, TB ; Dominic Rhodes, IND ; Chris Johnson, TEN ; Kolby Smith, KC ; Warrick Dunn, TB ; Brandon Jackson, GB ; Kenny Irons, CIN ; Kenny Watson, CIN


Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2008 [About.com]
Fantasy football sleepers that could breakout [AM NY via DailyPress]
Fantasy Football Sleepers [AskTheCommish.com]
Fab-Five Fantasy Football Sleepers [Bleacher Report]
2008 Fantasy Football Sleepers [FFToolbox]
FFGoat's Blog [Fan Nation]
Third & Long: Fantasy Football: Sleepers and Gambles [Fan Nation]
Sleeper Watch [Fantasy Football Cafe]
2008 Fantasy Football Sleepers and Value Picks Volume 1 [FantasyFootballGoat.com]
Sleepers [Fox Sports]
Draft preview: Gonzalez, Olsen headline fantasy sleepers [NFL.com]
Sleepers [PigskinUSA.com]
2008 Fantasy Football Draft Kit - Sleepers [ProFantasy-Football.com]
Sleepers and Busts [$$ Rotowire $$ - subscription required, but WELL worth it]

2008 Master List of Sleepers: Quarterbacks

Starting in early July, you can't surf the web without running into fantasy football sleeper lists. They are everywhere. So, do you pick one trusted source and go with that? Or scan as many as possible? If you prefer the latter, I've done the work for you! At the bottom of this post is the list of 14 different sources of sleeper lists that I've reviewed to compile a master sleeper list. The one thing you can count on is that if a player is appearing on a LOT of sleeper lists, they are NOT going to be a sleeper in most drafts!

Let's start with the QBs, ranked by the number of sleeper lists they appear on:

8 lists - too many to really be a sleeper:
- Jake Delhomme, CAR

5 lists - still too many to be a sleeper:
- Aaron Rodgers, GB

4 lists - possibly still a sleeper if your league mates don't study at all:
- Jason Campbell, WAS
- Trent Edwards, BUF
- Matt Leinart, ARI
- Matt Schaub, HOU

3 lists:
- Marc Bulger, STL
- Jay Cutler, DEN
- JaMarcus Russell, OAK
- Alex Smith, SF

2 lists:
- David Garrard, JAC
- Tavaris Jackson, MIN
- Philip Rivers, SD

And the massive list of every other QB in the NFL that made one list - Kellen Clemens, NYJ ; Brett Favre, NYJ (Really? A sleeper? Come on!) ; Joe Flacco, BAL ; Matt Moore, CAR ; Chad Pennington, FA ; Sage Rosenfels, HOU ; Drew Stanton, DET ; Kurt Warner, ARI


Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2008 [About.com]
Fantasy football sleepers that could breakout [AM NY via DailyPress]
Fantasy Football Sleepers [AskTheCommish.com]
Fab-Five Fantasy Football Sleepers [Bleacher Report]
2008 Fantasy Football Sleepers [FFToolbox]
FFGoat's Blog [Fan Nation]
Third & Long: Fantasy Football: Sleepers and Gambles [Fan Nation]
Sleeper Watch [Fantasy Football Cafe]
2008 Fantasy Football Sleepers and Value Picks Volume 1 [FantasyFootballGoat.com]
Sleepers [Fox Sports]
Draft preview: Gonzalez, Olsen headline fantasy sleepers [NFL.com]
Sleepers [PigskinUSA.com]
2008 Fantasy Football Draft Kit - Sleepers [ProFantasy-Football.com]
Sleepers and Busts [$$ Rotowire $$ - subscription required, but WELL worth it]

Fantasy Baseball: Hot and Cold - Aug 12

Who's hot? Who's cold?

HOT

• Albert Pujols
• Marlon Byrd
• Jeremy Guthrie

COLD

• Jorge Cantu
• Aaron Cook
• Eric Hinske

For the full HOT/COLD list, check out Ryan Taylor's recent post on RotoTimes.

Fantasy Baseball: Heating and Cooling [RotoTimes]

Looking Forward: 2009 Fantasy Baseball Top 100

Out of the hunt for the fantasy playoffs or a money spot finish? Still looking to wrap up some final dealing to get your team set for 2009? The preliminary ranking of the Top 100 Fantasy Baseball players for 2009 is out, courtesy of Matthew Pouliot from RotoWorld - here's a quick preview:

1 - Alex Rodriguez - Yankees
2 - Hanley Ramirez - Marlins
3 - Albert Pujols - Cardinals
4 - Jose Reyes - Mets
5 - Ryan Braun - Brewers
6 - Matt Holliday - Rockies
7 - David Wright - Mets
8 - Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
9 - Chase Utley - Phillies
10 - Johan Santana - Mets

Check out the whole list on today's Strike Zone post on RotoWorld.

Strike Zone: 2009 Prelim Top 100 Rankings [RotoWorld]

2008 NL Cy Young Award Predictions and Odds

First a look back - on April 2nd, I made the following predictions for the 2008 NL Cy Young Award:

Lock
Johan Santana

Runner-up
Jake Peavy

Darkhorse
John Maine

"Wouldn't it be cool if" pick
Roy Oswalt

"Cats and dogs living together" pick
Barry Zito


Johan Santana - I know - I really went out on a limb with this pick. Here's the breakdown on Santana at this point in the season:

---Stat--- Current NL Rank
2.85 ERA ------ 5th
1.16 WHIP ----- 7th
.235 BAA ------ 8th
135 Ks --------- 7th

Two more interesting items:

• In Santana's eight no-decisions, he has a 2.60 ERA / 1.077 WHIP
• In May, Santana posted a 3.74 ERA / 1.54 WHIP. If you remove May from his numbers his season stats would drop to a 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP

The biggest thing hurting Santana right now in the race for the NL Cy Young Award is the Mets bullpen. Santana has a 9-7 record, but given how well he's pitching in his no-decision games he could easily be 13-7 or even 15-7.

Jake Peavy probably isn't going to get much consideration with an 8-7 record, due mainly to the horrible Padres offense, plus the five starts he missed in May/June due to his DL stint. Peavy does lead the NL with a 2.59 ERA, and he's fourth in WHIP at 1.12 and fourth in BAA at .230. He'll likely finish somewhere in the 5-7 spot when the voting wraps.

John Maine is fourth in the NL with a .234 BAA, but he's not in the Top 10 anywhere else. Darkhorse was a good category for Maine, hopefully he'll bounce back when he comes off the DL soon.

Roy Oswalt has been pretty average all season posting a 4.56 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 9-8 record. He seems like a really good guy and has been on a bit of a decline, thus the "Wouldn't it be cool if" pick.

The Barry Zito decline continues. A 5.74 ERA and 1.74 WHIP are killers, and he just keeps showing enough flashes of brilliance to complete confuse, befuddle and burn desperate owners.

Current odds on winning the 2008 NL Cy Young Award:
5:2 - Dan Haren
3:1 - Brandon Webb
6:1 - Tim Lincecum
7:1 - Johan Santana
7:1 - Edinson Volquez
10:1 - Jake Peavy
12:1 - Chad Billingsley
15:1 - Carlos Zambrano
15:1 - Cole Hamels
17:1 - Ryan Dempster
20:1 - Ben Sheets
24:1 - CC Sabathia
30:1 - Kyle Lohse
40:1 - Aaron Cook

2008 AL Cy Young Award Predictions

On April 2nd, I made the following predictions for the 2008 AL Cy Young Award:

Lock
CC Sabathia (although back then it was C.C. Sabathia)

Runner-up
Erik Bedard

Darkhorse
Jered Weaver / Daisuke Matsuzaka

"Wouldn't it be cool if" pick
Francisco Liriano

"Cats and dogs living together" pick
Clay Buchholz


CC Sabathia started off the season with a major THUD - after four starts his ERA was 13.50 and his WHIP was 2.56 - that's no typo: TWO point FIVE SIX. From that point on he posted a 2.16 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with Cleveland, and through his first 48 innings with Milwaukee he has a NL ERA of 1.88 and WHIP of 0.96. Overall, without the first four starts his season ERA would stand at 2.07 with a WHIP of 0.99. From April 22nd on, Sabathia has been the best pitcher in baseball. It's too bad he's not going to get real Cy Young consideration after switching leagues.

Erik Bedard - PASS

Erik Bedard - ok, I guess I'm not allowed to pass (I had to look it up in the RotoAdvantage Blog Constitution). One of the big reasons I liked Bedard heading into the season was the Safeco Park Effect (see original post). And I was correct on that count. For the season, in eight home starts Bedard has a 2.25 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .222 BAA. The problem has come in Bedard's seven road starts where he has a 5.73 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and .244 BAA. It's a big "what might have been" season for Bedard who is currently on the DL with shoulder stiffness. Don't be afraid to draft him a bit early next season.

Jered Weaver has had the same problem as Bedard - road starts. In 10 home starts, Weaver has posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and .241 BAA. In 12 road starts he has a 4.98 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and .275 BAA. Is Jered really just a younger Jeff Weaver? It's starting to look like maybe that's the case.

Daisuke Matsuzaka really has delivered in 2008. At this point he has to at least be in the conversation when talking AL Cy Young. One interesting stat for Matsuzaka - he has almost exactly double the walk rate against lefties than he does against righties. His WHIP vs. lefties is 1.66 and his WHIP vs. righties is 1.07. His home WHIP is 1.51 and his road WHIP is 1.16. If Boston can get him matched up against primarily right-handed batters in away games for the playoffs he'll be unstoppable!

Francisco Liriano has burned up most of his starts in the minors this season. He's back for good now it would appear, but it's too late for this "Wouldn't it be cool if" pick to pan out. Next year however...

Clay Buchholz went two full months between starts with Boston due to a DL stint for a torn fingernail, followed immediately by a demotion to Pawtucket to work on his consistency. He hasn't been a whole lot better since returning to the Boston rotation. Since his return he's been far too hittable with a .306 BAA.


