Meander on over and start feeding yourself the new stuff…

NL All-Stars

SP - Edinson Volquez(CIN) C - Geovanny Soto(CHC) 1B - Jorge Cantu(FLA) 2B - Dan Uggla(FLA) 3B - Troy Glaus(STL) SS - Christian Guzman(WAS) OF - Nate McLouth(PIT), Pat “The Bat” Burrell(PHI) and Ryan Ludwick(STL) Closer - Kerry Wood(CHC)

AL All-Stars

SP - Cliff Lee(CLE) C - Dioneer Navarro(TBR) 1B - Kevin Youkilis(BOS) 2B - Alexi Ramirez(CHW) 3B - Joe Crede(CHW) SS - Johnny Peralta(CLE) OF - Carlos Quentin(CHW, Josh Hamilton(TEX) and J.D. Drew(BOS) Closer - George Sherrill(BAL) DH - Jason Giambi(NYY)

More about some honorable mentions and why some were left off the list on Thursday’s Podcast.

–Nate

Nate is the resident Cubs farm team expert, but this deal comes off as the Cubs ripped off the A’s.  When you consider Gallagher looks like a serviceable back-end starter, Murton was out of the plans in Chicago, and Patterson hasn’t done much in limited time, where’s the return value for a #1 starter?  If you’re in an AL-Only league, you lost an ace and a serviceable swingman and didn’t add any new starters to the AL pool for 2008 and maybe 2009.  When you consider the bounty that the A’s got for Dan Haren, you really see how the injury label can destroy a pitcher’s fantasy and real baseball stock.  Harden has relatively better numbers in 2008 vs. Dan Haren final 2007 stat line, but all those missed starts have scared away numerous fantasy owners and apparently, real life GMs. 

If you’re in an NL only league, bid a solid amount on Harden while factoring in his fragility. If you hear any talk about the Cubs wanting Harden to bring his splitter back, sell immediately.  The A’s spent 2 years rebuilding Harden mentally and physically and one of the keys to his 2008 physical stability has been the fact that Harden no longer throws his split.  As for Gaudin, watch to see if he gets a chance at the rotation due to injury or Marquis-esque implosions as he could spin off a string of great starts like he did in early 2007.

C.C. Sabathia for Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and a player to be named. 

C.C. is ACE material after winning the AL Cy Young last year and righting the ship in early May this year to wash away those terrible April numbers.  You have to expect to pay $35+ to land C.C. in an NL only league and close to $30 in a mixed league.  AL Only owners are once again the losers here.  LaPorta is a tremendous prospect, but unless you’re in a dynasty league, he’s not worth picking up at this point.  The Indians have stop-gap options in the outfield for 2008 and 2009 and LaPorta should be given time to work on his batting skills as he is still a bit behind the curve when it comes to batting average.  The power is Major League ready, but he needs more work on batting fundamentals.  There are mixed reviews on Bryson’s potential down the road but again, he’s not an immediate add to your radar.  Zach Jackson is one of the better Brewers SP prospects for the past couple years but probably not worth a long look at this point.  Watch both guys in the coming years Spring Trainings and reevaluate then.

Bernie:

• Pitcher:  Chris Volstad, FLA.  Another big prospect coming up from the Florida farm system.  He gets his first start against the Dodgers this week, who are still struggling to score runs without Furcal in the lineup.  His first outing against Colorado was in relief and he did not give up a run in 2 IP
• Hitter:  Kelly Shoppach, CLE.  This is for all you Victor Martinez owners out there.  This guy has been tearing it up recently.  He has 4 HRs and 13 RBIs in his last 21 games (since Victor has gone down).  He also has 7 HRs on the season, which is exactly 7 more than Victor…

Bryan:

• Pitcher - Greg Maddux - Padres - Yes, he’s been awful his last 2 outings, but this week he has 2 starts at home against the Uggla-less Fish and the “Road Kill” Atlanta Braves.
• Hitter - Andre Ethier - Dodgers - This may look a week too late given his past 7 days stats (13-32, 10 runs, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs), but the Dodgers desperately need his bat and when he’s locked in, he can carry that offense.  Also, for his matchups this week, he’s hit .250/.286/.500/.500/1.000/1.000 (not many ABs, but the numbers look impressive) and faces Chris Volstad for the first time.

