Posts Tagged ‘Stephen Strasburg’

2010 Lineup Planner – Week 10

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 6th, 2010

Here is a look at the latest news and notes from around the diamond to help you set your fantasy baseball lineup for week 10.

American League:

The Detroit Tigers called up Danny Worth and sent down Adam Everett, so if you still have Worth reserved in an AL only format from earlier in the year, he should see time over Ramon Santiago at shortstop next week. Worth was hitting .287 in Triple-A with two home runs, 18 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Orlando Hudson, out of action since May 30th is expected to go on the disabled list sometime in the next few days. Also at risk to go on the disabled list is shortstop J.J. Hardy who was out of action just a short time ago and is still experiencing pain in his wrist. It was not a pretty sight to see the Minnesota infield on Sunday with a combination of Brendan Harris at first base, Matt Tolbert at second base, Nick Punto at shortstop and Danny Valencia at third base, with all four hitters batting under .225.

Doug Fister is headed to the disabled list for the Seattle Mariners and will be replaced in the rotation by either recently recalled Luke French or by Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Minor league pitcher Jake Arrieta was scratched from his start on Saturday and could be headed to the major leagues in either a starter or relief role. If your league allows for daily transactions, I would watch the news on him closely this week as he could have in impact if he gets some starts. I wrote more about him in the minor league report earlier this week.

With Macier Izturis hobbled by a sore knee, Kevin Frandsen could see some additional at bats at third base this week for the Los Angeles Angels. Frandsen is hitting .452 in 31 at bats in a limited role so far in 2010.

National League:

The big news in the National League is the arrival of two rookies on Tuesday with Stephen Strasburg arriving for the Washington Nationals and Mike Stanton coming up for the Florida Marlins. Strasburg is a two-start starter in week 10 which makes him obviously a player to activate. Stanton should move right into the starting line up and hit seventh. Stanton is still a major risk to your fantasy baseball team’s batting average with his high strikeout rate, but if your team needs home runs and RBI, then I would have him active for this week.

Third basemen David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals is likely out of action until next weekend in order to rest his ankle. He did get one at bat on Sunday in a pinch-hit appearance and could fill that role for half of next week.

Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves is expected to miss the first game or two and possibly more next week as he continues to battle an injured finger which means Omar Infante will see additional time in week 10.

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2010 Two Start Pitchers – Week 10

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 4th, 2010

Here is a complete look at the fantasy baseball two-start pitchers for week 10. Obviously the top tier pitchers are going to be left in your line up, but here is a look at some of the more border line pitchers for mixed league starts and who they face in those starts.

Two-start pitchers week 10: remember again that the list below is more focused on mixed leagues since in AL or NL only leagues in most cases you do not have the option to rotate too many starting pitchers with the smaller player pool. The pitchers below are listed in alphabetical order by team name per category.

American League:

Start them:

Zack Greinke (KC) ~ @MIN (Slowey), @CIN (LeCure)
Jered Weaver (LAA) ~ @OAK (Open), @LAD (Kuroda)
Phil Hughes (NYY) ~ @BAL (Bergesen), HOU (Moehler)
Cliff Lee (SEA) ~ @TEX (Feldman), @SD (LeBlanc)
Felix Hernandez (SEA) ~ @TEX (Lewis), @SD (Richard)
Jeff Niemann (TB) ~ TOR (Marcum), FLA (Volstad)
Colby Lewis (TEX) ~ SEA (Hernandez), @MIL (Gallardo)
Shaun Marcum (TOR) ~ @TB (Niemann), @COL (Francis)

Roll the Dice:

Gavin Floyd (CHW) ~ DET (Galarraga), @CHC (Lilly)
Fausto Carmona (CLE) ~ BOS (Matsuzaka), WAS (Stammen)
Armando Galarraga (DET) ~ @CWS (Floyd), PIT (Karstens)
Kevin Slowey (MIN) ~ KC (Greinke), ATL (Medlen)
Ben Sheets (OAK) ~ LAA (Kazmir), @SF (Zito)

Floyd has been wildly inconsistent this season as opposing hitters are betting 60 points higher against him than in 2009. He had two good starts at the end of May before allowing six runs in 2 2/3 innings against Texas in his last start.  Slowey has been on a roll and hasn’t loss in his last four starts, while allowing a total of seven runs during that time frame. He allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings against Kansas City back on April 25th. Sheets was a much different pitcher in May once the team determined he was tipping his pitches. Sheets has a 3.31 ERA over his last six starts with 36 strikeouts in 38 innings.

