Who do you think will have a better career Salcedo or Juan Duran?

Are there any other  recently signed international players that you think can even touch these 2?

I am a big fan of jr Towles and feel he could have a russ martin like rise at the catcher position in the national league. I don't see him on alot of top prospect lists . I think he could hit .280 with 15  hr's and 10 steals this season. Great numbers for a rookie catcher . How much pt is ausmus going to take from him? What do you think he can do stat wise this season? What seem to be his weaknesses? Who do you compare him to?

anyone think your ball club could use this kid on your 40 man roster....i like him as a reserve type 300 ab guy. Think he could be an upgrade for several teams off the bench. Baltimore fan what do you think of this kid....as a Royal fan he reminds me of Lubanski in some ways.

He has had two cups of cofee with the big club in 05 and 06 and was definitely brought up too early but i think he could be a nice guy to have on the ready in AAA in 08 with a chance to be a fixture in the future

The Royals signed catcher Miguel olivo today....do you think Dayton has a trade in the works that includes Buck  or do you think they are satisfied with this tandem in 08.... they are very similar players who both throw out around 34% of base stealers....and can hit for some pop...Buck does not like to walk but Olivo really does not like to walk....what do you think?

There is a pretty nice debate on scout.com page for the Royals about the value of David Dejesus. He is rumored to be going to the Braves for Chuck James or possibly to the Rangers(i do not have players involved on this rumor)
I do not rate Dejesus nearly as high as alot of the members on that board. Personally, i would trade Dejesus for James straight up but Royals fans think the Braves should include Lillibridge. I told them that Dejesus is not held in high regard by the rest of the league. Where do you rate Dejesus and what would you think he would be worth in a trade if you were the Braves or Rangers?

OK-

here is the situation....you our the gm of your favorite team you can take one player in the rule 5 draft.....who do you take, and how does he fit into your teams plans from 2008?

you can take anyone-even if your team has a late selection (suppose you have made a move to get a higher pick)

you can play gm for more than one team if you'd like

I keep reading that the Rocks are looking at several catchers if Yorvit does not return. Kendall and Barrett are the two i see mentioned the most. Granted Iannetta could pull thru and beat out the ever declining Kendall. What happened to all the love for this kid. I never heard any of the broadcasters during the playoffs mention that Yorvit entered as the #2 but when the rookie struggled he took the job....does Chris Ianetta become another JD Closser and disappears into obscurity or is their still a chance this kid could be a solid major leager

I have never asked for fantasy advice...but i am in a 5x5 league and i have been offered $18 dollar Felix Hernandez for 1$ Chad Billingsley. I want to hear from people that have an opinion when it comes to $ and an opinion if Hernandez is clearly better than Bills. I think that Hernandez is a stud but will he really be better the rest of the season than Bills who is finally getting his shot at the rotation. So let me know your opinion....I am $20 under the cap but do have Harden($23) and T.Gordon($15) coming back soon...I could take Felix and bench Andruw Jones($25) to make room for my cap....ok alot of info here....but let me hear an opinion please

Sweeney is going back on the D.L (big surprise) Do you guys think Butler will actually play 1B this time around or should we expect him to get all his ab's at DH? Obviously, he is joining the team in STL so I don't see him starting. If Huber was healthy do you think he would have received the call? Is Brazell even an option? Or is Brazell another Graham Koonce, Pickering, Burkhart 4A Slugger?

I am starting a diary to discuss players past and present that you think never got a fair shot in the big leagues....Guys, that for whatever reason (maybe they were blocked by a star or had bad gm's that did not see their talent) faded away into baseabll obscurity. I thought of this because I had wondered what had happened to Jamal Strong and why he never got a chance in Seattle despite having the ability to get on base steal bases and play solid defense. There have been a ton of guys like this and I am sure that some greay tales could be told why they never made it....

a few others:

OF-Bombo Rivera put up decent numbers in part time play but never got much action in the bigs after his 27th birthday

C- Mike Rose always seems to be able to hit from the left side of the plate (i have seen him 3 times in spring and he is raking the ball)

