In case you missed some of our fantasy baseball coverage, here are links to some of our articles this week, along with some links from around the internet:

Fantasy Links from Around the 'Net

Giancarlo Stanton's Ridiculous May - Fish Stripes

Tim Lincecum and the Strike Zone - McCovey Chronicles

The Braves' Rotation Gambit - Baseball Nation

Rotowire Fantasy Blog | Bullpen Performance: The Revolving Door of Closers

Three Outfielders Who Are Much, Much Wealthier Now - Baseball Nation

Sell High Candidates: Which Hitters With Inflated HR/FB Should We Be Selling | Rotoprofessor

Baseball Prospectus | Overthinking It: Bryce Harper's Brain is a Neural Net Processor (subs req.)

Fantasy Baseball

A.J. Burnett: Undervalued Pitcher

Ahead of the Curve: It's Going To Be A Rockie Road

Don't Believe The Hype: Andy Pettitte, Huh? Edition

Dustin Ackley: I Still Like Him And So Should You

McDonald Rising

We are now 2 months away from the July 31st trade deadline, and SB Nation's MLB Daily Dish will be covering all the deadline deals and rumors, so don't forget to add them to your list of favorites to read on a daily basis.

More fantasy links after the jump:

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Mark Trumbo was a big time power hitter in the minors, hitting 110 home runs in his five minor league season, capped off with his 2010 season in AAA where he hit 36 HRs and drove in 122. That power outburst forced him into the Angels plans in 2011, and he responded by hitting .254-.291-.477 with 29 HRs, 65 runs, 87 RBI and 9 stolen bases.

Coming into the 2012 season, he didn't have a position, as the Angels had signed some guy named Albert Pujols to play first base for them for the next 10 years. Kendrys Morales, who was out of action for almost two years, was finally healthy and can't play any position other than first base, so he became the Angels full time DH. So, where would Trumbo play? They tried him at third base, but that proved to be a disaster as he made 4 errors in 5 game, so they moved him to right field, this after Torii Hunter had to take care of some personal matters, Bobby Abreu was waived, and Vernon Wells hit the DL.

All he has done since moving to the outfield is hit. As I mentioned in a recent Roto Roundup, just looking at his stats compared to Albert Pujols' stats this season, one would easily confuse him with Pujols from previous seasons.

More on Trumbo after the jump:

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in case you missed it, here are some links to our fantasy baseball coverage over the past several days:

Minor League Prospect Coverage

Waiting in the Wings: Jedd Gyorko

Minor League Monitor: Chat Excerpts from Keith Law's Top 25 Midseason Prospects

Low Level Prospect Review: Rockies SS Trevor Story

Prospect Preview: Nick Castellanos

Minor League Monitor: David Holmberg and Visalia Visit Ian Krol in Stockton

Minor League Level Review (AA): Zack Wheeler Dominant, Michael Choice Struggling

Minor League Level Review (Low-A): Javier Baez Debuts, Jose Fernandez Dominating

More links after the jump:

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I look at box scores every night, looking for players to write about. One player who has stood out all season has been Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera. It seems like he gets 2-3 hits every game, and is scoring a few runs a game as well. He has multiple hits in half of his games thus far in 2012. But can he keep this up?

I am here to tell you to trade him now before the slump starts.

In 2011, Cabrera had what many, including me, thought was a career year. He hit .305-.339-.470 with 18 HRs, 102 runs, 87 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Despite the 18 HRs, his ISO was just .164, the highest of his career. He didn't strike out a ton, only 13.3%, and he didn't walk much either, as he took a free pass just 5% of his at bats. His batted ball data shows that he kept the ball on the ground at a 47% clip, and had a 20.3% line drive rate, which probably helped his BA stay above .300 for the first time in his career.

More on Melky Cabrera after the jump:

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The Twins recently moved starter Francisco Liriano to the bullpen after watching him get knocked around one too many times. He made 5 relief appearances and was pitching decent until his 2.2 inning effort on May 25th where he gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. So, more of the same. Yesterday, he made his first start since early May and shut out the A's for 6 innings, giving up just 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 9. It was his first win of the season, so he will have to string together a few more solid starts to become rosterable.

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was hit in the left wrist by a Brandon Morrow pitch last night, but finished the game. He will have x-rays to ensure there is no breaks.

Speaking of Morrow, he pitched very well, holding he Orioles to 1 run on 4 hits, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts in 6.1 innings last night to earn his 6th win of the season. The bad news is he was hit in his right shin and had to be helped off the field. He was diagnosed with a shin contusion and is considered day to day. Morrow is now 6-3 on the season, with a 3.28 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 3.81 xFIP, a 1.06 WHIP and a 62-22 strikeout to walk ratio in 68.2 innings pitched. He is having his best season as a major leaguer, so now is not a good time for him to be hurt.

