Posts Tagged ‘Pedro Alvarez’

2011 Fantasy Baseball – NFBC ADP

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 15th, 2011

If you are searching for more 2011 fantasy baseball ADP information, here is a look at some data from the NFBC for their slow drafts they have been conducting from the middle of December through last week. Again, I tend to give this data a little more credence since this is a high stakes event and the skill level of the fantasy baseball owner that you are competing against is likely higher than any other league that you play in.

This data is from nine fantasy baseball drafts and shows the first six rounds. With 15 picks per round, there are a total of 90 players selected during that time. Of the total drafts, there were 113 different players selected so there are a few players at the fringe that some owners are undecided on. Here is a look at the current first round for 2011 fantasy baseball adp.

1. Albert Pujols – no surprise, he was first in all nine drafts.
2. Miguel Cabrera – just edges out Hanley, going second six of nine times.
3. Hanley Ramirez – went as low as 6th in one draft.
4. Troy Tulowitzki – lots of people seem to be looking at the numbers he put up in the last month.
5. Carlos Gonzalez – as high as three, as low as nine.
6. Carl Crawford – high of four, low of 11.
7. Joey Votto – makes him the 3rd first basemen in the first round.
8. Ryan Braun – went as high as six in one draft.
9. Evan Longoria – has over taken A-Rod as the top 3B.
10. Robinson Cano – a little more power and he jumps up two to three rounds.
11. Adrian Gonzalez – fantasy baseball owners looking for big things from him now in Boston.
12. Alex Rodriguez – went as high as 10, as low as 16.
13. David Wright – went higher than A-Rod in two drafts.
14. Roy Halladay – as high as 8 and as low as 20.
15. Josh Hamilton – as high as 11, as low as 19.

As many people that say the draft is won in the later rounds, it is also won in the first round as well. If you look at the final ADP (average draft position) for the last few years and then check their final fantasy baseball rankings, you will see that half of the times the players picked in the first round don’t end up their in terms of value. While I would not call these players busts because they still put up good stats, there ends up being better players that should have been selected.

If I had to pick five players from the list that will not be in the to p15 at the end of the season, I would probably say:

1. Robinson Cano – doesn’t steal bases and if he hits 17 home runs and .300 then he is not in the first round.
2. Troy Tulowitzki – too streaky.
3. Josh Hamilton – injury prone
4. Carlos Gonzalez – could go 25-20 and not finish in the first round for value.
5. Alex Rodriguez – age, drop in batting average and lack of steals

Again, these are not players to avoid or not take in the first round, but if I had to choose who will not be a first round pick in terms of value by the end of the year, those are my choices.

Other interesting data to be gleaned from the ADP so far. Young players are high up on the board this year. Everybody is looking for that guy that is going to break out and be this year’s Carlos Gonzalez. At some point however, players are getting drafted too high that they have to have a incredible year in order to justify their spot. Here is a look at where some of the young guns are going.

Buster Posey (35) – ahead of Brian McCann

Jason Heyward (41) – some injury risk with him a little too high at this point

Mike Stanton (65) – early in the 5th round, he better hit a ton of home runs for people to be picking him here.

Carlos Santana (80) – early in 6th round

It looks like middle infielders have taken a step back from 2010 as the good majority of them look to be going lower in 2011. Ian Kinsler (33), Jimmy Rollins (40), Brandon Phillips (42), Derek Jeter (67).

Other players of note:

Jose Bautista (51) – high of 34, low of 60

Pedro Alvarez – drafted in four of nine drafts, went: 62, 89, 89, 90

Mark Reynolds – drafted in six of nine drafts, high of 55

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball projections, be sure to grab your copy of the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Third Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 9th, 2011

Here is the fifth article in the series for 2011 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of third base. The two biggest names at this position that can have a big impact on your draft are Jose Bautista, Mark Reynolds and Pablo Sandoval. One who had a career year while the other two suffered a dramatic decline in production.

If you are looking for steals late in the draft, there are a few players that will be able to swipe close to 20 bases, such as Erick Aybar, Cliff Pennington and Ryan Theriot.

I had Chipper Jones ranked as number 21 so I did not forget him on the list. I love Chipper and have owned him many years but at his age coupled with coming off an ACL injury and still up in the air whether he is ready for spring training, it is time to cut the chord on him. Every year fantasy baseball owners draft him thinking he is going magically get 500 at bats and each year he falls way short.