Here are my current odds for winning the 2008 AL Cy Young Award:

3:1 - Roy Halladay
5:1 - Cliff Lee
6:1 - Joe Saunders
9:1 - Ervin Santana
10:1 - Daisuke Matsuzaka
12:1 - Jamie Shields
15:1 - Justin Duchscherer
20:1 - Mike Mussina

Looking Back: NL MVP Predictions

Again, back on April 1st, I made the following predictions for the 2008 NL MVP Award:

Lock
David Wright

Runner-up
Ryan Braun

Darkhorse
Mark Teixeira

"Wouldn't it be cool if" pick
Albert Pujols

"Cats and dogs living together" pick
J.J. Hardy


David Wright has been great, but not spectacularly great. Still, if he gets hot down the stretch and leads the Mets to the NL East title he's going to win the award.

Ryan Braun is very much in the conversation - he has really turned it on over the past month or more. Still, no playoffs for the Brewers would mean no real MVP consideration for Braun.

Mark Teixeira definitely was a darkhorse. He underproduced his way to Anaheim so he's WAY out of the picture.

Albert Pujols was predicted by most to not be a true MVP candidate at the start of the season due to his elbow injury, the seemingly weak Cardinals team, and the chance that he could be shut down by August if the Cards were out of the playoff hunt. None of those are factors at this point as the Cards are definitely in the playoff hunt and Pujols has been a steady producer.

J.J. Hardy - again, day is not night and night is not day so all is right with the world.

Here are my current odds for winning the 2008 NL MVP Award:

3:1 - Hanley Ramirez
4:1 - David Wright
6:1 - Albert Pujols
9:1 - Ryan Braun
15:1 - Lance Berkman
15:1 - Jose Reyes
25:1 - Matt Holliday
25:1 - Chase Utley

Looking Back: AL MVP Predictions

On April 1st, I made the following predictions for 2008 AL MVP:

Lock: Alex Rodriguez
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera
Darkhorse: Carlos Guillen
"Wouldn't it be cool if" pick: Vladimir Guerrero
"Cats and dogs living together" pick: Melky Cabrera

Alex Rodriguez has been consistently great, although not 'super-spectacular'. The only AL offensive players outproducing him at this point are Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton and Grady Sizemore. None of those three are going to get serious consideration for AL MVP because of where their teams are in the standings. If the Yankees miss the post-season, A-Rod won't win MVP either.

Miguel Cabrera has really been coming on over the past month or so. He's going to have to carry the Tigers on his back for a stretch with some uber-amazing numbers to get serious consideration - that team is just too good overall, he's not really standing out at this point.

Carlos Guillen - forget about it. He seemed poised for another big step forward heading into 2008, but it looks like he is what he already was in 2007, not something more.

Vladimir Guerrero - he was the "Wouldn't it be cool if" pick because he's been in a modest decline the past couple of seasons. It would have been great to see him bounce back into Top 5 in the game status, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen now or ever again.

Melky Cabrera - well, cats and dogs are NOT living together, at least not in the sense Dr. Venkman meant. So we were right on with that pick!

Here's the current odds on the 2008 AL MVP race:
2:1 - Alex Rodriguez
4:1 - Kevin Youkilis
7:1 - Carlos Quentin
10:1 - Justin Morneau
20:1 - Josh Hamilton

Looking Back: SS Predictions

Now let's take a look at where we stand on the pre-season SS Buy-Sell recommendations:

SELL

• Derek Jeter - #11 on RotoTimes / #11 on ESPN Player Rater
• Miguel Tejada - #5 / #6

BUY

• Stephen Drew - #14 / #14
• J.J. Hardy - #7 / #9

Unless you dealt Tejada for Drew straight up, you probably came out in good shape. Remember, our recommendation was to sell Jeter or Tejada in a package for Drew or Hardy PLUS another upgrade somewhere else on your roster. At the start of the season you should have been able to get a decent upgrade elsewhere if you dealt Jeter for Hardy in return.

Next - a review of the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year predictions.

Playing Time Forecast: Ethier/Pierre, Griffey/Konerko and more

The non-waiver trade deadline was a real humdinger this year - so how have the moves affected the teams involved? Where are there now playing time battles where none existed before? Where did existing playing time battles get even tougher?

• Dodgers OF - obviously the Manny acquisition has put the big squeeze on any Dodger OF not named Kemp. Who's the big loser between Ethier and Pierre?
• White Sox OF/1B/DH - with Griffey now added to the mix with Thome, Swisher and Konerko, who's going to lose out?
• Diamondbacks bullpen - Jon Rauch is in town, Cruz just came off the DL and Lyon hasn't been exactly lights out lately, who has what role?
• Nationals 2B - Felipe Lopez is gone, Emilio Bonifacio is new in town, Willie Harris just keeps hitting. Who will get the most playing time down the stretch?

For a full analysis of these situations, check out Al Melchoir's latest 'By The Numbers' blog post.

By the Numbers: Tricks of the trade(s) [CBS Sportsline]

Looking Back: 3B Predictions

How'd we do on the 3B pre-season Buy/Sell recommendations?

SELL

• Adrian Beltre - #12 on RotoTimes / #15 on ESPN Player Rater
• Mike Lowell - #13 / #18

BUY

• Edwin Encarnacion - #16 / #21
• Kevin Kouzmanoff - #14 / #19

One interesting quote from the original post: "You can get Beltre's production from Edwin Encarnacion, only using a pick 3 to 4 rounds later or spending $6-9 less of your auction money."

Also - here's the comparison of actual production vs. the predictions for Encarnacion and Kouzmanoff:

• "For 2008, a .300-25-100-90-10 line for Encarnacion is definitely within reach."
• Current Pace: .251-29-62-82-2
• Looks like the HR projection was good and RBI was in the neighborhood - everything else is quite a ways off.
  
• "For 2008, Kouzmanoff should hit around .300 with 24 homers, 85+ RBI and 75+ Runs."
• Current Pace: .273-22-81-69-0
• A bit low on the BA, but everything else was on the money.

Looking Back: 2B Predictions

Now, on to the pre-season Buy-Sell recommendations for second basemen - here's how they've played out to this point using the current rankings across all MLB by both the RotoTimes and ESPN Player Raters:

SELL

• Jeff Kent - #29 on RotoTimes / #34 on ESPN
• Dustin Pedroia - #3 / #4

BUY

• Kelly Johnson - #13 / #14
• Aaron Hill - #38 / #50

Not so hot overall on the second base predictions. Pedroia has exceeded most everyone's forecast for this season, while Hill has fallen way short. If you dealt Kent for Johnson you made a good move, but any other combination definitely would have hurt!

Next? Manny, Dunn, Bay, Maddux, Fuentes and more!

Today is the big day! The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is at 4pm ET. Lots of major buzz heading into the final 10 hours:

• Manny Ramirez to the Marlins?
• Adam Dunn to the Rays?
• Jason Bay to the Red Sox? Or to the Rays?
• Brian Fuentes - going or staying?
• Greg Maddux heading back to the Dodgers?

All these rumors and more - to stay on top of it all the best place to monitor today is the ESPN MLB Trade Deadline Blog - it's being manned by the whole ESPN team: Gammons, Olney, Stark, Law and the gang. It's the one place to be to stay on top of what's happening before it actually happens!

MLB Trade Deadline Blog [ESPN]

Looking Back: 1B Predictions

Now, on to the pre-season Buy-Sell recommendations for first basemen - here's how they've played out to this point using the current rankings across all MLB by both the RotoTimes and ESPN Player Raters:

This one is pretty easy as there was only one sell candidate - Carlos Delgado - and two buy candidates - Conor Jackson and Nick Johnson.

In the original post, of Conor Jackson we said, "He will easily outproduce Carlos Delgado in 2008 and beyond." Right on the money there!

Delgado ranks #12 on RotoTimes / #14 on ESPN
Jackson ranks #5 on RotoTimes / #8 on ESPN
Johnson isn't in the top 50 on either - clearly a miss there! Even before his latest injury he wasn't producing much.

So, if you were able to deal Delgado and get Jackson back, you came out in pretty good shape.

Looking Back: Catcher Predictions

As August approaches, now is a good time for a sanity check on many of the pre-season prognostications made here at Roto Advantage. We'll start with the pre-season Buy-Sell recommendations for catchers - here's how they've played out to this point using the current rankings across all MLB by both the RotoTimes and ESPN Player Raters:

SELL

• Ivan Rodriguez - #7 catcher on RotoTimes / #9 on ESPN
  
  Looks like we missed on this one. The reason for the sell recommendation was based largely on age and injury risk, but this guy is just a machine.
  


• Jason Varitek - #55 on RotoTimes / #33 on ESPN
  
  Looks like a pretty good prediction.
  


• Jarrod Saltalamacchia - #32 on RotoTimes / #32 on ESPN
  
  Again, right on the money. Especially good considering how many were predicting Salty would be a Top 12 catcher.
  

BUY

• Dioner Navarro - #12 on RotoTimes / #12 on ESPN
  
• Chris Snyder - #18 on RotoTimes / #19 on ESPN
  
• Ryan Doumit - #3 on RotoTimes / #4 on ESPN

FINAL ANALYSIS: Unless you dealt Pudge straight up for Snyder, you probably ended up quite happy with any moves you made following our pre-season catcher buy-sell recommendations.

MLB Trade Deadline: Who's buying? Who's selling?

At the start of the day, 17 of the 30 MLB teams were no worse than 6 games from the top spot in their division. With this level of open competition, it's still tough to tell just who is going to be buying vs. who is going to be selling over the next week.

Here are the teams with the biggest 'fish or cut bait' decisions facing them:

• Atlanta Braves (6 GB - NL East) - But they are in fourth place! Given the fact that they need to leapfrog three other teams, they'll likely end up sellers with Mark Teixeira as their main bargaining chip.
• Colorado Rockies (6 GB - NL West) - It appears as though the Rockies will ride out the season with what they've got, with the likely exception of Brian Fuentes.
• New York Yankees (3.5 GB -AL East) - You know they won't sell, when do they ever sell?
• Detroit Tigers (5.5 GB - AL Central) - they have overcome their horrible April and are right in the race, look for them to either buy or stand pat.
• Texas Rangers (10.5 GB - AL West) - Too far out, they need to sell.
• Toronto Blue Jays (9.5 GB - AL East) - See Texas Rangers.

For more thoughts and analysis on who the trade deadline buyers and sellers will be, check out today's Rumblings and Grumblings post by Jayson Stark on ESPN.

