I am going to the NY Penn League All Star Game tomorrow night.  I was wondering if  anyone had a particular favorite player or suggestions who I should watch closely. Below are the rosters. Thanks.

I'm not sure this is worth a separate post from the daily Milb offerings, but does anyone care what Lars Anderson has been doing as of late in AAA?  .368 BA, 1.047 opb in his last 10 games...any thoughts? It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride this season, but I was wondering if anyone has seen him play recently or has any insight as to the hot streak. Tell me again what we have here is Lars. Thanks for the time.   

Guys, I was hoping that I could get some feedback on the community's latest thoughts on Lou Marson. I am not a Philly fan so I have only followed him from afar, but I was hoping to find out what more informed fans think. My sense is that Phillies have  soured on him a bit, but again, I was hoping to hear from those with much more insight. What are the short term/long term possibilities here.

I was wondering what the community thought about where Cesar Carrillo and Thomas Diamond are in their careers this far removed from TJ surgery, and what you think their short/long term prospects are at this point. I know that Carrillo had an uneven AFL and that Jon Daniels mentioned it's possible Diamond could make the big club in spring as a reliever. Can they bounce back with some degree of success (and if so, to what level?) or are they just more names to be added to the long list of guys whose careers were cut short by the injury bug.Thanks for the help. 

I was hoping the community would weigh in on the assertion that Dusty Baker mishandled his pitching staff while with the Cubs and is bad news for Cincinnati's young arms. I was talking to a journalist friend and made an off the cuff comment about Dusty Baker that disparaged his ability to handle a pitching staff. My friend called me out on my comment. Who is right? Am I guilty of simply regurgitating an unwarranted gripe about Dusty, or am I correct in believing his record is replete with high pitch counts and an elevated number of pitchers with arm troubles. Admittedly, I need to so some more in depth research for actual numbers and examples, but I thought I could illicit a great reaction both for and against my claim. Cubs and Giants fans would have a better perspective than mine and I in intrigued if Reds fans have any concerns about Bailey and Cueto. Thanks  

Rickie Weeks versus Carlos Pena for the long term? Real world and fantasy, who would you prefer? Factoring all the pluses and minuses of each, i.e. the scarcity at the position (2nd Base), the lingering wrist issues, Pena's power, questions if this was a one year wonder type of season for Pena, age difference...all the variables...play GM, both real and fanatsy, and tell me who would rather have. Thanks.  

In late July, Indiansfan indicated in one of his reports that Adam Lind was in a 7 for 34 slump over a 10 game period. I was wondering what the community thought about his struggles this year and how they have impacted your views on him. What are we looking at here? I would appreciate hearing from anyone with any insight on Lind. Thanks.

I was hoping Indiansfan or anyone else with information or an opinion can provide me with their latest assessment of Jeremy Sowers. Indiansfan has given us some detail about his AAA starts, but I was hoping to ge a fuller view of what folks think his short and long term potential/value looks like these days. Is he putting it back together and if he does what type of cieling would it be? I appreciate the help.

Maybe no one cares..but I find it pretty wild how these two guys seem to be having the exact same season. Any thoughts or do I just have too much time on my hands today?

Delmon Young  101 399 .293 117 25 0 9  53 19 45 6 77
Jeff Francoeur103 405.294 119 24 0 11 68 26 47 2  77  

Are these similarities a one year thing or do you guys expect very different numbers in certain areas (stolen bases for Delmon?)in the future?

Thanks.

I was hoping some Giants fans or others in the community could share with me their thoughts on Jonathan Sanchez. Is he staying in pen or will he go back to rotation in the future? Best case scenario comparisons? Has his name been included in any trade rumors? Any info is appreciated. I searched McCovey Chronicles blog, but did not see much current information. Thanks for the help.

I did a search of the site and did not come up with any recent posts about Alexi Casilla. I was hoping to tap into the community's expertise and solicit thoughts about what his short and long term value are. Any help is appreciated. Luis Castillo won't be there next year but does this mean Casilla is the future at 2B? Are folks disappointed with the SB%? Best case scenario he becomes who/what? Thanks again.

