Top Eastern League Players of 2009

Today our series of minor league rankings moves down to the Double-A level. The Eastern League is one of three AA leagues. In my opinion this is the level that has the most exciting prospects. You get guys like Carlos Santana, Pedro Alvarez and Jesus Montero.

Top 25 Eastern League Batters (minimum 50 at-bats)

Name	Team	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	Spd	BABIP	wOBA
Daniel Nava	Red Sox	17.50%	10.20%	0.364	0.479	0.568	0.203	2.8	0.382	0.471
Ryan Strieby	Tigers	16.20%	27.20%	0.303	0.427	0.565	0.262	3.6	0.359	0.445
Pedro Alvarez	Pirates	13.30%	26.60%	0.333	0.419	0.59	0.257	2.2	0.407	0.444
Brandon Snyder	Orioles	11.80%	22.40%	0.343	0.421	0.597	0.254	1.8	0.404	0.444
Michael Taylor	Phillies	9.90%	16.00%	0.333	0.408	0.569	0.236	6.9	0.361	0.438
Ike Davis	Mets	11.20%	29.00%	0.309	0.386	0.565	0.256	0.9	0.381	0.426
Scott Sizemore	Tigers	13.30%	20.20%	0.307	0.402	0.535	0.228	6.1	0.353	0.422
Carlos Santana	Indians	17.40%	19.40%	0.29	0.413	0.53	0.241	3.4	0.314	0.418
Brian Dopirak	Blue Jays	9.60%	22.90%	0.308	0.374	0.576	0.268	2.2	0.35	0.417
Aaron Bates	Red Sox	7.60%	23.80%	0.34	0.405	0.505	0.165	3	0.42	0.414
Jorge Vazquez	Yankees	3.40%	20.00%	0.329	0.357	0.578	0.249	2.1	0.365	0.414
Joshua Bell	Orioles	8.80%	24.60%	0.298	0.354	0.579	0.281	1.1	0.325	0.411
Michael Bertram	Tigers	9.60%	25.20%	0.285	0.353	0.585	0.301	4	0.321	0.408
Jesus Montero	Yankees	7.70%	12.60%	0.317	0.37	0.539	0.222	0.6	0.321	0.407
Daniel Figueroa	Orioles	14.10%	21.80%	0.319	0.444	0.412	0.092	6.2	0.402	0.406
Mark Wagner	Red Sox	15.50%	17.00%	0.301	0.41	0.477	0.176	2	0.347	0.404
Jeremy Slayden	Phillies	12.60%	23.70%	0.281	0.372	0.525	0.245	1.7	0.309	0.397
Ian Desmond	Nationals	8.60%	23.50%	0.306	0.372	0.494	0.188	6.4	0.371	0.396
Steve Torrealba	Orioles	25.30%	16.10%	0.242	0.425	0.419	0.177	0.1	0.245	0.39
Neil Sellers	Phillies	8.50%	13.70%	0.317	0.383	0.486	0.17	3.1	0.342	0.389
Paco Figueroa	Orioles	11.70%	16.40%	0.305	0.39	0.438	0.133	7	0.365	0.387
Josh Petersen	Mets	11.70%	13.80%	0.326	0.409	0.442	0.116	2.5	0.366	0.386
Luis Exposito	Red Sox	4.20%	29.30%	0.337	0.371	0.489	0.152	2.7	0.452	0.382
Josh Reddick	Red Sox	10.50%	24.20%	0.277	0.352	0.52	0.242	5.5	0.32	0.382
Brock Bond	Giants	13.00%	15.30%	0.333	0.429	0.409	0.076	5.4	0.392	0.381
Casper Wells	Tigers	12.10%	33.10%	0.26	0.369	0.489	0.228	5.7	0.342	0.381
Danny Valencia	Twins	12.40%	18.30%	0.284	0.373	0.482	0.197	5.2	0.322	0.38
Jeff Frazier	Tigers	7.40%	14.90%	0.322	0.375	0.471	0.149	1.9	0.37	0.378
Nick Evans	Mets	8.70%	21.00%	0.276	0.35	0.467	0.19	4.9	0.325	0.376
Ray Chang	Pirates	10.60%	12.60%	0.291	0.383	0.449	0.157	2.9	0.321	0.375
Reegie Corona	Yankees	15.40%	16.30%	0.287	0.397	0.397	0.111	5.3	0.335	0.375
Brian Stavisky	Phillies	13.60%	21.30%	0.279	0.377	0.454	0.175	3.3	0.331	0.375
Brian Dinkelman	Twins	10.70%	15.90%	0.296	0.383	0.44	0.144	3.2	0.339	0.374
Josh Thole	Mets	9.90%	8.90%	0.328	0.395	0.422	0.094	3.8	0.358	0.373
Alex Avila	Tigers	13.60%	23.40%	0.264	0.365	0.45	0.185	3.2	0.313	0.371

The Top 25 Eastern League Pitchers (minimum 50 IP) will appear after these messages...