Nate:

• Deliverance on BluRay… and some Moonshine/White Lightning

Bernie’s Sleeper Picks:

• Pitcher:  Ricky Nolasco.  I’m going with a one-start pitcher this week with a great matchup:  The Nationals in Florida.  In his last four starts, Nolasco is 3-0 with 27 Ks, 1.82 ERA, and a .910 WHIP.  I’m looking for him to continue the trend against a weak Nationals’ offense.
• Hitter:  Troy Tulowitzki.  I know this isn’t exactly a sleeper type name, but what has he done this year?  Look for Troy to build on his HR this weekend and take advantage of 7 games in Coors Field this week.  There aren’t really any scary pitchers he’ll face this week as Peavy won’t be throwing in the series against SD and he’s also missing Nolasco (see my sleeper pitcher this week) in the Florida series.

Bryan’s Sleeper Picks:

• Pitcher: Gavin Floyd.  2 starts at home against the Indians and A’s.  Floyd is 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA at home this year.  Add in the fact that the White Sox are playing solid baseball lately and you have a good play for the week.
• Hitter: Rickie Weeks - May not hit .250 the rest of the year, but already in the week since he came off the DL he’s showing some of those skills that tempt fantasy owners on draft day.  Get him back in your lineup.

Nate’s Sleeper Picks - No writeups this week, he’s on vacation:

• Pitcher - John Danks
• Hitter - Jhonny Peralta

Bryan:  Headley –  19   /  Snell –  -6.5  /  Total –  12.5

Nate:    Matsui –  15     /  Rogers – 22  /  Total –  37

I was wondering when we would have our first negative player of the year and I guess Bryan answered that question for me.  I also would like to point out that my pitcher outperformed Bernie and Bryan’s pitchers together and he only ended up with one start last week.  Okay, enough bragging and let us move on to this week.

Bernie ~ Jeremy Guthrie (SP – BAL)  Take away a bad start against the Red Sox 2 starts ago and this guy has been dealing again.  Guthrie was very strong down the stretch last year, and looks to be started down that path again this year.  He has two starts this week, but not the greatest matchup.  His first start is against the Cubs in Wrigley, and everyone knows how well the Cubs have been at home.  He should make up for that matchup with another road start against the Nationals.  Look for some solid strikeout numbers and one win.  Elijah Dukes (OF – WAS)  Dukes has been hitting around .350 with 10 Runs, 2 HR,  12 RBIs, and 5 SBs since being moved to the 2-hole in early June.  He may still be a hot-head, but he may finally be living up to some of his potential.  Look for Dukes to get a couple multi-hit games this week with a handful of RBIs and possibly a couple stolen bases.

Bryan ~ So, last week I got just destroyed on my pitching pick (Ian Snell) by trying to go with a hot hand and playing down the matchups.  This week, I’ll take Jeff Francis (SP – COL) with games on the road (usually a good thing for a Rockies SP) against KC and Detroit.  So, assuming the Tigers don’t have another offensive micro-burst, I like the matchups and like the young SP coming off a solid start.  Now, Tulo – Troy Tulowitski (SS – COL) - is not a ROY or MVP and is only starting in 40% of CBS leagues, so I’m assuming he’s eligible for the picks.  Tulo was struggling before the injury knocked him out for a while, but I think the injury time gave him a chance to relax and stop pressing so much as he had before the injury.  I was also reading that while he was rehabbing he took BP with the team, and often put on a show for the early arriving fans.  Look for him to get that batting average headed in the right direction and slide right back into a key spot in that suddenly hot Rockies lineup. THAT’S RIGHT! 2 ROCKIES!

Nate ~ Since the Mets and Yankees are the only 7 game teams this week I am going to take that advantage and go with Alex Rodr…  I kid, I kid.  Robinson Cano (2B – NYY)  Cano has been kind of heating up the past couple weeks under the radar of Jason Giambi.  He raised his average 10 pts last week and had a couple doubles.  Here’s to hoping those couple doubles turn into a couple homeruns.  Aaron Laffey (SP – CLE)  I was late to pulling the trigger to pick up Laffey in my mixed weekly H2H off the wire so instead of kicking myself too hard when he has a stellar week I am going to pick him here.  Pulling the Giants and the struggling of late Reds both at home this week should snag me a couple wins even though both teams have a decent average against lefties (SF .263, CIN .269).  Mix those 20 pts with a half dozen strikeouts and 13 IP I should come out on top again in the pitching department.

