Down the Stretch: The Top Shortstops of 2010

Shortstop isn't the deepest position but at least there is some young talent to look forward to. Starlin Castro may be the cream of the crop. Ian Desmond has been better lately and could be a force next season if he can hold off the advancing Danny Espinoza in the Nationals farm system.

Name	Team	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	wOBA
Troy Tulowitzki	Rockies	9.00%	17.00%	0.318	0.379	0.506	0.189	0.348	0.387
Rafael Furcal	Dodgers	9.30%	15.30%	0.316	0.38	0.492	0.176	0.35	0.383
Hanley Ramirez	Marlins	10.40%	16.10%	0.283	0.363	0.448	0.166	0.303	0.353
Starlin Castro	Cubs	6.30%	14.40%	0.312	0.359	0.432	0.12	0.354	0.338
Alex Gonzalez	- - -	5.00%	18.90%	0.259	0.303	0.477	0.218	0.276	0.335
Stephen Drew	Diamondbacks	10.30%	18.70%	0.263	0.343	0.414	0.151	0.306	0.335
Jamey Carroll	Dodgers	13.80%	17.50%	0.286	0.384	0.335	0.048	0.339	0.332
Jimmy Rollins	Phillies	11.70%	9.80%	0.249	0.338	0.38	0.131	0.257	0.332
Jose Reyes	Mets	5.20%	11.70%	0.285	0.324	0.425	0.139	0.307	0.331
Alexei Ramirez	White Sox	3.90%	13.80%	0.293	0.32	0.447	0.154	0.311	0.33
Derek Jeter	Yankees	7.90%	15.40%	0.276	0.339	0.387	0.11	0.311	0.326
Cliff Pennington	Athletics	9.70%	20.50%	0.261	0.336	0.378	0.117	0.318	0.325
Asdrubal Cabrera	Indians	7.00%	16.20%	0.29	0.345	0.378	0.087	0.337	0.321
Juan Uribe	Giants	7.80%	18.20%	0.253	0.313	0.429	0.177	0.271	0.32
Ian Desmond	Nationals	4.90%	20.10%	0.268	0.308	0.41	0.142	0.31	0.316
Edgar Renteria	Giants	9.00%	17.20%	0.278	0.342	0.364	0.086	0.326	0.316
Ramon Santiago	Tigers	8.90%	16.70%	0.273	0.35	0.33	0.057	0.32	0.313
Elvis Andrus	Rangers	10.40%	17.40%	0.275	0.36	0.317	0.042	0.333	0.312
Marco Scutaro	Red Sox	8.10%	11.60%	0.27	0.332	0.372	0.102	0.292	0.312
Jason Donald	Indians	6.90%	21.00%	0.256	0.314	0.391	0.134	0.314	0.31
Yuniesky Betancourt	Royals	2.80%	11.10%	0.267	0.287	0.422	0.156	0.274	0.306
J.J. Hardy	Twins	6.00%	16.90%	0.261	0.305	0.39	0.129	0.296	0.305
Jason Bartlett	Rays	9.20%	17.00%	0.25	0.327	0.342	0.092	0.291	0.304
Yunel Escobar	- - -	10.40%	12.40%	0.255	0.339	0.323	0.067	0.285	0.304
Erick Aybar	Angels	6.40%	15.40%	0.265	0.321	0.356	0.091	0.303	0.304
Angel Sanchez	- - -	3.80%	16.90%	0.284	0.316	0.358	0.074	0.341	0.3
Jerry Hairston	Padres	6.80%	12.70%	0.252	0.307	0.364	0.112	0.264	0.295
Reid Brignac	Rays	5.80%	27.60%	0.252	0.303	0.378	0.126	0.324	0.295
Ryan Theriot	- - -	5.30%	12.70%	0.286	0.327	0.327	0.042	0.324	0.294
Geoff Blum	Astros	7.20%	13.20%	0.263	0.32	0.341	0.078	0.299	0.294
Nick Punto	Twins	9.70%	20.20%	0.253	0.327	0.318	0.064	0.309	0.293
Clint Barmes	Rockies	7.60%	16.80%	0.241	0.305	0.361	0.12	0.268	0.29
Josh Wilson	Mariners	4.60%	18.60%	0.252	0.305	0.326	0.074	0.305	0.29
Ronny Cedeno	Pirates	5.10%	24.80%	0.245	0.287	0.367	0.122	0.307	0.29
Orlando Cabrera	Reds	5.50%	11.30%	0.26	0.302	0.339	0.079	0.282	0.289

Down the Stretch: The Top Second Basemen of 2010

The second base position was thin this season thanks to under achievers and injuries. Kelly Johnson has had a great season but you'd think he'd be behind guys like Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, Aaron Hill, Dustin Pedroia, and others who were not their usual selves this season for a variety of reasons.