Sit Them:

Tim Wakefield (BOS) ~ @CLE (Huff), PHI (Kendrick)
Brad Bergesen (BAL) ~ NYY (Hughes), NYM (Pelfrey)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) ~ @CLE (Carmona), PHI (Hamels)
David Huff (CLE) ~ BOS (Wakefield), WAS (Strasburg)
Scott Kazmir (LAA) ~ @OAK (Sheets), @LAD (Ely)
Scott Feldman (TEX) ~ SEA (Lee), @MIL (Bush)

Wakefield has been bombed his last two starts, allowing 15 runs in 9 2/3 innings. He did throw nine shutout innings against the Phillies on May 23rd so if you feel lucky…I don’t think you can ever spot start Dice-K because he is just so inconsistent. Either you ride him in your line up all year long when healthy or leave him on the bench. If you try to pick the times when you decide to start him, you are going to guess wrong more often than not.

National League:

Start them:

Kris Medlen (ATL) ~ @ARI (Lopez), @MIN (Slowey)
Ted Lilly (CHC) ~ @MIL (Gallardo), CWS (Floyd)
Johnny Cueto (CIN) ~ SF (Zito), KC (Bannister)
Yovani Gallardo (MIL) ~ CHC (Lilly), TEX (Lewis)
Mike Pelfrey (NYM) ~ SD (Richard), @BAL (Bergesen)
Cole Hamels (PHI) ~ SD (LeBlanc), @BOS (Matsuzaka)
Clayton Richard (SD) ~ @NYM (Pelfrey), SEA (Hernandez)
Barry Zito (SF) ~ @CIN (Cueto), OAK (Sheets)
Matt Cain (SF) ~ @CIN (LeCure), OAK
Chris Carpenter (STL) ~ @LAD (Monasterios), @ARI (Lopez)
Stephen Strasburg (WAS) ~ PIT (Karstens), @CLE (Huff)

Roll the Dice:

Edwin Jackson (AZ) ~ ATL (Lowe), STL (Garcia)
Derek Lowe (ATL) ~ @ARI (Jackson), @MIN (Blackburn)
Jeff Francis (COL) ~ HOU (Moehler), TOR (Marcum)
Chris Volstad (FLA) ~ @PHI (Kendrick), @TB (Niemann)
Wade LeBlanc (SD) ~ @PHI (Hamels), SEA (Lee)

Lowe has won 4 of his last 5 starts since allowing seven runs against Philadelphia back on May 7th. In that stretch, he has allowed three runs or fewer in all of those starts. Volstad has lost four of his last five starts despite not surrendering more than three runs in any of them. His ERA of 3.43 in May was 2 1/2 runs lower then what is was in April. LeBlanc is on the fence for me with a road start against Philadelphia and a home start against Cliff Lee. He gave up eight runs in three innings when he faced Seattle almost three weeks ago.

Sit Them:

Rodrigo Lopez (AZ) ~ ATL (Lowe), STL (Carpenter)
Sam LeCure (CIN) ~ SF (Cain), KC (Greinke)
Jason Hammel (COL) ~ HOU (Rodriguez), TOR (Morrow)
Brian Moehler (HOU) ~ @COL (Francis), @NYY (Hughes)
Wandy Rodriguez (HOU) ~ @COL (Hammel), @NYY (Vazquez)
Kyle Kendrick (PHI) ~ FLA (Volstad), @BOS (Wakefield)
Zach Duke (PIT) ~ @WAS (Strasburg), @DET (Galarraga)

Lopez was much better in May than in April with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. With two home starts at Coors Field, I would steer clear of Hammel this week. Kendrick is a tough call, with two good decent starts in a row. He tossed six scoreless innings against the Marlins on 5/28 and allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings against Boston on 5/22. Wandy Rodriguez has two tough road starts, where his ERA is 1.70 higher than at home. His strikeout rate on the road also has taken a hit this year at 4.7 per nine vs. 8.7 at home.

