Quick trade question. I was exploring trading Stephen Strasburg to see what value he had in our league. In a vacuum, how does this deal look. I know which way I am leaning but want to see some opinions:

I give: Hanley Ramirez, Stephen Strasburg, Draft Pick

I receive: Giancarlo Stanton, Elvis Andrus

Hanley has an expiring contract this year and I likely would keep him - Strasburg signed through next season. Stanton is signed at low money through 2014 and Andrus is expiring (likely re-sign under our current rules). At face value, what do people see here?

My team (16 team league):

I understand that contracts, etc. are now given here so a complete analysis isn't possible... but I think I am looking for opinions on the deal with the broad contracts of the players involved.

Thanks to all for any input.

I have been offered a trade in a Keeper League with the following set-up: Keep 15 MLB players per year and 5 MiLB players per year. Head to head with scoring categories of R, HR, RBI, SB, E, AVE, OPS, W, SV, K, ERA, WHIP.

I am in need of a 2B guy and have been offered the following trade. My question is whether this makes sense for my team both this year (which I think it certainly does), but the impact of the trade for next season and beyond.

I was offered Ian Kinsler and a draft pick for 2013 in exchange for Bryce Harper - as of right now, how high the draft pick is, has not been determined but I would likely want it to be pretty high, if not his first pick. Should I ask for more?

My team:

C: Russel Martin

1B: Adrian Gonzalez

2B: Mike Aviles

3B: Ryan Zimmerman

SS: Jose Reyes

OF: Jay Bruce

OF: Giancarlo Stanton

OF: Jason Heyward

UTL: Eric Hosmer

UTL: Drew Stubbs

BENCH: J.D. Martinez

SP: Felix Hernandez

SP: CC Sabathia

SP: Yovani Gallardo

RP: Joel Hanranhan

RP: Sean Marshall

P: Greg Holland

P: David Hernandez

P: James Shields

BENCH: Daniel Hudson

BENCH: Mike Minor

BENCH: Tommy Hanson

BENCH: Colby Lewis

Minor League roster has 10 players that can be brought up at any time:

MiLB: Casey Kelly

MiLB: Bryce Harper

MiLB: Manny Banuelos

MiLB: Gary Sanchez

MiLB: Gary Brown

MiLB: Bubba Starling

MiLB: Anthony Rendon

MiLB: Francisco Lindor

MiLB: Will Middlebrooks

MiLB: Brandon Nimmo

I have plenty of OF guys that could come up in the next several years to pair with my core of Bruce, Stanton, and Heyward which is very young already so losing Harper wouldn't be that big of a hit, but is he that 'special' that I should think about this trade offer more? And I am a bit worried about Kinsler's propensity to miss time each year with injuries. This team has been bad for a while but has made the playoffs two of the last three seasons (missed out last season), so I have been agressive with trades...

Thanks for any and all opinions.

Format: Yahoo standard, Head-to-Head, 12 Teams - drafting from the #8 position.

Draft Results:

Thoughts:

* Happy with my first 6 or 8 rounds (most noticeable weakness - power at 1B)

*SP corp is pretty solid - no big leaps here and no wildcards - should know about what to expect from that crew

*RP group was mainly drafted with the intent of ERA and WHIP control and adding K's - drafted mainly set-up guys with low ERA and high K's for the position.

*Decent speed on the team but doubt I will win any batting titles

*I should be competitive with the pitching group for most all categories except saves

*Bounce backs from Mauer and Rasmus will go a long way to helping solidify the offence.

I welcome any feedback - this was a good warmup for the money leagues coming up

I am in a bit of a bind.  I have Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder on my MLB roster in a keeper league (no contracts, just number of keepers per year limit).  On my minor league team, I have Eric Hosmer.  I have had some owners contact me recently about Hosmer's availability.  One owner who is the most serious about doing a deal has offered Julio Teheran and a role player (i.e. non-keeper level) player and has also offered Shelby Miller but wanted me to give him a fairly high draft pick as well with Hosmer to make that deal.

I would be hesitant but told him I would do Hosmer for Miller straight up but he wanted more so that one seems dead and while I love Miller I am not going to to overpay for him at this point in the season.