Name	Team	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	ERA	FIP
Hector Rondon	Indians	9.13	2	0.38	1.06	0.305	74.90%	2.75	2.51
Steven Wright	Indians	7.08	2.21	0.11	1.13	0.3	75.60%	2.32	2.6
Marc Rzepczynski	Blue Jays	10.33	4.23	0.12	1.51	0.381	69.10%	2.93	2.64
Zach Putnam	Indians	9.05	2.86	0.32	1.36	0.357	65.20%	4.13	2.65
Kevin Whelan	Yankees	10.37	4.61	0.16	1.21	0.289	76.20%	2.63	2.72
Zach Simons	Tigers	8.82	3.71	0.18	1.18	0.288	66.60%	2.82	2.73
Josh Schmidt	Yankees	10.33	4.09	0.22	1.14	0.282	86.40%	1.61	2.76
Anthony Slama	Twins	12.81	4.41	0.69	1.19	0.31	84.90%	2.48	2.91
Joe Paterson	Giants	9	3.13	0.39	1.03	0.259	80.20%	1.96	2.94
Brad Lincoln	Pirates	7.8	2.16	0.48	1.08	0.287	78.80%	2.28	2.96
Ryan Edell	Indians	9.17	1.91	0.81	1.13	0.315	82.40%	2.32	2.96
Alex Burnett	Twins	8.46	3.09	0.33	0.99	0.246	79.70%	1.79	2.98
Yohan Pino	Twins	9.29	2.32	0.58	1.24	0.34	75.90%	3.19	2.99
Michael Dunn	Yankees	12.83	5.4	0.51	1.37	0.338	73.50%	3.71	2.99
Erik Stiller	Indians	8.78	3.88	0.26	1.23	0.296	68.10%	3.23	3
Zach McAllister	Yankees	7.14	2.45	0.3	1.08	0.277	74.80%	2.23	3.03
Wilkins Arias	Yankees	9.63	3.21	0.58	1.22	0.312	71.40%	3.65	3.07
Jake Arrieta	Orioles	10.68	3.51	0.61	1.15	0.298	76.80%	2.59	3.08
Chance Chapman	Phillies	8.37	3.08	0.51	1.16	0.287	79.20%	2.73	3.11
Dustin Richardson	Red Sox	11.37	5.68	0.28	1.29	0.289	76.60%	2.7	3.12
Matt Yourkin	Giants	10.23	3.69	0.71	1.23	0.306	83.10%	2.42	3.18
Dan Griffin	Giants	10.6	2.84	0.74	1.48	0.397	60.40%	5.42	3.19
Neil Wagner	Indians	10.18	4.72	0.44	1.31	0.304	74.20%	2.95	3.2
Jeff Manship	Twins	5.35	2.38	0.24	1.22	0.294	62.50%	4.28	3.23
Ben Snyder	Giants	7.98	3.53	0.37	1.24	0.294	75.00%	2.88	3.23
Ryan Pope	Yankees	6.75	2.17	0.45	1.34	0.336	56.60%	4.78	3.24
Reidier Gonzalez	Blue Jays	6.48	2.42	0.39	1.15	0.285	71.20%	2.9	3.25
Chad Rhoades	Red Sox	8.96	3.94	0.44	1.3	0.309	68.00%	3.94	3.26
Waldis Joaquin	Giants	6.67	4.67	0	1.19	0.243	73.40%	2.67	3.27
Michael Crotta	Pirates	6.08	2.07	0.44	1.49	0.361	61.90%	4.76	3.3
Junichi Tazawa	Red Sox	8.08	2.39	0.73	1.08	0.277	79.80%	2.57	3.35
Sean Smith	- - -	8.46	3.63	0.5	1.21	0.285	76.90%	2.82	3.36
Randy Boone	Blue Jays	6.28	2.93	0.28	1.31	0.31	66.50%	3.7	3.37
Ryan Mullins	Twins	8.26	2.23	0.81	1.46	0.37	69.90%	4.03	3.4
Jack Spradlin	Nationals	7.59	3.04	0.51	1.14	0.275	73.60%	2.87	3.43