Buy or sell? Highlighting four teams still on the fence [ESPN]

Latest on MLB Trade Rumors

The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is only eight days away. So what's the latest buzz?

Here are some of the names more recently rumored to be available, some from buyers and some from sellers:

• Casey Blake, 3B, CLE
• Damaso Marte, RP, PIT
• Randy Winn, OF, SF
• Raul Ibanez, OF, SEA
• Andy LaRoche, 3B, LAD
• Matt Kemp, OF, LAD

For the full scoop on the above names and many more, check out Will Carroll's latest post on BP Unfiltered.

Mill Grinding [Baseball Prospectus]

MLB's Top 150 Prospects - July Edition

Here are the Top 10, according to Matthew Pouliot from RotoWorld:

1. David Price, LHP, Rays
2. Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
3. Colby Rasmus, OF, Cardinals
4. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles
5. Matt LaPorta, OF, Indians
6. Max Scherzer, RHP, Diamondbacks
7. Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers
8. Cameron, Maybin, OF, Marlins
9. Jason Heyward, OF, Braves
10. Rick Porcello, RHP, Tigers

To see the rest of the list, including the ETA for each player, year-to-date minor league stats, and more detailed insights - check out Matthew Pouliot's Strike Zone blog on RotoWorld.

Midseason Top 150 Prospects [RotoWorld]

It's 'Free Week' at Baseball Prospectus!

From July 21st-27th, the amazing team at Baseball Prospectus is opening up all their high-value content for FREE. If you've ever been tempted to register as a paying subscriber, now is the time to see what all the fuss is about!

Free Week at BP [Baseball Prospectus]

Trading Good Luck for Bad

Why on earth would you want to trade good luck for bad luck?! If you believe that luck all evens out in the end - that's why. It's always worth taking a look at which players are the beneficiaries of above average luck, and consider moving them for players in the opposite position. If you do, and the luck does even out, you've just come out way ahead.

Here are some hitters and pitchers to consider moving now while their run of luck is still going good:

LUCKY

• Howie Kendrick
• Fred Lewis
• Xavier Nady
• Adam Jones
• Joakim Soria
• Justin Duchscherer
• Scott Olsen
• Ryan Dempster

And a few players on a bad streak who's luck may be about to turn:

UNLUCKY

• Kenji Johjima
• Paul Konerko
• Austin Kearns
• Mark Ellis
• Bronson Arroyo
• Nate Robertson
• Randy Johnson
• Carlos Silva

For the complete lists, check out Al Melchoir's most recent By The Numbers post on CBS Sportsline.

By the Numbers: Unusual suspects in Detroit [CBS Sportsline]

Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball MVPs

Just over halfway through the season and at this point we've seen major surprises, huge busts, and season-ending injuries - but one thing is for certain: if you have a roster comprised of at least a handful of the following candidates for Fantasy Baseball MVP, you're undoubtedly looking down at most of the other teams in your league's standings!

C: Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Geovany Soto
1B: Lance Berkman, Ryan Howard
2B: Ian Kinsler, Chase Utley
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes
3B: Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, David Wright
OF: Josh Hamilton, Grady Sizemore, Ichiro Suzuki
SP: Justin Duchscherer, Roy Hallady, Dan Haren, Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum, Edinson Volquez
RP: Mariano Rivera, Francisco Rodriguez

So from among the above list of candidates, who are the mid-season MVPs? Check out Knox Bardeen's picks at CrookedPitch.com.

2008 Mid Season Fantasy Baseball MVP Awards [Crooked Pitch]

Who's going to move before the trade deadline?

More big deals have been made already this season than any season in recent memory. With Sabathia, Harden and Blanton off the board - who's next?

Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus dives deep into who's available, what it might take to get them, and what impact they might have for the acquiring team.

Sheehan's list includes:

1. Jason Bay (potential buyers include the Mets, Braves and Diamondbacks)
2. Erik Bedard (to the Yankees?)
3. Adrian Beltre (to the Twins?)
4. Milton Bradley (to the Tigers?)
5. Justin Duchscherer (Really? Wow!)
6. Adam Dunn (to the Diamondbacks?)

Check out the complete list along with the excellent detailed analysis at today's Prospectus Today post.

Prospectus Today: Bubble Boys [Baseball Prospectus]

2nd Half Schedule Strength and Player Trends

Which teams face the toughest schedule over the rest of the season? How about:

• Yankees (could have guessed that one with all the games left against the Red Sox and Rays)
• Orioles (ditto)
• Blue Jays (double ditto)
• Mariners
• Royals

And who has the weakest remaining schedule? It's the Minnesota Twins.

It's a bit of an oversimplification, but if you wanted to use strength of schedule as a trade planning tool you'd probably want to target deals with the following players involved:

Buy Targets

• Justin Morneau
• Joe Mauer
• Carlos Gomez
• Delmon Young
• Scott Baker
• Nick Blackburn
• Kevin Slowey

Sell Targets

• Nick Markakis
• Aubrey Huff
• Alex Rios
• Derek Jeter
• Adam Jones
• Mike Mussina
• Andy Pettitte
• Jeremy Guthrie

And, do you know which players drop off / pick up most after the All-Star break?

Here are a few nuggets:

Largest batting average increase: Adam LaRoche
Largest batting average decrease: Eric Byrnes (but that doesn't really help now does it?) - next is Johnny Estrada (nope, no help there either) - next is Hank Blalock (there, that might be useful!)

Largest ERA decrease: Salomon Torres
Largest ERA increase: Chris Young (next is Nate Robertson)

Get the full analysis from the 'Elias Says...' blog available on ESPN.com.

Elias Says... [ESPN]

2nd Half Sell High Candidates

A flip side view of the buy low / sell high coin has also been posted by Aaron Gleeman at RotoWorld.com. The highlights of his second half sell high list include:

• Justin Duchscherer
• Brian Fuentes
• Daisuke Matsuzaka
• Xavier Nady
• Scott Olsen
• Joe Saunders
• and more...

Check out Aaron's full analysis in his Baseball Daily Dose article.

Sell High for the Second Half [Rotoworld]

2nd Half Buy Low Candidates

An integral ingredient in building a winning team involves making at least one good move to acquire a player who is about to really take off to provide your team a boost. One of my all-time favorite personal buy-low deals was back in early May 2002 when I dealt Matt Herges (then the de facto Expos closer) and Scott Williamson (apparently on the cusp of reclaiming the closer job for the Reds) in exchange for Jason Schmidt who had just left a start after two-thirds of an inning with a stiff shoulder. Herges ended up with six saves on the season, Williamson with eight saves, and Schmidt went on to win 13 games with 196 strikeouts, 3.45 ERA and 1.192 WHIP in what became his breakout season. I love that story. But enough about me! This is about you!

Aaron Gleeman at RotoWorld.com has done the work for you! The highlights of his second half buy low list include:

• Jonathan Broxton (too late now perhaps?)
• Robinson Cano
• Manny Corpas
• Brad Hawpe
• Alexis Rios
• Nick Swisher
• and several more

Check out Aaron's full analysis in his Baseball Daily Dose article.

Buy Low for the Second Half [Rotoworld]

Recent Rehab Assignment Updates

At present, there are a number of potentially high impact major leaguers on, or just wrapping up rehab assignments. That list includes:

• Bobby Jenks
• Troy Tulowitzki
• Hank Blalock
• Mike Hampton (wha-huh?)

Get the latest scoop on these guys and more from John Halpin's Fantasy Sports Blog on FoxSports.com.

Morning Baseball Update: Maggs Back, Jenks Solid in Rehab Outing [Fox Sports]

Top 100 Player Rankings for Second Half

Unless you're playing in a second half league, there's not a tremendous amount of value in straight ranking lists at this point. However, it is possible to gain some insights into the opinions of experts based on their ranking of certain players in relation to the overall 'norm'.

The latest list comes from the experts at razzball.com - here are the highlights:

A little on the high side?

#13 - Miguel Cabrera
#14 - Mark Teixeira
#27 - Vladimir Guerrero
#34 - B.J. Upton
#70 - Kevin Kouzmanoff
#92 - Jeff Francoeur

A little on the low side?

#17 - Josh Hamilton
#26 - CC Sabathia
#61 - Pat Burrell
#83 - Chad Billingsley

Check out the whole list which includes some commentary on the rankings.


Fantasy Baseball Top 100 for Second Half of 2008 [Razzball]

All-Star Break Trade Rumors

From the All-Star Break through the end of July, MLB trade rumors really start to pick up steam. Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus provides some interesting insights regarding some recent rumors:

• With Hideki Matsui's injury status, do the Yankees become buyers or sellers?
• Is Erik Bedard staying in Seattle?
• What impact is A.J. Burnett's contract having on the Blue Jays efforts to deal him?
• Who are the Twins looking at as a 3B upgrade?
• Will C.C. Sabathia finish the season as a Brewer?

Check out Will's latest BP Unfiltered post.


Some Milling Around [Baseball Prospectus]

Second Half Expectations: Center Field

As usual, Marc Normandin provides a detailed, meaningful analysis of player performance to date, how it stacks up to pre-season projections, and what story the numbers inside the numbers tell with regard to future performance expectations.

Marc dives deep to provide insights on:

• Pursuing Nate McLouth as a trade target - good idea or not? (Answer: good idea)
• What's going on with B.J. Upton's power outage
• Chris B. Young - ride out his low production or deal for what you can get?
• Lastings Milledge - victim of bad luck? Second half saviour?

All this can be found in Marc's most recent (and free) BP Fantasy Beat article.


Mid-Season Retooling: Center Field [Baseball Prospectus]

I'm back baby!

After a seven-week hiatus, I'm back. One of the biggest problems with blogging is trying to figure out what your focus should be - and obviously it needs to match up well with your interests. Within the roto-realm, I have a particularly keen interest in tracking the development of and forecasting the impact of prospects. This is evidenced by my previous focus in this area. The problem there is that getting out four posts a month just isn't going to get it done in terms of trying to establish a truly useful blog - and the level of detail going into each of those four monthly posts was not providing the best 'bang for the buck' in terms of my effort.

So after a lot of thinking - I'm effectively 'relaunching' today with a model similar to some of the most successful blogs across some other domains.