1. Evan Longoria – lost 11 home runs from 2009 but hit a couple extra double and 5 triples. Finally was caught stealing after going 16-for-16 in his first two seasons. Stole 13 of his 15 bases before the All-Star break.

2. David Wright – rebounded from his power outage in 2010 as his numbers were closer to 2008. Drop in batting average can be attributed partially to his jump in strikeout rate which was at 27%. Numbers dropped off the second half of the year as he hit .244, 70 points lower than in the first half and was just 4-for-8 in stolen bases.

3. Alex Rodriguez – father time is slowly started to catch up to A-Rod as he fell short of 525 at bats for the third straight season. Stolen bases were under double digits for the first time since 2002. Batting average fell for the third straight season and ended at a career low .270. With all that being said, he still ended up with 30 home runs and 125 RBI at age 35.

4. Ryan Zimmerman – batting average rose for the third straight season, putting him over .300 for the first time in his career. Lack of power at home caused him to fall short of 30 home runs, with just nine long balls in 71 games.

5. Jose Bautista – the biggest wild card in fantasy baseball drafts in 2011. Hard to project a guy that had only 59 home runs in his previous 1,754 at bats and then hits 54 bombs in 569 at bats as age 29. Then again,everyone in Toronto seemed to have a power surge last year almost. Hit 30 home runs in 265 at bats in the second half with a .287 batting average. Hit double digit home runs in four of six months last year.

6. Michael Young – enjoys the benefits of Rangers Ballpark where he hit 16 of his 21 home runs and batted 47 points higher. Numbers tailed off after the All-Star break as average dipped to .262 vs. 301 in the first half. The move to designated hitter on a permanent basis should help him stay healthy as he gets older, but it is a negative for keepers league owners as he will likely only qualify as a utility player in 2012.

7. Adrian Beltre – we have seen this story from Beltre before, with a huge season right before he becomes a free agent (see 2004 stats). Broke 100 RBI for the second time in his career and the 28 home runs were most since that 2004 season. Has a .306 lifetime average at Rangers Ballpark with 9 home runs and 34 RBI in 219 at bats.

8. Mark Reynolds – a rising strikeout rate that hit 42% left him little chance at the plate in terms of batting average. Still can hit the long ball when he connects but his batting average was a killer. Lack of time on the bases also impacted his stolen base total. Ended the season on a 5-for-64 note with 31 strikeouts.

9. Aramis Ramirez – a frustrating player to own due to the various injuries that he seems to suffer every year. Has played in more than 145 games only twice in the last six seasons. Started out slow the first half of the season, hitting .207 in 237 at bats. The second half of the season was vintage Ramirez when healthy, batting .276 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI in 228 at bats.

10. Pedro Alvarez – just look at his second half numbers and picture that over the course of a full season and your are looking at 25 home runs and 100 RBI. He was an RBI machine in the minor leagues so no surprise there. Either is the work he still needs to do on plate discipline which sets his ceiling for batting average likely at .280.

11. Casey McGehee – broke 100 RBI thanks to Prince Fielder having an off year hitting in front of him. Solid batting average with 20+ home run power but still seems to be somewhat undervalued in fantasy baseball drafts.

12. Pablo Sandoval – came out of the gate hot in April with a .368 average and three home runs but it was all down hill from there. Out of shape and was out of a job by the end of the season. Off-season reports are positive news but weight until he shows up camp for a true look to see if he has made any changes.

13. Ian Stewart – was on pace for 20+ home runs and 80+ RBI when injuries struck the second half of the season. With Ty Wigginton and Jose Lopez in the mix, will likely sit against left-handed starters on most nights.

14. Scott Rolen - Rolen turned back the clock at age 35 as he hit 20 home runs for the first time since 2006. He ended the season on a power outage though, hitting only three home runs in 188 at bats, possibly as a result of back and hamstring injuries suffered in early July. Has not had 500 at bats in a season since 2006.

15. Chris Johnson – hit over his head from an average perspective as he is more a .270 hitter than a .300 one. With 13 walks and 73 strikeouts in 70 games after the break, he still has work to do on pitch selection.