Top Pacific Coast League Players of 2009

Continuing our series of minor league rankings. Today we hit the Pacific Coast League a hitters league. I love these lists, they help motivate me to do further research on prospects that appear higher or lower than expected. All of the data presented is courtesy of FanGraphs.com

Top 25 Pacific Coast League Batters (minimum 50 at-bats)

Name	Team	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	Spd	BABIP	wOBA
Jake Fox	Cubs	11.40%	18.90%	0.409	0.495	0.841	0.433	5.6	0.431	0.554
Chris Young	Diamondbacks	14.30%	24.10%	0.37	0.46	0.667	0.296	6.9	0.447	0.474
Travis Snider	Blue Jays	13.80%	26.90%	0.337	0.431	0.663	0.326	3.3	0.395	0.462
Brandon Allen	Diamondbacks	12.10%	17.20%	0.324	0.413	0.641	0.317	5.8	0.324	0.458
Tommy Everidge	Athletics	10.30%	16.90%	0.368	0.428	0.632	0.264	2.5	0.4	0.453
John Bowker	Giants	16.80%	17.50%	0.342	0.451	0.596	0.254	5.3	0.37	0.447
Carlos Gonzalez	Rockies	10.30%	16.70%	0.339	0.418	0.63	0.292	6.8	0.367	0.446
Hector Luna	Dodgers	8.20%	16.60%	0.351	0.414	0.61	0.259	5.6	0.381	0.441
Chris Coghlan	Marlins	11.10%	10.40%	0.344	0.418	0.552	0.208	7.1	0.361	0.438
Sean Rodriguez	Angels	12.30%	32.60%	0.299	0.4	0.616	0.318	6.8	0.369	0.437
Mitch Jones	Dodgers	9.40%	26.40%	0.297	0.364	0.651	0.354	5.3	0.32	0.426
Tony Abreu	Dodgers	5.20%	17.00%	0.353	0.385	0.615	0.261	5.1	0.388	0.425
Khalil Greene	Cardinals	3.50%	7.30%	0.345	0.368	0.618	0.273	1.4	0.319	0.424
Randy Ruiz	Blue Jays	9.20%	21.40%	0.32	0.392	0.584	0.264	2.6	0.364	0.418
Joe Inglett	Blue Jays	9.00%	11.20%	0.36	0.422	0.516	0.155	4.5	0.393	0.415
Howard Kendrick	Angels	8.20%	15.40%	0.346	0.414	0.526	0.179	5.3	0.391	0.414
David Dellucci	Blue Jays	8.70%	28.60%	0.317	0.38	0.556	0.238	2.6	0.405	0.408
Chris Davis	Rangers	13.20%	23.60%	0.327	0.418	0.521	0.194	2.9	0.4	0.407
Corey Patterson	Brewers	6.10%	20.20%	0.331	0.366	0.597	0.266	7.6	0.383	0.407
Joel Galarraga	Athletics	12.50%	23.80%	0.357	0.449	0.476	0.119	5.4	0.469	0.407
Alex Gordon	Royals	16.30%	23.90%	0.313	0.435	0.493	0.179	4.7	0.388	0.405
Luke Carlin	Diamondbacks	16.00%	23.20%	0.321	0.43	0.481	0.16	2.8	0.394	0.405
Ryan Shealy	Royals	17.10%	28.70%	0.345	0.454	0.425	0.08	1.5	0.484	0.403
Cory Aldridge	Royals	6.30%	24.30%	0.316	0.361	0.582	0.266	3.2	0.366	0.402
Adam Heether	Brewers	13.50%	22.20%	0.293	0.4	0.501	0.208	3.6	0.341	0.4
Allen Craig	Cardinals	7.30%	20.10%	0.322	0.374	0.547	0.225	3.4	0.359	0.4
Michael Saunders	Mariners	9.20%	19.40%	0.31	0.378	0.544	0.234	6.1	0.342	0.4
John Hester	Diamondbacks	6.30%	19.80%	0.328	0.375	0.535	0.207	7.3	0.388	0.399
Mark Hamilton	Cardinals	9.10%	26.20%	0.308	0.375	0.531	0.223	1.6	0.378	0.396
Ruben Gotay	Diamondbacks	21.60%	18.60%	0.272	0.429	0.45	0.178	2.8	0.309	0.395
Chris Shelton	Mariners	12.50%	21.20%	0.314	0.396	0.509	0.195	2.9	0.368	0.394
Dee Brown	Dodgers	12.60%	15.90%	0.29	0.382	0.523	0.232	4.1	0.306	0.394
Eric Patterson	Athletics	10.00%	17.40%	0.307	0.376	0.494	0.187	8.8	0.351	0.393
Jason Dubois	Cubs	10.60%	28.40%	0.303	0.392	0.506	0.203	2.9	0.388	0.393
Matt Murton	Rockies	9.50%	13.90%	0.324	0.389	0.499	0.174	5.2	0.353	0.392

