Ian Stewart

DenverPost.com - Tulowitzki gives glimpse of future

Within this article are a couple of interesting facts for Rotisserie players to know.

The first is the intention to move 3B Ian Stewart to the OF:

"And with what (third baseman) Garrett Atkins has done, what it says is that Ian will be part of our team eventually at a different position. Where and when will depend on how he does and how the players do in front of him."

This takes even more glimmer off Stewarts star. Why? Ask Jeff Baker.

The Rockies already have Matt Holliday in LF, and if Brad Hawpe sticks, then only the right side of a platoon is available in RF.

For CF, the article reports:

"The Rockies are expected to address center field through trade or free agency, with Coco Crisp and Eric Byrnes among those on the radar in the offseason. "

I believe AAA CF Jeff Salazar deserves a look-see before the Rockies commit to Byrnes or Coco Crisp.

If Crisp struggles defensively in Fenway, wouldn't he do the same with even more ground in Coors and the inability of the Rockies to thicken the air?

And Byrnes? Didn't they try that already?

Rivera and Giambi Taking Medical Tests - New York Times

Rivera and Giambi Taking Medical Tests - New York Times: "Rivera has experienced inflammation in his right elbow and will have a precautionary M.R.I. on the elbow soon, perhaps today."

I've heard "Wolf!" cried so many times, I am now calloused towards this type of announcement.

However, Scott Proctor's blown save last night combined with Kyle Farnsworth's back and tonight's trade deadline must have every Yankees fan worried - and every Yankees hater giddy.

The rational path for the Yankees would be the use a commitee for the last month in order to let Mo rest. Say pitch him every three days and use match-ups to dictate saves on the other two.

However, this is Joe Torre so I would not be surprised to see Mo pitch three consecutive days with one being a non-save appearance.

David Wells, Part III

ESPN.com - MLB - Red Sox, Padres close to completing Wells trade: "The Red Sox moved steadily toward the completion of a trade of veteran left-hander David Wells, identifying Class AAA catcher George Kottaras as the player they want if they complete a deal with the Padres."

Kottaras isn't Matt Kemp, but he is still a top prospect.

Unfortuantely, he catches and finds himself in the same spot Kelly Shoppach did - blocked by Jason Varitek.

I like this deal for the Red Sox, assuming Kottaras is the player.

I think the Padres will have paid too much for Wells in what amounts to a 6 or 7 team coin flip.

However, he may pitch well going home and would be worth a gamble for the last month of the season.

Pittsburgh Closer

MLB - Chicago Cubs/Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score Wednesday August 30, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports

The suspense is killing me!

With a 7-6 lead and two outs in the 8th, the Pirates look primed to get their first save opportunity since Mike gonzalez was placed on the DL.

With John Grabow trying to finish the 8th, the obvious choices are strike-throwing rookie Matt Capps or veteran Salomon Torres.

If I were watching the game, I'd know as I could see who is warming up in the bullpen.

If I could discern Jim Tracy's methods (Steve Schmoll got three saves in LA last year), then there would be no suspense.

(Crap! As I type, Grabow blew the lead in the 8th.)

More Wells

Webb, Green to attend funeral

"The Diamondbacks spoke with the Boston Red Sox about a potential deal for left-hander David Wells but deemed the price tag too high."

Maybe Theo really did ask for Matt Kemp.

This is the second report that has the Red Sox asking for too much. Must have asked for Chris Young.

David Wells

BostonHerald.com - Boston Red Sox: Wells may go to Dodgers: "The Sox are believed to have asked the Los Angeles Dodgers for 21-year-old outfielder Matt Kemp for Wells. "

It true, then the Theo has fallen and won't get up.

If Ned Colletti accepts, then he should be fired before he wrecks the team any further.

That type of offer should have the Dodgers blocking any calls from Boston.

Troy Tulowitzki

Rocky Mountain News: Rockies & MLB

Lost in the hype of Delmon Young's first major league game and subsquent plunking (Old School!) and homerun, the Rockies recalled the top SS prospect and likely Top 10 prospect in all of the minors, Troy Tulowitzki. (Man, that's an awkward sentence.)

Hopefully, you'll be able to grab TT whilst everyone else scrambles for DY.

If Neifi Perez can put up good numbers in Coors, imagine what a real hitter could do.

2007 Trendy Cy Young Pick

In six starts, this soon-to-be-trendy pitcher has allowed five or more earned runs. He has walked nearly 4.5 batters every nine innings.

Not the type of stats one should lead with when getting the 2007 CY Young wagon rolling, are they?

However, in 24 starts, he has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs eleven times. Of those eleven, seven have come since July 1st.