INF-Pete Coachman seemed to be a pretty decent prospect with the Halos but never got a shot

anyway just a few guys....would love to hear some of oyour thoughts. I know there are tons, but these are a couple of names that popped up in the useless information part of my brain

Pie debuts today. We all know the talent this kid has. Obviously Piniella has never been a fan of giving rooks to much PT. 2 questions What do you think Pie's chances of sticking in CF are with Soriano moving back to LF?

also if you had to choose one, who would you take Pie, Milledge or Chris Young SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

He was designated for assignment today. Even though he is scheduled to be on the DL for the start of the year, I would still think he would be a nice risk for some team. He had a decent year in 05, was rated as one of the better pitching prospects in baseball just a few years ago....I would think Brandon Watson, Jerry Gil, or Chad Moeller would be the guys I would have bumped....what do you think?

The Royals will no longer be doing their most famous promotion to date. No more fans cheering for a dozen hits(many could care less if the team wins as long as they get that dozen glazed from crispy kreme)

do you have any ideas for a Royals promo for 07-cause it is going to sting alot of the fatties around here when they can;t get those donuts...

seriously though-any ideas?

one of John's favorites-called up(Mr.Clevlen, welcome to the show)i don't think Brent is ready....clearly his numbers in the minors in 06 are disappointing. I think there are several guys that the Tigs could have brought up instead. It is interesting the 1st place Tigers bring up the youngster who is struggling, and the woeful Royals have 2 young studs who are on fire and yet, even though they would bring some much needed excitement to the fan base they sit in AA(the 2 getting called up, I believe would help sell alot more tickets now and in the off season-esp if they do what we think they will)

Mike Macdougal has been traded to the White Sox for lefty Tyler Lumsden...he went to Clemson, former #1 pick, but I don't like his strike out numbers in the minors...anyone in Birmingham know much about him...i sure hope we get more from the Sox...filler vfiller filler fillerfiller  filfiller ler filler filler fillefiller r fillerfilfillfilfillerler er ler  

Carlos Lee available-what team should trade for him and...what should they offer....the Brewers are saying they want close to major league ready players.
 Here is a team that could certainly use him...I saw Aneheim play last night, and the Halos really need a bat...I will breakdown what the Angels could offer and why it does or does not make sense...
 C Jeff Mathis(the Brew Crew has aging Miller and in AA Salome, but Mathis would make sense here) 1B Kotchman(Brewers are set here with Prince) 2b Kendrick (Angels won't send him) SS B.Wood(ditto Kendrick, but the Brewrs have 2 young prospects at those positions already) 3B Macpherson(Braun looks like he could be a LF, but I am not sure where I heard that, might make sense if not for the Branyan comparisons and injury problems, don't think Brewers would bite) SS Aybar(intriguing,but I believe the Brewers pass because they believe in JJ Hardy) OF Willits, Murphy(both project as reserve types but Murphy could be valuable in the NL due to his versatality) P's(Brwers will want one young pitcher-we know Weaver is unavailable but I could see a couple of other guys go from this group-Saunders,Mendoza,Shell, Arredondo) others...maybe a Statia ,Trumbo,S. Rodriguez would happen)

ok my offer as Angels GM is for Carlos Lee

Brewers receive
C-Jeff Mathis
P-Joe Saunders
OF-Tommy Murphy
P-Jose Arredondo(if Brewers include Capellan)

Angels receive
LF-Carlos Lee
P-Jose Capellan(the Halos need Bullpen help)

What do you think? too muvh given up, not enough?
what team do you think should make a move, and what should they offer?

Ok, i have been offerred Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones for Damon and C.Zambrano...first 10 votes and i will make the decision based on your vote...(well-maybe) i need HR's, RBI, RS...and i could use saves since i have J.Sosa, Benitez, and Dempster....i am in the top 2 in the league in pitching....will Jones have another torrid 2nd half, will Damon finally succumb to the foot injury? Ok let me know what you guys think?