The Top 25 Pacific Coast League Pitchers (minimum 50IP)

Name	Team	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	ERA	FIP
Guillermo Moscoso	Rangers	7.71	1.93	0.26	1.01	0.282	75.80%	2.31	2.63
Jeff Stevens	Cubs	9.52	3.9	0.16	1.04	0.251	77.60%	2.03	2.71
Chris Narveson	Brewers	9.08	3.11	0.36	1.13	0.291	61.10%	3.7	2.78
Lenny DiNardo	Royals	7.54	2.25	0.3	1.17	0.308	69.10%	3.32	2.8
Matt Belisle	Rockies	7.25	2.31	0.31	1.25	0.323	75.50%	3.09	2.81
Chad Paronto	Astros	6.79	2.44	0.17	0.93	0.236	86.10%	1.39	2.81
Felix Romero	Giants	8.43	1.95	0.49	1.24	0.339	64.90%	4.28	2.85
Neftali Feliz	Rangers	8.73	3.49	0.23	1.28	0.319	66.50%	3.49	2.88
Hyang-Nam Choi	Dodgers	12.02	3.28	0.94	1.25	0.345	84.90%	2.34	2.97
Jose Ascanio	Cubs	8.24	3.16	0.18	1.27	0.32	69.00%	3.16	3.02
Brad Kilby	Athletics	10.94	3.41	0.71	1.01	0.256	86.40%	2.13	3.03
Jason Vargas	Mariners	8.01	2.61	0.52	1.22	0.311	74.80%	3.14	3.05
Rick VandenHurk	Marlins	7.69	2.41	0.45	0.99	0.254	72.20%	2.87	3.05
Mike Ekstrom	Padres	6.21	2.31	0.29	0.96	0.24	84.20%	1.73	3.06
Blake Hawksworth	Cardinals	7.03	2.47	0.37	1.11	0.28	66.00%	3.58	3.08
Alex Hinshaw	Giants	12.38	5.5	0.52	1.41	0.34	71.40%	3.96	3.2
Josh Banks	Padres	6.84	2.59	0.43	1.25	0.307	70.90%	3.46	3.22
Billy Buckner	Diamondbacks	8.39	3.93	0.44	1.32	0.307	73.90%	3.32	3.31
Jerry Blevins	Athletics	8.81	2.56	0.71	1.31	0.34	73.80%	3.84	3.31
P.J. Walters	Cardinals	8.4	3.27	0.45	1.42	0.348	62.80%	4.54	3.32
Vin Mazzaro	Athletics	6.99	2.7	0.32	1.04	0.257	77.20%	2.38	3.32
Ramon Ortiz	Giants	7.91	2.36	0.76	1.22	0.31	73.60%	3.05	3.33
Adam Eaton	Rockies	5.67	1.82	0.45	1.22	0.307	71.30%	3.18	3.35
Geno Espineli	Giants	4.7	1.97	0.3	1.4	0.333	69.30%	3.64	3.35
Doug Fister	Mariners	6.69	0.93	0.85	1.34	0.356	72.40%	3.81	3.39
Bud Norris	Astros	8.4	3.98	0.45	1.31	0.302	78.00%	2.63	3.41
Jeremy Johnson	Astros	5.4	2.56	0.38	1.29	0.304	66.70%	3.51	3.43
Carlos Rosa	Royals	10.14	4.06	0.76	1.42	0.344	66.20%	4.56	3.44
Doug Mathis	Rangers	6	2.37	0.47	1.39	0.332	75.50%	2.84	3.45
Jay Marshall	Athletics	5.33	2.66	0.36	1.34	0.311	69.50%	3.2	3.48
Jose Marte	Diamondbacks	7.91	4.27	0.38	1.42	0.318	67.10%	4.52	3.49
Brian Gordon	Rangers	5.94	2.33	0.58	1.19	0.286	70.60%	3.49	3.5
Blake Parker	Cubs	10.26	4.86	0.54	1.24	0.276	74.00%	3.06	3.5
Casey Daigle	Astros	8.57	4.04	0.49	1.54	0.358	82.60%	2.91	3.51
Brandon Morrow	Mariners	6.55	3.76	0.33	1.33	0.294	70.20%	3.6	3.53