16. Chase Headley – no improvement to speak of in his third season. Has hit in the .260′s every year with little power. Only positives were seven more steals and a few more runs scored thanks to an additional 67 at bats in 2010. Has not been able to figure out how to hit in PETCO Park where his average is .226 in his career vs. .296 on the road. If you are in a league with daily transaction, he has a little bit more value.

17. Placido Polanco – a solid hitter but little power at a corner sport makes him hard to own in fantasy baseball leagues. Hit just one home run the second half of the year in 293 at bats.

18. Danny Valencia – looked like he would have little value in 2011 as a light hitting third basemen and then jacked five home runs in September which made his overall line look a little better.

19. Casey Blake - 2010 marked the third straight season that Blake has hit less home runs at home than on the road. Average was he has been better at Dodger Stadium but the power part has been a different story. Nearing the end of the line now at age 37.

20. Kevin Kouzmanoff – average fell for the third straight season and the move away from PETCO did not help his power numbers as he only hit five home runs at home. Has shown no inclination to want to learn the strike zone.

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The Minor League Report – Week 11

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 16th, 2010

Pedro Alvarez became the latest top prospect in the minor leagues to be promoted when he was recalled by the Pittsburgh Pirates today. Alvarez started at third base and hit 6th, going o-for 2 with a walk and a strikeout against the Chicago White Sox. Alvarez was hitting .277 in Triple-A with 13 home runs and 53 RBI in 242 at bats. As much talk as there was about him learning to hit southpaws, he was hitting .323 against them in 62 at bats.

His number one issue that he will encounter in the major leagues will be his plate discipline and his strikeouts rate. His strikeout rate of 28% is somewhat high so his average will likely fluctuate some from year-to-year based on luck, but he will be a solid producer in home runs and RBI for years to come.

With the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox closing in on the Tampa Bay Rays and Wade Davis struggling, there is a good chance we will see Jeremy Hellickson some time in the second half. Hellickson is 8-2 in Triple-A with a 2.42 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 84 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings. He has worked scoreless outings in four of his last seven starts and has allowed only three home runs on the season.

With Jake Peavy struggling with injuries for the Chicago White Sox, Dan Hudson may be getting a call up soon to fill a role in the rotation. He has continued his strong run from May into June, where in three starts this month he has a 2.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 18 innings while holding hitters to a .175 batting average.

Third basemen Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox still has some work to do on his plate discipline before he is ready for a promotion to the major leagues. Viciedo is hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 31 RBI in 233 at bats to go along with only eight walks and 52 strikeouts.

First basemen Chris Carter of the Oakland A’s has struggled for most of the year with hi batting average, which currently stands at .249. In 233 at bats, Carter has 15 home runs and 47 RBI. Like most young power hitters, he needs to work on making contact as a 30% strikeout rate is going to make it hard to maintain a good batting average in the major leagues.

Jay Jackson of the Chicago Cubs started the season in the rotation in Triple-A, switched to relief for a short time as the club got him ready in case they needed bullpen help, but he has now gone back into the rotation. For the season, Jackson has a 2.90 ERA with a .98 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.

If the San Diego Padres trade Heath Bell at some point, Triple-A closer Ernesto Frieri could be in the mix for saves down the line. Frieri moved to closer in 2010 after being in the starting rotation  in 2009 and part of 2008. Frieri has a 2.00 ERA and a .93 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 27 innings while holding hitters to a .122 average.

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The Minor League Report – Week 10

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 9th, 2010

For fantasy baseball owners that have been holding onto minor league players on their reserve in order to get a mid-season boost to their teams, their patience is about to pay off. This week marked the debut of Stephen Strasburg and Mike Stanton on Tuesday with Brad Lincoln and Jose Tabata getting called up today by Pittsburgh and pitcher Jake Arrieta expected to arrive tomorrow to start against the New York Yankees.

Lincoln was 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 68 1/3 innings with 55 strikeouts. It has been a long journey to the major leagues for Lincoln who was the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft and then missed the entire 2007 season following Tommy John surgery in April of that year. Lincoln got the start against Cincinnati on Wednesday night and allowed five runs on six innings with three strikeouts.