My question is whether I am better off getting a top shelf pitching prospect in Teheran for Hosmer or would a better move be to trade AGon or Fielder in the offseason in a big deal for something(s) and keep Hosmer to tandem with the other 1B guy left?  (Both Hosmer and Teheran will need to be kept on the MLB roster next season and Miller will still be MiLB eligible in our league so there is some added value for roster flexibility with Miller).

Looking for thoughts on the above situation.  I am inclined to just sit tight and see what comes my way this offseason.  One of the 1B guys will have to be traded because I don't see myself keeping all three on my MLB roster.  Thanks for any input.

A couple weeks back I posted about a potential trade in my keeper league - see link here for roster details and history.

I finally came to terms with the other owner and the follow deal was made:

I give:  Ubaldo Jiminez, Jordan Walden, Wil Myers (minors)

I get:  Adrian Gonzalez

My first impression was that I gave up a lot but really how secure are the majority of closer's jobs and how far away is Myers from helping my team.  Jiminez is my biggest loss and I am sad to see him go.  I didn't have to give up any of my offensive tools to get the deal done which was a nice plus.

Thoughts?

I have been offered the following trade in a keeper league (no salaries or contracts - just keep 15 from your MLB roster each year).

I give:  Ubaldo Jiminez and Alex Rios

I get:  Adrian Gonzalez and Wade Davis

I have Prince Fielder already at 1B so one of them would take up a Utlity spot.  My OF is very young with Heyward, Stanton, Bruce, Stubbs, and Rios but has potential to be very good.  My only two SB guys are Stubbs and Rios so I would effectively be punting that category if I do this deal.  My starters are in good shape so I can absorb the loss of Ubaldo.  I just am not really excited about Davis and am worried that my team 'balance' might be thrown off if I do the deal.

Thoughts?

Quick trade question to get some feedback from the community.  I don't know if I should do the deal or not.

The quick details:  Would you trade Tommy Hanson for Justin Upton (I would have to give a little more to my Hanson like a high draft pick or something of that nature).

The other players (keepers for 2011):  OF consists of Heyward, Stanton, Bruce, Rios, Stubbs - P consists of Felix, Ubaldo, Gallardo, Hanson, Daniel Hudson, Zimmermann

Does Upton disrupt any balance that I may have between my offense and pitching?  Is Hanson worth another high strike-out guy with 20/20 skills since I already have Rios and Stubbs?  Should I just stay put?

As a side note, another owner is looking for a large OF upgrade in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez.  I do have Prince Fielder, but would the Upton addition allow me to move him directly for AGon - and if so, would that make sense for my team make-up?

Thanks for any feedback or opinions.

Here's the rules - rank Jay Bruce, Jason Heyward, and Mike Stanton - consider this a keeper league with no contracts.  Standard offensive categories:  BA, OPS, R, HR, RBI.

Rank them based on a 3 year window starting this year.  

Something for the comments section:  If Ryan Braun were added to the group, he would surely be #1 for this year - but, does he remain #1 for the next 2012 and 2013 or does someone from this group overtake him as potentially #1 OF in fantasy?  Note:  I am excluding Crawford and others for breavity.  

Thanks for voting and for any comments.

So we have entered the offseason for Major League Baseball and the winter meetings are upon us.  Typically there is a lot of non-sensical trade feelers thrown around at these meetings with few of them actually having any teeth...  So, I would like to play devil's advocate for a second here and see how likely or unlikely the following situation is:  

My first Improbable Prediction for 2011:  The New York Yankees' pitching rotation will consist of CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Zack Greinke...  Follow my reasoning after the jump below:

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Jaff Decker is really coming around after a terrible first half of the season - he will be a top 50 prospect repeat next year.  He is slugging .860 in 14 August games.  Before the minor league all star break he played in 29 games and was hitting .191 with 3 HR and 13 RBI.  After that point, in 50 games he has hit .305 with 14 HR and 46 RBI with a 1.055 OPS (0.575 OPS in the pre-all star break games).  Nice turn around.  And I still say he looks like Travis Snider.

Jesus Montero is staying hot - hit a HR yesterday and is now at a .284 AVE with 15 HR and 57 RBI - he is one fire in the second half of the season - OPS of 1.129.

Short post today but noticed that Kevin Goldstein reported that Ruben Sierra Jr. is in Rookie ball with the Rangers and he is batting .500 in 6 games there.  