Blue Jays first baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion is finally putting it altogether at the plate this season. He went 2-4 with a HR last night and is now hitting .274-.336-.584 with 17 HRs, 29 runs, 42 RBI and 6 stolen bases. Despite a low .252 BABIP, his ISO currently sits at .310 thanks in part to an excellent HR/FB rate of 18.4%. Encarnacion's batted ball data, courtesy of FanGraphs, is quite amazing. His low .252 BABIP is due in large part to a 10% line drive rate. He is hitting a lot more fly balls this season as well, as his fly ball rate is 54.4%.

More Roto Roundup, including info on the Matt Kemp, Dustin Pedroia and Troy Tulowitzki injuries, after the jump:

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Here are links to our fantasy baseball articles over the last few days in case you missed them:

Fantasy Baseball

McDonald Rising

Josh Hamilton's Amazing Start and a Comparison to Barry Bonds

Five Players Who Need To Be Owned In All Leagues

Closer Report

FAABwire week 7

Seesaw Report: May 19-25

Josh Reddick: Undervalued Power Hitter

Ricescapades: Jon Lester, Buy Low Candidate?

Minor League Prospect Coverage

Prospect Preview: Nick Castellanos

Minor League Monitor: David Holmberg and Visalia Visit Ian Krol in Stockton

Minor League Level Review (AA): Zack Wheeler Dominant, Michael Choice Struggling

More Links after the jump:

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Back on draft day 2012, some of you may have drafted a pitcher in the first or second round, as grabbing of the few real aces in baseball is very valuable. Some of you may have drafted Phillies ace Roy Halladay, as he has been one of the few aces who is consistent year in and year out, providing wins in the high teens, a sub-3.00 ERA, 200+ strikeouts and a sub 1.10 WHIP. But, one thing you cannot know on draft day is how healthy that pitcher is. Yesterday, Phillies ace Roy Halladay was placed on the DL with a grade 1/2 lat strain, and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. Apparently, the injury has bothered him for awhile. Some are speculating that the injury bothered him as far back as spring training. There is really nothing you can do to replace him at this point. Maybe your team is blessed with enough offense to allow you to deal a hitter for a near ace start

The news was bad for Angels starter Jered Weaver as well. He landed on the DL with a lower back strain and will miss 2-3 starts. The Angels called up AAA starter Garrett Richards to replace him in the rotation. Richards was 5-2 with a 4.31 ERA, 1.598 WHIP and a 1.66 K/BB ratio this season. He is rosterable in only the deepest of fantasy leagues.

One more star might land on the DL on Tuesday night, and that star is one of the best fantasy second baseman in baseball. Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia aggravated a jammed thumb on Monday making a fine defensive play, and had an MRI to see if there is ligament damage. There was no ligament damage, but he does have a torn abductor muscle in his right thumb, and could land on the DL and miss 3-4 weeks. He will try to play through the injury, so we will if he can play through the injury. Nick Punto and his .122 BA took his place in the Red Sox lineup last night. No, he is not rosterable.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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I wrote about White Sox starter Chris Sale recently saying he could be a top 20 starter at the end of the year. He might be a top 20 starter right now after his 15 strikeout performance on Monday. He held the Rays to one run in 7.1 innings, giving up just 3 hits, 2 walks and 15 strikeouts, and had an amazing 26 swinging strikes. He is now 6-2 on the season with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 57.2 innings. He has not given up more than 3 runs in any of his starts this season.

The news wasn't good for Angels starter Jered Weaver last night as he came out of his start after only 12 pitches due to a lower back injury. We will learn more about his injury today.

Angels outfielder Mark Trumbo had a rough rookie season at the plate as he hit just .254 with a .291 OBP, but did hit 29 HRs, so he did add value for fantasy owners. This season is a different story for Trumbo, as he is hitting for average and power. He went 3-5 with a game winning HR in the 9th inning last night, with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. For the season, he is hitting .333-.388-.592 with 8 HRs, 20 runs and 22 RBI. Did Mark Trumbo become Albert Pujols, and Pujols become Trumbo? Their stats seem to indicate that.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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I'll be around most of the weekend, doing some yard work and hopefully downing some cold beverages. With that said, it's time for a weekend All Questions Answered thread.

Post any roster, trade or prospect questions and I will do my best to answer them throughout the weekend.

Phillies starter Roy Halladay left his start vs the Cardinalsm after two innings yesterday with a shoulder injury. Here are a few tweets after the game from Jim Salisbury from Comcast Sports Network:

Jim Salisbury ‏@JSalisburyCSN

Halladay said he has soreness in back of shoulder. Developed late in last start. He does not anticipate it being serious. Will get checked

Pitching coach Rich Dubee indicated that Halladay's shoulder has been 'cranky' for a while.