Jose Tabata was also promoted today and started in left field and hit lead off for Pittsburgh, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Tabata was hitting .308 in 224 at bats with three home runs, 19 RBI and 25 stolen bases. He has already stolen more bases so far this year than in any other season in the minor leagues with a high of 22 occurring back in 2005. He show far has not shown the ability to hit for power, but if your team is in need of stolen bases, he could be a good addition to your fantasy baseball team.

The one name missing from the list of Pittsburgh promotions was third basemen Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez started off slow in April and has been working to improve his plate discipline and performance against left-handed pitching. He was much better in May with a .294 batting average and six home runs and 30 RBI in 102 at bats. He is hitting .417 over his last 10 games and I would expect to see him promoted by the end of the month.

It looks like the Minnesota Twins might have a Denard Span clone in Double-A in the form of Ben Revere. Revere is hitting .303 with one home run, 16 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 208 at bats. A first round pick in 2007, Revere has hit over .300 at four different levels while stealing over 40 bases in both 2008 and 2009.

Outfielder Ryan Kalish was promoted to Triple-A by the Boston Red Sox after hitting .293 with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 150 at bats. Even more impressive was his plate discipline with 28 walks against only 21 strikeouts at the age of 22.

Pitcher Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners is off to a great start in Double-A with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 64 1/3 innings with 70 strikeouts. He still has some work to do against left-handed hitters who are hitting .286 against him compared to right-handed batters hitting only .161 before he moves up to the next level.

Second basemen Reese Havens has New York Met fans dreaming about about an infield of David Wright, Jose Reyes, Havens and Ike Davis around the diamond in 2011. Havens, a first-round pick in the 2008 draft is hitting .344 since being promoted to Double-A with six home runs and 12 RBI in 61 at bats.

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The Minor League Report – Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A Roster

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 13th, 2010

Here is the minor league report for the 2010 Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The key name to note on the roster is third basemen Pedro Alvarez. The second overall pick of the 2008 draft, Alvarez flashed some serious power in his first season in the minor leagues in 2009, hitting 27 home runs between two levels in 465 at bats with a .288 batting average. He has gotten off to a quick start in 2010 with three home runs the first week of the season and should be ready to join the Pittsburgh line up after June 1.

Another name to keep an eye on is outfielder Jose Tabata, although he has several questions about him in regards to if his age (21) is legit and whether his swing is ever going to develop into generating power. Tabata has a .295 minor league average with just 26 home runs in 1600+ at bats. He has shown a little bit of speed, but that was early on in the minor leagues. Last year he was 11-for-19 in stolen base attempts.

Brad Lincoln was the 4th overall pick of the 2006 draft and is close to realizing his dream of pitching in the major leagues. He missed all of 2007 following Tommy John surgery and pitched at two levels in both 2008 and 2009. Last season, Lincoln had a 3.37 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

How they rank:

Baseball America: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (4)
Keith Law: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (4)
John Sickels: Alvarez (1), Tabata (2), Lincoln (6)

Here is a look at 2010 Indianapolis Indians roster by position:

Catchers:

Luke Carlin
Erik Kratz

Infielders:

1B Steve Pearce
2B Brian Friday
SS Argenis Diaz
3B Pedro Alvarez
Neil Walker
Doug Bernier

Outfielders:

LF Brandon Moss
CF Jose Tabata
RF Brandon Jones
Brian Myrow
Jonathan Van Every

Starting Pitchers:

Kevin Hart
Donnie Veal
Brad Lincoln
Brian Bass
Chris Jakubauskas

Relief Pitchers:

Vinnie Chulk
Anthony Claggett
Corey Hamman
Steven Jackson
Jeff Karstens
Jean Machi
Jeremy Powell

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2010 Pittsburgh Pirates Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 20th, 2010

This is the sixth part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the National League Central. The team previews will include the projected batting order, projected rotation, rookies that could make an impact in 2010 as well as each players current ADP for a 15 team mixed fantasy baseball league.