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The Minor League Report – Week 9

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 2nd, 2010

Hopefully if you have been reading previous articles, you have been rostering select minor league players to your reserve spots on your fantasy baseball team in preparation of June when we should start seeing more call ups from the minor leagues.  While you should know almost all of the names on the list below, in case you have been busy this summer, here is a look at the next wave of players that should be coming up.

1) Stephen Strasburg (WAS) – not much to say about him as he as lived up to the hype. Is expected to get his first major league start on June 8th. It looks like the Washington Nationals are going to limit him to around 100 innings or so in the minor leagues. The only number that is potentially impacted is his win total. For example, if he were to theoretically throw 11 complete games, then he hits the mark and is done in August. If he say averages 6 innings per start, then he would get roughly 16 starts the rest of the way which would give him a chance for five additional wins. His minor league numbers to date show a 1.43 ERA with a .79 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings with a .157 batting average against.

2) Carlos Santana (CLE) – There has been very little chatter out of Cleveland as to when Santana may be recalled but with only Lou Marson in front of him, it should be any day now. Santana is hitting .316 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI in 51 games. He has also walked 42 times and struck out 34 which is pretty incredible for a switch-hitting 24-year-old. On top of that, he has also stolen six bases without being caught.

3) Mike Stanton (FLO) – it seems like every day there is news on when Stanton is coming to the major leagues. While the power is legit, there are still questions I have with a strikeout rate of 28% in Double-A. Jumping Triple-A to the majors gives me concern for his batting average, but not his power numbers. He is not going to steal any bases so home runs and RBI is what he is bringing to the table. Stanton is currently hitting .300 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI in 49 games.

4) Aroldis Chapman (CIN) – Chapman has run off three solid starts in a row after struggling in mid-May. He now sports a 3.42 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings. His control and pitch counts are what is keeping him in the minor leagues and with the Cincinnati Reds rotation pitching decent and the team winning there is no need to rush him despite the talent he possesses. I think with another few starts like his last three in succession though would make it easier for the team to promote him with some momentum.

5) Madison Bumgarner (SF) – it looked like Bumgarner was getting close to a call up but the San Francisco Giants have stuck with Todd Wellemeyer as the 5th starter and he has come up with two solid starts in a row. Bumgarner is pitching tonight in Triple-A and has run off 25 1/3 scoreless innings. His season numbers stand at a 2.04 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. With Brian Sabean taking forever to promote Buster Posey and his love of veteran players, Bumgarner might be down on the farm a little longer than he should be.

6) Jake Arrieta (BAL) – there are many holes in the Baltimore rotation so he could be called up at any point this season. He has a 1.91 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP to go along with 60 strikeouts in 66 innings. He has improved his control in his last three starts with two walks per start so he is getting closer to getting the call up. He has also held opposing hitters to a .183 batting average so far this season.

7) Brett Wallace (TOR) – with Lyle Overbay starting to hit a little bit and the Blue Jays banging out home runs every night, there has not been much of a swell of support for Wallace despite his performance in Triple-A. Wallace is hitting .282 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI  in 209 at bats. He still needs a little bit of work on his plate discipline, but he could be called up at anytime and up some decent numbers for your team.

8) Desmond Jennings (TB) – Jennings may have been higher on the list had he not suffered through several injuries to start the season. As it is, with Tampa Bay rolling and the versatility of so many players on the major league team, it is easier to give him more at bats in Triple-A and let him get in a groove which he has yet to find so far this season. Jennings is hitting .248 with 12 stolen bases in 101 at bats.

9) Dan Hudson (CHW) – every time it seems like Freddy Garcia is on the verge of getting bounced from the rotation, he goes out and throws a gem, leaving Hudson to work more in Triple-A. Outside of a bad April, Hudson has turned it around with a solid May, going 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, including 44 strikeouts in 37 innings.

10) Tanner Scheppers (TEX) – not sure how much of a fantasy impact he will have as a set up pitcher, but with all of the volatility we have seen this season at the closer position, you can never go wrong with a power arm in the bullpen. Scheppers has pitched in relief at two levels this year and has a 1.00 ERA and 0.81 WHIP with 42 strikeouts in 27 innings. He could serve a set up role for the Texas Rangers the second half of the season.