If you own Halladay, you have to hope for the best. The Phillies official announcement said that they removed him as a precaution, but if his shoulder has been cranky for awhile, then a DL stint is a possibility.

Reds starter Mat Latos had a start he would love to forget, but he still got the win yesterday. He gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, no walks and 3 strikeouts. All five hits he gave up were home runs. He went all Clay Buchholz on us and still won the game. He is now 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA, a 4.86 FIP and 4.24 xFIP, a WHIP of 1.43 and a K/BB ratio of 2.18. He is walking almost an extra batter per nine-3.83 vs 2.87 - than in 2011. After giving up just 16 HRs in each of the last two years, he has already given up 11 in 59 innings pitched this season. Maybe the move from Petco will impact Latos' fantasy value.

Mets starter R.A. Dickey shut out the Padres for 7.1 innings yesterday, giving up just 3 hits, a walk and striking out 10 to win his 7th game of the season. Dickey lowered his ERA to 3.06, his WHIP to 1.10 and has struck out 61 and walked 17 in his 64.2 innings this season. In his last 3 starts, Dickey has a 29-2 strikeout to walk rate.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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Brewers starter Zack Greinke is a free agent at the end of the season and he will be looking for big money in his next contract. He is considered an ace by some, but he is prone to the blow up start that will kill your ERA and WHIP for awhile. That was very evident in last night's effort vs the Diamondbacks. Greinke lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. His record fell to 5-2 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. On the positive side, he has given up 3 runs or less in 8 of his 10 starts, but two of his starts have been horrible. His other blowup was back on April 12th where he gave up 8 runs in 3.2 innings vs the Cubs.

White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo is on a home run hitting tear. Yesterday, he went 3-5 with 2 runs and 5 RBI, and is now hitting .264-.288-.486 with 10 HRs and 23 RBI in 148 at bats this season. He has homered in three straight games and has hit 6 HRs and driven in 13 in his last 10 games. He has raised his BA from .237 to .264 in those 10 games.

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg struggled a bit yesterday, lasting 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. I was checking out twitter throughout the day while taking breaks from my yard work, and came across this tweet from Adam Kilgore from the Washington Post:

Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWP

Strasburg noticeably shook out his arm after throwing Uggla a change. Don't know if that means tightness, but he didn't seem comfortable.

Something to be aware of as the talk of innings limits crops up once again.

Is there a hotter hitter in baseball than White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko? Konerko went 4-4 with a walk, 3 doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBI yesterday. Konerko is on a12 game hitting streak where he is 24-42 with 4 HRs and 11 RBI. For the season, Konerko is hitting .396-.473-.667 with 10 HRs, 29 runs and 29 RBI. He is an easy selection in SB Nation's Pick 6 game until he cools off.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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We are producing a ton of excellent fantasy baseball content here on a daily/weekly basis, so here are links to some recent articles, in case you missed them:

Eric Hosmer: Is Now the Time to Buy?

Seesaw Report: May 12-18

Josh Hamilton: What Would a Triple Crown Do For His Hall of Fame Resume?

Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Waiver Wire Week 9

To Bail or Not To Bail? That Is the Question.

Ricescapades: Five Shockingly Effective Fantasy Hitters

Deep League Fantasy Fishing - Week 8/9

J.A. Happ Starting To Come Together?

Derek Lowe and the Inevitable Implosion

Six The Hard Way: Who Woke Up Jose Bautista?

Ricescapades: The Neftali Feliz Injury and a Fantasy Manager's Nightmare

A.J. Burnett: Undervalued Pitcher

Don't Believe The Hype: Andy Pettitte, Huh? Edition

Dustin Ackley: I Still Like Him And So Should You

Jason and Craig provide daily minor league prospect coverage for you, and here are links to their recent articles, in case you missed them:

Low Level Prospect Review: George Springer, OF, Houston Astros

Minor League Level Review (AAA): Matt Adams and Travis d'Arnaud Homer Twice, Matt Harvey Strikes Out 11

Coming Soon To A Stadium Near You: Cardinals 1B Matt Adams

Prospect Preview: Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Minor League Level Review (High-A): George Springer Destroying Baseballs, Tony Cingrani Dominating

Waiting in the Wings: Jedd Gyorko

Minor League Monitor: Chat Excerpts from Keith Law's Top 25 Midseason Prospects

Low Level Prospect Review: Rockies SS Trevor Story

Josh Reddick was one of the Red Sox top hitting prospects ever since he burst onto the prospect scene in his first season in Low A back in 2007. That season, he hit .306-.352-.531 with 18 HRs, 72 RBI, 60 runs and 8 stolen bases in 369 at bats. He also tossed in 17 doubles and 6 triples, a solid strikeout rate of 12.7% with a so-so walk rate of 6.5%. He wasn't extremely lucky as his BABIP of .311 tells us he has a good hit tool.