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Well the Nationals and Bryce Harper came to an agreement last night that will pay the teenager just shy of $10 Million.  I think its more than chicks that like the long-ball from the size of that contract.  Its been reported that he will start his career at the Gulf Coast League and then head over to instructionals in the Fall (with the possibility of playing in the AFL also).  Good going Bryce - now don't go letting that money inflate the ego any further - work hard and show the people of Washington that the team is spending its money wisely.

Jeremy Jeffress has had a rocky career in the minors, to say the least.  Busted twice for tokin' it up, he is now on his last chance before he receives a lifetime ban.  Jeffress can rock a upper 90's heater but has always had trouble with throwing strikes.  Kind of reminds me of Rick Vaughn from the movie Major League.  This year (after completing the 100 game suspension he received for his second offense last year)  he has been throwing out of the bullpen and throwing strikes, mostly.  He may get a shot with the Brewers in September.  Hope he can keep his nose clean from here on out.  To date he has 38K's in 28 IP vs. 11 BB's and a sub 2.00 ERA.  

Derek Norris continues to work his way back from a wrist injury and concussion early in the year.  The .224 BA doesn't inspire much, but he does sport a .416 OBP due to an excellent eye (74 BB vs. 72K in 236 AB).  There are a couple of things that are really telling as to why he has struggled when he does swing the bat.  His BABIP is slightly low at .277 compared to ..329 and .342 in 2008 and 2009 respectively.  The biggest drop off this year compared to his break-out last year is in his line drive percentage and his fly ball statistics.  Currently he is sitting at 8.3% line drive percentage - as a note, in the range of 15% would be good.  Last year he was sitting at just over 20%.  Line drives have a much higher rate of falling safely (or at least produces an out less frequently) than a fly ball or a ground ball.  This line drive rate is low and get this - his fly ball rate is sky high this year at around 64% (mid-40%) the last couple years.  So what does all this tell me?  Norris has an excellent eye at the plate - no doubt.  When he does put the ball in play, he is popping it up and by the looks of the low line drive rate he is simply not driving the ball.  His infield fly % sits at nearly 20% - that is absurdly high.  Bottom line is when he makes contact, he isn't make solid contact.  The wrist injury that he sustained is similar to what Pedro Alvarez dealt with - everyone was wondering when the power would return.  Well it did, and he did just fine for himself.  I suspect that if Norris can maintain the excellent plate discipline then his stroke will come back and he will be moving up the ranks again quickly in Washington.  Might be a 2011 bargain for dynasty leagues as you can get him pretty darn cheap I assume.  2010 is a wash for him and next year will tell the real story of what we really should expect.

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Jordan Zimmermann is getting closer to a return the the majors with each start.  Although pitch-count / innings limited, he has shown excellent command and appears to be ready to make a good comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2011.  While we don't know how many innings he will be able to pitch next year, we do know that returning from such a procedure and producing at a high level is very doable.  Josh Johnson is probably at the top of the list of recent successes after having TJ surgery.  Expect late August or early September to get a glimpse of Mr. Zimmermann.  If he can come back to be in the 8-9 K/9 range, he will team up quite nicely with Stephen Strasburg to head up Washington's rotation of the future.

Derek Holland will get another stab at the majors after rehabbing for a bit - he had some sore shoulder troubles before the all-star break and needed some rest and rehab.  He will start on Wednesday for Texas.  He owns a sub-2.00 ERA on the year in the minors so he has the goods - as with any player, health is paramount to capitalizing on the big league opportunities.

We will see tonight if Bryce Harper, James Taillion, and Manny Machado sign with Washington, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore respectively.  With so many millions of dollars on the table, I don't see any of them walking away unless there is a severe aversion to playing with one of those teams.  I think Harper can get moved through the system quickly next year while Taillion and Machado take a more traditional ride through the minors starting in A-ball next season.  Harper could start at A+ ball or even AA - although its really tough to believe since he is only 17.  One thing going for Harper is that he has shown he already can hit with a wood bat - and by hit, I mean mash the heck out of the ball.  Kid has skills - if he had the attitude of Mike Stanton or Jason Heyward, I would be touting him as the next great thing - until he gets his attitude in check I think he won't quite maximize his potential.  Time will tell.