Is Adam Jones making the Seattle Mariners as a back up OF'er of will he be sent down to AAA before Opening Day on Monday. As bets as I can see, he still is with the Mariners right now, but I know he did not have a great spring training and I am not sure how much time he would get if he stays with the big club. Thanks for the help.

I have not found an answer to this on line and was wondering in anyone in the community could clarify it for me. Can an organization "suffer" multiple players being selected in the Rule 5 draft or do teams get to pull back players after the first player in the organization is drafted? Theoretically, could a deep organization loses 3 or 4 or 7 players in the Rule 5? Thanks for the help.

From MLB.com:

Starting anew? Little said that Greg Miller, his shoulder now healthy, might be moved back to being a starter. Once one of the most promising left-handed starters in the Minor Leagues, he was shifted to the bullpen to ease the load on his shoulder.  

What are your thoughts on the chances of a once-hyped, often-injured, talented lefty making it back from a series of injuries and becoming a productive major leaguer? Best case scenario: LOOGY? starter? Are there any examples of young pitchers in similar situations who have overcome the odds, gotten it back together and gone on to good careers???

While the context for this question is fantasy based in that I am contemplating choosing between the two, I am wondering what the community's thoughts are as to who has the better career. If all other things were equal and you were selecting based on pure long term value to a club who do you see being the better selection. If you can answer based on a real life baseball and from a fantasy perspective, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Can anyone offer me suggestions/web sites/links that can provide me with a listing of names and colleges/high schools of MLB amateur draftees for the last several years? Specifically, I am trying to see how many high schoolers have been drafted in each year recently. Obviously, Upton, Bruce and Maybin jump off the page, but was wondering about percentages of entire draft. Thanks for the help.

I was hoping folks could provide me with their latest thoughts on Marcus Sanders?  Is there any hope? Are his struggles solely injury related or are they a reflection of his actual skill level. I would appreciate any thoughts about what you envision his future to be. I was intrigued by the speed and thought the shift to 2B would address the throwing issues. But where did his hitting ability go? I would welcome real world and fantasy baseball perspectives. Thanks.

Have not seen his name mentioned (If I missed it, I apologize) and I am wondering what you guys think about him both in the short and long terms. What type of ceilingdoes he have? He lost some time a couple of years ago with a an arm injury, but pitched 180 innings last year. Any long terms concerns for that elbow above and beyond the usual risk? His second half numbers were better than his first half so I am intrigued. I appreciate the input.

Can anyone offer some insight into his call up to AA and his move back to 3rd Base? Have the Dodgers ended the 2nd base experiment or is this still an open question? I was hoping that he could make the switch because the notion of having that bat at 2B was intriguing.Any information would be great. Thanks.

Has anyone noticed this guy's numbers? Albeit they are in relief and it is not a huge sampling, but they are impressive nonetheless.

Season Totals
GM  GS  IP  W  L  SV  ERA  WHP  R  ER  H  BB  K  
42  0  55.0 2  1  1  2.62  1.07 16  16 44 15  5O  

Do you think he still has quality starter potential or is he relegated to being a middle reliever? Any thoughts from knowledgeable Cards fans or Brave fans who still follow him would be welcomed. Thanks.  

Did anyone get a chance to watch the Florida State League All Star Game yesterday? I caught a few innings on line. Slowey struck out the side in the opening inning on around 10 pitches and then Homer Bailey came in and did the same in an impressive showing, including completely blowing away Ryan Braun. I was just wondering if anyone else saw the game and had any other noteworthy moments. Thanks.

Guys, I know it is only 20 games into the season, but I was wondering what your impressions are of Chuck James and what his short and long term roles are in Atlanta. Have your views on him changed at all, better or worse, and does anyone have any particular insight on him in general. I know John liked him in his book (B+) and I am just wondering if anyone has any strong feelings one way or another. The help is much appreciated.

The community was great with its thoughts on Mark Rogers, so I am interested in knowing any of your thoughts about three other young hurlers. Any comments about Edgar Garcia RHP, Phillies organization; Christian Garcia RHP, Yankees organization and Jose Mijares LHP, Twins organization. I know we are talking two or three years away (if ever), but I have read that each has immense talent and have a chance of being something special. Thanks.