This pitcher will soon be the trendiest starting pitcher going into 2007. The likelihood of 175+ strikeouts guarantees it. (While I prefer 4X4, the power of 5X5 cannot be denied!)

His name? Matt Cain, the 21-year-old rookie right-hander with the San Francisco Giants.

With 10 wins and pedestrian ratios of 4.32 and 1.31, there will be no other time when he can be had so cheaply. In August, he is 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA and 1 .26 WHIP in 37.1 IP. To boot, he has struck out 47 over that span.

In all keeper leagues, he should be acquired right now. By the off-season, the entire Roto-commentariat will be gushing over him. Possibly to the same extent King Felix was gushed over!

Brad Snyder

As a lefty hitting OF, I foresaw Cleveland AA OF Brad Snyder as a deep sleeper candidate to come up and platoon with the right-handed hitting corner outfielders of the Indians, Jason Michaels and Casey Blake.

I did not foresee, though, Blake finding a batting eye. (36 BBs in fewer than 300 ABs versus 43 in 523 in 2005. I know! 2004's numbers are similar!) Although Jason Michaels performance is not out-of-line with my expectations. (9/49/5/.270)

Where I my prognosticating skills went awry ("third eye" may be contextually correct, but it has taken on another meaning in these modern times,) is the Indians organizations' decision to send Snyder to AA - and keep him there all season!

From this week's Prospect Hot Sheet: "Brad Snyder, of, Double-A Akron (Indians): A lot of Tribe fans were outraged when Snyder didn't start the year in Triple-A, but Snyder was sent back to Akron to work on plate discipline--and his two-strike approach in particular. While his discipline hasn't improved--with 151 strikeouts in nearly 500 at-bats--Snyder is recognizing pitches he can drive better, and has seven bombs in August. Last week, Snyder hit .433 with a pair of homers and drove in six."

Well, the strike zone approach is not apparent in his numbers, he did manage to perform well across the Roto stats - 16 HR and 19 SB in 21 attempts.

Given the Indians ability to give Blake 500+ ABs each year despite well over 100 strikeouts per, I still like Snyder as a sleeper - in 2007!

(Please read my initial assessment from 2/21/06.)

Delmon Young

Rays: Young's callup appears near

Apparently, the DRays' have doled out all the punishment an uber-prospect deserves when Delmon Young was suspended 50 games for throwing a bat at an umpire.

The 20-year-old is slated to be recalled tomorrow.

Regardless of personal opinions, he should be picked-up immediately. His walk rates aren't good, but there may not be enough time in the season for teams to adjust.

Now, Elijah Dukes will be the only DRays in AAA next season bitching and moaning like a petulant child.

Young and Upton have been rewarded for their comments.

How long before Brignac, Davis, and Longoria catch on?

Tom Gordon

Philadelphia Daily News 08/28/2006 Gordon throws without pain, but in no rush: "He threw all of his pitches and was pain-free, said assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle."

That is excellent news.

Now if the Phils can stop racking-up saves while Gordon is out and begin doing so once Gordon is in, then his owners will be happy.

Andrew Miller

Minor League Ball :: Andrew Miller to be called up

The second of what I hope to be several top prospects will be recalled on Tuesday.

Following the Rockies recall of C Chris Iannetta, the Tigers are recalled this year's first round pick, and 6th overall, LHP Andrew Miller to pitch in the bullpen.

Given the pre-August 31st decision, the Tigers must be moderately assured that Miller can contribute and deserves to be on the play-off roster.

The above link has a discussion amongst non-Roto types about the decision. From a Roto-perspective, I see it as an opportunity to use a little FAAB (as there is only a little left at this point in the season) to take a gamble on a power arm in the bullpen.

He won't supplant Zumaya, but he could offer some zing for an off-season trade. In five minor league innings, he struck out nine batters.

If he provides a solid 12-15 innings, he could be a contributor this season in preserving your ratios.

Elijah Dukes

FOX Sports - MLB - Howard making strong case for MVP: "The Devil Rays aren't giving up on outfield prospect Elijah Dukes, whom they suspended indefinitely on Aug. 1.
'We are still very much behind Elijah,' Rays executive vice-president Andrew Friedman says. 'We've had a lot of discussions with him the last couple of weeks that have been very encouraging. We expect for him to play winter ball this off-season and come into camp next year with a chance to win a job.' ..."

That can't be anything but posturing for the off-seaosn trade market.

There is nowhere for Dukes to play and he is clearly unchallenged at AAA.

I'd hope the new ownership doesn't allow its assets to decay the way the previous one did.

Andrew McCutchen

The Pirates promoted 20-year-old OF Andrew McCutchen from Low A Hickory to AA Altoona for the final two weeks of the AA season and play-offs.

