While Tim McLeod regales us with his Mid-Season Awards specials, including Wednesday’s National League Report, and the American League report, which will follow either later Thursday or Friday, I thought I’d weigh in with some of my own observations from a fantastic first half of baseball.

I bet you thought you were going to get more out of Vladimir Guerrero, a likely second round pick, than what he’s delivered so far. As a rookie, he posted a line of .302/.350/.483, which until now, represented the worst totals of his career. Currently, Vladdy is at .286/.348/.483, and he entered the break in a nasty slump. He’s still trying to shake off a sup par April (.272/.353/.437) and horrid May (.219/.260/.417). Can he do it? I think so, especially since he started heating up back in May. Guerrero has slugged .570 after the break compared to .541 beforehand over the last three years, so I think he’s a good buy-low candidate.

The Giants are doing better than expected, but you can’t credit Barry Zito. The team is 5-14 when he takes the mound. Opponents are batting .299 against him compared to his previous worst of .263. Just imagine what San Francisco could have done with that $126 million they handed this stiff. Zito has been better in his two July starts, so he might be worth another look in NL-only leagues, but the fact that he’s been a better first-half pitcher in recent years does not bode well for a recovery in 2008.

Talk about not making contact, have you seen that in almost exactly half of Jack Cust’s plate appearances (181 of 364), he’s either walked or struck out? After scuffling badly in June and most of July so far, Cust was heating up before the break, so could be worth taking a flyer on in an AL-only league. Once Frank Thomas returns, Cust will head back out to left field, and I see him as merely a short-term pickup; I expect him to lose PT to Matt Murton in the second half, assuming Murton starts hitting.

Rockie starters have combined for 26 wins and 11 of those belong to Aaron Cook, who authored three shutout frames in Tuesday’s All-Star game. As solid as Cook has been this month, he may still be available in more shallow leagues, but not for long.

Josh Hamilton, who cemented his place in history at the Home Run Derby, leads the AL with 95 RBI. His closest competitor is Carlos Quentin, who has 70. A 25-RBI lead at the break? Are you freaking kidding me? Hamilton is on pace to drive in 162 runs. Uh, that’ll do.

Bengie Molina and Geovany Soto are tied as the major’s leading run producers at catcher with 56 RBI apiece. I bet you all saw that coming. Consider this, however. Soto has struck out 84 times; Molina has whiffed just 23 times. I guess he took replacing Barry Bonds as the Giants’ clean-up hitter pretty seriously.

Speaking of Quentin, he entered the season with 14 homers and 63 RBI in 136 career games. This year, he’s smashed 22 dingers and driven in 70 in just 91 games. Can you say breakout, baby?

Manny Corpas is pitching much better lately, and very much deserves consideration for your NL-only bullpen, but after his sensational breakout season in 2007 that likely had him drafted by the 10th round this year, he’s saved just four games in ten tries. Even with Brian Fuentes on the trading block, I doubt Corpas gets the closing gig back. Taylor Buchholz deserves first crack at it once Fuentes is dealt.

Pop quick: name the only American League hitter who has an OPS of over 1000 at the break. A-Rod? Nope. Hamilton? Wrong again, but getting closer. It’s none other than Josh’s teammate, the fiery Milton Bradley, whose 1049 OPS ranks 65 points ahead of his closest competitor, J.D. Drew. Raise your hand if you saw this pair ranking one-two in OPS in the AL.

Talk about developing power. Let’s take a look at Adrian Gonzalez’s homer and RBI totals since he entered the league in 2004: 1-7, 6-17, 24-82 and 30-100 last year. This season, he’s already mashed 22 homers and driven in 71, fourth best in the NL. That puts him on pace for 38 homers and 121 RBI. I remember when Gonzalez was a prospect in the Marlin system and the scouts kept saying the power will catch up to his average later on. Uh, ya. They nailed that one. You may be wondering how he’s been this productive on such a weak-hitting team. Well, while Gonzalez is hitting .276 overall, he’s ratcheted that up with runners on (.287) and with runners in scoring position (.283).

How about the emergence this year of Mariner reliever Brandon Morrow, currently handling the closing reins with J.J. Putz on the DL? He recovered from his first blown saves this week with a perfect save against the Royals. Talk about dominant – he’s fanned 42 batters in 30 2/3 IP, while giving up just 16 hits. Opponents are batting .147 against Morrow. Other than some mild gopheritis, this kid has stud closer written all over him. No wonder I had some owner in my league sniffing around about Morrow.