Chase Headley (3b/OF – SD) Probably one of the last impactful prospects to be called up in the NL.  Chase has already shown his power since he got the call-up with a couple homeruns and sporting a .350 avg.  He should get plenty of playing time, even if Kouzmanoff gets healthy.  Definite in NL; Monday/Thursday in Mix

Manny Parra (SP – MIL)  Manny has calmed down, righted his ship and has harnessed his command as of late winning his last four while striking out 22.  Also it helps his value that the Brewers are starting play good baseball with Prince’s bat waking up since June 1.  Definite in NL; a 4 or 5 pitcher in mix leagues.

Trot Nixon (OF – NYM)  After getting out of a crowded AZ system Trot should get plenty of playing time against righties in New York.  He is an aging lefty that will be streaky at the plate.  Monitor in NL; no in mix

Ricky Nolasco (SP – FLA)  Give him the heater Ricky…  Nolasco has put up 3 quality starts in a row while striking out 18 and sporting a 2.08 ERA.  He still isn’t a polished pitcher by any means but while he is throwing well you might as well march him out there.  Pitching for a good offensive teams also helps his value.  Worth a gamble in the NL; monitor in mixed.

Jeff Keppinger (SS – CIN)  Keppinger was activated off the DL this past week and should move right back into the starting line-up since the Reds don’t have another option at SS right now.  Not to devalue Keppinger, but it is unlikely he will perform from here on out like he did at the beginning of the year.  He will hit above .300 but more than likely it will be empty, but if someone dropped him when he went down you can take a gamble on him and hope that Dusty will fill that .300 avg with counting stats by batting him up in the order.  Definite in NL; monitor in mix.

Mike Aviles (SS – KC)  Since getting regular time as the Royals SS, Aviles has put up some solid numbers and may have secured himself a spot as a major leaguer.  He had hit 10 homeruns at AAA before getting called up so he has the potential for power, but at 27 years old already don’t expect a big future out of him.  Definite in AL; Monday/Thursday in mix.

Joel Zumaya (RP – DET)  Being activated this last week Zumaya will slide right back into the role of setup man for Detroit.  If for any reason Jones wouldn’t be able to go as a closer he should get the call.  His peripherals should be solid, especially in the strike out category.  Definite in AL; Worthy of a look in mix

Greg Zaun (C – TOR)  A couple weeks ago we were touting Zaun’s replacement while he was out on the DL, but since being activated Zaun has been red hot and probably will not be losing time to the now struggling Barajas.  As long as he gets his 4+ games a week behind the dish he is worth being on any Al only/two catcher leagues.  One catcher mix leagues stay away.

Alex Cintron (SS – BAL)  With the designation of Freddy Bynum is opens up the door for Cintron to take over as the every day shortstop.  Cintron was highly touted when he first started playing in the majors as a very athletic player with a lot of tools.  Unfortunately injuries and position roadblocks have led Cintron to miss his prime in the majors but he is worthy of a roster spot in AL only leagues, mix leaguers stay away.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C – TEX)  With Gerald Laird going on the DL Salty will be getting a lot of playing time in one of the best offenses in baseball.  Look for the ball to start flying in Arlington as we get into the hot summer months and some of those balls can be flying off of Saltys bat.  He should be owned and started in all leagues.

Two-Start Pitchers - Aaron Laffey, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Slowey, Andy Sonnastine, Bronson Arroyo

7 Game Teams - Only the New York Yankees and New York Mets

Three Up

Vladimir Guerrero (OF - ANA) Go trade for this guy NOW! The weather is fially heating up and it’s starting to show. He is finally knocking the ball out of the park and has been hitting over .400 for the last two weeks. If Vlad owners haven’t been paying close attention they will just see an “underperforming” Big Bad Vlad (.275/10hr/35RBI). He seems to always go on a tear in the summer months, and is starting that tear now.

Chris Ianetta (C - COL) The newly anointed starting catcher for those Coors swilling Rockies - with a lineup is getting healthier by the day - Ianetta has been taking those steps that past Rockies catching prospects have never dared take… hitting over .250 for an extended time. Hey Bernie, do you still have those Ben Petrick and J.D. Closser jerseys? I need some new rags to wash my car.

Russell Branyan (3B - MIL) Branyan got the call with the help of a struggling Bill Hall and tearing up Triple-A (.360/12hr in 45 games). Since joining the show he has continued his streak by contributing a .304 AVG, 8 HR and 13 RBI, but all it is, is a streak. His stock is high now as it should be, but it can drop real low real quick with Branyan’s tendency to strike out. So ride the streak while it is there, but don’t be afraid to cut bait once his numbers start to fall.