He has done remarkably well considering the two-level jump and his age - 16-49 with 2 HR and 5 BB.

This off-season whilst all the hype gravitates to Cameron Maybin, Justin Upton and Jay Bruce, remember McCutchen.

He may not have the ceiling of those three, but he is closer to the majors and plays for the worst of the four organizations.

That is a twosome I always like to see when looking for cheap Roto players who can be flipped in bail deals.

Armando Benitez

Giants 4, Reds 1

Mike Stanton closed out today's 3-run win versus the Reds.

There is nothing in the AP write-up to indicate why Benitez didn't get the argument against the save as a statisitic.

My guess is he is "permanently" hurt - meaning he has an injury that cannot be corrected by surgery nor can it be worsened through use.

I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.

Daniel Cabrera

Cabrera Showing Promise in Return

A third gem in his past four starts since being recalled.

Could he have turned the corner via a mid-season demotion a la mark Teahen?

I do not know and would not take the chance if I were in a heated battle for the ring if ERA and WHIP are up for grabs.

Anywhere else? He should be grabbed. The risk is minimized and the upside is great.

At worst, he'd provide excellent off-season trade bait. At best, he lives up to the hype.

And that hype will be tremendous if he finishes 2006 strong.

Disclaimer: I have been trying to get him for a week or so and was unsuccessful because the team who had him on reserves decided to deal him for cap relief ($5 DC for $1 Joe Kennedy.)

Chris Iannetta

The Rockies, inexplicably, have recalled top catching prospect Chris Iannetta from AAA Colorado Springs.

He is a must-grab in all keepers leagues. Any catcher with an OPS greater than .900 would qualify.

How much he plays is a question, but given the 2nd catchers on most NL-only squads, he is an improvement based solely on futre value alone.

He has walked 48 times while striking out 55 in 307 ABs. With 21 doubles, 4 triples and 14 HRs, he is poised to grab the Colorado Catching Stud title that Ben Petrick failed to live-up to.

Washington Closer

Nationals Hold On�to Win in Atlanta

Saul Rivera (who?) notched the save for the Nationals.

This despite Chad Cordero nothing having pitched but once innthe past five days.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the WaPo article about why Cordero was not used, but this has to be watched closely.

Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard hit his 45th HR tonight to go along with driving in his 115th, 116th and 117th runs of the season.

I have little doubt that he is now among the elite players in all of baseball and should be a Top 3 pick in every draft next year.

If you have him, I see little in the way of offers that could pry him loose. Replacing the HRs is impossible.

If he is under-priced - likely due to mid-season call-up last year and Thome hanging over his certainty of playing time - then he is likely the most under-valued player in your league.

To replace the production and the value, a team would have to basically destroy their team to meet the price.

Jeff Conine

Phillies Are Interested In Conine

Conine would be a nice pick-up for the Phillies and should come at adeep bargain price. Basically, he should be given to the Phillies.

There is no reason he should be taking ABs from any player on a rebuilding team.

Conine is a quality 14th man on Rotisserie rosters due to moderate pop and postion flexibility, and he would retain those qualities as a Phillie playing behind an OF of the Phil-Nevining Pat Burrell ("Won't waive your no trade? We'll bench you!"), Shane Victorino and Dave Dellucci.

Bobby Crosby

A week or so I ago, I wrote about acquiring $10 Bobby Crosby in a trade involving $34 Michael Young.

I then received this email from reader Paul C.:

"In a recent post, you mentioned you picked up Bobby Crosby, who is priced at $10, with an eye to next year. I've had Crosby on my AL 4x4 roto team since he was first in the majors, first as a waiver claim, and then through auction this year. (I paid $23 for him, which at the time I considered fair value.) After three+ years, I've now given up on him as a source of fantasy value. Except for about 6 weeks last year, Crosby is basically a .240 hitter, with middling power, some speed (useless, given that he plays for a team which refuses to steal), and extremely poor strike zone judgment. He is also extremely brittle. At this point, I'm not even sure that he would bring back $10 in value next year. Your best bet may be to flip him before next year's auction to someone who may still believe Crosby's press clippings. (Incidentally, I had been shopping him for the past month in my league, with no takers; I ended up including him in a trade basically as a throw-in to balance out positions...)”

Monday evening, Bobby Crosby came up with a bad back again, and, yesterday, there were reports the A’s may not DL him because the September 1st roster expansion was so close.

Needless to say, Paul’s email became more Nostradamus-esque.

However, in my rush to grasp at a reason why the A’s couldn’t possibly leave me with a dead roster spot for the remainder of the year (no way I cut bait after the price I paid with 1st place a statistical difficulty), I clung to the rationale that the A’s offense is so bad, it could not possibly go another 9 days short-handed.