Name	Team	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	wOBA
Robinson Cano	Yankees	8.60%	11.70%	0.322	0.385	0.557	0.235	0.323	0.398
Dan Uggla	Marlins	12.50%	25.20%	0.294	0.381	0.532	0.239	0.331	0.396
Kelly Johnson	Diamondbacks	12.50%	24.00%	0.281	0.373	0.499	0.217	0.33	0.379
Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	10.50%	12.60%	0.288	0.367	0.493	0.205	0.291	0.377
Rickie Weeks	Brewers	9.80%	27.60%	0.276	0.371	0.483	0.207	0.336	0.375
Chase Utley	Phillies	12.30%	13.60%	0.275	0.378	0.462	0.187	0.279	0.373
Martin Prado	Braves	6.40%	13.90%	0.321	0.363	0.491	0.17	0.345	0.369
Ian Kinsler	Rangers	12.00%	15.80%	0.298	0.387	0.418	0.12	0.332	0.359
Bill Hall	Red Sox	9.30%	30.70%	0.247	0.319	0.478	0.231	0.289	0.349
Omar Infante	Braves	4.80%	14.20%	0.339	0.369	0.42	0.081	0.385	0.347
Orlando Hudson	Twins	9.40%	16.30%	0.287	0.358	0.404	0.118	0.327	0.342
Brandon Phillips	Reds	6.50%	12.70%	0.282	0.336	0.448	0.166	0.3	0.342
Neil Walker	Pirates	6.30%	22.10%	0.298	0.346	0.431	0.134	0.361	0.339
Jamey Carroll	Dodgers	13.70%	17.20%	0.288	0.385	0.337	0.049	0.341	0.333
Jeff Keppinger	Astros	8.70%	7.10%	0.285	0.348	0.395	0.11	0.296	0.331
Ty Wigginton	Orioles	8.40%	19.10%	0.254	0.325	0.435	0.181	0.272	0.33
Jayson Nix	- - -	7.40%	25.40%	0.244	0.31	0.435	0.192	0.274	0.325
Blake DeWitt	- - -	10.20%	19.60%	0.272	0.352	0.381	0.109	0.329	0.325
Carlos Guillen	Tigers	7.60%	16.20%	0.273	0.327	0.419	0.146	0.304	0.323
Sean Rodriguez	Rays	3.00%	28.50%	0.263	0.305	0.409	0.146	0.342	0.317
Adam Rosales	Athletics	6.80%	25.50%	0.271	0.321	0.4	0.129	0.335	0.317
Mike Fontenot	- - -	5.10%	17.10%	0.282	0.327	0.398	0.116	0.331	0.315
Adam Kennedy	Nationals	9.30%	14.00%	0.261	0.33	0.346	0.086	0.29	0.312
Howie Kendrick	Angels	3.90%	15.60%	0.269	0.302	0.403	0.134	0.301	0.311
Jason Donald	Indians	7.00%	21.40%	0.256	0.315	0.393	0.137	0.315	0.31
David Eckstein	Padres	4.80%	4.90%	0.279	0.326	0.354	0.075	0.29	0.308
Maicer Izturis	Angels	7.90%	13.50%	0.245	0.31	0.365	0.12	0.267	0.304
Gordon Beckham	White Sox	7.20%	19.30%	0.252	0.313	0.378	0.126	0.292	0.302
Skip Schumaker	Cardinals	8.20%	14.90%	0.263	0.329	0.34	0.077	0.296	0.301
Mike Aviles	Royals	4.30%	12.10%	0.291	0.321	0.36	0.069	0.323	0.3
Chone Figgins	Mariners	11.90%	20.30%	0.248	0.337	0.295	0.047	0.304	0.299
Reid Brignac	Rays	5.90%	27.50%	0.255	0.306	0.382	0.127	0.328	0.298
Jerry Hairston	Padres	6.70%	12.80%	0.254	0.309	0.368	0.114	0.267	0.297
Aaron Hill	Blue Jays	7.30%	13.90%	0.214	0.282	0.393	0.179	0.206	0.295
Jonathan Herrera	Rockies	8.20%	16.00%	0.278	0.335	0.327	0.049	0.321	0.294

St. Louis Cardinals Acquire 3B Pedro Feliz

Pedro Feliz has been awful this season. But the St. Louis Cardinals have reached the point of desperation at third base. Feliz has hit just .221 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 97 games for the Astros. He's been dropped even in deep NL-only leagues. However he should now be in the lineup regularly until the end if the season. He has also batted .288 in his career at Busch Stadium.