Top International League Players of 2009

I am going to be working my way through the stats of minor leaguers over the next couple of weeks. I figure I'll share some lists ranked by FIP for pitchers and WoBA for hitters.

The Top 25 International League Pitchers (50 IP minimum)

Name	Team	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	ERA	FIP
Winston Abreu	Rays	13.59	2.82	0.71	0.138	0.76	0.221	1.94	2.14
Tommy Hanson	Braves	12.21	2.31	0.68	0.176	0.86	0.265	1.49	2.42
Edwar Ramirez	Yankees	10.94	2.82	0.53	0.213	1.08	0.306	3.18	2.47
David Hernandez	Orioles	12.4	2.83	0.78	0.206	1.05	0.309	3.3	2.62
Luis Valdez	Braves	9.46	2.4	0.5	0.247	1.19	0.33	3.28	2.63
Jeremy Hellickson	Rays	10.99	2.35	0.63	0.161	0.8	0.228	2.51	2.66
Chris Tillman	Orioles	9.22	2.42	0.47	0.238	1.15	0.315	2.7	2.76
J.D. Martin	Nationals	6.44	1.02	0.41	0.232	0.97	0.277	2.66	2.77
Garrett Mock	Nationals	8.47	2.29	0.35	0.2	0.96	0.262	2.65	2.77
Nelson Figueroa	Mets	7.55	1.93	0.4	0.224	1.03	0.279	2.25	2.77
Charlie Morton	- - -	7.79	2.13	0.38	0.217	1.02	0.274	2.26	2.85
Mark Melancon	Yankees	9.17	1.87	0.51	0.198	0.91	0.263	2.89	2.86
Tom Gorzelanny	Pirates	8.79	3.1	0.31	0.229	1.18	0.304	2.48	2.87
Jim Miller	Orioles	8.21	2.64	0.42	0.26	1.28	0.331	2.64	2.91
Casey Fien	Tigers	10.24	2.33	0.78	0.238	1.14	0.32	3.41	2.92
Alberto Castillo	Orioles	9.35	2.94	0.35	0.25	1.27	0.337	2.77	2.95
Carlos Torres	White Sox	9.14	3.94	0.28	0.21	1.19	0.285	2.39	2.98
Frank Herrmann	Indians	5.92	1.54	0.36	0.279	1.26	0.327	2.96	2.99
Ehren Wassermann	White Sox	8.06	2.54	0.42	0.286	1.41	0.36	3.68	3.06
Yohan Pino	- - -	8.03	1.8	0.69	0.211	0.95	0.26	2.49	3.06
Matt Maloney	Reds	7.87	1.51	0.69	0.262	1.17	0.322	3.08	3.1
Lucas French	Tigers	7.93	2.2	0.66	0.236	1.11	0.291	2.98	3.16
Juan Morillo	Twins	11.69	6.85	0.13	0.229	1.6	0.35	3.9	3.17
Brian Duensing	Twins	5.26	2.27	0.24	0.291	1.41	0.335	4.66	3.21
Clay Buchholz	Red Sox	8.09	2.73	0.64	0.194	0.98	0.24	2.36	3.23
Daniel McCutchen	Pirates	6.94	1.83	0.63	0.265	1.22	0.316	3.47	3.24
Fernando Cabrera	Red Sox	8.72	3.76	0.51	0.212	1.18	0.275	1.71	3.26
Joe Bateman	Rays	9.19	5.03	0	0.196	1.24	0.276	3.02	3.26
Mike Koplove	- - -	8.28	3.48	0.33	0.215	1.16	0.279	1.82	3.27
Dale Thayer	Rays	6.25	2.13	0.43	0.248	1.17	0.294	2.27	3.28
Bob Keppel	Twins	4.53	2.1	0.16	0.245	1.15	0.279	2.43	3.29
Nate Bump	Tigers	4.37	1.32	0.4	0.232	1	0.257	2.38	3.33
Jeff Manship	Twins	5.36	3.04	0.18	0.272	1.39	0.317	3.22	3.34
Andy Sonnanstine	Rays	5.65	1.41	0.63	0.296	1.34	0.337	4.4	3.37
Jonathon Niese	Mets	7.82	2.48	0.67	0.263	1.28	0.324	3.82	3.38