The following season, he started in Low A, but that lasted just 58 plate appearances as his triple slash line of .340-.397-.491 showed he was not being challenged anymore, so the Red Sox promoted him to High A where he continued to hit. In 312 at bats, he hit 17 HRs, with 57 RBI, 60 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases with a triple slash line of .342-.375-.593. He added 11 doubles and 8 triples for a total of 36 extra base hits in 76 games.

The Red Sox felt he needed another challenge and moved him up to AA before the 2008 season ended, and that's where he struggled. The challenge of facing some of the best pitching prospects in baseball proved too much for Reddick, as he ended his first stint in AA hitting .214-.290-.436

Reddick repeated AA in 2009 and hit .277-.352-.520 with 13 HRs, 47 runs, 29 RBI and 5 stolen bases which earned him a promotion to AAA, where he, again, struggled. Seems like a common theme as he moved up to more challenging levels of the minors. In 71 AAA at bats he hit .127-.190-.183 with a HR and 6 RBI.

More on Josh Reddick after the jump:

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Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz had a slow start to the 2012 season, as he hit just .247-.309-.382 with 2 HRs and 11 RBI in April. May has been much better, especially after his night at the plate on Friday. Cruz went 4-5 with a grand slam a double and 8 RBI. Yes, EIGHT RBI. He is now hitting .275-.328-.421 with 5 HRs and 31 RBI on the season. The RBI total places him 6th in the AL in that category.

Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow followed up his best start of the season by getting just two outs last night, giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. He threw a complete game 3 hit shutout in his last outing. His effort last night raised his ERA to 3.47 and his WHIP to 1.07, both are very solid compared to his 2011. He has given up 6 runs in 3 of his 10 starts, but he has pitched very well in his other 7 starts where he has given up one run or less in 6 of those 7 starts.

I wrote about Pirates starter A.J. Burnett on Friday morning discussing how he is pitching better than his overall stats indicate. Last night, he shut out the Cubs for 5.1 innings giving up 6 hits, walking two and striking out 6. He is now 3-2 on the season with a 4.19 ERA, 3.28 FIP and 2.94 xFIP, a 1.35 WHIP, and a 39-12 strikeout to walk ratio in 43.0 innings of work. He has now given up 2 runs or less in 6 of his 7 starts this season. He, like Morrow, is prone to the to blowup game from time to time, but he has been a much more consistent pitcher in the National League this season.

I am surprised this guy didn't get hurt with this amazing catch.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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Mike Gallagher has been publishing his early 2012 Fantasy Football Position Rankings, and here are links to each of them, in case you missed them.

2012 Fantasy Football Position Rankings

Quarterback

Running Back Part 1

Wide Receiver Part 1

Tight End

Top 75 PPR Rankings

Mike also provided you with his take on which 2012 draft choices you should be thinking about on draft day.

2012 NFL Draft Coverage

NFL Draft Analysis - Round 1

Mike ranked the first round picks based on 2012 fantasy value.

NFL Draft Analysis - Round 2 - 7

Mike ranked the players drafted in rounds 2 though 7

2012 NFL Draft Keeper League Rankings

Mike ranked his top 75 2012 NFL draft choices for keeper leagues.

I had an argument with a friend about A.J. Burnett's value yesterday (yes, the same guy who traded him and Matt Kemp for Jay Bruce and Brandon Beachy a few days ago). The argument stemmed over the fact that I said Beachy is only a minor upgrade over Burnett in the comments section of a recent Roto Roundup. He disagreed, so I decided to take a closer look at Burnett's performance this season. I own Burnett in two of my NL-Only leagues, and I think he has been better than his numbers indicate, so let's have a look.

So far in 2012, Burnett is 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA, 3.46 FIP and 3.00 xFIP with 3.30 K/BB ratio, a K/9 just under 8.0/9, a 2.39 BB/9, and a near elite ground ball rate of 55.2%. His ERA is not much different that it was in 2011. But, what is different is his FIP and xFIP, as his FIP is more than a run better than in 2011, while his xFIP is just under a run better. He meets all 3 of the qualities needed to join Bret Sayre's Holy Trinity for starting pitchers, as he is striking out more than 7 batters per nine, walking less than 3 batters per nine, and is inducing plenty of ground balls.