Statistics after the jump: 

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Jaff Decker came into 2010 injured and took a long time to get things going once he came back.  Since the all-star break however he is showing why he climbed the prospect lists last year.  Flashing his power and high average skills, he reminds me a bit of Travis Snider - both a bit stocky but can handle the stick.  Dacker may lose his top 50 prospect status due to his dreadful start but should he enter 2011 healthy, he is a definite pick-up in dynasty leagues with a minor league system.

Mike Moustakas fouled a ball off his foot and should be out for a few games - negative x-rays so shouldn't be too terrible.  Look for a September cup-o-coffee with Kansas City if healthy.

Of the top 15 prospects (according to MiLB.com), only Desmond Jennings and Dustin Ackley are still in the minor leagues.  Note: Domonic Brown may be returning to minor league land with the return of Vicorino.  Other than those two, it has certainly been the year of the rookie.  Many have given solid contributions.  With all the promotions, it will be very difficult to select a top 15 list for next year.  If Jennings remains in the minors for the remainder of the year, I think he has to be considered for the #1 spot.  I don't see Harper grabbing it and break-outs like Mike Trout, Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Julio Teheran just don't seems to have 'it' to grab the top overall prospect spot.  With all respects to Trout, he seems the most likely, of the group above, to be able to snag the #1 spot, but I it just doesn't feel right to me for some reason.  Upcoming post with the potential suitors for the top 10 or 15 for next year's prospect list will be up soon.

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Aroldis Chapman  will be coming to Cincinnati very soon.  He has been working in relief in Louisville and will provide an electric arm out of the pen for Dusty Baker and the Reds.  In his last 10 appearances, he has thrown 12.1 innings, picked up 2 Wins, 6 Saves, 1.46 ERA, and sported a 19K : 3BB ratio.  He was pretty good as a starter but looks like he could have similar late inning impact that Neftali Feliz had last year.  I doubt he gets many save chances in the bigs in 2010 but with the Red's young arms being more than sufficient, he may stick in the pen.

Tim Beckham has lost some luster but stole his 20th base last night.  Dustin Ackley still hasn't shown any power but is hitting much better at AAA.  His defense reportedly still needs work so he will likely be at AAA to start 2011.  Freddie Freeman continues to pound the ball at AAA and should have a great shot at making Atlanta's big club out of camp next year - he is only 20 years old by the way.  Atlanta is loaded with young studs with Freeman and Jason Heyward, along with a slew of young top-notch pitching prospects (Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, et.al.)  

Yesterday's stats (after the jump) provided by www.minorleaguesplits.com 

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I am starting to see what all the buzz is about with Mike Trout - yes, I know, late to the party I am...  he is extremely young and performing exceptionally at the lower levels.  What I am waiting for is to see that type of production at AA - then I will get pretty excited.  Wil Myers will be shooting up the prospect lists as well.  He is hitting nearly .400 for the year.  As with many big bats that are at the catcher position, there are questions about the defense and if a position change is in the works somewhere down the line - I think he will be a catcher for about one more year before they start working him at some other positions.  Eric Hosmer keeps hitting AA ball.  In A+ ball he hit for a high average and had lots o' doubles in a good pitchers park/league.  Now out of that stadium he is crushing the ball - he probably finally lands somewhere in between with his MLB outlook however.  I'm not sure there is a better minor league pitcher than Julio Teheran.  The Braves have tried to challenge him all year by moving him agressively through the minor league system - he is at his 3rd level this year - all the way up to AA as a 19 year old.  We often see 20 and 21 year old players described as very young for the AA level.  I think he starts 2011 as a top 10 prospect and will destroy AA for a couple months before an eventual promotion to AAA or the Majors.

Thanks to minorleaguesplits.com for the daily compilation of yesterday's minor league action.

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The baseball season sure is flying by...  As many of the top prospects continue to make their debuts, it may be a good time to start kicking the tires on who the top 10 or 15 prospects are for 2011.  Ray eluded to this in his minor league post today.  Only 2 players in the top 15 (of MiLB's top 50 list) are still in the minor leagues - Desmond Jennings and Dustin Ackley.  Other than them, the rest of the top 15 is in the majors and likely won't have prospect status to start next season.  New draftees such as Bryce Harper will surely be in consideration (assuming he signs a contract)... and guys further down the list have a chance to move up significantly (i.e. Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Chris Carter).  And then there are the youngsters who have broke out this year - most notably and often talked about is Mike Trout.  There will be a detailed post coming up regarding some of the top candidates for the top ten spots... Jeremy Hellickson may very well enter the discussion for the #1 spot if he doesn't get enough service time with the Rays this season...