I am in a 10 team league. We get 10 keepers and 5 restricted free agents at the end of each season(restricted means you can match the highest offer you want) I finished 3rd last season and was able to franchise Liriano, Hermida, Cain, Ryan Howard, and Iguchi...i got all of them for real cheap...this season i drafted Markakis and Verlander and have picked up(you can't sign a player until he is on the 25 man roster) Aybar, Russ Martin, Milledge, Zumaya, and Lester. I am building a team for the future and just traded Jason Schmidt and Dan Johnson for Conor Jackson and Howie Kendrick...what do you think of this trade and what 10 would you franchise off this list(or rank them 1-13)
1.Liriano(5 dollar pickup)
2.Hermida(9 dollar pickup)
3.Cain(10 dollar pickup)
4.Howard(1 dollar pick up-YES!!!)
5.Iguchi(8 dollar draft)
6.Markakis(6 dollar draft)
7.Verlander(7 dollar draft)
8.Aybar(1 dollar pickup)
9.Martin(1 dollar pickup)
10.Zumaya(1 dollar pick up)
11.Lester(7 dollar pick up)
12.Jackson(3 dollar trade)
13.Kendrick(5 dollar trade)
14.Milledge(11 dollar pick up)
15.D.Navarro(1 dollar pick up)
16/Joel Guzman(1 dollar pick up)
17.Kotchman(7 dollar draft)
18.Billingsley(10 dollars if i get him)

yes-i know what you are saying...and no most my league does not value prospects...i might lose this season but i plan on laughing to the bank starting next season...right now i am 60$ under the cap and i plan on using about 10 on Billingsley and 40 on Clmemens(and than trade him in August for more prospects if i have to)

I am sorry for the fantasy post-and i am in no way patting myself on the back, but i am curious how my other friends value my "18"

As I predicted many times before the season...Russ Martin would end up being the starting catcher for the Dodgers. I am just not real high on Navarro. That being said, I really thought Navarrom would just under perform and Martin would come up and just produce and take the job. I did not anticipate an injury. What would you do if you had these 2...Pull a Santiago-Alomar move and trade one of them...keep both and release Alomar(weird coincidence) send Navarro to AAA...

Baseball tonight had a great piece about how much time do you give a struggling young player. Who do you think should go down, and also please answer this-who do you bring up and/or slide into that players spot in the line up?
Personally I think Anderson is not that great anyway...but who do you bring up-is Jerry Owens ready? Kotchman has been a real disappointment to me...he reminds me of Will Clark but has looked more like Jeff Grotewold thus far...Cain is getting his pitches up, and doesn't seem to have the confidence in his 2nd and 3rd pitches...what do you thinl...who goes down, and who comes up?

I am taking a page from Chevy Chase who said you say what comes to your mind, if it's funny you make em laugh if they don't well...lets just hope they laugh...I want you to list your all time softball team, basically this should be a list of baseball players that really would be better Softball players. Basically this will be a thread that brings back memories of Dave Kingman and other free swingin KONGS
 or feel free to say Gashouse you are an idiot, and have way too much time. Let's see...my team is
no actually
We have a good team Rob Deer in LF, Billy Ashley in RF...we have a glut at 1b of Graham Koonce, Cal Pickering, JR Phillips, and Morgan Burkhart so we have Pick in CF, Phillips as our short fielder. We have Burkhart at 3b and have kept Koonce at 1B. Our SS is Dave Kingman and our catcher is Glenn Brummer when he shows up and also Mike "Porky" Lavaillerre...our pitcher is the infamous Jack "the former hockey goalie" Lazorko and Charlie Kerfeld, one is fabulous up the middle, the other helps us win drinking contests. We are a good team, and we will take on your team anytime.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060320&content_id=1356 543&vkey=pr_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

this is a pretty crazy trade, where will the Sox play Pena, does he simply take Mohr's job as Trots platoon partner...does he move someone to 1B...regardless, this trade helps out both teams.