After all, it already is with 7-hit Antonio Perez on the bench and Marcus Scutaro in the starting line-up!

Now I wait.

August Trades

ESPN.com - INSIDER - Buster Olney Blog#20060824#20060824: "The Padres, by the way, are looking at adding Russell Branyan in a deal with the Devil Rays."

Now we are seeing the weak trade market the baseball pundtry predicted - for the July 31st deadline.

Shawn Green, Russell Branyan, Javy Lopez, Eric Hinkse. Those are the types of non-Earth-shattering trades we were led to believe would occur.

2007 Sleeper Alert!

Minor League Ball :: Lane and Scott

John Sickels has taken a look at the numbers of Jason Lane and concluded his 2006 production is inconsistent with his overall numbers due to bad luck and contact issues versus RHs. (Those may not be mutually exclusive.)

It is just that kind of assessment that puts players on my sleeper watchlist. (Plus, I like Jason Lane the way all serious Roto players do when players with good skills getted jobbed by managers for players with no skills.)

With better plate discipline (more walks) and HR power, Lane is primed to breakthrough next season - if given an opportunity.

Elvis Andrus vs. Jose Tabata

BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: The Comp: Elvis Andrus vs. Jose Tabata

Baseball America has been running this type of article this year.

I personally enjoy them for the pure informational nature - seeing how scouts assess the physicality of young players.

From a Rotissserie angle, I know BA's ratings heavily influence the value my league mates put on prospects.

I also know BA speaks with scouts to help determine their assessments and rankings.

Hearing from a scout or two in this feature provides "inside" information on how the Top 100 list will look next March.

Will Andrus be ranked higher than Tabata? I doubt that, but Andrus will be ranked in the Top 100 and that will be enough to place Rotisserie value on him.

Another Underrated Yankee Prospect?

BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: Prospect Hot Sheet

This week's Prospect Hot Sheet, a must read for serious Rotisserie players despite any of my misgivings - not focused on the hottest players season-to-date but one the hottest ones over the past seven days.

This week's is topped by Trenton Thunder's 21-year-old Tyler Clippard whose has dominated since mid-July - 99 Ks in 82 IP with 8 wins.

What I'd like to see in 2006 is him become the 2004 version of Chien Ming Wang & Robinson Cano and the 2005 version of Melky Cabrera.

For the year, Clippard is at 149.1 IP 155Ks and 107 hits to go with 50 BBs.

Given his age and those numbers, he looks like a legitimate Yankee propsect in no need of puffing by the New York press.

Shawn Green

New York Daily News - Baseball - Mets get 'closer' to Green

This looks like it will happen.

Unfortunately for the Mets, all players on the 40-man must pass through waivers.

This means nothing for Green, but, if the Mets had acquired a starting pitcher by the July 31st deadline, Lastings Milledge would not have to pass through waivers.

There is no chance he wouldn't be claimed by the Pirates, Nationals, etc.

A Milwaukee Brewers OF

Brew Crew Ball :: A Milwaukee Brewers Blog

A very nice synopsis of the choices facing the Milwaukee Brewers next season.

The team clearly has viable options. Its difficulties lie in the lack of clear delineation amongst the various choices.

Brady Clark or Gabe Gross? Kevin Mench or Geoff Jenkins? Tony Gwynn, Jr. or Laynce Nix?

Corey Hart is the only one that should be a lock to open in leftfield in April 2007 assuming he continues to produce as he has in his limited time. (104 ABs 4 HR 4 SB .288 AVG)

New TB Closer

With former closer Brian Meadows pitching in the 6th inning, Chad Orvella and Shawn Camp before him and Rudy Lugo and Seth McClung after, there is not other conclusion to draw.

Dan Micelli is back in the closer role for the Devil Rays.

Wonders never cease to amaze.

What Could Have Been!

With San Francisco's Kevin Frandsen going on the DL with a broken jaw and the recent release of Jose Vizcaion, I can not help thinking what could have happened if 2B propsect Marcus Sanders had built upon his successful 2005 season in Low A.

If he had taken High A by storm and been promoted to AA, he'd have been right there ready to be recalled.

Instead Tomas De Le Rosa was recalled from AAA - clear roster filler! - and Sanders continues to struggle in the AZL!

From The Crowd

I play in a 12-team $260 AL-only 4X4 keeper league.

With 40 games to go, I made an offer for $41 Johann Santana in hopes I could move in ERA and WHIP.

The team with Santana has already bailed.

My offer was $24 Magglio Ordonez, $5 Adam Jones and Elijah Dukes on the farm.

Should the bailed team have taken the offer?

