Fantasy Baseball Roundtable

This week's roundtable is hosted by Fantasy Phenoms. This week's question:

Name one pitcher and one hitter that is on the waiver wire in most leagues, that is worth picking up and could become the next Cliff Lee or Ryan Ludwick. Why them?

Lots of great answers, be sure to check it out.

Josh Beckett Suspended

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this suspension will be appealed. Josh Beckett did absolutely nothing to warrant a suspension.

Boston pitcher Josh Beckett has been suspended for six games and fined by Major League Baseball, which determined he intentionally threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu last week. Beckett also was cited for "aggressive actions" after the pitch that led to the benches clearing Sunday, according to Bob Watson, vice president for discipline in the commissioner's office.



To read more, visit http://www.boston.com

Scheduling - Posting Back on Track

OK, Easter and yet more computer/wireless problems have thrown things off yet again. Tonight you'll see the second half of the 26th man pieces, which featured the projected first (major) call-up of each team. The first half featured the American League. After I get my piece for Crucial Sports up you'll see links for that as well. Coming soon - How to Build a Dominating Dynasty Team and How to Trade Like a Champion.

Check back soon.

The 26th Man - American League

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that every team in baseball will make use of it's minor league system this season. Below you'll find the hitting and pitching prospects that not only would have a huge impact, but are also nearly ready for action in the major leagues. These are the guys you need to be ready to grab when they hit the free agent lists.

All statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.com

AMERICAN LEAGUE

The Baltimore Orioles - Matt Wieters
The Orioles are just killing time (and maybe saving a few bucks) by keeping catcher Matt Wieters in the minor leagues. Not only is he ready for the major leagues by most estimations but he would also be the kind of impact bat the Orioles tried so desperately to sign over the winter. The Orioles have a decent lineup already and what they really need is pitching but they won't rush their arms to the majors. Wieters however can help the Orioles win by bludgeoning their opponents to death.

Honorable Mention: Chris Tillman

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
2008	Orioles (A+)	229	79	15	48	40	44	47	1	2	0.345
2008	Orioles (AA)	208	76	12	41	51	38	29	1	0	0.365
2009	Bill James	416	127	21	60	74	67	56	2	1	0.305

The Boston Red Sox - Lars Anderson
Although a lot of analysts might predict that Clay Buchholz would be the first call-up, I believe they would be wrong. The Red Sox are loaded with pitching and John Smoltz should come off the disabled list in June making the starting rotation even deeper. But Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, David Ortiz, and Rocco Baldelli are all established injury risks and major cogs in Boston's offense. Should one of them go down Lars Anderson's ability to hit for average and power (think Joey Votto at best, James Loney at worst) should come in very handy.

Honorable Mention: Josh Reddick

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
2007	Red Sox (A)	458	132	10	69	69	71	112	2	4	0.288
2007	Red Sox (A+)	35	12	1	13	9	11	9	0	0	0.343
2008	Red Sox (A+)	306	97	13	58	50	46	64	0	0	0.317
2008	Red Sox (AA)	133	42	5	27	30	29	43	1	0	0.316
2009	CHONE	461	107	7	57	56	51	142	2	1	0.232
2009	Oliver	458	121	13			54	114			0.265
2009	ZiPS	557	139	15	65	74	56	150	3	3	0.25

The New York Yankees - Mark Melancon
The Yankees don't have many problems that cannot be cured by the throwing of millions of dollars, but they have failed to build a bullpen that provides anyone with much faith that Joba Chamberlain will remain in the rotation. Mark Melancon could be exactly the number two guy in the bullpen the Yankees need. This of course assumes that the bullpen is more of a problem than the rotation, which judging by the first week of games is a rather large assumption.