2010 Pittsburgh Pirates Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Andrew McCutchen (ADP 86)
2.  2B Akinori Iwamura  (ADP 393)
3.  RF Garrett Jones (ADP 188)
4.  C Ryan Doumit (ADP 185)
5.  LF Lastings Milledge (ADP 312)
6.  1B Jeff Clement (ADP 382)
7.  3B Andy LaRoche (ADP ND)
8.  SS Ronny Cedeno (ADP ND)

2010 Pittsburgh Pirates Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  Paul Maholm (ADP 412)
2.  Ross Ohlendorf (ADP 415)
3.  Zach Duke (ADP 360)
4.  Charlie Morton (ADP ND)
5.  Daniel McCutchen / Kevin Hart (ADP ND / ND)

Closer – Octavio Dotel (ADP 254)
Handcuff – Evan Meek

2010 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Pedro Alvarez – 3B
2.  Jose Tabata – RF
3.  Brad Lincoln – SP
4.  Tim Alderson – SP


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2010 Fantasy Baseball Rookies

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 27th, 2010

As I have wrote in several previous articles, when drafting rookies in fantasy baseball, I am always looking for the player that has the best chance of producing for me this season, unless it is a dynasty league.

In a one year league or a league with keepers, but not the entire roster, it does no good to roster a guy like Josh Vitters in Single-A when you could use that roster spot for a guy that is going to help you in 2010.

When evaluating rookies, I am looking at two things. One is the players skill set and the other is the chance for an opportunity.

Here is a look at the top 2010 fantasy baseball rookies (for the purposes of this article, I am using my definition of a rookie as a player that did not appear in the major leagues last year) that have the best chance of making an impact in 2010.

1) Jason Heyward (OF) – has shown the ability to do everything at the minor league level despite being only 20 years old last year. Has a very good eye at the plate and owns a .318 minor league batting average along with a 84% stolen base success rate. Has the frame to hit 30+ home runs as he gets older. With Bobby Cox in his last year as Atlanta Braves and the willingness of the Braves to promote prospects through the system regardless of age leads me to believe that Heyward starts the season in the major leagues.

2) Stephen Strasburg (SP) – the No. 1 pick out of San Diego State appeared in the Arizona Fall League and went 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA. He struck out 23 batters while allowing seven walks in 19 innings. There is no one better than him currently in the Washington Nationals rotation and the fact the Nationals are having him pitch in home games only in spring training to draw fans (they are already working on marketing him) leads me to believe  he starts the year in the major leagues.

3) Austin Jackson – expected to start the season in center field and hit lead off for the Detroit Tigers. Minor league batting average of .287 with a 78% stolen base success rate. Needs to cut down on his strikeouts and power is still developing so keep expectations realistic for him in 2010.

4) Desmond Jennings (OF) - has a .305 career batting average with good plate discipline. Has a career stolen base success rate of 82%. With two potential openings in Tampa Bay in place of Pat Burrell or Matt Joyce, Jennings should be up for good in May and could post numbers similar to Carl Crawford.

5) Drew Storen (RP) – it was a rapid rise up the ladder for Storen in 2009. After being drafted in the first round by the Washington Nationals, he pitched at three levels and ended the year by pitching in the Arizona Fall League. Had a 1.95 ERA with a .78 WHIP ratio with 49 strikeouts in 37 innings in the minor leagues. He followed that up with a .66 ERA in the AFL with 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. He is the future closer of the Nationals and could see some save opportunities late in the season.

6) Aroldis Chapman (SP) – Cuban left-hander that has a slight chance to break camp with the Cincinnati Reds. Reportedly needs some work on his command but has looked good throwing to hitters so far. Of course that is entirely different from facing an entire batting order in game conditions. The Reds only have one spot in their rotation up for grabs, so he is in the mix with several other contenders.

7) Pedro Alvarez (1B/3B) – not a bad first season with 27 home runs and 95 RBI while split between two levels. Nice to see improvement in his batting average after being promoted to Double-A where he hit .333 compared to .247 in High-A. Should be up in June after spending a couple of months in Triple-A.

8.) Michael Taylor (OF) – the trade to the Oakland A’s in the off-season gives him a faster track at making it to the major leagues. Hit 20 home runs with 85 RBI and 21 stolen bases between two levels in 2010. The lack of power in the A’s outfield should put Taylor in the major leagues by mid-season.

9) Carlos Santana (C) – switch-hitting catcher with power and plate discipline. Hit 23 home runs in Double-A last season with 97 RBI. Has a career minor league batting average of .287 with more walks than strikeouts (288 vs. 283). Will start the season in Triple-A and should be ready to take over as full-time catcher for the Cleveland Indians the second half of the season.