AZ Closer

D-Backs weather shaky 9th inning: "'I was uncomfortable with the walks,' Melvin said of Julio. 'He's still our closer; I just didn't feel like he had good command, and that's why I went with someone else.'

With the Diamondbacks ahead 5-1 entering the ninth - thanks in part to seven impressive innings by starter Claudio Vargas, who also chipped in a key two-run double in the fifth - Melvin called on Julio to end things."

Some would say using your closer in a non-save situation in back-to-back games was the mistake.

Chris Young II

Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks sent seldom-used OF Scott Hairston back to AAA Tuscon to make room for top prospect Chirs Young.

This leads me closer to the conclusion CY is going to occupy the same place Conor Jackson did last season - learning from the bench while enjoying the perks of being a major league player.

I had hoped, as most Roto players do, for a trade of Shawn Green or Eric Byrnes to open a full-time playing gig for CY.

That is still more likely than not, though.

Chris Young

MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks/San Diego Padres Box Score Friday August 18, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports

The Diamondbacks have recalled CF Chris Young - the major piece in the highway robery committed against the White Sox this past off-season.

I do not see a preceeding move, but I suspect only my impatience to post prevents me from getting one.

Either way, he should be immediately grabbed in all keepers leagues. A warning, though, for those teams comepeting for the top spots.

He may sit around a la Conor Jackson circa 2005. while Eric Byrnes, Tony Clark circa 2005, gets the majority of playing time.

Brian Meadows

For the second game in a row, Tampa Bay "closer" Brian Meadows pitched in the 8th inning and took the loss.

For the second game in a row in which Meadows pitched the 8th, drat-time Tampa closer Dan Micelli pitched the 9th.

Since being recalled, RP Seth McClung has pitched 5 1/3 innings with 3 Ks and 4 BBs to go along with 4 Er and 5 hits.

Could Dan Micelli have recovered the closer's role he had to begin this season?

Good Ratio Life Preserver

After the Dodgers dealt reliever Danys Baez to the Braves, the team announced RHP Brett Tomko would be moved to the bullpen.

As he resisted the same move the prior year with the San Francisco Giants, no one knew how well he would adapt. (Although I sensed possible success. I picked him up following the scramble for a closer after the 2005 Benitez injury and LaTroy hawkins implosion.)

Even Darwin would say he done adapted magnificiently.

In 10 games covering 10 innings, Brett Tomko has a 0.90 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP to go with two wins and 9 strikeouts.

If your team is in need of ratio preservation over the final quarter of the season or your team is projected to go over the maximum innings allowed and you need to shed starters, then Brett Tomko is your man.

And he is likely available in all leagues not containing any of his family members.

Ask Rotomusing

Q10: PB asks, "Dellucci or Crisp?"

A: RM responds,"Thanks for the email.

This is an excellent question. My initial reaction was Coco Crisp (CC) because he is younger, steals bases and has 15 HR pop.

Dave Dellucci (DD) has been a part-time player for his entire career minus his 2nd season in Texas last year.

However, I checked DD's number since he was given a full-time job following the trade of Bobby Abreu, and I was impressed.

He has picked-up where he left off last season - 13-30 with 3 HRs and 7 BBs. Those walks have me slowly converting to the opinion that DD's 2005 plate discipline represented a breakthrough in performance versus a flukey one. It was only the role as a pich-hitter that made him less selective prior to August 1, 2006.

I'd be hard-pressed to choose DD in a keeper league, but I do believe you could select him this year and do better than you would with CC in the power departments.

If your need is speed, then Crisp is the clear choice.

I could also see a trade where CC is over-valued and DD is under-valued with the DD acquisitioner coming out the overwhelming winner when the extra value is added to the DD side to make-up for the perceived greater value of CC."

UPDATE: Since responding, Dave Dellucci has gone 2-6 with 2 HR and 2 BB.

Eddie Guardado

The Enquirer - Nickname aside, Guardado knows he needs rest

A good informational piece on EG's forearm troubles, but what I don't understand is why the writer, John Fay, doesn't segue into who the back-up closer is.

I know it is Bill Bray, but this is just a critique of the article. If this were a school report, I'd give him a C+ because the segue is so obvious it should not be missed.

If it had then gone into the struggles Todd Coffey had after becoming the closer following stellar set-up work, it would get an A.

BTW: Those in keeper leagues should have picked-up bray by now. If not go get him.

Drew Vs. Tulowitzki

Minor League Ball :: Drew Vs. Tulowitzki - Who do you pick and Why?

Yet again, another great diary over on John Sickel's minorleagueball.

What I found interesting was the comment comparing a scout's ratings of the two players.