Much thanks to minorleaguesplits.com for the statistics below of some of the top prospects' performaces from yesterday.

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I recently submitted a trade in my 12 team mixed league Keeper League.  The scoring is pretty standard H2H with typical categories (R, HR, RBI, SB, Errors, AVE, OPS, W, SV, SO, ERA, WHIP).  We keep 15 players from our rosters each year - My team is as follows:

Fielders:  Geovany Soto, Prince Fielder, Martin Prado, Gordon Beckham, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Drew, Alex Rios, Jason Heyward, Jay Bruce, Juan Pierre, Chris Coghlan, Andres Torres, Delmon Young.

Pitchers:  Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, Phil Hughes, Clay Buchholz, John Danks, Scott Baker, Madison Bumgarner, Jason Hammel, Jair Jurrjens, Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch.

The minor league guys can be stashed until they reach the major league service time and deemed MLB eligible by the league commish.  Minor League:  Mike Stanton, Jesus Montero, Eric Hosmer, Tim Beckham, Casey Kelly, Jemile Weeks, Tanner Scheppers, Aaron Crow, Jose Iglesias, Derek Holland.

I like my team - its young with lots of projection and some really good performers already headed into prime years.  Starting pitching is my obvious strength and I tend to overvalue it.  I was looking to really boost my offense with a blockbuster addition:

I give:  Mike Stanton, John Danks, Stephen Drew, 2011 Round 1 Draft Pick

I get:  Ryan Braun

The owner has the following OF players:  Justin Upton, Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez, Shin-Soo Choo, Desmond Jennings.  He has a Middle infield need so he wants Drew but I know that I would have to wow him to come close to getting Braun (He informed me that Upton and McCutchen are untouchables for his team).

I have not gotten a response yet so I am patiently waiting - what do you all think?  Is it a decent offer?  Stanton's value is quite high in the league since its a keeper format.

Just thought I would see what some opinions were on it as I wait for his reply.

Via MLBTradeRumors.com:

The Blue Jays acquired shortstop Yunel Escobar and pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes from the Braves for shortstop Alex Gonzalez and minor leaguers Tim Collins and Tyler Pastronicky, according to a team press release.  The Jays designated Ronald Uviedo for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

The move comes as a big surprise, as Escobar was perhaps one of the more valuable commodities in the game when the 2009 season concluded.  Just a few days ago, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote that the Braves "simply aren't willing to sell low on a guy who they still view as the game's top defensive shortstop."  Escobar was worth over four wins last year, but his power has disappeared in 301 plate appearances this year.  Escobar will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, so he'll be under the Jays' control through 2013.

 

I agree that this a little surprising for Atlanta.  Are the Braves just getting started wheel'n and deal'n?

LHP Madison Bumgarner was called up from Triple-A Fresno and will start Saturday's nationally televised game against the Red Sox. Bumgarner was scratched from his start Friday night in Portland, fueling speculation he would be called up to start. Then Martinez warmed up in the bullpen during the Giants' 5-4 win over the Red Sox. It was becoming obvious it would be Bumgarner and not Martinez to start Saturday.
(Yahoo! Sports)

The game starts at 7:10 tonight.  What has two thumbs and will be watching the game?  This guy.

A few days ago we asked which player you would prefer to slot at your 3B position and gave the following information (taken from the original post here) assuming you were in a keeper league:

Player A:  51 Games / .348 Ave. / .417 OBP / .702 SLG / 17 HR / 63 RBI / 19 Doubles

Player B:  66 Games / .277 Ave. / .363 OBP / .533 SLG / 13 HR / 53 RBI / 15 Doubles

Player A is playing in AA and is 21 Years old.  This player was selected #2 overall in the 2007 draft as a short stop and eventually moved to third base to better suit his large frame (230 lbs. @ 5'11")

Player B was just called up and is 23 years old - he compiled the above statistics in AAA.  He was selected #2 overall in the 2008 draft.

Players revealed after the jump...