If you take out Burnett's May 2nd start where he was blistered for 12 runs on 12 hits and a walk in 2.2 innings, here is how he has performed on the bump thus far:

IP: 35

ER: 8

H: 28

BB: 9

K: 31

K/9: 7.75

BB/9: 2.31

ERA: 2.06

WHIP: 1.06

We all know we can't throw out that May 2nd start, but if we could, Burnett would have the 5th best ERA in all of baseball at 2.06, and he would be in fine company. The other starters with better ERAs are the aforementioned Beachy, Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, and Gio Gonzalez.

His 1.06 WHIP would rank him in the top 20, and more than likely a result of his Holy Trinity status this season, as more often than not, a ground ball results in an out. In addition, his walk rate is down from 3.92 per nine innings to just 2.39 per nine. He also has put up a quality start in 5 of his 6 starts this season, and has given up 2 runs or less in each of those 5 starts.

Looking at Burnett's batted ball data over at FanGraphs, we see that his line drive rate of 23.3% is the highest of his career and is due for some regression, as his career line drive rate is 18.5%, so more line drives should turn into outs going forward. His ground ball rate of 55.2% is also the highest of his career, and, while near elite, is probably due to regress closer to his career 49.1% rate.

Now, this article comes on the day that Burnett will face the Chicago Cubs tonight, and the Cubs have struggled to score runs of late, but any team on any given night can bust out and put up 8-10 runs. I just don't think that will happen with Burnett on the mound tonight.

Can A.J. Burnett continue to pitch this well or will he return to performing like the pitcher the Yankees gave up on this offseason? Burnett is probably available in many mixed leagues, so he is worth a grab as his overall stats don't tell the real story about how well he has pitched in 2012.

There were only 7 MLB games yesterday, so this Roundup will be a short one today.

Last season, Melky Cabrera was two homers shy of joining the 20-20 club, and put up an excellent triple slash line of .305-.339-.470 with 18 HRs, 87 RBI, 102 runs and 20 stolen bases in a full time role in Kansas City. He was traded to the Giants this offseason for starter Jonathan Sanchez, and the move to San Francisco and the NL West certainly impacted his ranking amongst outfielders in the preseason. But, can you believe he is better this season? Last night, he went 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 runs, 4 RBI and a stolen base, and is now hitting .362-.409-.519 with 2 HRS, 31 runs, 24 RBI and 7 stolen bases. He is on pace to steal 25 bases and score over 100 runs.

The Tigers placed outfielder Austin Jackson on the 15 day DL yesterday with an abdominal strain, so he will be out of action till early June, as his DL stint can be back dated to May 17.

Marlins outfielder Emilio Bonifacio was placed on the DL earlier in the week due to a sprained thumb. Yesterday, we learned that he will be out from 4-6 weeks as he will undergo thumb surgery. Bonifacio was leading the major leagues in stolen bases with 20 before the injury, so fantasy owners will certainly miss his speed while he is out.

If you aren't follow me on Twitter, feel free to stop by and ask questions as I am on Twitter every night. Follow me on Twitter at @Faketeams.

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The Orioles finally heeded the call of prospect hounds everywhere when they promoted uber pitching prospect Dylan Bundy on Wednesday. They moved him up to High A Fredericksburg, and will make his first High A start on Saturday. Bundy has not given up a run in 30 innings in Low A where he has allowed just 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 40. He has an absurd K/BB ratio of 20!

Athletics rookie starter Jarrod Parker had his best start of his young career yesterday, holding Albert Pujols and the Mickey Hatcher firing Angels to just one run on 5 hits, a walk and 8 strikeouts in 7 innings. He is now 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 25-17 strikeout to walk ratio in 34.2 innings. He has given up 2 runs or less in 5 of his 6 starts this season.

Did you know Marc Normandin also writes for Baseball Nation? Here he writes about Orioles starter Brian Matusz.

Remember all the projections on how well Adrian Gonzalez would hit after his trade to the Red Sox? Yeah? I was one who thought he would put up one monster year after another. Last season he put up an excellent .338-.410-.548 triple slash line with 27 HRs, 108 runs and 117 RBI. But 2012 has been a down year. Thus far, he is hitting .269-.333-.406 with just 3 HRs, 23 runs and 22 RBI. He is striking out more and walking less, and more importantly hitting for less power in 2012. His ISO is a pedestrian .137 right now. He is hitting more fly balls than ground balls than in 2011, and is hitting a few more line drives as well, so i have to imagine the power will return soon. I ranked him as my 2nd ranked first baseman heading into this season, behind Miguel Cabrera and just ahead of Albert Pujols. First base used to be a deep position for fantasy purposes, but the position is riddled with underperformance so far in 2012.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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In case you missed it, here are links to our fantasy baseball and football coverage over the last few days for your reading pleasure.