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The Minor League Report – Strasburg Debuts

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 11th, 2010

Stephen Strasburg made his debut on the national stage Sunday afternoon for the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Pitching against the Altoona Curve, the minor league team of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Strasburg was at times dominant over five innings of work. He ended the day throwing 82 pitches, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight.

He started the game hitting 99 miles per hour on the gun for the first two innings before settling in at the 97-98 range over the final three frames. He also threw some nasty slurves that had several right-handed hitters backing up from the plate as the ball dropped in for a strike, as well as throwing in a few change ups that were hitting close to 90. It is always nice to have a change up in your back up pocket that you throw as hard as the speed of a fastball for a good majority of the major league pitchers.

When you add in the factor of all the hoopla surrounding the event (70+ media passes handed out plus an over-capacity crowd) coupled with the fact that Strasburg had not thrown for a week and I would have to say it was a pretty successful outing.

From a fantasy baseball perspective, the Washington Nationals have gone on record lately about Strasburg pitching 150-160 innings this season. If we assume that he is called up around June 1 or so, after 8-10 starts in the minor leagues, that would probably leave him with around 90-100 innings or so to pitch in the big leagues this season.

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NFBC Auction Analysis

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 30th, 2010

This past Friday I competed in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) in Las Vegas in a 15-team mixed auction format. The salary cap was $260 in a Rotisserie league format with standard 5 x 5 categories. Due to the cost of the entry fees and the prizes that are paid out, all of the NFBC leagues are no trade leagues in order to avoid possible collusion.

Going into the auction, I had mocked up eight sample teams I could possibly buy in order to hit the targeted goals for each category depending on the flow of the auction. Here are the results for my team:

Hitters:

C – Victor Martinez ($25) – one of the guys I was targeting, as I have written many times before, I don’t believe in punting the catcher position.

C – Russell Martin ($11) – I wasn’t looking to get Martin, but several other catchers went for higher dollar amounts and I needed his 10 stolen bases.

1B – Lance Berkman ($16) – sometimes I am willing to price enforce a player if I think he is under the value I have set for him depending on the makeup of my roster and the other owner that is bidding on him, knowing that I am okay with rostering him if no one bids another dollar. I had $20 forecasted for Berkman so I was okay with him at $16.

2B – Brian Roberts ($17) – I was targeting him at the $16-$17 range, even if he only steals 20, I am happy to get him at a discount

SS – Derek Jeter ($22) – I had him a few dollars higher and was bidding him up, again, happy to get him at this price.

3B – Michael Young ($15) – I had him in the $17-$18 range and with this auction team, I was really trying to ensure my batting average held up to my goal.

Cor – Garrett Jones ($9) – I like being able to put his stolen bases at the corner spot.

Mid – Erick Aybar ($7) – another high average guy, he should steal 15-20 bases and score a ton of runs hitting first.

OF – Shin-Soo Choo ($19) – one of my targets, love to get 20-20 outfielders.

OF – Jason Bay ($22) – I had him a few dollars higher than this.

OF – Adam Dunn ($16) – was too cheap to pass up his power.

OF – Hunter Pence ($15) – another guy I thought was under valued.

OF – Lastings Milledge ($5) – not a huge fan of his, but needed 20 steals and he was the best fit. He is only 25 so there is still some upside there.

UT – Kyle Blanks ($5) – this was one of my main targets, I think he has a ton of upside even in San Diego, especially if he hits clean up.

Overall, I LOVE my offense. I tried to minimize risk by not going over $25 for any player so I think I was able to get a solid team and I should be first or second in every hitting category barring injuries. There was another team that drafted all closers and bought Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez as his first three hitters so his offense is loaded as well.

On the flip side, the pitching staff is not as pretty. I figured from mock drafts the way that pitchers were getting drafted several rounds higher that the prices would be higher as well and I was correct. I had set slots for 4 $10 starting pitchers, but once I saw those guys going in the $13-$15 range, I loaded up on offense and will have to scramble for pitching during the season.

Pitchers:

P – Max Scherzer ($8) – not a target, but I was happy to get his strikeouts for under $10

P – Stephen Strasburg ($5) – once I realized I was going to be short on pitching, I needed to take a chance on some strikeout pitchers that can help me later in the season. I think his numbers as far as starts / innings should mirror Tommy Hanson of 2009.