I am always interested in hearing personal stories that the everyday JOE has with professional athletes. I am asking if you played against/with any current or past professional baseball players(share experiences) and also if we can do a Where are they now? type of thing if there is a former player that lives in your area that you can talk about(what are they up to)

Alright, we talked about the non-trade of Sweeney for Kotchman and another prospect...I remeber back in the day the Royals almost traded Gubicza for Chili Davis, a couple of years before we got Chili, anyway. Another trade my friend and I are trying to recollect, was in 2004 when the Royals were shopping Beltran and we almost got Michael Young or Hank Blalock in the trade. I remember the Royals almost made this trade but refused to deal the stud that was Jimmy Gobble...does anyone else remember this trade, or do you have any almost trades you remember that would have definitely hurt or help your club had it happened.

This is going to be debatable, and possibly controversial...you are going to have to believe me or not...but I know this from very good baseball people that the Royals were offered Casey Kotchman and another prospect for the Royals Mike Sweeney at the deadline last year. I heard Baird said yes, but the Royals owner David Glass said NO, because he felt the Royals fans would run for the hills if the fan favorite was traded. Whether this is true or not(and because of my connections-i believe it is) is neither here nor there...the question is would you have made this trade---I will pose 4
#1Kotchman and Joe Saunders for Sweeney
#2Kotchman and Aybar for Sweeney and Affeldt
#3Kotchman and Callaspo for Sweeney
#4 you are crazy, your sources are Carrot top, yahoo serious  and Emo Phillips and the Angels would never have offered this trade.

1 and 3 are the 2 I heard,

   and #2 would be the trade I would have made...my reasons the Halos could have used Sweeeney behind Vlad(a weakness that I think was exposed down the stretch and in the playoffs) also Affeldt could have worked with Buddy Black and given the Angels a true LH RP down the stretch(they did not have one outside of Jake Woods)
the Royals would have had a quality 1B for the next 5 years, and would never have worried about Mientkiewicz this year(side note-i believe it was a good sign) and Aybar would have moved my biggest disappointment Berroa out of SS eventually. If Aybar was in KC, lets face it, he would have been in the majors this year. Also, I want to know what do you think Sweeney is worth, and what would you trade for him if you were another teams GM

I think Jamal Strong is bettyer than alot of teams reserve OF'ers I would rather see him in kC than Chip Ambres...however, I can't find Strong on anyones roster, and have not seen him listed as a non roster player anywhere-

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P-Scott Kazmir-Devil Rays age 22

eta:already arrived
baseball america ranking:#2 2003, #2 2004
The trade of Scott Kazmir from the Mets to the D-Rays in 2004 shocked many baseball fans, and seriously upset any knowledgeable Mets fan. A true power pitcher, Kazmir isn't the biggest pitcher but he throws as hard as any big guy...a 95 mph heater and a power slider are his plus pitches...he also has an average curve and change. One thing that kept popping up as you read about Kazmir is that some scouts believed his future could be as a closer(in the mold of Billy Wagner) i disagree with this.  I think often people see a small pitcher and believe he doesn't have the makeup or durability to make it as a SP. So i am going to disregard those statements. (although with those 2 dominant power pitches one could envision him as a great closer)  One thing I like about this kid is he had only been in the show for a short time, when the Rays were playing the Red Sox(these 2 teams do not like each other) and he retaliated against an earlier move and threw at Man RAM...getting himself ejected...this shows me that this kid is a bulldog type pitcher(although it is said it may be more of a cockiness right now than heart) He did struggle a bit in 2004 in the majors(but he was only 20) going 2-3 w/ a 5.67 e.r.a in 33 ip. but he did K 41 and walk 21. He had a good year in 05, and heads into 06 with higher expectations. His career minor league numbers are very special, 228 ip, 283 k's and only 93 walks...it is really almost impossible to understand why the Mets let this kid go(this could be a future bagwell y smoltz like deal) and it became even more frustrating when the Mets didn't even reach the playoffs.

this is what Kazmir said about the Mets after the trade-"Basically, I just want to show them the mistake they made."(i actually like a young guy that has this confidence-i think it is very important, espec. for a pitcher)
He also actually wrote a great letter to the Ny Mets fans(even though he never appearred in the majors with them-who does this, i think it is great, i mean veteran players don't do things [url]http://sabermets.weblogs.us/archives/016314.html[/url]

similar to:Ron Guidry
perfect world stats for Kazmir in his prime:
33 gs 225 ip 260 k's 70 bb's 18-12 2.85

the big 4:
1-Who do you compare Kazmir to?
2-Will he be in Tampa in 5 years?
3-Will he be one of the premiere pitchers in the game in the next 5 years
4-What were the Mets thinking?