Three Down

Derrek Lee (1B - CHC) You heard it here and I’m not just hating on the Cubs either. What has this guy done since his tremendous April? I’ll tell you: .239 Avg, 6 HR, 21 RBI in over a month and a half. The RBI numbers aren’t bad, but the .239 average scares me and his initial power surge seems to be more of a hot streak now. Trade him now, while his .285 avg, 14 HRs, 48 Rs, and 44 RBIs still look good. Those numbers don’t look so good when you figure in his April of: .364 avg, 8 HRs, 23 RBIs. I have him in one league and I’m getting tired of his 1-4 and 1-5 nights while the rest of the Cubs are crushing the ball.

Ivan Rodriguez (C - DET) Yes, he has been hitting a bit lately but if you strip away the name, would you want a “top” starting catcher hitting .273 with 1 HR and 26 RBIs? The 6 steals are nice, but he’s throwing bone chips with every stride of his cartilage-less knees. Inge is proving a good option and these guys are in a 60/40 split. Go out and take a chance on an Ianetta, Shoppach, or even Olivo and leave the HOF bound Pudge on the waiver wire with his HOF bound buddies Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Hunter Pence (OF - HOU) After having one of the best Mays in baseball Pence has been on a steep decline since we have entered the sixth month of the year. This probably will not turn into a long term slump of sorts - at least fantasy owners hope not, but since June 1 his average has fallen 27 points and only has 5 extra base hits which include only 1 homerun. I am not suggesting you cut bait on Houston’s future but if you can bench him until he heats back up it would be in you and your team’s best interest.

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Bernie:  Mark Reynolds -  7  /  Mike Mussina - 33.5 /  Total - 40.5

Bryan:  Vernon Wells -   11  /   Eric Bedard -  12.5  /   Total - 23.5

Nate:    Aaron Boone -   6   /   Aaron Cook -  35    /    Total - 41

Wow, last week not so hot.  It will be my last time that I take 2 players with the same first names.  I just wanted to point out before we get to this week’s picks that Bernie took the exact two guys that I was going to, so therefore I am going on back up picks.

Bernie:  Andrew Miller, SP – FLA:  I’m taking this guy solely because he has two starts against less than stellar offenses in Seattle and Oakland.  Ok, he’s also showing signs of turning things around a bit.  His last start was very strong against a tough Philly offense.  Lastings Milledge, OF – WAS:  Milledge has been heating up as of late and has six games against MIN and TEX.  All the projected pitchers for those games haven’t exactly been tearing it up:  Livan Hernandez, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Kason Gabbard, Kevin Millwood, and Vicente Padilla.

Bryan:  Ian Snell, SP - Pitt: I don’t like the matchups but Snell seems to be turning it around his last 2 starts.  Snell will face the White Sox with the heat up in Chicago and Toronto with Vernon back in the heart of the lineup.  Play him for the Ks and at least 1 win out of the two starts.  Chase Headley, OF - SD: I’m not scared of taking the brand new call-ups especially when they’ve been raking at AAA since May.  Headley should also get a decent spot in the lineup with the star-starved padres offense.

Nate:  Kenny Rogers, SP - DET:  With the Tigers on a little bit of a hot streak and Kenny going into a couple pitchers parks (San Francisco/San Diego) I thought this would be a great opportunity to pick up another 20 points in Wins.  Kaz Matsui, 2b - HOU:  I know I usually pick some weak hitters, and this week isn’t any different.  I figure with my dominance on the pitching side I have to give Bryan and Bernie a chance.  My thought here though really is that Matsui has been getting on base decently and should rack up some steals this week with catchers like Ramon Hernandez and Dioneer Navarro behind the plate.

Bernie: Lowe - 46/Casilla - 23 Total: 69 (I think Bernie cheated this week)

Bryan: Campillo - 18/Gonzalez - 19 Total: 37

Now there was some controversy to me picking Pedro last week so instead I changed my pick to Kyle Lohse who was performing better than anyone thought he would this deep into the season.