I hope you like the new model and would appreciate any feedback.

Also - if you like what you see, please help support the blog by visiting some of the sponsor ads.

Thank you!

Mid-May Update: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

This list will be updated on a roughly bi-weekly basis to account for changes based on player performance, injuries, and loss/gain of playing opportunity.

Also, as players on the list lose their rookie eligibility, surpass 130 AB or 50 IP in the majors, they will 'graduate' from the list.

Here's the update for mid-May - all stats are through May 15th:

Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009


1. (+2) Clayton Kershaw, LHP, LAD
AA Jacksonville: 2.21 / 1.06 / 36.2-28-13(9)-11-40



2. (+2) Andy LaRoche, 3B, LAD
AAA Las Vegas: .300 / 1.108 / 11-4-10-2
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .385 BA



3. (+2) Max Scherzer, RHP, ARI
AAA Tucson: 1.17 / 0.65 / 23-12-3-3-38
ARI: 3.14 / 1.12 / 14.1-13-6(5)-3-18


4. (-3) Cameron Maybin, OF, FLA
AA Carolina: .236 / .771 / 23-5-11-7
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .238 BA

He didn't step it up, he's dropping down this, and many other lists.


5. (-3) Johnny Cueto, RHP, CIN
CIN: 5.91 / 1.25 / 45.2-46-30-11-46


6. (+2) Matt LaPorta, OF, MIL
AA Huntsville: .308 / 1.038 / 32-10-38-0


7. (+3) Chase Headley, 3B/OF, SD
AAA Portland: .289 / .827 / 25-5-17-0
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .349 BA and three home runs


8. (-2) Andrew McCutchen, OF, PIT
AAA Indianapolis: .291 / .853 / 25-6-20-12


9. (-2) Jay Bruce, OF, CIN
AAA Louisville: .366 / 1.060 / 27-8-33-7
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .611 BA and three home runs

What else does this guy need to do? The Dusty Baker love for Corey Patterson is ridiculous.


10. (NR) Blake Dewitt, 3B, LAD
LAD: .320 / .892 / 19-3-19-1 (13 K, 12 bb over 103 ABs)

It's time to stop ignoring Dewitt as just a stop-gap 3B, he's producing consistently now and even when the Dodgers decide LaRoche is ready it's not hard to see him sticking and perhaps getting 4-5 starts a week between 3B, 2B and perhaps 1B.


11. (-2) Chris Volstad, RHP, FLA
AA Carolina: 2.58 / 1.09 / 52.1-40-15-17-37


12. (NR) Chris Perez, RHP, STL
AAA Memphis: 2.04 / 1.19 / 17.2-12-4-9-22

The closer of the future is closer to that role much sooner than anyone would have guessed - he could take over the primary closer role as early as July.


13. (-2) Jaime Garcia, LHP, STL
AA Springfield: 2.06 / 1.20 / 35-26-10(8)-16-41
AAA Memphis: 0.69 / 1.00 / 13-12-2(1)-1-12

After an impressive run at Double-A, Garcia has been even more impressive at Triple-A. The only reason for his slight drop is word that the Cardinals have no plans to bring him up before September. However, if he keeps pitching like this it's hard to see him not getting the call sooner.


14. (-2) Homer Bailey, RHP, CIN
AAA Louisville: 3.55 / 1.22 / 50.2-48-21(20)-14-40


15. (-2) Brandon Jones, OF, ATL
AAA Richmond: .271 / .734 / 20-2-15-3


16. (+3) Sean Gallagher, RHP, CHC
AAA Iowa: 3.10 / 1.03 / 29-21-11(10)-9-30
CHC: 6.48 / 1.68 / 8.1-10-6-4-7

Gallagher moved into the Cubs rotation quicker than most had predicted. He's going to have his ups and downs, but if he doesn't show some solid 'ups' quickly he'll find himself replaced.


17. (+3) Ian Stewart, 3B, COL
AAA Colorado Springs: .273 / .982 / 35-11-38-3
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .378 BA and five home runs


18. (-2) Colby Rasmus, OF, STL
AAA Memphis: .189 / .597 / 23-6-15-5


19. (-5) Steven Pearce, 1B/OF, PIT
AAA Indianapolis: .247 / .691 / 17-4-23-2


20. (+1) Carlos Carrasco, RHP, PHI
AA Reading: 3.77 / 1.30 / 43-37-18-19-44


21. (-4) Jon Meloan, RHP, LAD
AAA Las Vegas: 3.73 / 1.59 / 41-42-18(17)-23-40


22. (-4) Brett Carroll, OF, FLA
AAA Albuquerque: .418 / 1.376 / 18-9-23-1 (18 k, 8 bb in 67 AB)
FLA: 1-for-14 with a triple, four Ks and no walks

As hot as he was at Albuquerque you'd think the Marlins would have plugged him in for several straight games to see if he could keep it up. Instead he's rotting on the bench.


23. (-) Dexter Fowler, OF, COL
AA Tulsa: .280 / .847 / 27-5-21-10


24. (+1) Antonio Bastardo, LHP, PHI
Hi-A Clearwater: 1.17 / 0.98 / 30.2-20-4-10-47
AA Reading: 3.06 / 1.19 / 17.2-16-8(6)-5-15

Bastardo (LOVE that name!) was promoted to Double-A Reading on May 3rd and hasn't slowed down yet.


25. (-1) Daryl Thompson, RHP, CIN
AA Chattanooga: 1.28 / 0.91 / 49.1-34-14(7)-11-49
First 3 May starts: 2.50 / 1.17 / 18-14-5-7-13




GRADUATED FROM THE LIST:

Geovany Soto, C, CHC (Highest Rank #3)
CHC: .323 / 1.044 / 19-8-30-0

Joey Votto, 1B, CIN (Highest Rank #4)
CIN: .276 / .887 / 21-8-20-1

Manny Parra, LHP, MIL (Highest Rank #10)
MIL: 5.03 / 1.78 / 39.1-48-25(22)-22-30

Franklin Morales, LHP, COL (Highest Rank #11)
COL: 6.39 / 1.78 / 25.1-28-18-17-9


DROPPED OFF THE LIST:

Chris Marrero, 1B/OF, WAS (Last appeared at #20 on Mid-April Update)

Ross Detwiler, LHP, WAS (Last appeared at #23 on Mid-April Update)

Jordan Schafer, OF, ATL (Last appeared at #16 on April Update)
50 game suspension for violation of the performance enhancing drug policy majorly stunts his 2008 development process.

Chin-Lung Hu, SS, LAD (Last appeared at #22 on April Update)
Development being delayed by extended tenure on the Dodgers active roster with little playing time.


J.R. Towles, C, HOU (Last appeared at #15 on May Update)
HOU: .151 BA / .603 / 8-4-10-0 (Just 1-for-25 from May 1st thru 15th)


Matt Antonelli, 2B, SD (Last appeared at #22 on May Update)
AAA Portland: .183 / .658 / 20-3-8-2
Last 10 games (through May 15th): .182 BA


MAY UPDATE: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

MID-MAY UPDATE: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

Mid-May Update: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

This list will be updated on a roughly bi-weekly basis to account for changes based on player performance, injuries, and loss/gain of playing opportunity.

Also, as players on the list lose their rookie eligibility, surpass 130 AB or 50 IP in the majors, they will 'graduate' from the list.

Here's the update for mid-May - all stats are through May 15th.

NOTE: The format of the stat line is changing to the following to make it easier to read:
Batting Stats: BA / OPS / R-HR-RBI-SB
Pitching Stats: ERA / WHIP / IP-H-R(ER)-BB-K

Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

1. (-) Evan Longoria, 3B, TB
TB: .210 / .690 / 14-4-15-2 (.295 K Rate)


2. (+1) Joba Chamberlain, RHP, NYY
NYY: 2.60 / 1.14 / 17.1-11-5-7-20


3. (+1) Carlos Gonzalez, OF, OAK
AAA Sacramento: .310 / .784 / 12-3-13-1 (.194 K Rate)
Last 10 games: .206 BA, but with improved K Rate of .176


4. (+1) Wladimir Balentien, OF, SEA
AAA Tacoma: .254 / .948 / 11-6-20-1 sb (.175 K Rate)
SEA: .222 / .745 / 7-4-9-0 (whopping .352 K Rate)


5. (-3) Jeff Clement, C, SEA
AAA Tacoma: .397 / 1.227 / 21-5-20 (.154 K Rate)
SEA: .182 / .580 / 4-0-1-0 (.386 K Rate)

Clement was sent down on May 18th - which is a bad move for Seattle. He doesn't have anything left to prove in the minors and needs to work his way through the transition to the majors. Hopefully they'll realize their mistake sooner than later and call him back up for good.


6. (+1) Luke Hochevar, RHP, KC
AAA Omaha: 2.60 / 0.98 / 17.1-11-7(5)-6-12
KC: 3.94 / 1.38 / 29.2-27-13-14-24


7. (+3) Greg Smith, LHP, OAK
OAK: 3.26 / 1.17 / 49.2-40-20(18)-18-42


8. (-2) Brandon Wood, 3B/SS, LAA
AAA Salt Lake: .255 / .858 / 21-8-20-1 (.333 K Rate)
LAA: .154 / .484 / 3-1-1-0 (.423 K Rate - no wonder he's back in Utah)


9. (-1) Nick Adenhart, RHP, LAA
AAA Salt Lake: 0.87 / 1.06 / 31-18-4(3)-15-19
LAA: 9.00 / 2.58 / 12-18-12-13-4

Adenhart was sent back down to Salt Lake after a poor showing for the Angels. Look for him to bounce back and forth between Salt Lake and Anaheim a few more times before coming up to stay.


10. (-1) Adam Miller, RHP, CLE
AAA Buffalo: 2.28 / 1.39 / 23.2-24-9(6)-9-16


11. (-3) Gio Gonzalez, LHP, OAK
AAA Sacramento: 4.85 / 1.67 /39-43-23(21)-22-30

Despite the less-than-stellar overall numbers, Gonzalez is close to being ready for the call. He just needs to refine his command and get his walk rate down.


12. (+1) Armando Galarraga, RHP, DET
Triple-A Toledo: 2.25 / 0.67 / 12-7-3-1-11 K
DET: 3.07 / 0.99 / 29.1-20-14(10)-9-21

If Leyland removes Galarraga from the rotation at this point the Tigers don't deserve to win another game all year.