The Top 25 International League Hitters (minimum 50 at-bats)

Name	Team	BB%	K%	OBP	SLG	ISO	Spd	BABIP	wOBA
Nolan Reimold	Orioles	14.20%	22.90%	0.485	0.743	0.349	3.5	0.453	0.53
Oscar Salazar	Orioles	6.10%	13.60%	0.408	0.618	0.246	2.9	0.395	0.441
Adam Rosales	Reds	9.90%	13.80%	0.408	0.596	0.248	7.3	0.371	0.437
Desmond Jennings	Rays	14.30%	13.20%	0.419	0.491	0.167	7.9	0.354	0.426
Mike Morse	Nationals	8.30%	16.40%	0.404	0.558	0.218	4.7	0.379	0.424
Luis Valbuena	Indians	17.00%	16.70%	0.436	0.538	0.218	5.7	0.355	0.424
Ryan Raburn	Tigers	13.00%	27.70%	0.357	0.638	0.383	4.4	0.241	0.423
Juan Francisco	Reds	4.20%	26.10%	0.384	0.598	0.239	3.9	0.444	0.422
Andy Marte	Indians	6.80%	16.70%	0.369	0.593	0.267	3.7	0.345	0.419
Jonny Gomes	Reds	8.40%	27.50%	0.361	0.58	0.298	4.7	0.326	0.412
Elijah Dukes	Nationals	11.70%	13.20%	0.388	0.529	0.25	3.8	0.286	0.412
Ian Desmond	Nationals	10.10%	17.40%	0.428	0.461	0.107	5.7	0.425	0.408
Brian Myrow	- - -	15.10%	19.20%	0.419	0.496	0.189	2.8	0.346	0.404
Don Kelly	Tigers	10.40%	13.70%	0.404	0.465	0.134	7.3	0.371	0.402
Jorge Padilla	Nationals	7.20%	10.30%	0.424	0.482	0.116	5.7	0.4	0.401
Shelley Duncan	Yankees	12.40%	20.80%	0.37	0.546	0.27	3.3	0.29	0.401
Matt LaPorta	Indians	11.10%	16.60%	0.388	0.53	0.231	3.4	0.317	0.401
Kevin Barker	Reds	13.20%	22.60%	0.376	0.551	0.266	3.3	0.313	0.398
Todd Linden	Yankees	10.20%	25.70%	0.381	0.515	0.203	6.5	0.396	0.397
Jordan Brown	Indians	6.70%	15.30%	0.381	0.532	0.197	2.7	0.37	0.397
Kelly Johnson	Braves	7.10%	15.40%	0.339	0.596	0.288	5.6	0.317	0.396
Jeff Fiorentino	Orioles	11.60%	17.00%	0.387	0.51	0.197	6.3	0.351	0.393
Matt Wieters	Orioles	12.40%	21.30%	0.387	0.504	0.199	3.7	0.358	0.391
Scott Sizemore	Tigers	9.00%	16.80%	0.378	0.473	0.164	5.8	0.349	0.39
Chris Richard	Rays	12.50%	22.70%	0.364	0.521	0.258	2.1	0.279	0.39
Darnell McDonald	Reds	5.40%	20.00%	0.349	0.539	0.225	6.6	0.367	0.386
Andrew McCutchen	Pirates	7.80%	11.90%	0.361	0.493	0.189	8.1	0.329	0.384
Jon Weber	Rays	11.00%	21.70%	0.382	0.497	0.195	2.1	0.36	0.383
Fernando Martinez	Mets	5.90%	18.80%	0.337	0.54	0.25	4.5	0.319	0.382
Juan Miranda	Yankees	11.20%	23.10%	0.369	0.498	0.208	3.3	0.34	0.382
Rhyne Hughes	- - -	6.20%	31.80%	0.357	0.51	0.21	3.5	0.411	0.381
Todd Frazier	Reds	8.70%	19.00%	0.362	0.476	0.175	3.2	0.347	0.381
Michael Restovich	White Sox	10.60%	24.10%	0.366	0.505	0.215	3.1	0.346	0.381
Clete Thomas	Tigers	12.90%	28.00%	0.39	0.417	0.126	6.7	0.4	0.381
Matt Joyce	Rays	13.80%	23.50%	0.373	0.482	0.209	5.2	0.323	0.379