Fielding: Tulo 65, Drew 50
Arm Strength: Tulo 65, Drew 60
Hitting: Tulo 50, Drew 70
Speed: Tulo 50, Drew 50
Power: Tulo 65, Drew 55

Other than "Hitting,", Tulowitzki out-scores Drew and notice "hitting" is different than "power."

Since there is no link, I can't verify the verity of the posters ratings, but, if correct, then Tulowitzki is the better prospect right now and should be acquired as cheaply as possible before this info gets out.

Phillies Closer

Philadelphia Inquirer 08/15/2006 Phillies Notes Gordon's shoulder to be examined: "While Gordon is unavailable, Manuel indicated that lefthander Arthur Rhodes would fulfill the closer duties."

Geez, wasn't Charlie Manuel in the AL when Rhodes failed as the Oakland closer?

FWIW, saying Rhodes will close while Gordon rests signals the injury is nothing to worry about.

"Sometimes you get pigheaded," Gordon said. "It's actually been there for a couple months. I don't think that it's anything to be worried about, but it's good to have a good frame of mind about it."

Jose Vizcaino

GIANTS NOTEBOOK / Vizcaino's just fine leaving San Francisco

See what the Astros wrought by giving Vizcaino 4 times as many ABs as they should have?

"We're in August and I only have 100 at-bats."

That is how many you should have had every year.

Talk about ungrateful! He's collecting six figures in salalry and complains?

The sense of entitlement amongst professional athletes never ceases to amaze me!

At least the Giants brought up Kevin Frandsen. He won't play as long as Ray Durham remains as hot as he has been, but he is the beginning of the transition to a much younger team.

New York Daily News - Baseball - D-Backs' Green Snakes into discussion

New York Daily News - Baseball - D-Backs' Green Snakes into discussion: "If the deal did happen, Green, who has 10 home runs, 49 RBI and is hitting .281 this season, would be an upgrade in right, as rookie Lastings Milledge has struggled since he was recalled after Xavier Nady was shipped to Pittsburgh"

Interesting. I read the better New York tabloid every morning and did not see anything to lead towards the conclusion that Milledge is on the cusp of non-entitiness.

San Francisco

GIANTS NOTEBOOK / If team keeps sliding, expect to see youth

When I read that title, I laughed. There is no youth on the Giants!

Then I recalled the consensus opinion regarding the Yankees farm system prior to 2005, and I paused.

There will be a major league, Rotisserie-valuable player or two that will emerge when the Giants begin to focus on players born in the 1980s.

Lastings Milledge

With Floyd out, club eyes Green - Newsday.com

Willie Randolph loves Endy Chavez, and I can't blame him - .301 AVg with 10 SB and no errors tends to endear 4th OFers to their managers.

Lastings Milledge? I'm not so sure. He was booed by the "knowledgable" Mets fans the other day and is only hiting .218 with 30 strikeouts in 110 ABs - not the type of numbers that will cause the pitchforks and torches to be put away.

Now there is news the Mets have inquired about over-paid Arizona outfielder Shawn Green.

I see no other way to interpet this news as anything but Milledge's time as a full-time outfielder is numbered for this year.

Use that info accordingly for the remainder of the Roto season.

Matt Garza

Minor League Ball :: Garza's Debut

Whenever a top prospect is recalled, John Sickel's site, minorleague ball usually has a good diary going critiquing that player's debut.

Matt Garza's major league one is no different.

He was given a thumbs up to the extent 7 ER in 2.2 IP can be given that. However, one must always remember that Sickel's site is not exclusively one meant to attract Rotisserie analysis.

It is one devoted to minor league prospects and is generally more biased towards rosier assessments than a Roto site devoted to adding winning players.

I'd stay away from Garza if I were competing for the money. If I were focused on 2007, I wouldn't hesitate to add him.

Melky Cabrera

Melky Cabrera : Rotoworld.com - Melky Cabrera Biography from Rotoworld.com

Interestingly, Melky Cabrera has now played in 79 games. That is nearly one-half season's worth of games and provides an easy back-of-the-envelope method of projecting a full-year's worth of production - just double whatever he has done so far!

Doing that gives Melky 14 HR/75 RBI/18 SB. He also would have walked 66 times and struck out only 60 times.

Do those Rotisserie numbers look familar? Think of $19 MM a year SSs.

Yes, that is right! Those are typical Derek Jeter fantasy counting stats!

Shawn Chacon

Notebook: Chacon gets MRI - Tribune-Review

When I saw that headline, I thought about my standard signal for detecting an as-yet unreported injury - a decrease in strikeouts and an increase in walks. (I know some of the more pretentious sports analysts would have said "K:BB ratio" or such.)

Then I realized that Chacon's typical rates are at levels I would normally consider to be at injury level!