P – Aroldis Chapman ($3) – see Strasburg.

P – Jeff Niemann ($5) – picked up his strikeouts the second half of last year and has been striking out even more this spring

P – Wade Davis ($5) – hasn’t been that good in spring, but I still like his talent.

P – Hiroki Kuroda ($3) – good ratios to balance the rest of my staff.

P – Bronson Arroyo ($3) – numbers were much better the second half of the season when he put down his guitar.

RP – Jonathan Broxton ($19) – I would rather play two closers than three when possible so I wanted at least one solid guy. His price was the same as Mariano Rivera’s and I would rather have the extra 30-40 strikeouts.

RP – Leo Nunez ($5) – decent price for a second closer.

Reserves:

I had the first pick in the reserve draft so that too played into my thinking for how I built my pitching staff. I was hoping to grab Colby Lewis, Ian Kennedy, Jaime Garcia or Jeremy Hellickson here but they were all taken at the end of the auction.

So instead I went with Daisuke Matsuzaka with my first reserve pick followed by Kevin Correia and Ricky Romero. I also took a flier on Oliver Perez and added David Bush, so I have a few pitchers to possibly rotate into my rotation while waiting for Strasburg and Chapman. I grabbed two hitters in Chris Carter (Oakland) and Nate Schierholtz.

The way my offense is stacked, I don’t really need any hitters on reserve, but Schierholtz is insurance in case Berkman misses the first week and I can swing Dunn over to first base, which is another advantage of drafting / buying players that are eligible at multiple positions.

Overall, my pitching staff is a little short on some numbers, although I should be okay in saves assuming Nunez has the job the entire season. If Correia and Romero hold up, Dice-K comes back to form and Strasburg and Chapman are up by the start of June, I think my team will be in contention.

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2010 Washington Nationals Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 22nd, 2010

This is the fifth part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the National League East. 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 Washington Nationals Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Nyjer Morgan (ADP 125)
2.  SS Christian Guzman  (ADP 367)
3.  3B Ryan Zimmerman (ADP 35)
4.  1B Adam Dunn (ADP 71)
5.  LF Josh Willingham (ADP 249)
6.  RF Willie Harris (ADP ND)
7.  2B Adam Kennedy (ADP 355)
8.  C Ivan Rodriguez (ADP 361)

2010 Washington Nationals Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  John Lannan (ADP 463)
2.  Jason Marquis (ADP 424)
3.  Garrett Mock (ADP ND)
4.  J.D. Martin / Livan Hernandez (ADP ND / ND)
5.  Scott Olsen / Craig Stammen (ADP ND/ ND)

Closer – Matt Capps (ADP 221)
Handcuff – Brian Bruney

2010 Washington Nationals prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Stephen Strasburg – SP
2.  Drew Storen – RP
3.  Ian Desmond – SS


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Spring Training News & Notes from Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 10th, 2010

Here is a look at the Spring Training News & Notes from Tuesday. The news & notes are focused on changes that affect players value as well as players coming back off of injuries or rookies that might make an impact.

Hitters:

Sean Rodriguez has been seeing time all over the diamond in spring training and could turn into a super utility player for the Tampa Bay Rays like Ben Zobrist was last season.

Garrett Jones went two-for-three with three RBI and his first home run of the spring. I like him more as a first basemen where you can get more value from his stolen bases.

Ian Desmond got a start in right field and stole his second base of spring for the Washington Nationals as he too could be looking at a super utility role backing up shortstop, second base and the outfield corner spots.

He struggled with injuries and a drop in power in 2009, but Rick Ankiel is a sneaky choice for late draft power if he can stay healthy for 450 at bats in 2010. He hit his first home run of the spring on Tuesday and should be able to hit 20+ home runs this season.

After hitting lead off 79% of the time in 2009, it looks like Ian Kinsler is set to enter the season hitting fifth in the order with Julio Borbon installed atop the lineup. It should mean an upgrade in RBI for Kinsler and push him into the 90+ range in 2010.