Closing in on 40, Jim Edmonds is done, right? Sure looked that way when he toiled for the Padres, when, through 26 games, he had managed just one homer, six RBI, a .178 BA and a .233 slugging percentage. He’s been reborn at Wrigley, and in 44 games as a Cub, Edmonds has nine jacks, 29 RBI, a .269 BA, and .552 slugging percentage. Can you explain to me why he’s still barely owned in fantasy circles? NL-only owners need to grab this dude.

While Ian Kinsler took baby steps in his growth last year, even regressing in some areas, he’s taken giant leaps in 2008. His 134 hits at the break leads all AL players by ten; his 84 runs is 17 ahead of the competition. By the way, Kinsler is on pace for 229 hits and 144 runs.

How bad a start to the season did Roy Oswalt have? Consider that over his last eight appearances, he’s lowered his ERA every time out, dropping it over a run from 5.61 to 4.56, yet he’s still over a run higher than his worst season ever (3.49 in 2004).

July 17th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

Back in Spring Training we suggested that Justin Duchscherer moving into the rotation might take some of the sting out of losing Dan Haren for the A’s. Um, apparently we underestimated just how much of an impact Duchscherer would have. After Wednesday’s two-hit shutout performance, JD is now 10-5 with a major-league beat 1.78 ERA. Now comes the big question: when exactly will this converted reliever with a history of health problems hit his apex? I’ve been advising people in recent weeks to sell high on Duchscherer for a number of reasons. For starters, his previous career high in innings pitched was 96 1/3, and that was back in 2004; this year, he’s already at 101 IP, and we’re barely in mid-July. Can you say injury risk? I mean, remember that this is the same man who’s hip injury knocked him out for the last four and a half months in 2007, which makes his inning count this year even more of a red flag. Then, there’s the mere fact that he’s simply not this good. That’s no slight on Duchscherer, who has been brilliant out of the rotation. But really, no one is this good. Well, maybe Roger Clemens, circa 2005, but come on – what JD is doing is unsustainable. Trade him while his value is at its highest and let someone else sweat it over when the other shoe will drop.

After a couple of beat downs he suffered in June, owners were beginning to wonder if James Shields was capable of building on or even matching his breakout 2007. Well, wonder no more, because Shields is getting on one of his grooves now, having won his last three starts in very impressive manner (20 1/3 IP, 13 hits, five runs, two homers, two walks, 18 Ks). His overall numbers are now right in line with what he did last year, so if he can stay healthy and continue his current hot streak, I’d say there’s no reason to think he can’t post a sub-3.50 ERA this year and perhaps top his dozen wins from 2007.

While the Rays have gone from worst to first, I wouldn’t give much credit to Cliff Floyd, other than being that ubiquitous ‘veteran presence.’ But at the age of 35, his role has been reduced to the point where there’s virtually no need to own him, even in a somewhat deep AL-only league. Me thinks the end of the line is near for Floyd. He got off to a fantastic start, but has been somewhat pedestrian since then.

Troy Percival has pitched very well when he’s been in the lineup – recording his highest K rate since 2002 – but with two DL stints because of his hammies now in the books, owners’ worries about the health risks associated with this vet have been proved correct. This current injury is bad enough to scare away some owners, as Percy has wound up on a few waiver wires. We’ve seen a closer-by-committee approach since Percival got hurt, with J.P. Howell saving the first, and then Dan Wheeler saving one sandwiched between a pair of saves by Grant Balfour. In order, ranked by value while Percy is out, I’d take Balfour, Howell and then Wheeler.

Still with the Rays, rookie Evan Longoria is heating up again, with hits in eight of his past nine games, raising his BA 14 points to .281 in the process. The kid cooled significantly in May, but he pounded eight dingers, drove in 19 and hit .300 in June, and appears to be building on that trend so far this month, batting a robust .394. How do you like his stats through 81 games (obviously an easy projection for what he’s capable of over a full season)? Let’s see, he’s got 16 homers, 22 doubles and 53 RBI. Um, that will do for a rookie season, I’d say.