Anyone have more information on Mark Rogers. BA has him as the No. 2 prospect for the Brewers and I have read some intriguing thoughts on him in terms of velocity and slider. Walked a huge number of guys as his mechanics seem to be in flux. This pitching across has his body raises some red flags, no?

Last year John had him rapidly emerging as one of the best pitching prospects in the game. Unfortunately Stevens hit some bumps in the road. He's still a 21 year old lefty and I am wondering who still thinks he's a keeper long term. I am interested in hearing any thoughts or insight you might have on him. Thanks  

Is this guy ready to bust out? He seems to be the favorite of some prognosticators as a guy who might have a breakout year in 2006. I am not sure if it is his stuff, the Mazzone factor or what, but even a guy like Ron Shandler talks about Cabrera and "Cy Young potential" in the same sentence. I am interested in your thoughts about him and how you rate his long term versus that of top pitching prospects. If you had the chance to take Cabrera amongst guys like Lester, Danks, Pabelbon, Vosquez (I mention these guys specifically because they are still available in my draft) etc., would you take him first? What about Cabrera versus his staffmate Bedard? Thanks for the advice.

I have to pare down my roster by January 15 and I am having a tough time deciding who the last few cuts should be. I have been holding on to Oakland's Jeremy Brown, for a few reasons not the least of which is because my catching depth is virtually non existent. I am interested in knowing if everybody has jumped off his bandwagon completely or if anyone holds out hope that he becomes a decent major leaguer (if not in Oakland, somewhere else). Also, if you had to cut two players of the following, who would it be? Brown, Tony Armas, Sean Burroughs, Jake Stevens, Jesse Foppert, Reynel Pinto and Juan Cruz. This is a 55 man keeper league and these obviously are for the last few spots on my roster, I really do have talent, really, lol, it's all not this bad! Thanks for the help!!!  

Last night was the "lottery" for the first overall draft pick in a 55 man keeper league and yours truly won the first overall selection. Last year I began making the transition from an aging,  good but not good enough to win it all  team to a stockpile of potential (Delmon, Prince, Justin Upton, Steven Drew, Billy Butler and a few others blue chippers...) So here's the rub. I enter this draft with the George Young philospohy of picking talent over need -- need being pitching, catchers and 2B -- as I embark of what should be no more than a 2-3 rebuilidng process. Is this decision a no brainer? Do I simply take Brandon Wood? Is is he that clear cut of a first overall pick? Or do I shock the league and take Kendrick, Salty, McCann, Cano or trade down to get a shot at the aforementioned and something else. In year's past, we had clear cut No. 1's (such as Pujols one year), but the way it has worked out this year with folks drafting other top notch talent in previous years it leaves me with this quandry. I know by now we all are fatigued by the Wood threads, but I figured I would throw this decision out to the group as I have developed a good deal of respect for your baseball knowledge. I can't list for you every available pick obviously, so please tell me your thoughts on Wood or throw me any other (surprise?) names. Thanks.

What is going on here? I love it, don't get me wrong. I own in him in a keeper league so I am sitting back with a big old grin in my face. But I have to wonder, how does this happen? All I read, including from John, was that he had immense talent, lots of tools, but had a plate management or plate discipline problem. I know he hasn't walked and I know he's not hitting at the pace forever, but to what do attribute this amazing start??

I know this is a bit dated, but did anyone get a chance to read the cover story by Michael Lewis in the April 24 edition of the New York Times magazine? It focused on Oakland farm hand Steve Stanley and former Oakland draft pick and current Royals 3B Mark Teahen. Actually, John Sickels was quoted in it. Basically it's a story about two guys who have decided that they are what they are  -- essentially guys who take the ball to the opposite field and not power hitters -- and that all advice to the contrary is not really wanted. If you read the article, are familiar with these guys' history or have any thoughts about the prcoess of trying to take an approach, batting stance, pitching motion, etc. of a prospect and drastically changing it, I am interested in hearing your opinion. I will try to find a link to story for those interested.