13. (NR) Matt Joyce, OF, DET
Triple-A Toledo: .299 / .903 / 17-5-21-2 (.278 K Rate)
DET: .292 / 1.024 / 4-3-5-0

Raise your hand if you didn't see this one coming. Frankly, pretty much nobody did. Joyce was decent, but not spectacular by any stretch at Toledo. Still, with the Tigers offensive woes they turned to Joyce to help shake things up and so far he's done just that. Once the AL gets the book on Joyce expect him to struggle through late May into June. Hopefully he can make the adjustments necessary for continued success.


14. (-2) Ian Kennedy, RHP, NYY
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 0.00 / 0.24 / 8.1-2-0-0-8
NYY: 8.48 / 1.88 / 28.2-33-27-21-19

Kennedy certainly proved that he had nothing to prove at the Triple-A level. Most impressive were his 8 Ks against no walks in 8.1 innings. Now if he can just translate that K/BB ratio to the bigs...


15. (-1) David Price, LHP, TB
Scheduled to make his debut with High-A Vero Beach on Thursday, May 21st.

Price was in extended spring training longer than expected recovering from elbow discomfort he experienced in late March.


16. (NR) Carlos Rosa, RHP, KC
Double-A Northwest Arkansas: 1.20 / 0.82 / 45-30-8(6)-7-42

Rosa is dominating at the Double-A level. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get the call directly from that level.


17. (+1) Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS
Triple-A Pawtucket: .216 / .793 / 9-1-6-0
BOS: .310 / .817 / 6-1-7-0

Lowrie went 4-for-12 with a home run and five rbi in his first four games back at Triple-A after his demotion on May 11th. He acquitted himself extremely well with Boston during his tenure. He'll again be the first to get the call the next time the Red Sox need an infielder.


18. (-2) Radhames Liz, RHP, BAL
Triple-A Norfolk: 5.12 / 1.40 / 45.2-43-32(26)-21-44

After being very solid in his final two starts of April with a line of 0.69 / 0.77 / 13-5-1-5-15, Liz was not so great in his first three starts in May with a line of 6.00 / 1.61 / 18-17-12-12-15. Again, he just needs to show more consistency, when he's good - he's very good, and when he's bad - he's horrible!


19. (-4) Matt Wieters, C, BAL
High-A Frederick: .336 / 1.011 / 27-9-23-1 (.184 K Rate)

Over his last 10 games (through May 15th), Wieters is again on a roll to the tune of .324 BA, 4 HR and just three Ks over 34 AB. The only reason behind Wieters drop on this list was word from the Baltimore front office that they have no plans to promote Wieters for the foreseeable future.


20. (+2) Chris Davis, 3B, TEX
Double-A Frisco: .340 / .991 / 35-10-33-4 (.247 K Rate)

Over his last 10 games (through May 15th), Davis is on fire with a .436 BA and a K:BB ratio of 5:5 over 39 AB (.128 K Rate).


21. (-) Travis Snider, OF, TOR
High-A Dunedin: .279 / .891 / 15-4-7-0 (.361 K Rate)
Double-A New Hampshire: .200 / .686 / 11-4-16-0 (.424 K Rate - that is BAD!)

Snider is adjusting quickly to the Double-A level. Over his last 10 games (through May 15th) he was batting .263 with two home runs, 12 RBI and K:BB ratio of 10:7 over 38 AB (.263 K Rate - much improved!)


22. (-2) Jake McGee LHP, TB
Double-A Montgomery: 4.20 / 1.30 / 40.2-34-23(19)-17-39

Over first three May starts: 2.65 / 1.29 / 17-15-5-7-12


23. (NR) Justin Masterson, RHP, BOS
Double-A Portland: 4.23 / 1.38 / 38.1-37-22(18)-16-37
BOS: 1.50 / 1.00 / 6-2-1-4-4

If you're able to grab Masterson during the short period his name appears on your league's free agent list, by all means do it!


24. (NR) David Huff, LHP, CLE
Double-A Akron: 2.14 / 0.86 / 46.1-29-13(11)-11-43


25. (NR) Kila Kaaihue, 1B, KC
Double-A Northwest Arkansas: .253 / .966 / 17-10-29-1 (.141 K Rate)

Over last 10 games (through May 15th), Kaaihue is batting .320 with three home runs and an awesome K:BB ratio of 4:11 over 25 ABs (.100 K Rate)



May Update: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

May Update: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009



DROPPED FROM THE LIST:

David Purcey, LHP, TOR
Triple-A Syracuse: 2.22 / 1.01 / 44.2-29-13(11)-16-52
TOR: 4.1 ip, 2 h, 1 er, 7 bb, 3 K

Bouncing between the minors and the majors, just like Justin Masterson, only without the good results in the bigs.


Reid Brignac, SS, TB
Triple-A Durham: .264 / .710 / 21-3-20-3 (.229 K Rate)

Over last 10 games (through May 15th): .313 BA with 13 Ks and no walks over 32 ABs (for a whopping .406 K Rate)


Brett Gardner, OF, NYY
Triple-A Scranton-WB: .285 / .833 / 31-2-17-10 (.223 K Rate)

Over last 10 games (through May 15th): .226 BA with 8 Ks in 31 AB (.258 K Rate)



GRADUATED FROM THE LIST:

Carlos Gomez, OF, MIN (Highest Rank #2)
MIN: .270 / .704 / 22-3-14-16 (.277 K Rate)

Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS (Highest Rank #3)
BOS: .282 / .783 / 31-3-13-15 (.111 K Rate)

Daric Barton, 1B, OAK (Highest Rank #2)
OAK: .224 / .654 / 22-2-15-0 (.252 K Rate)

Clay Buchholz, RHP, BOS (Highest Rank #3)
BOS: 5.53 / 1.63 / 42.1-49-27(26)-20-54

Nick Blackburn, RHP, MIN (Highest Rank #10)
MIN: 3.93 / 1.43 / 50.1-62-23(22)-10-25

Aaron Laffey, LHP, CLE (Highest Rank #17)
Triple-A Buffalo: 2.77 / 1.15 / 26-24-9(8)-6-20
CLE: 1.35 / 0.86 / 26.2-18-6(4)-5-14

Garrett Olson, LHP, BAL (Highest Rank #19)
Triple-A Norfolk: 1.85 / 1.36 / 24.1-22-5-11-25
BAL: 2.95 / 1.25 / 18.1-16-6-7-15

May Update: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

This list will be updated on a roughly bi-weekly basis to account for changes based on player performance, injuries, and loss/gain of playing opportunity.

Also, as players on the list lose their rookie eligibility, surpass 130 AB or 50 IP in the majors, they will 'graduate' from the list.

Here's the update for mid-April - most stats are through April 30th (a few minor leaguers stats run through May 1st):

Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

1. (-) Cameron Maybin, OF, FLA
AA Carolina: .217 BA / .722 OPS - 14 r, 3 HR, 8 rbi, 5 SB, 20 b, 37 K in 92 AB
.132 BA over last 10 games of April

If he doesn't step it up soon he'll be dropping down this, and many other lists.

2. (-) Johnny Cueto, RHP, CIN
CIN: 35 ip, 32 h, 21 er, 6 bb, 33 K - 5.40 ERA / 1.086 WHIP

Horrible start at St. Louis on April 29th - 7 runs (6 earned) over 1.2 innings - this is going to happen from time to time with such a young talent.

3. (+2) Clayton Kershaw, LHP, LAD
AA Jacksonville: 25.2 ip, 17 h, 7 r (4 er), 10 bb, 31 K - 1.40 ERA / 1.05 WHIP / .185 BAA

4. (+2) Andy LaRoche, 3B, LAD
Started Rehab Assignment with six games at Double-A Jacksonville in late April, moved to Triple-A Las Vegas on 4/29 and homered on 4/30.

5. (+10) Max Scherzer, RHP, ARI
Triple-A Tucson: 23 ip, 12 h, 3 er, 3 bb, 38 K - 1.17 ERA / 0.65 WHIP
First appearance with Arizona - 4.1 perfect innings with 7 Ks

6. (+2) Andrew McCutchen, OF, PIT
AAA Indianapolis: .296 BA / .938 OPS - 20 r, 6 HR, 16 rbi, 5-for-8 on steal attempts
.341 BA over last 10 games in April including 7 bb, 3 K over 41 AB

7. (-) Jay Bruce, OF, CIN
AAA Louisville: .307 BA / .869 OPS - 16 r, 5 HR, 21 rbi, 6 sb

8. (+14) Matt LaPorta, OF, MIL
AA Huntsville: .319 BA / 1.138 OPS - 22 r, 9 HR, 30 rbi, 13 bb, 16 K in 91 AB
.375 BA with 7 HR over his last 40 April ABs

9. (+15) Chris Volstad, RHP, FLA
AA Carolina: 38 ip, 29 h, 11 er, 10 bb, 29 K - 2.61 ERA / 1.03 WHIP / .215 BAA
Last 2 April starts: 14 ip, 6 h, 2 er, 1 bb, 14 K

10. (-1) Chase Headley, 3B/OF, SD
AAA Portland: .242 BA / .712 OPS - 12 r, 2 HR, 10 rbi, 9 bb, 26 K in 91 AB
.216 BA over last 10 April games

11. (NR) Jaime Garcia, LHP, STL
AA Springfield: 29 ip, 21 h, 9 r (7 er), 13 bb, 36 K - 2.17 ERA / 1.17 WHIP / .202 BAA

12. (+5) Homer Bailey, RHP, CIN
AAA Louisville: 39.1 ip, 30 h, 10 er, 9 bb, 32 K - 2.29 ERA / 0.99 WHIP / .213 BAA

13. (+3) Brandon Jones, OF, ATL
AAA Richmond: .264 BA / .693 OPS - 12 r, 0 HR, 9 rbi, 2 sb, 13 bb, 25 K in 91 AB
.289 BA over last 10 April games (38 AB)

14. (-) Steven Pearce, 1B/OF, PIT
AAA Indianapolis: .236 BA / .671 OPS - 7 r, 2 HR, 16 rbi, 1 sb, 2 bb, 20 K in 106 AB