Carl Crawford’s disappointing season does not seem to be turning around. Considering you likely spent a late first round pick on this dude, it’s reasonable for you to expect more production. While I’m happy to see the improvements he’s made in strike zone judgment, he’s actually been a more aggressive hitter this year, and that’s hurt him in the BA department. What has me worried even more is Crawford’s precipitous dip in pop. Sure, his triples have held steady and his homers are actually up, but just eight doubles to this point? He’s currently on pace for less than 40 extra-base hits this season after putting up no less than 54 and as many as 63 over the past four seasons. On the plus side, Crawford has hit for a significantly higher BA in the second half in recent years, so it’s reasonable to expect him to push his average closer to the .300 mark before season’s end.

Another Ray taken in the high rounds who is not delivering on expectations is B.J. Upton. He was pretty good over the first two months of the season, but has struggled since, batting just .245 with only six steals in June, and scuffling to a .200 mark so far in July. Too many of Upton’s 2007 homers seemed to have turned into doubles this year, and while the added swipes have offset that to an extent, a weaker BA has hurt his overall value. What concerns me even more is that he’s traditionally a far better first half player, especially in the power department, so it seems a likely bet that 2008 will wind up being a large step backward in Upton’s overall development.

As we discussed earlier this week, two of the bigger trade chips have already been dealt in C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden, but there are other pitchers out there that can be had for the right price. The Royals played very well in June, but have gone back into the tank recently, and with them sitting 13 games out in the Central and even further out in the Wild Card picture, look for Gil Meche to be moved soon. Meche has been unable to consolidate his fine first year in KC, but has pitched much better lately, with a 3.65 ERA in May and 3.13 in June. He took a beating in Baltimore in his first July start, but bounced back this week with a better effort in Tampa Bay. Meche makes for a decent wire pickup, but fantasy owners and major league teams considering picking him up should beware that Meche has struggled in the second half in recent years.

July 11th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 3 Comments

In case you hadn’t noticed, Joe Mauer is enjoying a fine comeback season after slipping in 2007. He was red hot in June, batting .341 with his first three dingers of the year (right after we bemoaned his lack of pop), 11 doubles and 13 RBI. Heading into action Saturday, Mauer is riding a five-game hit streak, but he has yet to record an extra-base hit in July after finally flexing his muscles last month. While Mauer competes for his second batting title in three years, one disappointing facet of his game for fantasy owners has been his complete lack of speed. While Mauer has swiped 36 bases since 2005, he’s failed to dent the goose egg yet this year, leaving his lofty BA somewhat hollow. Still, as long as he remains at catcher – and off-season talk of a move to third base seems to have quieted – who wouldn’t take a fantasy catcher batting .324?

Don’t look now, but Ryan Howard is heating up. He’s hit in seven straight games, and while just two of those were of the multi-hit variety, it’s good enough to jack his BA up ten points. RyHo is off to a super start in July, promising after he slipped again in June coming off a May in which he showed signs of life with ten homers and 30 RBI. Despite the recent hot streak, Howard is suffering through the worst season of his career, but he appears poised for a second-half turnaround: consider that over the last three years, he’s recorded an OPS of 1087 after the break compared to just 910 before hand. Consider Howard a solid buy-low candidate.

Speaking of stars turning it on, Grady Sizemore, despite his inconsistency, has progressively gotten better as the season has moved along. In June, he hit .281 with nine homers, six steals, eight doubles, 20 runs and 16 RBI. And so far this month, Sizemore has sandwiched a monster game around a pair of 0-fers. Sure, his BA and runs have slipped for the second straight year, but considering he’s leading the AL in home runs, and is on pace for a career high in that department, as well as in steals, you’re probably not complaining. In fact, Sizemore has an excellent shot at joining the exclusive 40-40 club, especially if he can get on base more often in the second half. We talked about Sizemore as an MVP candidate heading into the season, and while the BA and Cleveland’s down year will hold him back, there’s a decent chance he could be the fantasy MVP thanks to the dingers and steals. Right now, he’s definitely playing like a top ten player; jack that BA up in the second half, and he will soar up the list.

Kevin Youkilis has shaken off a mini slump with back-to-back multi-hit games. Although he didn’t quite flash his May power in June, it was a superb month for Youk, as he hit .337 with eight walks. If he can stay healthy, I expect to see him continue this career year. What’s surprising about Youkilis’ season is that as he’s become a more aggressive hitter, drawing walks at his slowest pace ever, his average has soared. Was the Greek God of Walks being too selective?