10) Jeremy Hellickson (SP) – could probably step into the Tampa Bay rotation now with some success but there is no room with five solid starters currently in the rotation. Dominated between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.45 ERA and a .886 WHIP ratio. Had a 10.4 K/9 ratio while allowing only 2.3 walks per nine.

11) Chris Carter (1B) – power potential on a team lacking in power makes him a player to target for 2010. Finished the season with 54 at bats in Triple-A for the Oakland A’s. Crushed Double-A pitching to the tune of a .337 average with 24 home runs, 101 RBI and 41 doubles. With the Daric Barton era on its last legs, Carter should see time the second half of the year.

12) Justin Smoak (1B) – struggled at Triple-A after being promoted at the end of the 2009 season. The 11th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Smoak has made a rapid rise up the Texas Rangers farm system. Gives the Rangers an option at first base if Chris Davis struggles and is unable to cut down his strikeouts.

13) Brett Wallace (1B) – could have won a spot in the major leagues with the Oakland A’s to start the year, but the trade to the Toronto Blue Jays means he likely starts the year in the minor leagues. Career .305 minor league hitter that should be a 20 home run per year type of guy once he gets to the Show. Probably won’t see action until after the trade deadline assuming the Blue Jays can move Lyle Overbay.

14) Logan Morrison (1B) – suffered a fracture in his right wrist in 2009 which limited his at bats to 278. Has great plate discipline as he walked 17 more times than he struck out. Power still needs to develop, but with the budget conscious Marlins, he has a chance to open the year at first base. Could put up similar stats to James Loney of 2009.

15) Jake Arrieta (SP) – another good arm in the Baltimore Orioles farm system that made it to Triple-A the second half of last year.  Was easier to hit once he got there, posting a 3.93 ERA and a 1.418 WHIP with 7.7 K/9. Numbers were much better in Double-A before the promotion with a 2.59 ERA, 1.153 WHIP and 10.7 K/9. Look for Arrieta to appear in the Orioles rotation the second half of the season.

16) Hector Rondon (SP) – the Indians rotation is a mess so it’s not like he has a bunch of stud pitchers to pass on the depth chart. Split time last season between Double-A and Triple-A. Has shown good control in the minor leagues with 1.9 walks per nine innings and eight strikeouts per nine. Even if he starts the year in Triple-A for more seasoning, he should not be down there too long. Just turned 22 this week.

17) Ike Davis (1B) – the 18th overall pick in the 2008 draft made it to Double-A last year where he hit .309 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 207 at bats. With Daniel Murphy and Mike Jacobs the New York Mets option at first base, it could be only a matter of time before Davis gets a look.

18) Jason Castro (C) – only has Humberto Quintero in front of him and the Astros need all of the offense they can get. Reached Double-A last season and it would be quite jump for him to reach the major leagues. However, holds a .295 career minor league batting average with good plate discipline (77 walks to 108 strikeouts). Struggled in the Arizona Fall League hitting .143 in 42 at bats.

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Minor League Report – week 12

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 28th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

After reviewing the top pitchers in the week 11 minor league report, here is a look at some of the top hitters in the top two minor league levels that will be participating in the Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12. In case you might be wondering why one of your favorite minor league players is not in the game, each major league team has to have at least one player on the roster and no team can have more than two.

Catcher – Jason Castro (Astros) – Castro was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He was promoted to Double-A a little more than two weeks ago, and is hitting .288  in 59 at bats. His overall numbers are .305, with eight home runs, 48 RBI and one stolen base. Fantasy baseball owners might be gun shy of Castro because the failures of the Astros previous rookie catcher J.R. Towles. Baseball America had Castro as the Astros number one prospect coming into this season and he has held his own so far in 2009. It will be interesting to see five years from now how he stacks up against the catcher that went earlier in the draft, Buster Posey, who is in the San Francisco Giants farm system.

Catcher – Tyler Flowers (White Sox) – Flowers has been in Double-A the entire season so far, and is hitting .278 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. He threw out 28% of runners trying to steal in 2008, made 12 errors and allowed 11 passed balls. With A.J. Pierzynski signed through 2010, if Flowers continues to progress, he should be ready to take over as starting catcher in 2011.