Honorable Mention: Phil Hughes

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2006	Yankees (A-)	9.39	2.35	4	0	0.294	1.43	0.398	36.40%	1.9
2008	Yankees (A+)	7.11	2.13	3.33	0.71	0.267	1.26	0.318	79.50%	3.48
2008	Yankees (AA)	8.52	2.17	3.92	0.54	0.186	0.89	0.238	75.40%	2.82
2008	Yankees (AAA)	9.9	1.8	5.5	0.45	0.163	0.75	0.225	61.60%	2.4
2009	CHONE	6.75	3.38	2	1.35	0.271	1.43	0.303	72.60%	4.78
2009	ZiPS	6.12	2.83	2.17	1.41	0.287	1.45	0.313		4.75

The Tampa Bay Rays - David Price
He came thisclose to making the team out of spring training but the Rays who are loaded with pitching chose to give him a few weeks at AAA before he comes to the majors for good. The funny thing is I can see the Rays having an offensive need far before they have a pitching one but they don't really have that hitting prospect of both the impact and ready variety. If they truly have an offensive need the Rays are most likely to trade some of their pitching for it.

Honorable Mention: Reid Brignac

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2008	Rays (A+)	9.61	1.82	5.29	0	0.223	1.01	0.315	80.00%	1.67
2008	Rays (AA)	8.68	2.53	3.44	1.11	0.207	1.02	0.249	93.90%	3.92
2008	Rays (AAA)	8.5	4.5	1.89	0	0.302	1.72	0.395	67.70%	2.81
2008	Rays	7.71	2.57	3	0.64	0.186	0.93	0.225	79.40%	3.42
2008	Rays	12.71	6.35	2	1.59	0.111	1.06	0.111	87.00%	4.72
2009	CHONE	6.72	3.87	1.74	1.14	0.271	1.48	0.308	71.00%	4.72
2009	Marcel	6.92	3.23	2.14	0.92	0.252	1.31	0.292	71.70%	4.16
2009	ZiPS	6.3	3.15	2	1.18	0.258	1.33	0.286		4.49

The Toronto Blue Jays - Brett Cecil/Brad Mills
Adding Travis Snider and Adam Lind to the lineup on a regular basis should be a giant boost to the Blue Jays offense. Their pitching staff has taken quite a few hits due to injuries and free agent defections. This is why I see the Jays calling on their pair of lefty starters before anyone else. Why cheat and list them both? Because I'm fairly confident they'll need both really soon. Cecil probably has the edge if I have to pick just one. These guys are not aces but they are solid rotation starters who should be solid contributors to fantasy squads for a long time.

Honorable Mention: J.P. Arencibia

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2007	Blue Jays (A-)	10.15	1.99	5.09	0.18	0.204	0.95	0.294	82.30%	2.05
2008	Blue Jays (A+)	9.58	1.74	5.5	0.87	0.171	0.77	0.216	90.90%	2.91
2008	Blue Jays (AA)	10.08	2.67	3.78	0.46	0.232	1.15	0.32	79.20%	2.71
2008	Blue Jays (AAA)	9.1	4.7	1.94	0.29	0.245	1.43	0.327	63.40%	3.17
2009	CHONE	7.07	4.18	1.69	1.18	0.264	1.48	0.302	71.90%	4.8
2009	ZiPS	6.5	3.6	1.81	1	0.26	1.39	0.295		4.33

The Chicago White Sox - Gordon Beckham
The White Sox already need him. There is no way they can continue with Dewayne Wise and Chris Getz as the leadoff hitters. Gordon Beckham is not a classic leadoff hitter but he'll do until the White Sox can develop or trade for one. Beckham is a natural shortstop but showed this spring that he could easily transition to second base, and I can only imagine a switch to the outfield would be even simpler for such a gifted athlete.

Honorable Mention: Dayan Viciedo

Season	Team	BB%	K%	BB/K	OBP	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA
2008	White Sox (A)	7.90%	12.10%	0.71	0.365	0.865	0.19	0.313	0.379

The Cleveland Indians - David Huff
I happen to believe that Cliff Lee will have a fine season for the Indians. However Fausto Carmona is on my likely to flop list. Their rotation is the biggest weakness on a team loaded offensively and in the bullpen. David Huff projects as a solid rotation starter by most accounts but I see a lot of Brandon Webb in him. He induces lots of groundballs and strikes out enough batters to make him a fantasy favorite. Matt LaPorta is probably ready to be a big bat in the lineup but the Indians are not desperate for his bat just yet. They'll need Huff very soon.