Why is Chris Burke still a major leaguer? Reduced to a super-sub role (although he’s not playing much), he’s been absolutely unacceptable offensively. He isn’t getting on base, and what little pop he’s flashed in the past is completely gone. Right now, the only thing between him and the unemployment line appears to be his ability to play multiple positions. I don’t care if you play in a 40-team NL-only league – there’s no reason to look at Burke right now.

Once again, I suggest you pick up Adam LaRoche while you can. He’s about to go on one of his patented tears in the second half. You heard it here first.

I wasn’t sold on Dan Haren this year, given his second-half slide in 2007, but man, is he ever selling me now. Although his 8-5 mark this season isn’t exactly screaming Cy Young candidate, take a look at how good his peripherals are. In his last five starts, Haren has been absolutely grooving, with just 23 hits and six runs – five earned – allowed in 33 IP. He’s given up just one homer (none in his last four starts), walked just five and fanned 32. Yet he’s only 2-1 to show over this period thanks to some awful run support. In June, Haren was as tough as any starter in the game, going 3-0, 1.32, with just 25 hits allowed and 36 strikeouts in 41 IP. He has never been this tough to hit in his career (just 95 hits allowed in 117 2/3 IP), is doing a better job of keeping the ball in the park and has been showing impeccable control.

I’d keep a close eye on John Maine if I owned him. He’s enjoying a very strong season, but scuffled a bit in June – especially in his last start when he was tattooed by the Cardinals the day after saying he was fighting through a dead arm period. Maine insists he is not dealing with pain, and will make his scheduled start against the Phillies Saturday. Watch his results closely. I’m tempted to suggest sitting him, but his recent domination in Philly is too tempting to not start him.

Lance Berkman snapped a mini slump Friday with two hits, including a double and RBI single. After his simply ridiculous May (.471, nine homers, six steals, 31 runs), June must have seemed like a slump when he batted “only†.319 with just five homers, 21 RBI, 15 runs and two steals. But what a season for the ages the MVP candidate is having. In 85 games, he’s scored 74 runs with 110 hits, has already surpassed his 2007 totals in doubles and triples, has driven in 69 and set a new career high in steals. He’s batting .355, and if not for Chipper Jones, would have an excellent chance at his first batting title.

July 5th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 5 Comments

Last week, the Rays inked the top pick in this year’s draft, shortstop Tim Beckham, to a $6.15 million deal. Signing the number one overall pick is usually a fairly drawn out affair, so I was quite surprised to see how quickly negotiations wrapped here. Beckham, who we profiled in our Draft Report, will start his professional odyssey at Rookie level Princeton of the Appalachian League. He reported to the team a few days ago, and will work out this week before being activated shortly. Needless to say, this is one to watch, as regardless of whether he remains at short, Beckham looks like a future .300 hitter who could one day crank 25 or more homers per season.

Cole Hamels tossed his fourth straight quality start on Sunday, and although he wasn’t dominant, he gave up just six hits in seven innings and didn’t walk anyone. As we discussed last week, the slump is over after that blip late last month, and I’m expecting big things from Hamels going forward, assuming continued good health.

Coco Crisp is looking like a decent pickup in AL-only leagues right now, but do be aware that he’ll be serving some kind of suspension very shortly. The appeal for the original seven-game suspension was heard on Monday, so stay tuned for a report. In the meantime, Crisp has been hitting quite well of late, especially power-wise, with a triple and a homer in his last five games. In June, he’s batting .304 with three homers and five steals, clearly his finest month of the season. With Jacoby Ellsbury struggling – especially in recent games – this is a situation worth watching. Speaking of Ellsbury, I’m not liking the way his season is trending. I don’t know if that wrist is still bugging him or what, but his rookie season is starting to prove a bit disappointing, the huge stolen base total notwithstanding.

James Shields continues to disappoint recently. His last three starts have included two total stinkers and a decent – but hardly solid – outing. His ERA for June is an unsightly 7.63. The Rays have been cautious with his pitch counts, so I don’t think that’s the problem here, even though he has tossed three complete games – more than anyone in the AL not named Roy Halladay. While Shields has been slightly easier to hit this season, he’s offset that by being stingier with the long ball. The upshot? Assuming he’s healthy, expect a big turnaround soon. His last start may have been the first sign of an impending roll.