15. (-2) J.R. Towles, C, HOU
HOU: .197 BA / .780 OPS - 7 r, 4 HR, 10 rbi in 61 AB

16. (-4) Colby Rasmus, OF, STL
AAA Memphis: .204 BA / .671 OPS - 17 r, 5 HR, 12 rbi, 4 sb, 17 bb, 19 K in 108 AB
.167 BA over last 10 April games (36 AB), but with excellend 6 bb to 5 K ratio

17. (NR) Jon Meloan, RHP, LAD
AAA Las Vegas: 25.2 ip, 25 h, 8 r (7 er), 12 bb, 25 K - 2.45 ERA / 1.44 WHIP / .269 BAA

18. (NR) Brett Carroll, OF, FLA
AAA Albuquerque: .418 BA / 1.376 OPS - 18 r, 9 HR, 23 rbi, 1 sb, 8 bb, 18 K in 67 AB
.518 BA with 7 HR over last 10 April games (36 AB)

19. (NR) Sean Gallagher, RHP, CHC
AAA Iowa: 29 ip, 21 h, 11 r (10 er), 9 bb, 30 K - 3.10 ERA / 1.03 WHIP / .196 BAA

20. (-2) Ian Stewart, 3B, COL
AAA Colorado Springs: .255 BA / .870 OPS - 23 r, 6 HR, 21 rbi, 13 bb, 27 K in 98 AB

21. (-2) Carlos Carrasco, RHP, PHI
AA Reading: 29 ip, 28 h, 13 er, 12 bb, 32 K - 4.03 ERA / 1.38 WHIP / .264 BAA

22. (-1) Matt Antonelli, 2B, SD
AAA Portland: .195 BA / .711 OPS - 15 r, 2 HR, 6 rbi, 2 sb, 15 bb, 17 K in 82 AB

23. (+2) Dexter Fowler, OF, COL
AA Tulsa: .291 BA / .841 OPS - 17 r, 3 HR, 15 rbi, 7 sb, 11 bb, 20 K in 103AB

24. (NR) Daryl Thompson, RHP, CIN
AA Chattanooga: 31.1 ip, 20 h, 6 r (2 er), 4 bb, 36 K - 0.57 ERA / 0.77 WHIP / .185 BAA

25. (NR) Antonio Bastardo, LHP, PHI
Hi-A Clearwater: 30.2 ip, 20 h, 4 er, 10 bb, 47 K - 1.17 ERA / 0.98 WHIP / .183 BAA
Last 2 April starts: 15 ip, 6 h, 2 er, 1 bb, 25 K - WOW!


GRADUATED FROM THE LIST:

Geovany Soto, C, CHC (Highest Rank #3)
CHC: .330 BA / 1.036 OPS - 12 r, 5 HR, 21 rbi in 91 AB

Joey Votto, 1B, CIN (Highest Rank #4)
CIN: .308 BA / .880 OPS - 14 r, 4 HR, 13 rbi in 78 AB

Manny Parra, LHP, MIL (Highest Rank #10)
MIL: 23.2 ip, 29 h, 13 er, 13 bb, 19 K - 4.94 ERA / 1.77 WHIP / .302 BAA

Franklin Morales, LHP, COL (Highest Rank #11)
COL: 25.1 ip, 28 h, 18 er, 17 bb, 9 K - 6.39 ERA / 1.78 WHIP / .286 BAA


DROPPED OFF THE LIST:

Chris Marrero, 1B/OF, WAS (Last appeared at #20 on Mid-April Update)
High-A Potomac: .216 BA / .667 OPS - 10 r, 2 HR, 8 rbi, 11 bb, 16 K in 88 AB

Ross Detwiler, LHP, WAS (Last appeared at #23 on Mid-April Update)
High-A Potomac: 19 ip, 21 h, 10 er, 13 bb, 17 K - 4.74 ERA / 1.79 WHIP / .280 BAA

Jordan Schafer, OF, ATL (Last appeared at #16 on April Update)
50 game suspension for violation of the performance enhancing drug policy majorly stunts his 2008 development process.

Chin-Lung Hu, SS, LAD (Last appeared at #22 on April Update)
Development being delayed by extended tenure on the Dodgers active roster with little playing time.

MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

MAY UPDATE: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

May Update: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

This list will be updated on a roughly bi-weekly basis to account for changes based on player performance, injuries, and loss/gain of playing opportunity.

Also, as players on the list lose their rookie eligibility, surpass 130 AB or 50 IP in the majors, they will 'graduate' from the list.

Here's the update for mid-April - most stats are through April 30th (a few minor leaguers stats run through May 1st):

Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

1. (-) Evan Longoria, 3B, TB
TB: .259 BA / .871 OPS, 10 r, 3 HR, 10 rbi, 2 sb

2. (+3) Jeff Clement, C, SEA
AAA Tacoma: .397 BA / 1.227 OPS - 21 r, 5 HR, 20 rbi, 22 bb, 12 K in 78 AB
SEA: 1-for-1

Clement was called up on 4/30 and should immediately garner the bulk of the Mariners DH at-bats, along with occasionally spelling Kenji Johjima behind the plate. He's immediately a Top 10 catcher in mixed leagues.

3. (+2) Joba Chamberlain, RHP, NYY
NYY: 11.1 ip, 8 h, 2 er, 3 bb, 14 K - 1.59 ERA / 0.97 WHIP

4. (+2) Carlos Gonzalez, OF, OAK
AAA Sacramento: .343 BA / .925 OPS - 11 r, 3 HR, 10 rbi, 18 bb, 14 K in 70 AB (.385 BA over last 10 games)

5. (+10) Wladimir Balentien, OF, SEA
AAA Tacoma: .254 BA / .948 OPS - 11 r, 6 HR, 20 rbi, 1 sb, 7 bb, 11 K in 63 AB
SEA: 2-for-4, HR, 3 rbi

Balentien was called up on 4/30 and went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 rbi in his first game. What's even more impressive is that the homer was against Cliff Lee, probably the most dominant pitcher in baseball at the moment. With Brad Wilkerson out of the picture, Balentien is the de facto regular RF for Seattle.

6. (+1) Brandon Wood, 3B/SS, LAA
AAA Salt Lake: .273 BA / .947 OPS - 20 r, 8 HR, 18 rbi, 1 sb, 5 bb, 29 K in 88 AB
LAA: 1-for-4, 1 r, 1 bb, 3 K

Wood's K-Rate, which was a horrid .392 in mid-April, actually dropped to a more respectable .244 over his last 41 Triple-A at-bats. He's currently up with the big club in a reserve role, so he hasn't yet 'arrived'.

7. (+5) Luke Hochevar, RHP, KC
AAA Omaha: 17.1 ip, 11 h, 7 r (5 er), 6 bb, 12 K - 2.60 ERA / 0.98 WHIP
KC: 10.2 ip, 15 h, 7 er, 5 bb, 8 K, 5.91 ERA, 1.88 WHIP

Hochevar was called up on 4/20 and was less than stellar in his first start (4.2 ip, 9 h, 6 er, 3 bb, 5 K), but bounced back nicely in his second start (6 ip, 6 h, 1 er, 2 bb, 3 K). Obviously he's going to have his ups and downs, but it's good to see that he quickly bounced back from a sub-par outing with a quality start.

8. (+8) Nick Adenhart, RHP, LAA
AAA Salt Lake: 31 ip, 18 h, 3 er, 15 bb, 19 K - 0.87 ERA / 1.06 WHIP / .170 BAA

Adenhart was called up and made his major league debut on May 1st. He struggled with his control against the Athletics allowing five walks over two innings, along with three hits given up he allowed five earned runs. Like Hochevar, look for him to bounce back in his next start.

9. (+4) Adam Miller, RHP, CLE
AAA Buffalo: 9 ip, 8 h, 3 r (0 er), 4 bb, 6 K - 0.00 ERA / 1.33 WHIP / .222 BAA

Miller has recovered from the blister issues he experienced at the very start of spring training and is catching up in his preparation. He's been effective in his first two starts with Triple-A Buffalo so far.

10. (NR) Greg Smith, LHP, OAK
OAK: 33 ip, 24 h, 12 r (10 er), 11 bb, 21 K - 2.73 ERA / 1.06 WHIP / .209 BAA

Smith has come seemingly out of nowhere - he was one of the players coming over to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal. Smith was Arizona's #13 prospect heading into the season. He had a strong 12 start campaign in 2007 at Double-A Mobile (3.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 62 K, 14 BB over 69 ip), but was pretty much average in 10 starts after his mid-season promotion to Triple-A Tucson (3.78 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 34 K, 18 bb over 52 ip). Smith has been very consistent across his five starts with Oakland.

11. (-3) Gio Gonzalez, LHP, OAK
AAA Sacramento: 23 ip, 24 h, 10 er, 11 bb, 21 K - 3.91 ERA / 1.52 WHIP

12. (-3) Ian Kennedy, RHP, NYY
NYY: 19 ip, 23 h, 18 er, 17 bb, 15 k - 8.53 ERA / 2.11 WHIP

Kennedy's struggles are well documented. Expect him to be back, and effective, once he shows he has thing straightened out at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

13. (NR) Armando Galarraga, RHP, DET
Triple-A Toledo: 12 ip, 7 h, 3 er, 1 bb, 11 K - 2.25 ERA / 0.67 WHIP / .163 BAA
DET: 18 ip, 7 h, 5 r (3 er), 6 bb, 13 K - 1.50 ERA / 0.72 WHIP / .209 BAA

Galarraga has been a major surprise. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, he's likely to stick around and be a decent fourth starter, but his current level of success just isn't sustainable.

14. (-3) David Price, LHP, TB
Extended Spring Training, likely headed to High-A Vero Beach in late May.

Price has been in extended spring training longer than expected recovering from elbow discomfort he experienced in late March. The latest plan is for him to make three or four starts at extended spring training starting May 2nd, then he'll likely head to High-A Vero Beach. He should be heading to Vero Beach roughly around May 20th barring any setbacks.

15. (-1) Matt Wieters, C, BAL
High-A Frederick: .338 BA / 1.024 OPS - 15 r, 5 HR, 15 rbi in 71 AB

Wieters has cooled from his blistering start to the tune of a .265 batting average over his last 10 April games and just one home run over his last 34 AB. He started April with four home runs in his first 37 AB.