Honorable Mention: Matt LaPorta

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2006	Indians (A-)	9.39	8.22	1.14	0	0.294	2.09	0.398	70.60%	4.24
2007	Indians (A+)	6.94	2.26	3.07	0.6	0.253	1.21	0.302	74.20%	3.33
2008	Indians (AA)	8.5	1.92	4.43	0.69	0.192	0.88	0.24	80.80%	2.99
2008	Indians (AAA)	9.04	1.67	5.4	0.89	0.23	1.03	0.291	73.50%	3.15
2009	CHONE	6.92	2.97	2.33	1.29	0.264	1.34	0.297	73.00%	4.54
2009	ZiPS	6	2.32	2.58	1.35	0.282	1.37	0.308		4.53

The Detroit Tigers - Cale Iorg
There is just no way that Adam Everett can survive an entire season as the Tigers shortstop. He has zero for a bat and his glove while good is not so good that the Tigers will tolerate a hole in the lineup longer than it takes Cale Iorg to make an impact at AA Erie. Iorg has been compared to a young Nomar Garciaparra (ironically they used to compare Adam Everett to Nomar as well - "they" sure screwed up that one) but probably will not be as good as Nomar was at his best. That's my opinion, GM Dave Dombrowski believes he'll be an All-Star for the Tigers which doesn't necessarily contradict my idea, does it? The Tigers will be desperate for pitching by May but their system does not have anyone ready to make an impact who is not already in the majors.

Honorable Mention: Wilkin Ramirez

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
2007	Tigers (R)	11	2	0	1	0	1	6	0	0	0.182
2007	Tigers (A+)	18	5	0	0	5	1	5	0	0	0.278
2008	Tigers (A+)	383	96	10	61	47	35	111	22	11	0.251
2009	CHONE	400	79	6	43	39	23	153	12	5	0.198
2009	ZiPS	409	80	10	44	35	22	148	16	13	0.196

The Kansas City Royals - Daniel Cortes
The Royals actually have solid players at most positions. Their rotation is not stellar but is very solid. The bullpen includes a collection of solid veteran arms with a a variety of pitching styles. Daniel Cortes is the prospect that is easiest to see on the Royals in 2009 even if he isn't their best prospect. He has the stuff to be a dominate reliever right now. The Royals still see him as a starter which is why he remains in the minors. I'm calling it 50/50 whether Cortes will get the call as a starter or reliever.

Honorable Mention: Mitch Maier

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2006	Royals (A)	7.71	4.37	1.76	1.8	0.288	1.63	0.324	65.70%	5.8
2006	White Sox (A)	8.02	3.18	2.53	0.5	0.264	1.37	0.332	63.40%	3.34
2007	Royals (A+)	8.78	3.29	2.67	0.51	0.227	1.2	0.295	72.30%	3.28
2008	Royals (AA)	8.41	4.24	1.98	1	0.238	1.35	0.29	77.80%	4.4
2009	CHONE	6.73	5.5	1.22	1.57	0.294	1.79	0.325	68.60%	5.92
2009	ZiPS	5.27	4.76	1.11	1.59	0.288	1.67	0.302		5.84

The Minnesota Twins - Kevin Mulvey
The Twins are pretty solid from 1-25 but it is pretty easy to predict they'll need another arm at some point during the season. Kevin Mulvey is a likely candidate to be the first callup due to his versatility (starting or relieving) and his minor league experience.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Swarzak

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2006	Mets (R)	4.5	0	1	0	0.151	0.5	0.177	100.00%	2.2
2006	Mets (AA)	6.75	3.38	2	0.68	0.21	1.13	0.246	80.90%	3.8
2007	Mets (AA)	6.53	2.55	2.56	0.24	0.253	1.24	0.307	63.90%	3.08
2007	Mets (AAA)	4.5	0	3	0	0.106	0.33	0.126	100.00%	2.2
2008	Twins (AAA)	7.36	2.92	2.52	0.97	0.267	1.35	0.315	68.60%	4.06
2009	CHONE	5.95	3.44	1.73	1.25	0.283	1.5	0.311	70.50%	4.9
2009	ZiPS	4.81	3.35	1.43	1.2	0.285	1.5	0.302		4.91

