A Corner Infielder That Is Worth A Look

The 6’2” 252 Lbs 1B and former 1^st round selection in 2008 is back in the bigs. Who are we talking about? None other than Brett Wallace down in Houston. With a career line of 57 HR, 221 RBI and a .303 Average through his Minor League career the often traded (St. Louis to Oakland to Toronto to Houston) slugger will get a 2^nd chance to prove himself while El Cabio is out with a bad hammy.

            He was given the starting 1B gig last year but didn’t produce the power numbers Houston wanted from the 1B position. He finished the year with 89 starts at 1B but could only muster a line of 9 HR and 29 RBI with an OPS of .703. He was sent back to Triple A where he hit .356 for the remainder of 2011 with an OPS of .917

            Since Houston is in a youth movement and Carlos Lee is a prime candidate to get moved at the trade deadline, Wallace should be at the 1^st base bag the remainder of the year. In his first 3 games back in Houston he has reached base 8 out of 13 plate appearances with a double and is hitting .500.

            If you are in a deep league and need every day at bats, Wallace is a good pick up. Will the power appear this year as many of the teams that have rostered him have hoped? That is to be seen. The left handed hitting 25 year old may finally be coming into his own. His swing reminds me a lot of Billy Butler and we know he can hit. I picked Wallace up in one league at CI and will watch his progress over the next month.

Kris Medlen...Hidden Gem?

It has been 8 days now since the Atlanta Braves optioned Kris Medlen to Triple A Gwinnett to stretch him out from reliever to starter. If you remember back in 2010 before he was injured and needed Tommy John surgery he made 14 starts going 5-0 with a 3.86 ERA with 62Ks in 84 innings. His career marks are a 3.80 ERA and a WHIP of 1.25 in 206 innings with 175 Ks. Those are numbers and Fantasy owner would welcome on their team.

After coming back in 2011 he was shut down again from lingering soreness from his reconstruction surgery. This year neither soreness nor regression; the Braves plan on Medlen getting 3-4 starts in Tripe A before inserting him their rotation for the rest of the year. To date the weak links in the rotation have been Minor and Delgado who have a combined record of 2-8 with an ERA north 6 so far.

In Medlen’s first start in the Minors on 6/2 he did not fare so well. He was on a 65 pitch count and actually went 66. His line of 2.1 innings 5H, 4ER and 2BB was a little shaky at best. The one bright and promising stat was his 4 punch outs.

Expect him to build up to a 100 pitch pitch-count over the next 2 weeks and then be brought up later this month. Since he has not thrown more than 40 pitches in a game this year, I expected rust in his opener.  I have already picked him up in my deepest leagues just to stash on my bench. Do I feel he can contribute in Fantasy? Not completely sure yet but I did not want a rival manger to find a hidden pitching gem either. I will keep him on my bench for a month to monitor his success and you should too.

1st Round Minor League Draft Concludes

By Corey R. Cunningham

The first round minor league draft was concluded early Monday evening, and to a bit of surprise to say the least. Some teams picked as how I thought they would have, and others surprised me, along with a lot of experts covering the MLB draft. Some prospects were cannot miss along with some being a long shot, however, when it comes down to it, prospects are prospects, and that is all they are until MLB proven. Here is a rundown of how the first round filtered out:

1 Houston Astros – SS Carlos Correa

2 Minnesota Twins - OF Byron Buxton

3 Seattle Mariners - C Mike Zunino

4 Baltimore Orioles - RHP Kevin Gausman

5 Kansas City Royals - RHP Kyle Zimmer

6 Chicago Cubs - OF Albert Almora

7 San Diego Padres - LHP Max Fried

8 Pittsburgh Pirates - RHP Mark Appel

9 Florida Marlins - LHP Andrew Heaney

10 Colorado Rockies - OF David Dahl

11 Oakland A's - SS Addison Russell

12 New York Mets - SS Gavin Cecchini

13 Chicago White Sox - OF Courtney Hawkins

14 Cincinnati Reds – RHP Nick Travieso

15 Cleveland Indians - OF Tyler Naquin

16 Washington Nationals – RHP Luc Giolito

17 Toronto Blue Jays - OF DJ Davis

18 Los Angeles Dodgers – 3B Corey Seager

19 St. Louis Cardinals – RHP Michael Wacha

20 San Francisco Giants – RHP Chris Stratton

21 Atlanta Braves – RHP Lucas Sims

22 Toronto Blue Jays – RHP Marcus Stromen

23 St. Louis Cardinals – OF James Ramsey

24 Boston Red Sox – SS Deven Marrero

25 Tampa Bay Rays – 3B Richie Shaffer

26 Arizona Diamondbacks - C Stryker Trahan

27 Milwaukee Brewers – C Clint Coulter

28 Milwaukee Brewers - 1B/OF Victor Roache

29 Texas Rangers – OF Lewis Brinson

30 New York Yankees – RHP Ty Hensley

31 Boston Red Sox – LHP Brian Johnson

Most of the picks went accordingly, however, some did not. To my surprise the Houston Astros took a player of SS Carlos Correa to a bit of a lot of expert’s surprise. The rumor was Houston was automatically taking RHP Mark Appel, due to the immediate impact he would have with the team, making him a sooner rather than later impact with the Astros.