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Here is a quick minor league comparison question for you all.  In terms of what you would be looking for to slot someone to take over your third base duties in the near future, which player would you prefer  assuming you are in a keeper league?  These statistics are from 2010 only.  Each player is a member of a terrible MLB franchise so there is no one blocking them.

Player A:  51 Games / .348 Ave. / .417 OBP / .702 SLG / 17 HR / 63 RBI / 19 Doubles

Player B:  66 Games / .277 Ave. / .363 OBP / .533 SLG / 13 HR / 53 RBI / 15 Doubles

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Here is Friday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for June 4 through June 10.  Lots of movers this past week – obviously the Stephen Strasburg and Mike Stanton debuts have been well covered thus far.  We will make a quick mention below.  Also making debuts were Brad Lincoln, Jose Tabata, and Jake Arrieta. 

Tonight Carlos Santana will make his MLB debut – this has been highly anticipated by anyone following the success of Santana and the corresponding struggles of Lou Marson.

Some others that should follow very soon are Pedro Alvarez and Madison Bumgarner.  Alvarez has been absolutely on fire lately (see his stats in the list below for the last week) and Todd Wellenmyer was recently injured with may prompt San Francisco to get Bumgarner back in town.

Click below for more stats and information.

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Here is Wednesday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for June 2 through June 8.  A couple of notes of interest on the minor league players as well as feature Brad Lincoln today as he makes his major league debut for Pittsburgh against the Nationals – Jose Tabata will also make his MLB debut today for Pittsburgh.  Really nice weeks from Chris Marrero and Wil Myers.  I also would think that Dan Hudson would get a chance for the White Sox sometime soon with his performance at AAA thus far.

Click below for player stats and information.

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Here is Monday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 31 through June 6.  The Monday list will soon graduate a Stephen Strasburg who is set to make his debut with the Nationals on Tuesday.  Over the weekend, Mike Stanton was notified he will also make his MLB debut on Tuesday.  Stanton could hit 5 HR in his first week and could combine that with a 50% K-rate.  He will be an impact bat but tempter your expectations on his average.  Brad Lincoln will also get to make his debut this week for the Pirates (Thrusday I believe).  With the graduation of Buster Posey, I added a few more notable prospects that have not been on the lists thus far – Desmond Jennings, Mike Moustakas, Tim Beckham, and Tyler Matzek.

·         Jesus Montero’s struggles continue.  After a 1 for 19 week, his 2010 average sits at .217 with only 3 HR and 21 RBI.  Kid can hit and is only 20 years old in AAA.  No worries yet.

·         Desmond Jennings started the year injured.  Since his return, he has played 35 games and compiled a .227 average with 7 RBI (0HR).  He is showing his excellent speed going 12 for 13 in stole base attempts.

·         Jaff Decker was also injured to start the year and is still trying to find the stroke that put him on MiLB’s top 50 prospect list.  In 19 games so far he is batting a disappointing .159 Ave. / .225 OBP / .258 SLG.

·         Dustin Ackley has turned his early struggle around in a big way.  April saw him hitting in the range of .147 with little of anything else to redeam his performance.  To date his Average has climbed into the .250’s and is showing excellent plate discipline with 40BB in 50 game (167 AB).  His power isn’t here yet (and some think it never will be) but the improvement over the last month makes me a believer again.

·         Chris Carter continues his march toward Oakland.  Three more homers this week gives him 13 for the season.  His average is low at .238 and he strikes out a lot (65K in 210 AB), but with modest improvement in that area he could get a shot to show his stuff by year’s end.

·         Mike Moustakas is currently the minor league leader in slugging – and pretty convincingly – at .735 SLG (Mike Stanton is 2^nd at .726).  He has 13 HR for the season thus far and is batting an excellent .367 average.   He is doing his best to change people’s perception of his ‘underperformance’ last year.  I think the 2010 performance is more like what we all should expect moving forward.

·         Tim Beckham keeps playing with the idea of breaking out of his slow start.  He is batting in the low .200’s with 5 HR on the year but is showing more speed on the basepaths than last year with 10 steals in 14 attempts (13 for 23 in 2009).  His plate discipline still is a work in progress (50K’s in 167 AB) but his new work habits (better training and weight issues) are leading to better results overall.