The Los Angeles Angels - Brandon Wood
In almost any other organization, Brandon Wood would be an established major leaguer by now. His power is definitely real. He isn't likely to hit better than .250-.260 but that kind of average with 30 homers from the shortstop position is very acceptable. Any injury in the infield will bring Wood to the majors.

Honorable Mention:

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
2006	Angels (AA)	453	125	25	74	83	54	149	19	3	0.276
2007	Angels (AAA)	437	119	23	73	77	45	120	10	1	0.272
2007	Angels	33	5	1	2	3	0	12	0	0	0.152
2008	Angels (AAA)	395	117	31	82	84	45	104	6	5	0.296
2008	Angels	150	30	5	12	13	4	43	4	0	0.2
2009	Bill James	257	65	13	36	39	20	71	6	2	0.253
2009	CHONE	491	114	21	68	69	42	164	9	3	0.232
2009	Marcel	260	62	8	30	30	17	61	5	1	0.238
2009	Oliver	551	134	27			43	158			0.243
2009	ZiPS	532	122	21	62	77	38	148	9	3	0.229

The Oakland Athletics - Aaron Cunningham
The Athletics have tons of options for a call-up but with Billy Beane's aggressive promoting and signing style this season I think he'll reach for the best available when he dips into his minor league system (as opposed to a more known but mediocre option). Aaron Cunningham looks a lot like Matt Holliday. He has good but not great tools and decent plate discipline for such a young player.

Honorable Mention: Adrian Cardenas

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	CS	AVG
2006	White Sox (A)	341	104	11	58	41	34	72	10	0.305
2007	White Sox (A+)	252	74	8	51	37	34	39	8	0.294
2007	Diamondbacks (A+)	123	44	3	25	20	5	23	3	0.358
2007	Diamondbacks (AA)	118	34	5	25	20	12	27	3	0.288
2008	Athletics (AA)	347	110	12	65	52	38	92	4	0.317
2008	Athletics (AAA)	76	29	5	21	14	11	16	1	0.382
2008	Athletics	80	20	1	7	14	6	24	0	0.25
2009	Bill James	256	74	8	42	37	24	64	4	0.289
2009	CHONE	473	120	11	71	55	39	129	7	0.254
2009	Marcel	219	60	6	28	33	21	47	1	0.274
2009	Oliver	436	121	15			35	99		0.278
2009	ZiPS	532	132	17	72	69	42	110	9	0.248

The Seattle Mariners - Greg Halman
The Mariners have no need to rush anyone through their system. They have made it clear to their fanbase (if not outright admitting it) that this is a rebuilding year (they like to call it a transition year) and losing a lot of games may be a part of that. Greg Halman is a player that almost demands that he be advanced through the system quickly. He also has the most star qualities of anyone to come through the Mariner system since Alex Rodriguez. Halman will be an annual 30/30 threat that has been compared to Andre Dawson. I happen to think Grady Sizemore is a good comparison.

Honorable Mention: Michael Saunders

Season	Team	AB	H	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
2006	Mariners (A-)	116	30	5	19	15	3	32	10	4	0.259
2007	Mariners (A-)	238	73	16	37	37	21	85	16	8	0.307
2007	Mariners (A)	187	34	4	26	15	8	77	15	7	0.182
2008	Mariners (A+)	257	69	19	52	53	16	76	23	1	0.268
2008	Mariners (AA)	235	65	10	43	30	16	66	8	6	0.277
2009	CHONE	452	90	10	59	45	21	172	16	7	0.199
2009	Oliver	499	119	23			24	157			0.238
2009	ZiPS	480	108	19	55	64	20	138	30	12	0.225

The Texas Rangers - Derek Holland
The Rangers have a loaded minor league system. They could probably call up a player to fill-in at any position and that player would warrent consideration by fantasy owners. Derek Holland is a potential ace pitcher. The Rangers need nothing more desperately.