Feliz is probably of very little use to fantasy owners. David Carpenter, who was sent to the Astros, is probably far from helping as well. Carpenter was converted from catcher to relief pitcher recently. This year, the 25-year-old right-hander was 5-3 with a 2.36 ERA and 20 saves in 49 games at Class A Palm Beach.

Down the Stretch: The Top First Basemen of 2010

Justin Morneau comes in the winner despite injuries ruining his second half. This list is riddled with injuries, though. Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Ryan Howard, and Kendry Morales all suffered major injuries. I'll spare you re-living the slow starts of Mark Teixeira and Derrek Lee...

Name	Team	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	wOBA
Justin Morneau	Twins	14.40%	20.90%	0.345	0.437	0.618	0.274	0.385	0.447
Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	14.20%	17.30%	0.337	0.431	0.629	0.292	0.351	0.439
Joey Votto	Reds	14.10%	22.50%	0.324	0.423	0.593	0.27	0.359	0.436
Kevin Youkilis	Red Sox	13.30%	18.50%	0.307	0.411	0.564	0.257	0.327	0.419
Albert Pujols	Cardinals	14.00%	12.30%	0.315	0.41	0.591	0.276	0.3	0.417
Paul Konerko	White Sox	11.40%	20.10%	0.301	0.381	0.575	0.274	0.308	0.404
Aubrey Huff	Giants	12.30%	13.90%	0.292	0.384	0.519	0.226	0.296	0.391
Adam Dunn	Nationals	10.40%	34.60%	0.269	0.355	0.565	0.297	0.333	0.389
Prince Fielder	Brewers	14.80%	25.90%	0.266	0.402	0.483	0.217	0.304	0.388
Buster Posey	Giants	6.40%	12.10%	0.34	0.388	0.516	0.176	0.356	0.388
Ryan Howard	Phillies	7.50%	26.30%	0.292	0.356	0.528	0.236	0.343	0.377
Adrian Gonzalez	Padres	12.50%	19.90%	0.295	0.385	0.5	0.205	0.322	0.373
Mark Teixeira	Yankees	12.80%	19.40%	0.252	0.358	0.483	0.232	0.258	0.366
Billy Butler	Royals	10.20%	12.70%	0.309	0.379	0.461	0.152	0.329	0.365
Adam LaRoche	Dbacks	8.70%	29.60%	0.272	0.339	0.489	0.217	0.339	0.357
Jason Giambi	Rockies	16.90%	23.30%	0.271	0.407	0.391	0.12	0.317	0.357
Kendry Morales	Angels	5.70%	16.10%	0.29	0.346	0.487	0.197	0.296	0.357
Gaby Sanchez	Marlins	8.60%	17.30%	0.287	0.352	0.453	0.166	0.324	0.356
Russell Branyan	- - -	11.30%	33.10%	0.241	0.331	0.468	0.227	0.298	0.347
Daric Barton	Athletics	14.20%	18.30%	0.27	0.379	0.39	0.12	0.317	0.346
Mike Napoli	Angels	6.80%	28.60%	0.254	0.322	0.478	0.224	0.297	0.345
Lance Berkman	- - -	16.20%	22.60%	0.237	0.361	0.418	0.181	0.27	0.345
Eric Hinske	Braves	10.50%	26.60%	0.258	0.338	0.464	0.206	0.309	0.343
Carlos Pena	Rays	14.40%	31.30%	0.213	0.334	0.44	0.227	0.237	0.343
Ty Wigginton	Orioles	8.40%	19.00%	0.257	0.328	0.439	0.183	0.274	0.333
Troy Glaus	Braves	13.10%	23.90%	0.239	0.343	0.406	0.166	0.272	0.333
Michael Cuddyer	Twins	9.40%	15.00%	0.272	0.341	0.424	0.152	0.298	0.333
Derrek Lee	Cubs	10.90%	24.20%	0.251	0.335	0.416	0.165	0.293	0.33
James Loney	Dodgers	7.30%	15.70%	0.285	0.339	0.416	0.131	0.321	0.328
Melvin Mora	Rockies	9.50%	12.20%	0.268	0.351	0.38	0.112	0.294	0.327
Lyle Overbay	Blue Jays	10.30%	23.80%	0.248	0.328	0.417	0.17	0.294	0.325
Rusty Ryal	Dbacks	4.70%	29.50%	0.288	0.347	0.391	0.103	0.393	0.325
Ike Davis	Mets	10.20%	28.10%	0.243	0.321	0.42	0.176	0.297	0.325
Garrett Jones	Pirates	8.30%	19.60%	0.257	0.317	0.426	0.169	0.28	0.324
Jorge Cantu	- - -	5.80%	20.40%	0.265	0.314	0.405	0.14	0.305	0.315

Derrek Lee to the Braves

Twitter and the blogosphere are buzzing -- Derrek Lee is going to be an Atlanta Brave within hours. According to Dave O'Brien's blog on ajc.com, the deal is expected to involve "some lower tier minor league prospects."