Pitchers:

I said last week I expect Stephen Strasburg to open the season in the major leagues and he took his first step toward doing that on Tuesday with two shutout innings and two strikeouts. Other people seem to be thinking that as well as I saw him go in the 12th round of a 15 team mock draft yesterday.

Chris Young of the San Diego Padres had an encouraging start after missing a good portion of 2009 due to surgery, tossing three shutout innings with two strikeouts.

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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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Fantasy Baseball Minor League Report – week 5

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 9th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Although he is not yet in the minor leagues, in fact, he may never spend a day there, keeper league owners should be tracking Stephen Strasburg, the pitcher from San Diego State who should be the first pick by the Washington Nationals in the  June draft. Strasburg threw a no-hitter on Friday night against Air Force with 17 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory. On the year, Strasburg’s record stands at 11-0 with 164 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings. There is a good chance, depending on when he signs his contract after being drafted, that he could head right into a major league rotation. In other fantasy baseball news from the minor leagues…

Chris Coghlan was recalled from Triple-A by the Florida Marlins and will have a chance to earn a starting role while playing a variety of positions. Coghlan was hitting .344 with three home runs, 22 RBI and nine stolen bases in 96 at bats. He showed a good eye at the plate, with 12 walks and only 10 strikeouts. He started at second base on Friday, going 2 for 4, but should see the majority of time in left field initially.

Xavier Paul was recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers to fill the roster spot for the suspended Manny Ramirez. Paul was hitting .344 with two home runs and eight stolen bases and will serve as the fourth outfielder for the next fifty games until Ramirez returns.

Nolan Reimold could be one of the next call ups from the minor leagues if the Baltimore Orioles ever get serious about improving their outfield. Although a bit older at 25, Reimold has been hitting non-stop since the season started. He currently holds a batting average of .387 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and five stolen bases.

Tommy Hanson struck out 10 in six innings while allowing one run in his last start. With David Price struggling with his command in Triple-A, Hanson seems to have taken over the spot as top pitching prospect currently in the minors. I liked the comparison Baseball America had on their weekly Hot Sheet from a statistics standpoint between Hanson and Tim Lincecum from his time in Triple-A.

Hanson       IP: 32 2/3      Walks: 11     Strikeouts: 48

Lincecum  IP: 31               Walks: 11     Strikeouts: 46

Kris Medlen (Braves) is still managing to keep pace with his teammate Hanson in Triple-A, striking out 10 in seven innings in his last start. Medlen now has a 1.17 ERA and 0.78 whip ratio, while holding batters to .167 average. In 30 2/3 innings, he has struck out 38 hitters.

Could he be hiding an injury? David Price (Rays) has run into command problems in his last three starts, walking 12 in 11 innings. His whip ratio has climbed to 1.62 on the year and he has struck out only two batters in his last two starts.

Luke Hochevar is patiently waiting for a call up from the Kansas City Royals as he continues to dominate in Triple-A. Hochevar struck out nine in eight shutout innings on Thursday, and is now 5-0 on the season. Hochevar’s ERA is now a sparkling 0.90, with 30 strikeouts in 40 innings of work.

Also biding his time in Triple-A is Clay Buchholz (Red Sox). Buchholz hurled seven shutout innings on Friday in a 4-0 win. Buchholz allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. On the season, his ERA is now 1.33 with 26 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Desmond Jennings (Rays) continues to rake in AA, at one point putting together six consecutive multi-hit games, raising his batting average to .400 on the season. Jennings has three home runs with 22 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Aaron Poreda (White Sox) currently carries an 1.65 ERA in AA with 28 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. With Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon in the major league rotation, Poreda will see starts in the major leagues at some point this season.

Jarrod Parker (Diamondbacks) who jumped to AA at the beginning of May has found the hitters a little tougher in his two starts there. In 10 1/3 innings, he has allowed 16 hits with 11 strikeouts.

Ian Kennedy (Yankees) will undergo surgery on Tuesday, after being diagnosed with an aneurysm under his right armpit. Kennedy, 24, will have the surgery performed by the same doctor who did David Cone’s procedure for an aneurysm back in 1996.

Neftali Feliz (Rangers) missed his start on Friday after complaining of shoulder soreness. Feliz has struggled with his control this year, allowing 16 walking and 23 hits in 19 2/3 innings.

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