Fantasy Baseball

Josh Hamilton: What Would a Triple Crown Do For His Hall of Fame Resume?

To Bail or Not To Bail? That Is the Question.

Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Waiver Wire Week 9

Seesaw Report: May 12-18

Eric Hosmer: Is Now the Time to Buy?

Still Time To Grab Alex Cobb

Closer Report

FAABwire week six

Ahead of the Curve: Chris Sale is My Baseball Boyfriend

Don't Believe The Hype: Random Pitchers Edition

Ricescapades: What's Wrong With These Pitchers?

Six The Hard Way: Josh Reddick Deserves More Love

More Fake Teams fantasy links after the jump:

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Orioles starter Brian Matusz made it to the big leagues as a highly touted prospect, ranked #5 in all of baseball by Baseball America back in 2010. He had a decent rookie season, winning 10 games with a 4.30 ERA and 1.343 WHIP. But, in 2011, the wheels came off, as he went 1-9 in 12 starts with a 10.69 ERA and a WHIP of 2.114. There was talk of reduced velocity as the cause for his blowup. The velocity came back this spring, but he struggled in April, going 0-3 with a 5.66 ERA, 1.887 WHIP and a 14-13 strikeout to walk ratio. May has been a bit kinder to him, his May 7th start notwithstanding, he has given up 3 runs or less in 5 of his last 6 starts. He held the Red Sox to one run on 2 hits,a walk and 9 strikeouts, his best start of the season. In his last 3 starts, he has given up just 6 earned runs in 18 innings of work, striking out 16 and walking 3. He is now 4-4 with a 4.84 ERA and 1.54 WHIP for the season. Certainly not pretty, but things might be clicking for him now.

Braves outfielder Michael Bourn is known for his speed, not his power right? RIGHT. Well, last night, he decided that he wanted flash some power, and boy did he ever. He went 3-4 with 2 HRs, a double, 2 runs and 2 RBI. Bourn is having a terrific start to the 2012 season, hitting .323-.376-.439 with 3 HRs, 13 RBI, 30 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. I didn't check, but I have to think think that this is his first two homer game of his career..

Yankees starter Phil Hughes has quietly strung together several solid starts in a row, and like Matusz, he may have figured things out on the mound of late. He limited the Royals to 2 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts in 6 innings last night. He has given up 3 runs or less in each of his last 4 starts, with a 23-6 strikeout to walk ratio in 25.2 innings. For the season, he is 4-5 with a 4.94 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a solid 46-13 strikeout to walk ratio in 47.1 innings.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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In case you missed some of our content, here are links to our articles published over the last few days:

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Tight End - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings:: Wide Receiver Part I - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Running Backs Part 1

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Quarterbacks

Minor League Prospect Coverage

Coming Soon To A Stadium Near You: Cardinals 1B Matt Adams - Fake Teams

Minor League Level Review (AAA): Matt Adams and Travis d'Arnaud Homer Twice, Matt Harvey Strikes Out 11 - Fake Teams

Low Level Prospect Review: George Springer, OF, Houston Astros - Fake Teams

More Fake Teams fantasy links after the jump:

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Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman was placed on the DL on Sunday and he received his MRI results yesterday. He was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee and he will be out for 6-8 weeks. Berkman stated that he thinks there could be damage to the ACL in his right knee as well. I wouldn't expect his return before August at the earliest.

Rangers starter Neftali Feliz was placed on the 15 day DL on Monday and won't return before the All Star break. He was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Reports last night had the Rangers showing renewed interest in Roy Oswalt.

Royals starter Felipe Paulino silenced the slumping Yankee lineup on Monday night in Yankee Stadium.. Paulino shut them out for 6.2 innings on 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 8. He is now 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA, 2.02 FIP and 2.65 xFIP. He has struck out 29 and walked 7 in 25.1 innings, good for a 10.30 K/9. Craig Brown recommended picking him up last week in this article discussing some fantasy pitching options in the Royals rotation.

I bet the Angels wish they still had Bobby Abreu right about now. When the season started, the Angels had too many outfielders and corner infielder/DH types. But after releasing Abreu a few weeks, ago, they have lost outfielder Torii Hunter to the restricted list, and now have lost both Vernon Wells and recently called up Ryan Langerhans to the DL. Wells lands on the DL due to a torn UCL in his right thumb, and Langerhans due to a separated shoulder. They are left with Mike Trout in left field, Peter Bourjos in center field and Mark Trumbo in right field.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

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A reader on Twitter recently asked me if he should drop Tigers starter Max Scherzer for Diamondbacks pitching prospect Trevor Bauer and I responded that he should. I hope he waited a day, or didn't listen, as Scherzer thoroughly dominated the Pirates yesterday. He held the Pirates to 2 runs on 4 hits, a walks and 15 strikeouts. And all 15 strikeouts were of the swinging variety. Scherzer induced 26 swinging strikes in all, and turned in one of the more dominating starts of 2012. I certainly did not see this coming.