I believe the winner with some advantage of the first round with looking at former picks was the Pittsburgh Pirates, nabbing Mark Appel with the 8^th overall pick. Some thought Appeal would have a problem signing; however, Pittsburgh is not afraid to throw money at prospects. If you look at previous picks in the latest drafts, the Pirates could have a scary starting rotation in the near future with RHP’s James McDonald, Jameson Taillon, Gerritt Cole, and Mark Appel. This could be a very good future for the Pirates if all pans out well.

You Are On The Clock...

By Corey R. Cunningham

Tomorrow will kick off the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft, and it will be an exciting day to see what your favorite team will chose to do. As usual, there is a 31 pick 1st round draft, followed by a 28 pick Supplemental 1st round. This years draft, just like other years is always un predictable, and notable for boom or bust players.

The first 31 picks are as follows, along with predictions of the first 31 picks:

Pick # Team

1 Houston Astros - RHP Mark Appel, Stanford

2 Minnesota Twins - OF Byron Buxton, Appling County HS, GA

3 Seattle Mariners - C Mike Zunino, Florida

4 Baltimore Orioles - RHP Kevin Gausman LSU

5 Kansas City Royals - RHP Kyle Zimmer San Francisco

6 Chicago Cubs - OF Albert Almora, Marion Christian Academy FL

7 San Diego Padres - SS Carlos Correa, Puerto Rico

8 Pittsburgh Pirates - SS Devin Marrero, Arizona State

9 Florida Marlins - OF Courtney Hawkins, Carroll TX

10 Colorado Rockies - OF David Dahl, Oak Mountain HS, AL

11 Oakland A's - 1B/3B Richie Shaffer, Clemson

12 New York Mets - LHP Max Fried, Harvard Westlake School, CA

13 Chicago White Sox - RHP Lance McCullers, Jessuit HS, FL

14 Cincinnati Reds -RHP Mike Wacha, Texas A&M

15 Cleveland Indians - RHP Chris Stratton, Mississippi St.

16 Washington Nationals - LHP Andrew Heaney, Oklahoma St.

17 Toronto Blue Jays - RHP Lucas Giolito, Harvard Westlake School, CA

18 Los Angeles Dodgers - LHP Matt Smoral, Solon HS, OH

19 St. Louis Cardinals - SS Gavin Cecchini, Barbe HS, LA

20 San Francisco Giants - 3B/OF Stephen Piscotty, Stanford

21 Atlanta Braves - SS Tanner Rahier, Palm Dessert HS, CA

22 Toronto Blue Jays -3B Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman HS, NV

23 St. Louis Cardinals - RHP Marcus Stromen, Duke

24 Boston Red Sox - OF Tyler Naquin, Texas A&M

25 Tampa Bay Rays - RHP Pierce Johnson, Missouri St.

26 Arizona Diamondbacks - 1B/OF Victor Roache, Georgia Southern

27 Milwaukee Brewers - C Stryker Trahan, Acadiana HS, LA

28 Milwaukee Brewers - RHP Zach Eflin, Hagerty HS, FL

29 Texas Rangers - RHP Ty Hensley, Santa Fe HS, OK

30 New York Yankees - OF DJ Davis, Stone County HS, MS

31 Boston Red Sox - SS Addison Russell, Pace High School, FL

Time to Stream...2 Start SP

Two weekend wrap-around series concluding Monday create an early start time to fantasy's Week 9, as the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, only slightly more than 12 hours after appearing on "Sunday Night Baseball," conclude a four-game set at Citi Field with a 1:10 p.m. ET start time. Chicago Cubs at Giants is another Monday day game, with a 3:45 p.m. ET start time. That means early line-up locks in ESPN leagues. This week’s fewer than 50% ownership SPs should be quality pickups this week. Some of the pickups have RP eligibility which will even enhance your line-ups this week. Here are some of the quality pickups for your teams.