16. (+3) Radhames Liz, RHP, BAL
Triple-A Norfolk: 27.2 ip, 26 h, 17 r (14 er), 9 bb, 29 K - 4.55 ERA / 1.27 WHIP / .255 BAA

Liz was very solid in his final two starts of April with 13 ip, 5 h, 1 er, 5 bb, 15 K. He just needs to show more consistency, when he's good - he's very good, and when he's bad - he's horrible!

17. (+5) Aaron Laffey, LHP, CLE
Triple-A Buffalo: 26 ip, 24 h, 9 r (8 er), 6 bb, 20 K - 2.77 ERA / 1.15 WHIP / .274 BAA
CLE: 5.2 ip, 3 h, 4 er, 1 bb, 1 K

Laffey had a no-hitter through five innings in his first start with Cleveland before giving up three hits in the sixth.

18. (+5) Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS
Triple-A Pawtucket: 4-for-25, 2B, 3B, 7 bb, 8 K
BOS: .323 BA / .791 OPS - 4 r, 0 HR, 5 rbi in 31 AB

Lowrie has performed much better than expected during his stint with Boston. Expect him to be back at Triple-A Pawtucket when Sean Casey comes off the DL.

19. (NR) Garrett Olson, LHP, BAL
Triple-A Norfolk: 24.1 ip, 22 h, 5 er, 11 bb, 25 K - 1.85 ERA / 1.36 WHIP
BAL: 6.2 ip, 4 h, 2 er, 5 bb, 6 K in his first start

20. (-3) Jake McGee LHP, TB
Double-A Montgomery: 23.2 ip, 19 h, 15 r (14 er), 10 bb, 27 K - 5.32 ERA / 1.23 WHIP / .216 BAA

Jake has had trouble recently, especially in his final April start: 4.2 ip, 8 h, 7 er, 1 bb, 6 K

21. (-3) Travis Snider, OF, TOR
High-A Dunedin: .279 BA / .891 OPS - 15 r, 4 HR, 7 rbi in 61 AB
Double-A New Hampshire: .135 BA, 5 r, 1 HR, 3 rbi in 37 AB

Snider was promoted to Double-A, despite really doing anything to prompt the promotion. He's really grappling right now at the new level.

22. (+3) Chris Davis, 3B, TEX
Double-A Frisco: .304 BA / .904 OPS - 20 r, 6 HR, 18 rbi, 3 sb, 27 K in 92 AB

Davis has dropped his K-Rate from .320 over his first 50 ABs down to .262 over his last 42 April ABs.

23. (+1) David Purcey, LHP, TOR
Triple-A Syracuse: 33 ip, 19 h, 8 r (6 er), 11bb, 39 K - 1.64 ERA / 0.91 WHIP / .168 BAA
TOR: 4.1 ip, 2 h, 1 er, 7 bb, 3 K

Purcey's control was awful in his first start for Toronto - the one bright spot was the fact that the opposing hitters collectively hit just .154 against him. Of course it's hard to get hits when you're not seeing hittable pitches.

24. (-4) Reid Brignac, SS, TB
Triple-A Durham: .244 BA / .700 OPS - 14 r, 2 HR, 11 rbi, 1 sb in 90 AB (hitting .262 over his last 10 April games)

25. (-4) Brett Gardner, OF, NYY
Triple-A Scranton-WB: .299 BA / .870 OPS - 19 r, 2 HR, 11 rbi, 4 SB (4 CS) in 87 AB (hitting just .222 over his last 10 April games)


Mid-April Update: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

May Update: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009


GRADUATED FROM THE LIST:

Carlos Gomez, OF, MIN (Highest Rank #2)
MIN: .265 BA - 2B(6), 3B(1), HR(1), 14 r, 7 rbi, 11 sb in 102 AB

Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS (Highest Rank #3)
BOS: .280 BA - HR(3), 20 r, 11 rbi, 8 sb in 75 AB

Daric Barton, 1B, OAK (Highest Rank #2)
OAK: .222 BA / .683 OPS - 2B(3), 3B(1), 9 r, 4 rbi, 13 bb, 17 K in 54 AB

Clay Buchholz, RHP, BOS (Highest Rank #3)
BOS: 11 ip, 10 h, 5 r (4 er), 5 bb, 10 K - 3.27 ERA / 1.36 WHIP / .233 BAA

Nick Blackburn, RHP, MIN (Highest Rank #10)
MIN: 17.2 ip, 20 h, 7 er, 3 bb, 11 K - 3.57 ERA / 1.302 WHIP

Hot/Cold: OF - FAAB Darling Bowker Struggling

All statistics from Wed 4/23 through Tue 4/29:


HOT

1. Curtis Granderson, DET - .348, 11 r, 3 HR, 5 rbi
2. Lance Berkman, HOU - .292, 7 r, 3 HR, 7 rbi, 1 sb
3. Carlos Quentin, CWS - .455, 5 r, 2 HR, 5 rbi, 2 sb
4. Magglio Ordonez, DET - .409, 4 r, 2 HR, 11 rbi
5. Carl Crawford, TB - .357, 7 r, 5 rbi, 3 sb
6. Jason Bay, PIT - .292, 5 r, 3 HR, 4 rbi, 1 sb
7. Nate McLouth, PIT - .200, 5 r, 4 HR, 6 rbi
8. Matt Kemp, LAD - .360, 4 r, 1 HR, 8 rbi, 1 sb
9. Josh Hamilton, TEX - .440, 4 r, 1 HR, 8 rbi
10. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA - .269, 4 r, 1 HR, 3 rbi, 3 sb

COLD

1. John Bowker, SF - 1-for-22
2. Austin Kearns, WAS - 2-for-20, 1 r
3. Jim Edmonds, SD - 0-for-13, 1 r, 1 rbi
4. Alfredo Amezaga, FLA - 2-for-17, 1 r
5. Vernon Wells, TOR - 3-for-23, 1 r, 1 rbi

Hot/Cold: Corner Infielders

All stats from 4/18 thru 4/24:


HOT

1. Garrett Atkins, 3B, COL - .355 (11-for-31), 7 r, 4 HR, 9 rbi
2. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, CIN - .385 (10-for-26), 8 r, 4 HR, 5 rbi
3. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHC - .385 (10-for-26), 7 r, 3 HR, 9 rbi
4. Lance Berkman, 1B/OF, HOU - .391 (9-for-23), 6 r, 2 HR, 10 rbi, 1 sb
5. Conor Jackson, 1B, ARI - .448 (13-for-29), 8 r, 1 HR, 6 rbi, 1 sb
6. Casey Blake, 3B, CLE - .500 (11-for-22), 5 r, 3 HR, 14 rbi
7. Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL - .440 (11-for-25), 5 r, 3 HR, 6 rbi
8. Maicer Izturis, 2B/3B, LAA - .450 (9-for-20), 4 r, 4 rbi, 5 sb
9. Miguel Cabrera, 3B, DET - .250 (7-for-28), 7 r, 2 HR, 7 rbi, 1 sb
10. Derrek Lee, 1B, CHC - .321 (9-for-28), 7 r, 1 HR, 5 rbi, 1 sb

COLD

1. Ben Broussard, 1B/OF, TEX - 1-for-17
2. Esteban German, 2B/3B, KC - 0-for-9
3. Carlos Delgado, 1B, NYM - 3-for-28, 3 rbi
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B, PIT - 4-for-25, 1 rbi
5. Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI - 3-for-28, 3 r

Triple-A Highlights (PCL): Mon 4/21 - Wed 4/23

NOTE: I'm adding a new feature to the minor league highlights. If a player appears ready for promotion, I'll add a READY notation to their line. A designation of READY doesn't mean they are necessarily ready to stay, just that they are at least ready for a promotion to at least get a trial at the next level.


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Brandon Wood, 23, SS/3B, Salt Lake (LAA #1 Prospect)
3-for-5, 2 2B(5), HR(7), 2 r, 4 rbi, .268 BA / .950 OPS - .325 BA last 10 games
- Over last 40 ABs has 13 Ks, 4 walks - first 31 ABs he had 13 Ks, 1 walk - the declining K-rate (which even at .325 over his last 40 ABs is still too high) and rising walk rate need to continue, this is the only thing holding him back from Anaheim.

Carlos Gonzalez, 22, OF, Sacramento (ARI #1 Prospect traded to OAK)
0-for-5, 2 Ks, .348 BA / .930 OPS - .357 BA last 10 games

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 22, C/1B, Oklahoma (TEX - 2007 ATL #1 Prospect)
2-for-4, rbi, .291 BA / .882 OPS

Nelson Cruz, 27, OF, Oklahoma (TEX - 2006 MIL #8 Prospect)
2-for-8, 2 HR(6), 2 r, 4 rbi, .333 BA / 1.234 OPS - .361 BA last 10 games

Freddy Sandoval, 25, 3B, Salt Lake (LAA - NR)
4-for-5, 2B(9), 2 r, 2 rbi, SB(1), .422 BA / 1.151 OPS - .488 BA last 10 games

Gio Gonzalez, 22, LHP, Sacramento (CWS #1 Prospect traded to OAK)
5 ip, 7 h, 2 er, 2 bb, 5 K - 2.50 ERA / 1.33 WHIP / .238 BAA / 18 K, 9 bb over 18 ip

Kyle Davies, 24, RHP, Omaha (KC - 2005 ATL #4 Prospect)
READY FOR KC
7 ip, 2 h, 0 er, 0 bb, 3 K - 0.90 ERA / 1.05 WHIP / .191 BAA / 14 K, 8 bb over 20 ip


MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009



NATIONAL LEAGUE

Colby Rasmus, 21, OF, Memphis (STL #1 Prospect)
2-for-9, 2 HR(3), 5 rbi, .222 BA / .677 OPS

Chase Headley, 23, 3B/OF, Portland (SD #1 Prospect)
1-for-3, 2 rbi, .234 BA / .663 OPS - .244 BA last 10 games

Matt Antonelli, 23, 2B, Portland (SD #2 Prospect)
1-for-5, 2B(4), 1 r, .228 BA / .845 OPS - .222 BA last 10 games