Is Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg dealing with an arm injury? He was pulled after 5 innings and 90 pitches yesterday. Here is Amanda Comak from the Washington Times:

Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson spotted right-hander Stephen Strasburg in the tunnel leading to the dugout after the fifth inning trying to loosen up his right arm. Strasburg, who survived a rocky and laborious first two innings to retire 10 straight from the end of the second through the fifth, was feeling a little "tightness in his biceps" according to Johnson.

Strasburg gave up 3 runs, one earned, on 4 hits, a walk and struck out 8 to win his 4th game of the season. He is now 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA, 2.19 FIP and 2.52 xFIP. He has struck out 64 and walked 13 in his 53 innings of work this season.

Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman injured his knee for a Rafael Furcal throw on Saturday night, and now there is a fear that he tore his ACL, and as a result, he is considering retiring. Wow. We will learn more later today. With Berkman on the DL, the Cardinals called up AAA first baseman Matt Adams to take his spot on the roster. Adams should see the majority of starts at first base for the Cardinals going forward.

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Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy has one heckuva breakout season in 2011. He went 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA, 3.22 FIP and 3.50 xFIP with a 1.09 WHIP and a 3.60 K/BB ratio. After his Saturday start, he is 3-4 with a 4.47 ERA,
3.84 FIP and 4.02 xFIP. I wasn't buying his 2011 breakout, but he has been one unlucky starter in 2011. Thus far in 2012, his strikeout rate is down to 7.19 vs 8.03 in 2011, and his BABIP is .318 vs .270 last season, so he has some work to do to duplicate his breakout season in 2011.

Reds closer Sean Marshall got hit around yesterday vs the Yankees. He got just one out, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and nearly blowing his second save of the season. In 14.1 innings this season, he has struck out 21 and walked just 3, but has given up 22 hits and 8 runs for an ERA of 5.02 and a WHIP of 1.74. Here is quotes from Reds manager Dusty Baker, on reliever Aroldis Chapman, after yesterday's game, via John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"He’s been so good in the eighth," Baker said. "Like I said, you’ve got to graduate to that position. Who knows maybe graduation time is here? We’re got to discuss it, talk about it. Matter of fact, we already talked to him about it.

It appears Chapman will get a chance to close going forward. He has struck out 38 and walked 7 in 21.1 scoreless innings this season. I imagine he will shoot up closer rankings come Monday.

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To keep you up to date with all of our fantasy baseball and football coverage, here are links to links to all of our articles this week:

Minor League Prospect Coverage

Minor League Level Review (AA): Taijuan Walker, Tyler Skaggs Dominating, Wil Myers and Oscar Taveras Crushing Everything - Fake Teams

Coming Soon To A Stadium Near You: Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs - Fake Teams

Low Level Prospect Review: Matt Barnes, RHP, Boston Red Sox - Fake Teams

Prospect Preview: Tyrell Jenkins - Fake Teams

Minor League Level Review (Low-A): Francisco Lindor Cruising, Dylan Bundy Throws 5 - Fake Teams

Danny Hultzen vs Trevor Bauer Tonight - Fake Teams

Waiting in the Wings: Wil Myers - Fake Teams

Low Level Prospect Review: George Springer, OF, Houston Astros - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football Rankings

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Running Back Part I - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Quarterbacks - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Wide Receiver Part I - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Tight End - Fake Teams

More links to Fake Teams articles after the jump:

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Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer came into the 2012 season full of hype based on his solid 2011 rookie season. Many fantasy writers, myself included, saw a hitter who was ready to break out this year, building on his strong 2011 season. But American League pitchers had a different plan, and Hosmer has struggled to start the season.

Will he turn things around?

Let's start by taking a look at his 2011 season. Hosmer hit .293-.334-.465 with 19 HRs, 66 runs scored, 78 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 523 at bats. His BABIP was .314, so he really did not have the benefit of luck to explain his 2011 performance. It was all skill. He struck out in only 14.6% of his at bats last season, while taking the free pass 6.0% of the time. In addition to his 19 HRs, he also had 27 doubles and 3 triples, for a total of 49 extra base hits, not bad for a hitter seeing major league pitching for the first time.