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Chase Utley Posting Career High Fantasy Stats

Last night, Chase Utley stole his 20th and 21st bases of the season. It is even more impressive than it sounds at this late point in the season, when you consider that we were all at least slightly worried about him coming into the season. It may seem like centuries ago now, but Utley had hip surgery last off season and the earliest reports all predicted that he could miss the first month of the season. Instead Utley was ready on day one and has had another in a string of great (possibly even underrated) seasons. In fact he is on pace to set career highs in Walks, OBP, Home Runs and Stolen Bases.

Utley plays in the middle of the best lineup in the National League. As long as the group of Utley, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez stay together he should continue to have great Run and RBI totals. He is in his prime years as a hitter and should have at least a couple more years before his age starts to show in his stats. His manager obviously doesn't have an issue with Utley stealing bases. How could he when Utley is always successful? That's right, Utley has 21 stolen bases and has not been caught this season. With a consistently high batting average, OBP, SLG, his ability to hit homeruns, steal bases, and stay in the lineup despite everything --how could you do better?

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	PHI	43	134	13	32	10	1	2	21	11	22	2	0	.239	.322	.373	.696
2004	PHI	94	267	36	71	11	2	13	57	15	40	4	1	.266	.308	.468	.776
2005	PHI	147	543	93	158	39	6	28	105	69	109	16	3	.291	.376	.540	.915
2006	PHI	160	658	131	203	40	4	32	102	63	132	15	4	.309	.379	.527	.906
2007	PHI	132	530	104	176	48	5	22	103	50	89	9	1	.332	.410	.566	.976
2008	PHI	159	607	113	177	41	4	33	104	64	104	14	2	.292	.380	.535	.915
2009	PHI	140	511	102	151	27	2	31	90	83	98	21	0	.296	.414	.538	.952

Utley's incredible production and his own only slightly diminished production must put the mind of Alex Rodriguez to rest. A-Rod had a temporary procedure done, a patch of sorts, to allow him to play through a hip injury very similar to Utley's. In April, I did not have high hopes for A-Rod based on the temporary nature of the fix and the simultaneous steroid controversy that was raging at the time. Obviously, I mis-judged both Rodriguez and his chances at a productive season. I now have considerably more faith that A-Rod will emerge from his off-season surgery (the real fix) as productive as he ever was.

Chase Utley is a worthy first round pick for fantasy owners in almost any kind of league. I would have no problem taking him in the top ten and even in the top three just after Albert Pujols and Hanley Ramirez. His position puts him ahead of Ryan Braun, Miguel Cabrera, Cecil Fielder and even AFB favorite --Matt Kemp. Joe Mauer is also approaching this territory for me but I'm not quite sold on jis ability to repeat his power numbers yet.

Here is how Yahoo ranks the Top 25 Fantasy Players coming down the stretch:

1) Albert Pujols 1B St. Louis Cardinals
2) Hanley Ramirez SS Florida Marlins
3) Tim Lincecum SP San Francisco Giants
4) Dan Haren SP Arizona Diamondbacks
5) Zack Grienke SP Kansas City Royals
6) Ryan Braun OF Milwaukee Brewers
7) Prince Fielder 1B Milwaukee Brewers
8) Matt Kemp OF Los Angeles Dodgers
9) Joe Mauer C Minnesota Twins
10) Chase Utley 2B Philadelphia Phillies
11) Mark Reynolds 3B Arizona Diamondbacks
12) Chris Carpenter SP St. Louis Cardinals
13) Derek Jeter SS New York Yankees
14) Javier Vazquez SP Atlanta Braves
15) Felix Hernandez SP Seattle Mariners
16) Miguel Cabrera 1B Detroit Tigers
17) Carl Crawford OF Tampa Bay Rays
18) Matt Holliday OF St. Louis Cardinals (This one deserves a post of its own)
19) Ryan Howard 1B Philadelphia Phillies
20) Mark Teixeira 1B New York Yankees
21) Adam Wainwright SP St. Louis Cardinals
22) Bobby Abreu OF Los Angeles Angels
23) Justin Verlander SP Detroit Tigers
24) Roy Halladay SP Toronto Blue Jays
25) Derrek Lee 1B Chicago Cubs

Brian Fuentes Demoted? Matt Kemp Rising! Tomko Dealing?!?!