Philip Humber 9% Owned -- Tue-TOR (Romero), Sun-HOU (Harrell)
Scott Feldman 1% Owned  -- Mon-@OAK (Parker), Sat-@SF (Vogelsong)
Joe Saunders 20% Owned -- Mon-COL (Friedrich), Sun-OAK (Blackley)
Drew Smyly 24% Owned -- Tue-CLE (Jimenez), Sun-@CIN (Bailey)
Christian Friedrich 6% Owned -- Mon-@ARI (Saunders), Sun-LAA (Santana)
Jarrod Parker 18 % Owned -- Mon-TEX (Feldman), Sat-@ARI (Cahill)

Anthony Bass 18 % Owned -- Tue-SF (Lincecum), Sun-@MIL (Gallardo)

Homer Bailey 15 % Owned -- Tue-PIT (Lincoln), Sun-DET (Smyly)

Who is Hot, and Who is Not, NL Version

By Corey R. Cunningham

Randall Delgado, SP Atlanta Braves is Not. Delgado won the finally pitching spot out of spring training and due to injuries from the starting rotation has remained in the SP rotation. Delgado is 3-5 with a 4.58 ERA, 42 K, 29 BB, and a WHIP of 1.47. Delgado recently won his last start on May 29th against the Cardinals; however, it was his first win in the past 7 games he has pitched.

Tyler Pastornicky, SS Atlanta Braves is Not. Tyler is so cold right now, he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, and the Braves called up Andrelton Simmons from Double-A Mississippi. Pastornicky had committed 7 errors on the season, and was hitting .248 with 1 HR, 12 RBI, 17 R, and 2 SB.

Freddy Galvis, 2B Philadelphia Phillies is Not. Since starting at 2B this year for the Phillies, taking over for the injured Chase Utley, Galvis has a line of, .229 BA, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 12 R, and 0 SB. Galvis is a safe option for a back up MI, however, not a starting option at this point, unless you are desperate for a 2B.

Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals is Hot. Since being called up to play the OF for the Nationals, Harper has had some issues with his attitude, other than his play is good for the time being for a 19 year old phenom with ceiling high potential. Harper so far has a line of, .274 BA, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 21 R, and 2 SB.

Zack Cozart, SS Cincinnati Reds is Not. Cozart won the starting gig out of spring training however, the Reds had no other real options. Cozart did show some power at the end of the 2011 season, however, has yet to bring that into the start of the new season. Cozart is hitting, .236 BA, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 25 R, and 1 SB.

Jose Altuve, 2B Houston Astros is Hot. No one really saw and top fantasy prospects coming out of Houston, let along many top Fantasy players period. Carlos Lee has been the only pendable one out of Houston since Pence left, however, Altuve has 3 good potential stats for your team. Altuve is batting .317, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 12 R, and 9 SB.

James McDonald, SP Pittsburgh Pirates is Hot. McDonald is 4-2, 2.20 ERA, 63 K, 19 BB, and a WHIP of 0.96. McDonald has won twice against the Reds, a Win over the Nationals and a Win over the Braves. McDonald was a sleeper SP, now the news has leaked out, McDonald is almost untouchable in every league. If he is available in your league you need to pick him up.

Matt Adams, 1B St. Louis Cardinals is Hot. Adams has been called up my the Cardinals since Lance Berkman has landed on the DL for a long period of time. Adams has played in 11 games and has a line of; .317 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, and 0 SB. Adams will more than likely be sent back to AAA once Berkman returns, as Adams will need some more seasoning in the minors before becoming the permanent 1B in St. Louis.

Christian Friedrich, SP Colorado Rockies is Not. He has started 5 games thus far this season, and while the Rockies are fiddling with their starting rotation, he is 3-1, with a 5.59 ERA, 32 K, 8 BB, and a WHIP of 1.59. Once Pomeranz and Alex White figure out their stuff in the minors, they should be brought back up and complete the starting rotation, and most likley Friedrich will be sent back down for seasoning.

Brandon Belt, OF/1B San Francisco Giants is Not. Belt has been playing sparingly for the Giants and manager Bruce Botchy has yet to give the starting 1B gig to Belt. He has been splitting time with Pill at 1B, and most of the time, he only gets starts against RHP. Belt is hitting .230, with 0 HR, 14 RBI, 9 R, and 2 SB. I did cut Belt earlier in the season, and picked up SP Roy Oswalt in return for Belt. I figured if Belt has not gotten the starting 1B job now, then he wont have it this season.

Position Flexibility

This week’s list of new position eligibility candidates consists of mostly the Super-Sub variety. Many of these players now have the flexibility to be placed in 2, 3, and 4 different positions. Though most are low level fantasy types the position flexibility they provide comes in so handy in deep daily leagues. This list also includes to UTIL players who will soon gain position eligibility. All these players either need 1 or 2 more starts to qualify at the respective positions.

No one at catcher

1B

Justin Turner

Hector Luna

Vinny Rottino

Scott Van Slyke

Jim Thome

2B

Steve Lombardozzi

Eduardo Escobar

3B

Will Rhymes

Irving Falu

SS

Edwin Maysonet

OF

Ryan Flaherty

Matt Downs

Rich Thompson