Looking at his Line Drive/Ground Ball/Fly Ball batted ball data, courtesy of FanGraphs, we see he tends to hit the ball on the ground a bit too much for a power hitter. Last year he hit the ball on the ground just under 50% of the time the bat struck the ball. His line drive rate was 18.7% and his fly ball rate was 31.7%. Not the type of numbers you want to see from a hitter who is expected to approach 30 home runs and hit around .290 in 2012 (my projections)

Moving on to his 2012 performance, we see that Hosmer is hitting just .174-.237-.319 with 5 HRs, 16 runs scored, 18 RBI and 1 stolen base in 144 at bats. Despite the horrible triple slash line, Hosmer has REDUCED his strikeout rate from 14.6% to just 11.5%, and he is walking more this year-7.7% of his at bats vs. 6.0% in 2011. So, he has improved his plate discipline, yet has started the season in a horrible slump.

So, what has gone wrong for Hosmer in 2012? Well, his batted ball data, courtesy of FanGraphs, tells us he isn't hitting many line drives, as his line drive rate has dropped to just 16%, and the dreaded ground ball rate has jumped to 52.8%, while his fly ball rate has remained relatively constant. So he has traded some line drives for more ground balls. Not good for a hitter who doesn't utilize speed to get on base,

What really jumps out on his player page,though, is his BABIP. It has been virtually cut in half, from .314 in 2011 to just .165 this season. One-sixty-five!!! That's absurd, but it won't last. Know this, Eric Hosmer will break out of this season long slump. He is too good of a hitter to hit under the Mendoza line. He is not injured as far as we know, so injuries are not a factor in his poor performance. It is just bad luck. His .165 BABIP is the worst among qualified hitters in all of baseball. Adam Lind, who just got sent down to AAA by the Blue Jays, had a better BABIP (.209) than Hosmer.

I think it is a perfect time to trade for Hosmer now, assuming his owner has become fed up with him, before he gets hot and his owner is asking for more than 80 cents on the dollar for him. Hosmer has sat out the Royals last two games to clear his head. He should come back refreshed and ready to see more of his batted balls dropping in for base hits.

To keep you up to date with all of our fantasy baseball and football coverage, here are some links from the past few days in case you missed them:

Fantasy Football Rankings

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Wide Receiver Part I - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Quarterbacks - Fake Teams

Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Running Back Part I - Fake Teams

Fantasy Baseball

FAABwire Week 5 - Fake Teams

Two-Start Pitchers: Week of May 14-20 - Fake Teams

Seesaw Report: May 6-12 - Fake Teams

Don't Believe The Hype: Third Basemen Everywhere Edition - Fake Teams

Ahead of the Curve: The Changing Landscape of Matchups - Fake Teams

Detroit Tigers: Drew Smyly Has Been Lucky AND Good - Fake Teams

Danny Duffy Tears His UCL - Fake Teams

Closer Report - Fake Teams

Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Waiver Wire Week 8 - Fake Teams

Options For A Royal Rotation - Fake Teams

Double Play Depth: The Fountain of Youth, or Luck - Fake Teams

Ricescapades: Zorilla, King of the May Bounceback Candidates - Fake Teams

Deep League Fantasy Fishing - Week 7/8 - Fake Teams

Jesus Flores, Finally Catching - Fake Teams

Six The Hard Way: Josh Reddick Deserves More Love - Fake Teams

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In the offseason, I compared Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, saying they were very similar hitters with Gordon having more speed and the potential to steal 50+ bases. Well, Gordon better start hitting real quick, as Andrus is hitting a little over 100 points higher than Gordon at this point, even after going 0-4 yesterday. Andrus is hitting .320-.394-.413 with a HR, 19 RBI, 24 runs scored and 7 stolen bases. Andrus has benefitted from a very high .370 BABIP to date, much higher than his career BABIP of .317, so the BA could take a hit in the near future. He owns a solid strikeout rate of just 11.2% and a solid walk rate of 10.7%, is keeping the ball on the ground at a 51% clip and hitting line drives at a near 27% rate as well. If he can keep the line drive rate up, he could best his career high BA of .279 last year.

White Sox starter Chris Sale held Albert Pujols and the Mickey Hatcher-less Angels to just one run in 5.1 innings yesterday, giving up just 5 hits, a walk and struck out 7. He gave up a HR to Pujols, only the third HR he has given up in 43.1 innings so far in 2012. He has struck out 43 and walked 12 in those 43+ innings, and is now 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Pretty damn good for his first year in the White Sox rotation.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera had a breakout season in 2011, hitting .273-.332-.460 with 25 HRs, 92 RBI, 87 runs and 17 stolen bases. He has picked up where he left off last season, hitting .326-.416-.512 with 4 HRs, 17 RBI, 21 runs and 2 stolen bases thus far. His triple slash line is up, but even more impressive is his 10-17 strikeout to walk ratio. That is Pujols-esque in his prime. OK, a bit of exaggeration there, but it is impressive when compared to his 119-44 strikeout to walk rate last season.

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