You are the General Manager of the Reds-knowing you have a very poor minor league system, would you trade Dunn to get prospects...and if you say yes, who would you trade him to and what do you think you could get for him? Please make sure it is a team that needs a corner OF or 1B
The first team that comes to mind is the Yanks-trade him for Munson and Hughes
Red Sox for Pedroia and Lester
Is Dunn worth this much, to these teams?

I don't expect this thread to get alot of responses, but I remember thinking how curious his sudden retirement was last season. He is a healthy guy, steroid testing is about to go into effect, and BOOM he retires...interesting.
I still believe, alot of guys have gotten away with juicing, but that is either here nor there...but now Bautista is trying to sign with a invite to spring training...does anyone else think Bautista was dodging the train or did he retire for some other reason.

I would like to see your predictions for the 2006 all rookie team, I will get it started with the format-I am also going to post stats as well HR,RBI,.AVG,SB,.OBP for hitters and W-L IP SO BB E.R.A and SV for pitchers, follow my format or create your own
C-Kenji Johjima Mariners (14,60,55,.270,2,.345)
1B-Prince Fielder Brewers(26,84, 72,.280,1,.350)
2B-Dan Uggla Marlins (14, 56,50, .260,10, .320)
SS-Ronny Cedeno Cubs (4, 36, 55, .265, 10,.320)
3B-Ryan Zimmerman Nationals(16,72,80,.280,2,.340)
OF-Jeremy Hermida Marlins(16,70,80,.290,15,.400)
OF-Delmon Young Rays(15,60,60,.310,12,.350)
OF-Chris DeNorfia Reds(11,56,50,.300,7,.350)
SP-Francisco Liriano Twins(13-10,180,205,60,3.20)
SP-Matt Cain Giants(16-12,200,180,90,3.40)
SP-Justin Verlander Tigers(8-6,130,140,35,3.80)
SP-Anthony Reyes Cardinals(12-5,160,130,45,3.30)
SP-Angel Guzman Cubs(9-4,120,100,50,2.90)
RP-Jon Papelbon Red Sox(9-3,100,90,50,9sv,2.80)
CL-Chris Ray Orioles(5-5, 80,90,40,26sv, 2.75)

Alright, the statistic predictions are merely for fun, but please disect! also why did i choose who I chose...Johjima barely beats out Mathis...I really like Conor Jackson and think he hits over .300 this season but I believe Fielder will win rookie of the year, Uggla will beat out Pokey and have a surprise year before fading into obscurity in 07, and in the OF, I think Denorfia gets 400 plus ab's with all the injuries in the Cincy OF, Young gets a June-July call up and rips it up, and P's Guzman similar to Young comes up and stabilizes a injury riddled Cubs staff(hopefully Baker doesn't destroy his arm even more)I almost put Olsen or Gorzelanny in, instead of Reyes because I feel he could start the year in AAA or long relief-which I believe would be a great place for him anyway for his rookie season.

Who did I not choose-Kinsler will have a nice year but Uggla got my vote, Kubel will start the year in AAA and will have a nice season but Denorfia impresses more(Kubel will be the better player in the long run)and I think Brian Anderson will really struggle,eventually getting replaced by a trade for the stretch run or Jerry Owens.Pitching wise I thin if the Dodgers were smart they would keep Billingsley in the minors for 06. I am still not sold on Jenks(I believe his claim to fame will be the WS ring, no harm in that-feel free to hate on my opinion though, I am sure you will)as I have said in other posts, one rookie that i think will have the greatest impact on his team will be Russ Martin who i see taking the spot of the overrated Navarro in July.
This should be a nice one to look back on in October...