Nate: Lohse - 37.5/Hairston - 20 Total: 57.5

For this upcoming week our picks are as follows:

Bernie ~ Hitter: Mark Reynolds - This guy started off on a tear in April. As hot as he was in April, he was even colder in May. He’s starting to get hot again, and I’m going to ride one of baseball’s streakiest hitters to a big week with a full 7 game schedule, 3 of which are against the lowly Royals. Pitcher: Mike Mussina - Moose has been solid his last two starts and gets KC this week. He has a second start in Houston though, so I’m banking on a huge game against the Royals to offset a possible shelling in the Juice Box.

Bryan ~ I’ll take a former all star coming off the DL and an underachieving top tier AL starter… Vernon Wells… another streaky hitter who has come off the DL putting up big numbers in 2 games. Get him back in your lineups with 6 against the Mariners and Cubs. Erik Bedard… He’s had some brutal matchups the past month with 2 against the Rangers, 2 against Boston, and one each against the Yanks, Angels and Padres , but he’s got the Nats this week at home. Enough said… don’t be scared off by the 1 good, 1 bad pattern of late and expect a second good start in a row. 2 in a row… that’s how streaks get started and maybe he’ll get motivated to get out of Seattle and get traded to a contender.

Nate ~ Since I need to make up ground this week I am going to go with a high-risk high-reward pitcher and his name shall be Aaron Cook. Cook has looked very impressive in the past few weeks, really working at keeping the sinker down. As the year goes on he should put up better numbers because sinker ballers tend to throw better when they are a little tired. He also has the help of Holliday coming back into the lineup. As for a hitter I am going to have to go with Aaron Boone who has quite a few games against lefties and will definitely be getting 7 starts in with the ailing corners in Washington.

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Bryan: Votto - 21/Myers - 29.5 total = 50.5

Bernie: Gomez - 16/Burnett - 34 total = 50

Nate: Kouzmanoff - 13/Wolf - 25 total = 38

This week Bernie and Bryan wrote their own little pick blurbs, Bernie first…  Derek Lowe: I’m taking Lowe to get his first win since sometime in April (actually two wins this week). Apparently his sinker is back and he’s done getting abused.

Alexi Casilla: In case you don’t know, he plays 2B for Minnesota. The guy is typically a slap hitter with wheels but has been driving in a decent share of runs recently. He get’s three games against Baltimore which means plenty of steals on Ramon Hernandez (who is getting picked on this year for tons of steals).

Bryan says, Jorge Campillo is tempting with the 2 starts and the dominance of late, but those blister problems make him too much of a risk… but I’ll take Jake Westbrook with 2 on the road against the Rangers and Tigers. He held the Tigers to a 3.79 ERA in 3 starts in 07 and held the Rangers scoreless in one start in 07. The Tribe needs Westbrook to step up and fill the void left by Carmona and I’m hoping he’s up to the challenge.

For a hitter, I’ll take a chance of the newly called up rookie outfielder… from the A’s… c’mon, Jay Bruce isn’t a sleeper… Carlos Gonzalez…. He should get some playing time with injuries cutting into the A’s roster. He projects as a high average guy with 20+ HR power and the skills to be a good RBI guy. So, it’s risky to take a kid who might only get 3-4 starts this week, but this is a guy who was the big chip in the Haren trade so the A’s are going to give him a chance to shine.

Since my last two weeks have been lackluster and my lead has all but diminished I am not going to say much and hope my picks do the talking.  I am going to go with Pedro Martinez coming off the DL in a two start week and Jerry Hairston Jr.  Don’t ask me why I am taking Hairston Jr. maybe it is the ex-Cub factor and maybe is the Jay Bruce effect, I don’t know, but that is what I am going to go with.

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I Coulda… saved my FAAB in my NL-Only auction league for Jay Bruce (OF-CIN) who will probably be the most productive rookie in the NL this year but in the back of my head some other top SP prospects came to mind that have done fairly well in the recent years (Cole Hamels, SP-PHI and “Tiny” Tim Lincecum, SP-SF).  With the huge need for pitching for my team Clayton Kershaw (SP-LAD) became my man at $25.

I Woulda… been okay with not getting Kershaw in another NL-only league off of Yahoo waivers but I am hoping in the long run he will be more valuable than Jonathon Sanchez (SP-SF) just because he is playing for a better team in just as good of a pitcher’s park.

I Shoulda… found a replacement for the struggling Billy Butler (1B,DH-KC) two weeks ago in my H2H points league, but I am glad I waited to pull the trigger b/c I was able to pick up the hot hitting Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B-SDP) just in time to collect 3 home runs and a week where he gets three starts against lefties (.326 avg against).

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