Honorable Mention: Neftali Feliz / Justin Smoak

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2007	Rangers (A-)	11.15	2.82	3.95	0.94	0.232	1.16	0.321	68.70%	3.29
2008	Rangers (A)	8.74	2.79	3.14	0.19	0.226	1.13	0.302	74.10%	2.53
2008	Rangers (A+)	10.74	1.45	7.4	0.29	0.186	0.81	0.274	56.90%	1.81
2008	Rangers (AA)	10.04	2.08	4.83	0	0.16	0.77	0.24	80.00%	1.66
2009	CHONE	6.79	4.11	1.65	1.74	0.278	1.54	0.302	71.00%	5.6
2009	ZiPS	5.19	3.38	1.54	0.87	0.267	1.4	0.294		4.35

The Top Ten UnSexy Baseball Players

I hope at this point I don't need to explain that by unsexy I do not refer to the players' doability...Anyway

There is a group of players in every league that always comes undervalued. In a lot of my leagues it is the unsexy ones. The over 30, never a superstar but always productive crowd. These players are always relatively easy to acquire and in fact they are probably offered to you often in trade for your most sexy players ( the guys you would need a ton before you parted with). The irony is that these are often players that were once considered very sexy.

1. Randy Winn
2. Mike Cameron
3. Jose Guillen
4. David DeJesus
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff
6. Jermaine Dye
7. Mark Buehrle
8. Jim Thome
9. Kevin Gregg
10. Casey Blake
    

Is that a boring list or what?

Blog Rally to Save the Boston Globe!

We have all read recently about the threat of possible closure faced by the Boston Globe. A number of Boston-based bloggers who care about the continued existence of the Globe have banded together in conducting a blog rally. We are simultaneously posting this paragraph to solicit your ideas of steps the Globe could take to improve its financial picture:

We view the Globe as an important community resource, and we think that lots of people in the region agree and might have creative ideas that might help in this situation. So, here's your chance. Please don't write with nasty comments and sarcasm: Use this forum for thoughtful and interesting steps you would recommend to the management that would improve readership, enhance the Globe's community presence, and make money. Who knows, someone here might come up with an idea that will work, or at least help. Thank you.

(P.S. If you have a blog, please feel free to reprint this item and post it. Likewise, if you have a Twitter or Facebook account, please add this url as an update or to your status bar to help us reach more people.)

The Ten Best Opening Day Events

Opening Day is always special for baseball fans. As fantasy owners it can be even more special because we finally have some statistics from the players we've spent all winter scouting and acquiring. Here are the ten best events for fantasy owners from Opening Day.

1. Emilio Bonifacio hits an inside-the-park homerun and steals three bases.
2. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia had two hits and three RBI, including a homerun.
3. Aside from the ten hits allowed (including a homerun) Cliff Lee looks to be in mid-season form.
4. Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark both became the first players ever to hit Opening Day homeruns from both sides of the plate.
5. Daniel Murphy hit a homerun, while the Mets bullpen backed up Johan Santana.
6. The best player in baseball went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and five RBI. (That's Hanley Ramirez NOT Alex Rodriguez, who has probably been less than the best for a few years now).
7. Damn, if Seth Smith doesn't look like the new Matt Holliday with a homerun and a stolen base.
8. I am positive that the Ryan Franklin owners were happy to see Jason Motte blow his first save opportunity.
9. Matt Kemp gave us another sign that his power is immense and 30 homeruns are coming this season, by hitting a shot out of the deepest part of Petco Park.
10. The Toronto Blue Jays fans got a nice look at the future when Adam Lind and Travis Snider both hit Opening Day homers.

Honorable Mention: Ken Griffey Jr. homered; Nick Johnson is still healthy; Carlos Zambrano looks healthy; Jeremy Hermida continued his hot hitting; The Baltimore Orioles may not be the pushovers the other members of the AL East are hoping.