Ian Stewart, 23, 3B, Colorado Springs (COL #2 Prospect)
4-for-5, 3B(2), HR(5), 3 r, 5 rbi, .323 BA / 1.062 OPS

Nate Schierholtz, 24, OF, Fresno (SF #4 Prospect)
READY FOR SF
3-for-9, 3B(2), 2 r, 2 rbi, SB(2), .345 BA / .972 OPS - .381 BA last 10 games

Brett Carroll, 25, OF, Albuquerque (FLA #23 Prospect)
READY FOR MIAMI
3-for-6, 2B(5), HR(5), 5 r, rbi, .391 BA / 1.288 OPS

Hernan Iribarren, 23, 2B/OF, Nashville (MIL #26 Prospect)
5-for-11, 3B(1), 2 r, 2 rbi, SB(4), .341 BA / .843 OPS - .361 BA last 10 games

Max Scherzer, 23, RHP, Tucson (ARI #4 Prospect)
READY FOR ARIZONA
6 ip, 5 h, 3 er, 0 bb, 9 K - 1.17 ERA / 0.65 WHIP / .146 BAA / 38 K, 3 bb over 23 ip

Sean Gallagher, 22, RHP, Iowa (CHC #5 Prospect)
READY FOR CHICAGO
7.2 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 1 bb, 12 K - 1.93 ERA / 0.90 WHIP / .188 BAA / 25 K, 5 bb over 23.1 ip

Jonathan Meloan, 23, RHP, Las Vegas (LAD #8 Prospect)
Very near ready
5.2 ip, 10 h, 1 er, 0 bb, 7 K - 1.66 ERA / 1.29 WHIP / .266 BAA / 20 K, 7 bb over 21.2 ip


MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

Hot/Cold: Middle Infielders

All stats from 4/17 through 4/23


HOT

1. Chase Utley, 2B, PHI - .483 BA (14-for-29), 8 r, 7 HR, 12 rbi, 0 sb
2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA - .290 BA (9-for-31), 8 r, 4 HR, 6 rbi, 4 sb
3. Miguel Tejada, SS, HOU - .469 BA (15-for-32), 8 r, 2 HR, 9 rbi, 1 sb
4. Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS - .462 BA (12-for-26), 7 r, 1 HR, 8 rbi, 1 sb
5. Edgar Renteria, SS, DET - .429 BA (12-for-28), 8 r, 2 HR, 5 rbi, 0 sb
6. Ronny Cedeno, SS, CHC - .429 BA (9-for-21), 6 r, 1 HR, 10 rbi, 0 sb
7. Rafael Furcal, SS, LAD - .375 BA (9-for-24), 3 r, 1 HR, 2 rbi 4 sb
8. Kaz Matsui, 2B, HOU - .308 BA (8-for-26) 8 r, 0 HR, 6 rbi, 2 sb
9. Ryan Theriot, 2B/SS, CHC - .458 BA (11-for-24), 6 r, 0 HR, 3 rbi, 2 sb
10. Kelly Johnson, 2B, ATL - .227 BA (5-for-22), 6 r, 2 HR, 3 rbi, 2 sb

COLD

1. Mark Grudzielanek, 2B, KC - 1-for-14
2. Jayson Nix, 2B, COL - 0-for-8
3. Ronnie Belliard, 2B, WAS - 1-for-8
4. Eric Bruntlett, SS, PHI - 4-for-25, 2 r
5. Tad Iguchi, 2B, SD - 2-for-25, 2 r, 1 sb

High-A Highlights (Carolina): Fri 4/18 - Tue 4/22

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Jake Arrieta, 22, RHP, Frederick (BAL #7 Prospect)
7.1 ip, 2 h, 3 er, 4 bb, 8 K - 2.75 ERA / 1.12 WHIP / .154 BAA / 26 K, 12 bb over 19.2 ip

Pedro Beato, 21, RHP, Frederick (BAL #9 Prospect)
5 ip, 6 h, 1 er, 1 bb, 5 K - 3.38 ERA / 1.27 WHIP / .266 BAA / 10 K, 6 bb over 21.1 ip

John Ely, 21, RHP, Winston-Salem (CWS #9 Prospect)
6 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 0 bb, 4 K - 3.48 ERA / 0.89 WHIP / .239 BAA / 15 K, 1 bb over 19 ip

Brandon Erbe, 20, RHP, Frederick (BAL #10 Prospect)
7 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 1 bb, 3 K - 1.29 ERA / 0.85 WHIP / .191 BAA / 21 K, 3 bb over 23.2 ip

Hector Rondon, 20, RHP, Kinston (CLE #28 Prospect)
4 ip, 3 h, 0 er, 2 bb, 5 K - 4.67 ERA / 1.44 WHIP / .257 BAA / 21 K, 7 bb over 17.1 ip

Jacob Rasner, 21, RHP, Winston-Salem (CWS - NR)
7 ip, 1 h, 0 er, 3 bb, 6 K - 1.00 ERA / 0.94 WHIP / .169 BAA / 13 K, 6 bb over 18 ip


MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009



NATIONAL LEAGUE

Gorkys Hernandez, 20, OF, Myrtle Beach (ATL #5 Prospect)
4-for-17, 2B(5), 3B(5), HR(2), 4 r, 2 rbi, .309 BA / .946 OPS

Jordan Parraz, 23, OF, Salem (HOU #18 Prospect)
5-for-16, 2B(3), HR(2), .237 BA / .790 OPS

Daniel Moskos, 21, LHP, Lynchburg (PIT #5 Prospect)
6 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 0 bb, 4 K - 3.48 ERA / 1.11 WHIP / .238 BAA / 13 K, 4 bb over 20.2 ip

Jordan Zimmermann, 21, RHP, Potomac (WAS #7 Prospect)
5 ip, 3 h, 0 er, 2 bb, 6 K - 0.61 ERA / 0.89 WHIP / .128 BAA / 18 K, 7 bb over 14.1 ip

Tommy Hanson, 21, RHP, Myrtle Beach (ATL #9 Prospect)
6 ip, 1 h, 0 er, 2 bb, 6 K - 0.00 ERA / 0.50 WHIP / .071 BAA / 32 K, 6 bb over 22 ip
UTTER DOMINATION - should be promoted to Double-A very soon

Jhonny Nunez, 22, RHP, Potomac (WAS #25 Prospect)
6 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 0 bb, 10 K - 3.48 ERA / 1.06 WHIP / .250 BAA / 27 K, 2 bb over 20.2 ip

Polin Trinidad, 23, LHP, Salem (HOU - NR)
7 ip, 4 h, 0 er, 2 bb, 4 K - 1.88 ERA / 0.79 WHIP / .169 BAA / 14 K, 5 bb over 24 ip


MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

High-A Highlights (FSL): Fri 4/18 - Tue 4/22

AMERICAN LEAGUE


Rene Tosoni, 21, OF, Fort Myers (MIN #24 Prospect)
6-for-15, 4 r, 3 rbi, .351 BA / .872 OPS


Kevin Slowey, Fort Myers (MIN - REHAB)
3 ip, 1 h, 3 er, 1 bb, 5 K


Matt Garza, Vero Beach (TB - REHAB)
3.2 ip, 8 h, 4 er, 3 bb, 4 K


Scott Kazmir, Vero Beach (TB - REHAB)
3 ip, 1 h, 0 er, 0 bb, 3 K


Jeremy Hellickson, 21, RHP, Vero Beach (TB #8 Prospect)
5 ip, 4 h, 0 er, 1 bb, 7 K - 0.78 ERA / 0.83 WHIP / .202 BAA / 30 K, 2 bb over 23 ip


Ivan Nova, 21, RHP, Tampa (NYY #18 Prospect)
6 ip, 3 h, 2 er, 3 bb, 9 K - 3.38 ERA / 1.31 WHIP / .262 BAA / 16 K, 15 bb over 16 ip


Luis Marte, 21, RHP, Lakeland (DET - NR)
7 ip, 0 h, 0 er, 3 bb, 7 K - 2.40 ERA / 1.07 WHIP / .137 BAA / 17 K, 9 bb over 15 ip

MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 AL Prospects for 2008 and 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Jose Ceda, 21, RHP, Daytona (CHC #4 Prospect)
5 ip, 3 h, 0 er, 0 bb, 7 K - 4.20 ERA / 1.27 WHIP / .196 BAA / 18 K, 8 bb over 15 ip

Tyler Herron, 21, RHP, Palm Beach (STL #10 Prospect)
5 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 0 bb, 6 K - 3.50 ERA / 1.17 WHIP / .271 BAA / 17 K, 2 bb over 18 ip

Jess Todd, 22, RHP, Palm Beach (STL #12 Prospect)
3.2 ip, 3 h, 0 er, 0 bb, 5 K - 1.15 ERA / 0.77 WHIP / .164 BAA / 16 K, 3 bb over 15.2 ip


Brad Furnish, 23, LHP, Palm Beach (STL #18 Prospect)
4 ip, 2 h, 0 er, 0 bb, 4 K - 2.37 ERA / 0.89 WHIP / .188 BAA / 12 K, 4 bb over 19 ip

Kyle Winters, 21, RHP, Jupiter (FLA #21 Prospect)
5.1 ip, 3 h, 1 er, 1 bb, 5 K - 1.54 ERA / 0.94 WHIP / .225 BAA / 14 K, 4 bb over 23.1 ip


James Russell, 22, LHP, Daytona (CHC #22 Prospect)
6 ip 3 h, 1 er, 2 bb, 5 K - 2.05 ERA / 1.18 WHIP / .266 BAA / 12 K, 5 bb over 22 ip


Carlos Monasterios, 22, RHP, Clearwater (PHI #22 Prospect)
6.1 ip, 4 h, 0 er, 3 bb, 6 K - 2.81 ERA / 0.94 WHIP / .187 BAA / 17 K, 7 bb over 25.2 ip


Antonio Bastardo, 22, LHP, Clearwater (PHI #26 Prospect)
7 ip, 4 h, 2 er, 0 bb, 12 K - 1.59 ERA / 1.19 WHIP / .217 BAA / 34 K, 9 bb over 22.2 ip


MID-APRIL UPDATE: Top 25 NL Prospects for 2008 and 2009