First Base – Chris Carter (Athletics) – With the lack of offense at the major league level, it is a little surprising to see Carter still in Double-A. Carter is currently hitting .299 with 13 home runs, 59 RBI and eight stolen bases on the season. He has upped his power numbers each month, hitting one home run in April, five in May and seven in June. Carter, 22, was part of the big bounty the Oakland Athletics received from the Arizona Diamondbacks when they traded Dan Haren.

Second Base – Scott Sizemore (Tigers) – Sizemore was promoted to Triple-A two weeks ago. He is currently hitting .250 in 52 at bats. For the season, he is batting .296 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI and eight stolen bases. He was  a fifth round pick back in 2006 out of Virginia Commonwealth University and was ranked seventh by Baseball America coming into the 2009 season. He started off his minor league career as a shortstop before moving to second base in 2007.

Second Base – Eric O. Young (Rockies) – Young has been at Triple-A the entire season with an eye on a starting job in 2010. Much like his father and former Rockies player Eric Young,  his one plus attribute is his speed. Young is hitting .286 through 70 games with three home runs, 21 RBI and 44 stolen bases against eight times caught stealing.

Third Base – Pedro Alvarez (Pirates) – Alvarez was promoted to Double-A one week ago and has started off slowly, hitting .125 with 10 strikeouts in 25 at bats. In High Class A, he showed an ability to drive in runs despite a high strikeout rate. In 243 at bats, he hit .247 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI and 70 strikeouts. The talk of him being the first person from the 2008 draft class to make it to the major leagues seems like a stretch with his current plate discipline.

Third Base – Brett Wallace (Cardinals) – Wallace was the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft and has split this season between Double-A and Triple-A. He started off Triple-A slow, but has picked up his performance recently, hitting .395 in his last 10 games with two home runs. On the season, he is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. The recent addition of Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals means Wallace will likely stay in Triple-A until rosters expand September 1 and then compete for the starting job in 2010.

Outfield – Chris Heisey (Reds) – He finally got promoted to Triple-A on Friday after destroying Double-A. Although he was old for the level at 24, he hit .347 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 steals. Heisey has gone from a 17th round unknown back in 2006 to an underrated prospect in the Reds organization coming into 2009 to now a potential starter in 2010.

Outfield – Desmond Jennings (Rays) – He looked to be on the fast track to Triple-A until he slowed down considerably in June. He still has solid numbers for the season, with a .325 average, six home runs, 35 RBI and 28 stolen bases. After hitting .349 in April and .368 in May, Jennings is hitting .255 in June with zero home runs and six RBI. Jennings was ranked #5 by Baseball America for 2009 in the Rays minor league system. He missed the first two months of the 2008 season with a back injury, then played 24 games before injuring his left shoulder and undergoing season-ending surgery.

Outfield – Mike Stanton (Marlins) – Stanton has gotten off to a slow start at Double-A after being promoted three weeks ago. His plate discipline has deteriorated slightly as expected with the move up a level. Stanton is hitting .234 with three home runs and nine RBI, with 24 strikeouts in 77 at bats at Double-A. Overall he is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI between two levels.

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Fantasy Baseball Minor League Report – week two

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 16th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Here is a week two update of some of the top minor league players that might make an impact this fantasy baseball season.

David Price got his second start of the season for the Durham Balls (Tampa Bay) and tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Price threw only 65 pitches, 48 of them for strikes.

Pedro Alvarez of the Lynchburg Hillcats (Pittsburgh) hit a walk-off three run home run and drove in six runs on Thursday. Alvarez has been off to a slow start at the plate hitting only .214 but he does have 14 RBI already on the young season.

Drew Sutton was traded from the Houston Astros to the Cincinnati Reds to complete the trade that sent Jeff Keppinger to the Astros in March. Sutton will report to Triple-A Louisville.

Outfielder Matt LaPorta hit his second home run for the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland). LaPorta is hitting .375 so far this year.

Matt Wieters hit his first home run of the season for the Norfolk Tides. Wieters had two hits and is hitting .261 on the season.

Tom Gorzelanny got the start for the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh) and allowed two runs in five innings. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen stole his third base of the year.

Tommy Hanson of the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta) allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday, striking out seven. Hanson threw 95 pitches, 65 for strikes. Hanson might only be a bad start or two from Jo-Jo Reyes away from making his major league debut.

To read the week one minor league report, click here.

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