One of the factors in the Crisp-Ellsbury situation is David Ortiz. With Big Papi out, Manny Ramirez is handling the DH duties, leaving left field for Ellsbury, while Crisp mans center. Once Papi returns, could we have a position battle on our hands? Ortiz won’t even pick up a bat for about another week though, so this isn’t something we need to worry about right away.

Sean Casey has cooled off somewhat, and now that he’s back to sporadic duty off the bench, he’s no longer much of a fantasy option. Still, how valuable has that .365 BA with gap power been off the Boston bench? Have you noticed that Casey is batting .429 in June, having already seen more action this month than all of May? His worst hitting month of the year was April, when he hit “only†.353.

Brandon Moss was called up again a couple of weeks ago, but he’s struggled badly, and will surely be farmed out as soon as Papi is ready. Moss was impressive in brief April and May trials, but clearly, he needs more Triple-A time before he’s ready to be an extra outfielder in the majors. And at the age of 24, he needs to play every day.

No one expected Jorge Posada to duplicate his brilliant 2007 – especially at the age of 36, but damn, even with just one healthy shoulder, he’s enjoying another big season. Posada needs labrum surgery after the season, but for now he’s playing through pain and doing so in impressive fashion, batting .325 in June, even though he’s only been able to catch three games in a row once since his injury. Not surprisingly, his power is down, but not dramatically so. Posada has quietly put together a truly inspiring career, but he’s always been overshadowed by superstar teammates. It’s time to consider him one of the Yankee all-time greats.

Tad Iguchi (shoulder) could be back in two weeks and change. Don’t be left snoozing when it comes time to pluck him off the wire. By the way, too bad prospect Matt Antonelli was scuffling so badly in Triple-A when Iguchi went down. It would have been nice to see him get his chance. On the plus side, Antonelli is turning things around, batting .289 with five ribbies in the past ten games. On the downside, that only lifts his season BA to .189. Ugh. It’s going to be a long year in San Diego. By the way, why isn’t Craig Stansberry getting more of a look at second base? Right now, it’s all about Edgar Gonzalez, who has grabbed the job and run with it. I’d suggest making a claim for him in NL-only leagues if you need middle infield assistance.

Speaking of the Padres, when do we start the Bud Black death watch? San Diego is 9-11 in June and — disturbingly — this is the finest month of the year for the team so far.

Bad news for J.R. Towles owners. Getting farmed out hasn’t been much of a wake-up call. He’s been only marginally better at Triple-A (.209) than he was in the majors (.145). And unfortunately, he’s headed in the wrong direction, currently mired in an 0-for-12 slump. Oh, the hopes we had here.

Chipper Jones (quad) is feeling better, but count him out against the Brewers. Expect to see him DH starting Friday against the Jays. By the way, we were remiss in not congratulating Jones on reaching 400 career dingers earlier this month. Here’s a parade of some of Chipper’s victims: Josias Manzanill (first career), Kevin Tapani (No. 100), Darryl Kile (No. 200) and Sterling Hitchcock (No. 300). The 400th, by the way, came against the Marlins’ Ricky Nolasco. Other factoids: Chipper is just the third player who has played at least 75 per cent of his games at third base to reach 400 career homers. The first two are Mike Schmidt and Eddie Matthews. He’s also the third switch hitter to swat 400, following Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray. Can we safely call Jones an all-time great now?

June 24th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 5 Comments

Face it. You got a little panicky at the end of May when Cole Hamels put up back-to-back stinkers. Well, he sure has bounced back brilliantly in June. After his seven strong innings Monday against the powerful BoSox, Hamels is now 2-0 through three starts this month, with just 13 hits, four runs and six walks allowed in 24 IP while fanning 22. I’d say he’s back, baby. If he continues to stay healthy this year, Hamels will challenge for the Cy Young.

What’s up with Chase Utley? He’s taken an 0-for-20 in going hitless in his last five games. What a stiff! Actually, believe it or not, he’s batting under .260 since the end of April, but with his 11 dingers and 39 RBI over this stretch, you’re probably not complaining too vociferously.