Of course, I then read the article and quickly learned Chacon needed an MRI on his knee.

Regardless, the Pirates got hosed even if Chacon remained healthy.

Jamey Carroll

Jamey Carroll : Rotoworld.com - Jamey Carroll Biography from Rotoworld.com: "Jamey Carroll was given Wednesday's game off to hopefully end the slump he has been in for the past couple weeks."

He has been a good 2006 find so far, but maybe, just maybe, he is turning back into a pumpkin, no?

Yesterday's Fantasy Ruling

I received an email from http://www.thomasgeorge.com summarizing yesterday's CDM ruling.

I am reproducing the email here because it is an good summary of what occurred. (And it does not cost anything to be on the mailing list to receive this.)

If this is offensive to the people at thomasgeorge, I apologize in advance and will remove it once I've been notified via the email option above.

(And yes, I see the irony of a site who just won a battle on publicly-available info asking another site to remove publicly-available info.)

"Yesterday, a federal judge in St. Louis ruled that fantasy baseball leagues can use player names and statistics without a license from Major League Baseball. This decision, assuming it is upheld in higher courts if appealed, will have far-reaching consequences for everyone who plays fantasy sports.

Here is a little background on yesterday's decision. In 2005, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) bought the exclusive rights to own the statistics from the MLB Players' Association for $50 million. MLBAM decided only to award seven licenses for the 2006 season, all to the 'big boys', ESPN, CBS Sportsline, Yahoo, etc. The reported cost of this license was $2 million per season. One of the companies that were shut out of this license, CBC Distributing and Marketing (CDM) decided to sue. CDM claimed that the players' names and statistics are readily available in newspapers throughout the country and, as such, are public information, and a license is not necessary.

Major League Baseball claimed that intellectual property laws and so-called 'right of publicity' make it illegal for fantasy leagues to make money off the identities and stats of professional players. This was a very interesting take on these laws since, in 1996, MLB won a case in which it claimed that the use of video of a player without that player's permission was permitted, based on the freedom of press principles. It's amazing how $50 million can turn one's opinion 180 degrees. The greediness of Major League Baseball is truly astounding and has, for once, been stopped.

Yesterday, Judge Medler wrote that the First Amendment takes precedent because CDM is disseminating the same statistical information that is found in newspapers every day.

"The names and playing records of major league baseball players as used in CBC's fantasy games are not copyrightable," Medler wrote. "Therefore, federal copyright law does not pre-empt the players' claimed right of publicity."

In an e-mail, Dan Okrent, a co-founder of the original Rotisserie League Baseball, described the ruling as "wonderful.. The only thing that saddens me about it is that there won't be a public trial, during which MLB's incredible greed would have been on public display."

It should be noted that while this ruling was specific to fantasy baseball, there's no reason to think that the ruling would be any different for fantasy football, fantasy hockey, fantasy basketball, fantasy NASCAR or fantasy tidily-winks.

Today, it costs about $5,000 to obtain a daily feed of statistics from any of the major sports. If you want live scoring, it's more than double. The majority of this ridiculously high cost comes from professional sports leagues charging exorbitant licensing fees for the rights to use the players' names and statistics.

Thanks to this ruling, fantasy sports participants should now expect to see those fees drop considerably There are literally hundreds of companies, mostly Web based, that would like to use these statistics but due to the prohibitive costs of licensing, have either used the statistics without a license, or have been forced out of business.

CBS Sportsline, ESPN and Yahoo figure to be hurt by increased competition from these companies. They will be forced to lower their prices to compete with many small businesses that are sure to appear once the cost of data feeds gets down to a reasonable level.

There are two winners today. One is the fantasy baseball player, who will see many more less expensive options when running their fantasy leagues. The other is the small business owner, who now can compete on a more level playing field with the "big boys" in the industry.This extra competition can only spawn further innovation and different types of fantasy games, making them available to even more people than the estimated 15 million players today.

All in all, August 8, 2006 was a landmark day in the world of fantasy sports and, for once, the little guy came out on top."

Daniel Cabrera

Wow! 7 IP with 6 runners and 7 Ks!

And he's not active on anyone's team!

Do you do it? Do you activate him with the hope he has turned the corner and will live up to the pre-season Leo Mazzone-driven hype?

Do you feel lucky?

Matt Garza

ESPN.com - MLB - MLB Transactions: "Purchased the contract of pitcher Matt Garza from Rochester of the International League (AAA); optioned pitcher Mike Smith to Rochester."

The next "great" minor league pitcher has been recalled.

In keeper leagues, he should be grabbed. I'm not sure how good he will be as he began the season in High A, but his numbers are great - 135.1 IP 154 Ks 1.99851 ERA and no drop-off as he progressed upwards.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see him fail to live-up to the hype. Did the Twins miss on him by starting him at High A? Has he just gotten lucky?