·         Stephen Strasburg will be up for good starting Tuesday – his last start at AAA was a win (5 IP, 0 ER, 5 K)

·         Jeremy Hellickson continues to wait for his chance to come up to Tampa and show his stuff.  He has a 2.28 ERA on the year and sports a 71K to 17 BB ratio.

·         Madison Bumgarner improved to 5-1 on the year and now has a 2.73 ERA for the season.  His ERA since his disastrous April 14^th start is an impressive 1.29 ERA.  His K-rate isn’t where it was when he was making A-ball batters look silly, but it appears that concerns that he has lost his stuff were overblown.  The Fresno staff tweaked his delivery slightly and he has been lights out since then. 

·         Aroldis Chapman continues to pitch well at AAA – 60K in 52 IP for the season.  Could be an excellent arm out of the bullpen for the Reds down the stretch if they are still in the NL central race.

·         Julio Teheran has put up the best numbers across all levels thus far for a pitcher.  Granted he has feasted on Low-A and A+ hitters.  He will most likely be named Atlanta’s #1 prospect to start next season.  32K to 4 BB in 4 starts since being promoted to A+ and has posted a 1.02 ERA in that span.

·         Just looking at the numbers, one has to wonder if there is something wrong with Phillippe Aumont.  He is now 1-6 at AA with 38K to 38BB.  In his last 7 starts he has allowed fewer than 4ER only once.  His season ERA is well over 7.00.

·         Tyler Matzek has made 3 starts thus far in his professional debut after being in extended spring training to start the year.  He has a 2.40 ERA in 3 starts with 10 hits allowed in 15 IP to go with 18 K’s.  He’s good.

Player stats for the week are just a click away – see below for more info.

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Here is Friday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 28 through June 3.  The Friday list will soon graduate a couple players to the ‘The Show’ in the next week or two (at least likely anyway).  Mike Stanton and Carlos Santana are rumored – and rightly so – to be coming up to Florida and Cleveland respectively. 

• Yonder Alonso is still finding his footing in AAA – the Reds have no immediate need to bring him up as they have been hot lately and some good young players are stepping up.  This allows Yonder to develop and not rush – he is a good one but needs another year or so at AAA.
• Mike Stanton had a ‘typical’ week – mashed 3 more homers and showed off in front of the Marlins’ big wigs blasting two for them in the Suns’ game they came to see.  Rumors have been spotted that suggest next week as a call up when some more interleague action happens so he can be used in the DH spot (or rotate with the other 3 OF guys with one being the DH each game).  Stanton could very well hit 10 homers in his first 50 AB but he could also add 25K’s in those 50 AB’s.  He is much like Jason Heyward in that they are both students of the game and their preparation and study far exceeds what is the norm for their age.
• Jose Iglesias only played 2 games this past week as he needed a few days off after injuring his hand.  I didn’t read anything that sounded serious so he should be back soon.
• Solid week from Carlos Santana – Cleveland skipper Manny Acta reportedly has had some contact with him.  Reports are that his defense is really a concern at this point but his bat is enough to prompt the team to bring him up in the next week or so.  I suspect with how things are in Cleveland, they will let him work it out behind the plate, but may get some DH in as well.
• Chris Davis had a power outburst this week – he has been quite solid since being sent down in favor of Justin Smoak (.189 Ave. / 5HR / 15RBI in 39 games).  I think Davis gets another chance relatively soon, around the all-star break (or sooner if there is an injury).
• Trevor May now has 39BB in 46.1 IP.  He strikes out a lot of batters but until he fixes the BB, he is of little interest in keeper formats.
• Aaron Crow continued his uneven season – this time with the bad end of uneven – next week, I expect to see the good.
• Mike Montgomery left his last start (May 27) early with elbow soreness.  He also showed reported decrease in velocity.  He is to throw a side session yesterday or today and see how he feels.  If its good, he will miss a start, if he still has pain – well it was good while it lasted.  I really like Montgomery – hope its nothing big but its never good to hear about pain anywhere near the elbow for a pitcher.  We will see next week how things go.
• Kyle Drabek has won 3 of his last 4 games and finished May at 3-3 for the month.  He has been solid but not spectacular. 
• Trevor Reckling – CTL+C, CTL+P from the last few reports.  He just flat out walks too many batters.  Now is up to 41K, 40BB in 57.1 IP.
• After praising Alex Colome a couple weeks ago, he hasn’t pitched well.  Most recently he allowed 4 HR while he had only allowed 3 Homers all season to that point.  He still sports a good ERA (<3.00) but nowhere near the sub 2.00 he was flashing before his last couple starts.
• Jordan Lyles is 4-1 in his last 6 outings and for the year sports a 4:1 K:BB ratio.  He seems to be settling in nicely.  