Jimmy Rollins got off to a crappy start this month, but he’s picked up the pace in the past few games, batting .345 in the last week. Obviously, his DL stint is a big factor here, but J-Roll won’t come close to duplicating the career-high 94 ribbies he put up last year.

Okay, he’s still not performing anywhere near his 2006 MVP pace, or even 2007, but Ryan Howard has definitely continued to dig his way out of an early-season hole. He’s batting .300 in the past week with four dingers and 13 RBI – much more RyHo-like than what we saw earlier this year. Still, it’s going to take a serious run for Howard to avoid the worst season of his career.

Despite Howard’s struggles, the Phils continue to boast the best offense in the NL, pacing the Senior Circuit in both runs and slugging percentage.

The continuation of Pat Burrell’s career year is sure helping in this department. He’s already launched five long bombs in June to go along with a sizzling 1155 OPS.

Shane Victorino, on the other hand, is cooling off after a big May. He’s batting just .250 with two steals this month after swiping 11 bags and maintaining a .322 BA last month.

Carlos Ruiz has been solid behind the plate, but has failed to build on his big rookie season from an offensive standpoint. A .230 BA with just 20 runs and 20 RBI has rendered Ruiz an afterthought in all but the deepest of NL-only leagues. Even though he’s playing less (for now — I’d watch this one), I’d prefer to own back-up catcher Chris Coste.

It might be time to take another gander at crafty old veteran Jamie Moyer, at least in NL-only leagues. He had won five straight decisions until Tuesday, when again he pitched well enough to win (five innings, four hits, two runs), but came away on the short end of the stick. Over his last three starts, the 45-year-old lefty has only given up 11 hits and four runs in 18 1/3 IP. He’s walked nine, which is a concern, but has generally pitched around them thanks to his nice groundball rate. If you need Ws, Moyer can help without killing your ERA or WHIP, so he’s especially attractive in 4×4 leagues.

Another Phillie starter that deserves a second look is Kyle Kendrick. The sophomore struggled out of the gates, but has gotten steadily better as the season has waned. He falls directly into the same category as Moyer – he’ll give you Ws, but no Ks – however, Kendrick has upside potential at his age. Moyer? Uh, I’m pretty sure we’ve seen everything he’s going to throw at us by this point.

Still with the Phils’ rotation, Adam Eaton could be a decent short-term gamble in NL-only leagues. He’s 1-1, 3.26 in June and he’s actually looked quite serviceable his last five times out. Eaton has stayed healthy enough to finally log some innings, and he’s really improved his home run rate. Take a peak; you could do worse.

Brett Myers, unfortunately, has proved to be the weak link in the Phils’ rotation, and he keeps getting dropped as a result. While he looked unhittable in his first start of June (despite some serious control issues), Myers has been bitch-slapped since, which – when you think about it – is actually rather appropriate. Home runs allowed are really hurting him, and the fact that the Phils have surged to first in the East despite Myers’ woes is a real testament to the rest of the staff (and the O, of course). At this point, I’d sit Myers down and hope for better results. You probably can’t dump him. Can you?

It’s time for more kudos to Brad Lidge. We all slammed him (myself included) heading into the season, assuming he’d crumble in the pressure cooker that is Philly. Well, we’re in mid-June and the dude has a 0.90 ERA and is perfect in save chances. ‘Nuff said. Sorry I slagged you, man.

Owners in NL-only leagues that track holds would be wise to pick up J.C. Romero. He’s rhymed off six straight scoreless outings and has – surprisingly – really built on his fine 2007 season.

While we’re at it, how about some love for Chad Durbin? He’s upped his K rate, improved his command and has been lights out. Deep NL-only leaguers take note.

Ryan Madson has improved his control and is whiffing more batters this year, but is not getting any love. Since a sub par April, he’s been lights out, so he’s another reliever worth examining in NL-only leagues.

Time to throw a pity party for the Braves. John Smoltz is toast for the year; who the hell knows when Mike Hampton will pitch (although, he’s teasing us again right now); Tom Glavine is done until the All-Star break; Rafael Soriano has pitched just nine times this year (although he’s almost ready to come back, too); and Mark Kotsay’s back has forced him to the DL as well (but, again, he could be back shortly).

June 18th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Fantasy Notes, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 4 Comments