Bobby Crosby

I just picked-up a $10 Bobby Crosby for a $34 Michael Young.

Why?

Th team who dealt Crosby is in a battle for first place. Gaining Michael Young for the remainder of Crosby's DL stint is meaningful with only 7 weeks remaining in the 2006 Rotisserie season.

I did it because I view a $10 Crosby as a better 2007 keeper than a $34 Young. While I am in a battle to finish in the money, I am also willing to give-up a little for 2006 with 2007 in mind.

Plus I have Mike Sweeney coming off the DL and can now activate him into Crosby's slot and hopefully lose very little relative to Michael Young.

All that is necessary is for Sweeney to remain in the line-up until Crosby returns. (stifled laughed)

Stats Geek

Stats Geek: Trading power for defense can be winning formula

I wanted to give some blogosphere kudos to the Stats Geek feature in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

I have only seen it twice and have enjoyed it both times.

Keep up the good work, Brian O'Neill, and let's hop the PPG recognizes a good feature when it has one.

Ask Rotomusing

Q9: Brody asks, "What are your thoughts regarding Rios' playing time upon his return? I am contemplating making a buy-low play for him, but worry about Reed Johnson. Am I overthinking it?"

A: Rotomusing responds, "Thanks for the email.

Alexis Rios returned to the Jays after a brief rehab which leads me to believe the very serious infection did not sap his strength.

If that holds, then a buy-low transaction is a wise move that will pay-off quickly.

Even if he has lost some power, he is still a good buy-low candidate.

I wouldn't worry too much about Reed Johnson taking Rios' ABs. The removal of Shea Hillenbrand freed-up ABs that Eric Hinske will get."

Follow-up: Rios has played every day since being activated. Over 35 ABs, he has a double amongst his 9 hits with no walks while striking out 10 times.

Seth McClung

Seth McClung was recalled late last week and not installed as the Tampa bay closer.

However, he has pitched in meaningful situations just prior to the 9th. He is 1-1 in 3 IP with 4 runners and 3 Ks.

His season totals will not look even medicore until season's end -if at all, but he should prove to be a helpful pitcher nonetheless.

And I still believe he gets a shot to close this season.

Just not as quickly as I had anticipated.

Note also, that Brian Meadows, the current TB closer pitched 4 innings with two saves but 8 runners and no Ks.

Mark DeRosa

Brad Wilkerson says he may have season-ending shoulder surgery. Even if he does not, this means he will not recover the effectiveness he displayed in 2004.

It also means Mark DeRosa is as safe as safe can be in Texas. Some may think I missed the boat a long time ago with that statement, but I have not been able to buy the explosive surge in the career-utilityman's performance.

However, I have accepted that DeRosa is a very good player this year and is likely on a winning Roto team right now.

I checked out how he has done on my AL-only team. He was added about the same time I traded for Michael Young.

In 299 ABs, DeRosa is hitting 6/39/3/.321, and Young is hitting 9/47/.299/3 in 301 ABs.

DeRosa was taken from the pool with $6 FAAB, and Young went for $34 at the draft.

Go figure.

Elijah Dukes

Rays: Rays sit oft-troubled Dukes another 30 days

30 days for s series of small incidents seems harsh in the world of professional sports.

Dukes has clearly set-up a catch-22 in Tampa. Whenver he gets angry, it will feed into the negative perceptions of the Tampa management.

He cannot win in that environment. The question is whether or not Tampa management is smart enough to recognize that and deal him. (My experience with managements is they are not that smart.)

Joel Guzman

The Dodgers finally did what was written all over the wall. They cut bait on Joel Guzman by sending him to the Devil Rays for free-agent-to-be Julio Lugo.

I like the trade for both teams as the Dodgers had soured on Guzman, and even if they hadn't, they are loaded with propsects at the positions Guzman could man.

The Devil Rays added another talented AAA OF to the attitudinally-maladjusted ones of Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes.

Fortunately, the Devil Rays made some room in the OF at AAA Durham by suspending Elijah Dukes yet again. FWIW, Dukes is the OF I believe could be the most productive rotisserie one amongst the three, but he will seemingly never get a chance.

Soriano

I am still stunned that The Nationals did not deal Alphonso Soriano.

I'd expect a news story reporting the Nats have offered him a 5-year $70 million contract very soon. Otherwise, GM Jim Bowden failed.

Not dealing him makes no sense. AS is a free agent at season's end. If he so loves Washington, he'd resign after the Nats improve by dealing him.

If not for the fleecing of the Reds, Bowden's year would be an "F".