Player stats for the week are just a click away – see below for more info.

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Here is Thursday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 27 through June 2.  On Tuesday I omitted Buster Posey from the list of players that were called up over the weekend.  In his first 5 games he is 9 for 19 with 1 run and 4 RBI including 2 doubles.  I think Giants fans will not be disappointed – wouldn’t expect tons of power but he will bring a solid bat… has enough time to finish as a top 10 catcher for the year.

Now on to Thursday’s group.  Offensively it was actually quite quiet – Fernando Martinez is still out.  Wilin Rosario woke up and started raking and I just don’t know what to think of Jio Mier at this point. 

Since his promotion last weekend, Andrew Cashner has thrown 1 pitch in the Majors.

Andrew Brackman has won 4 straight games – two of them in the past week while striking out 14 in 11 innings vs. only 3 walks.  He is now 4-3 on the year.

Mike Minor, Jake McGee and Matt Moore continue to strike out a lot of batters… while their command was actually quite good this week (low walk totals), they need to all show this consistent style to really shoot up the ranks. 

Player stats for the week are just a click away – see below for more info.

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Here is Tuesday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 25 through May 31.  Before we get to a the list of players and how they performed in the past week, we should mention that there have been some significant call-ups and demotions that happened over the holiday weekend.

1. Stephen Strasburg will make his debut June 8^th.  I heard a saying on a golf telecast years ago that I think will adequately describe how MLB hitters will feel after facing him.  "It looks like he ate poorly for lunch and has no plans for dinner".  Welcome Mr. Strasburg, I think you will make many fantasy players happy (especially those in keeper leagues).
2. Andrew Cashner was called up to join the Cubs bullpen.  He performed very well in a starters roll at AA and AAA and that is probably where he will have the most impact as early as next year.
3. Chris Tillman was called up and pitched on Saturday.  He threw a no-hitter earlier this year at AAA and should be solid for the O’s (as good as Matusz anyway).  His line for his first start:  5.2 IP / 6 hits / 2ER (2 solo HR) / 3K / 2BB with a No-Decision.
4. Dexter Fowler was sent down to AAA (replaced by Johnathan Herrera).  He has really struggled with the big club this year – 139AB / 1HR / 4RBI / 18R / 6 of 10SB.  His first game at AAA he was 4-4 with 4 Runs scored, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and 2 BB.  He will be back up with Colorado soon.

Click below for Tuesday’s players and some additional notes.

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Here is Friday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 21 through May 27.  Yesterday in the minor league update comments, we discussed Andrew Cashner going to the bullpen and Jay Jackson making the start after being moved to the pen and dominating.  Jackson ended up with an outing that consisted of 4 innings pitched (61 pitches / 44 strikes) with 4 hits, 2 ER, 5K and 1BB.  Cashner made a relief appearance also in the game and threw 1 inning with 3 hits, 1R (0ER), and 2K vs. 0BB.

Alex Colome will be moving up prospect lists.  Relatively uninspiring performances by the pitchers in the Friday list though.  Mike Montgomery is stellar but had his first bad outing of the year yesterday.  Michael Stanton continues to mash and I suspect he won’t be on the minor league update list for much longer.  Pedro Alvarez also had a nice offensive week.  Click below for more stats and info.

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Here is Thursday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 20 through May 25.  Jason Donald was promoted a little over a week ago and is holding his own with the Indians.  Nick Weglarz was promoted to AAA.  Fernando Martinez is still injured.  And, keeping with the Indians theme (sorry Fernando), Alex White was promoted to AA and pitched well enough to get the win in his debut.  Click below for player stats and info.

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Here is Wednesday’s group of minor league players.  Their statistics shown are for May 19 through May 24.  Greg Halman is back from the DL and had a nice week (while keeping with his K tradition of course).  Chris Marrero also is starting to heat up and had a very good week.  Two players went on the DL – Derick Norris and Hector Rondon.  Statistics and more information click below.

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