To baseball in a minute. Has anyone out there seen Whiteout yet? Its based on this Graphic Noveland stars Kate Beckinsale. It has to be worth seeing, right?



Los Angeles Angels manager, Mike Scioscia, is calling Kevin Jepsen a co-closer to Brian Fuentes. "Both guys have been an important part of the back end of the bullpen," Scioscia said on Monday night. "But if there are some matches that could be advantageous [to use Jepsen], we will try to take advantage of [them]." Jepsen is probably gone in deeper leagues but any Fuentes owners still in contention should be checking the waiver wires. I doubt this is a situation that would continue into 2010 but it may be worth grabbing Jepsen in keeper leagues where he is still available. You never know.

I think the St. Louis Cardinals made a serious mistake this season. While I love Matt Holiday and his impact on the Cards playoff chances is undeniable, they should have found a way to do it without losing top prospect Brett Wallace. The Athletics had to deal Holiday. They had no shot at retaining him and offering a player like Holiday arbitration in uncertain financial times can be extremely risky. Wallace may not be a stellar defensive player at third base. He may not even be average. But to dump him when your team has such a glaring hole at the position and such a need for a bat like Wallace...It continues to boggle my mind all these weeks later.

Instead the Cardinals continue to use Joe Thurston at third with a very rare dose of Troy Glaus when his fragile bones allow. Glaus has managed just 18 at-bats this season. Is the defense from Joe Thurston and Glaus so much more valuable than a potential all-star bat? I seriously doubt it.

Is Brett Tomko an improved pitcher or is this just a nice run of good luck for him? His 5.39 FIP says it isn't. His strikeout rate is still a barely mediocre 5.18, less even than his career 5.98 rate. His walk rate is down this year to 2.04 per nine innings. But walks have never really been Tomko's problem. The HR9 starts to get at his problem. He has a career rate of 1.26 which is bad enough but this year it stands at 1.88 which is probably still a sign of bad luck even for Tomko. His FB rate is up significantly but since it hasn't really hurt him I think it is safe to assume that he is being aided greatly by Oakland Collesium (or whatever they call it now). The A's defense and bullpen have also helped Tomko build a 84.8 LOB% which is another sign that luck is playing a huge factor in his performance. I'm sure he's tempting to those that are streaming pitchers down the stretch. I would still stay away. Rostering Tomko is like trading your cow for a sack of magic beans.

RotoCommunity.com has lots of great articles you should check out. But of particular interest may be their expert league fantasy football draft results. My team got destroyed in week one. It didn't help that my thin receiving core was counting on Anthony Gonzalez to step up into a quasi-number one type. I have serious work to do. It is not too late to gain some value from looking at this draft. It could confirm an idea or turn you off on another one.

Over at FanGraphs, Dave Cameron is predicting the rise of the center fielder.

There is so much talent in center field that we could be seeing the dawning of the greatest group of talent to ever play the position at the same time. Seriously, just take a look at the current crop of players manning the position.

This spawned nearly 100 comments from readers. Many had a problem with the groupings that Dave used which in my opinion is a little silly. The groupings have little to do with the overall point -- that this is a historic period for center field talent. A few seemed to have a problem with how Matt Kemp was classified. Some arguing that he is overrated and others that he is potentially the best in the game. A couple of the older guys suggested that the Duke Snider/Mickey Mantle/Willie Mays era was easily the best. This is interesting reading that you'll want to check out.

Justin Morneau Out for the Season

Back injuries are the worst. Not only are they hard to rehab but once you hurt your back the chance of a recurrence increases significantly. You have probably heard that Justin Morneau will miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his back. I have not heard when exactly his back was injured but Morneau has been slumping pretty badly for more than a month. The Minnesota Twins have announced that he will not need surgery and through rest and rehab should be prepared to start the 2010 season on time.

As bad as this news is for Morneau owners it should give a slight boost to those owners still holding on to Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young. Both players have been extremely disappointing this season. Gomez was reduced to part-time play and has just 11 stolen bases in 17 attempts. He'll become the regular center fielder for the balance of the season. So, if you could use a few extra steals down the stretch (and can take the slight hit to your batting average) Gomez could be your man. Young's July hot streak was apparently just a mirage and not a sign that he was starting to get it. At least that is the only conclusion to make where the stats are concerned. Young still has those tools and will receive a boost in at-bats with Michael Cuddyer moving to first base.