So, let's see how this deal will potentially shake out for fantasy owners.

It's easy to see where Lee fits in with the Braves. He will immediately step in as the everyday first baseman. He has been killing the ball lately -- in August, he has posted a .306 average and has slugged .694 -- giving the Braves what the desperately need (with or without Chipper), a power bat in the middle of the lineup. The question is Lee's health. He is dealing with a nagging back injury -- one that seems to have been nagging him for a few years now. The only other "bad" thing I see about this deal are Lee's career numbers at Turner Field, where he has only hit 8 homers and slugged just .388 in 66 games (his career SLG is .499).

This trade also spells the end of any of Troy Glaus' fantasy value. From everything I have read and heard, Glaus is heading to the bench while Martin Prado, Omar Infante and Alex Gonzalez see regular infield time. As you Glaus owners know, this is a good thing for the Braves. He definitely gives credence to the old saying: "one month does not a season make" (who said that? Confucius? Yoda?)

If my sources are correct, and no Major League-ready players are headed to Chicago, it definitely muddles their lineup. The safest call would be that Xavier Nady takes over the first base duties
-- and considering he only has 175 ABs this season, I would call him fresh. He's going to need to be plenty fresh to raise his .234 average.

I would also venture a guess that Jeff Baker will also see more extended playing time. The former Rockies prospect has played first base 49 times in his six-year Major League career. He did show some promise back in 2008, and this trade may be just the chance he needed to make a real contribution. Of course, he is only batting .236 in 157 ABs this season. Both Baker and Nady are right-handed batters, so a straight platoon would be tough to predict.

Once the trade is finalized and announced, I'm sure Jon can shed some light on the prospects involved. Check the comments section. --Pauly

Bryce Harper Signs with the Nationals

Even if you aren't a fan of the Washington Nationals, you have to appreciate the stellar performance of General Manager Mike Rizzo. Over the past year, Rizzo and the Nationals management have been adding some of the very best baseball people in the game. Together they have turned the Washington Nationals from the joke they were as the Montreal Expos into a team destined to be a power in the sport.

Late last night, Mike Rizzo and the Nationals did what Jim Bowden never could, for the second year in a row. They signed the first overall pick in the draft, a Scott Boras client, to a record setting contract. Again, It was the second year in a row. Now it may not seem like a good thing that an organization was so bad that they received the prize reserved for the very worse. But it is when you consider the depths that the Nationals have risen from.

The Expos had been stripped of all resources. The prospects had been traded off in a last ditch effort to win. The staff and all its scouting reports and equipment was all taken to Florida when the Jeff Loria ownership group with the approval of MLB screwed them. The went years without a real budget. They did everything on a shoestring until the new ownership finally took over. Meanwhile Jim Bowden had failed to make good use of the resources he did have. Instead, he did the same thing he always did, he collected toolsy but skill less outfielders, and did his best to reassemble the Reds team he once failed to turn into a winner.

Now the Nats have a farm system loaded with young but advancing talent. They have a small but strong core of young players in the majors. And they have a front office that can deliver the goods and an ownership group ready to do what it takes to build a winner. They proved that when they approved a $9.9 million deal to bring the talented 17-year old Bryce Harper into the organization.

Bryce Harper has been called baseball's LeBron [James]. Though that is not quite the compliment it used to be after the Event. He has been the star of his high school, summer tournaments, and most recently at the College of Southern Nevada. He has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated twice and I'm predicting a third appearance next week.

He has a rocket for a throwing arm and apparently would have been a fine defensive catcher eventually, depending on whose word you trust most. However in an effort to get Harper into the middle of the Nationals lineup as soon as possible, he will be moved to the outfield.

What's next for Bryce Harper and how soon until he joins Stephen Strasburg in the majors?

The Nationals believe that Harper is a middle-of-the-lineup hitter of the highest potential. His power is at the top of the scale and he has ever tool you could hope to see in a baseball prospect. But this isn't just a good prospect. Harper is one of the special ones. The opinions on him are nearly unanimous that he will hit and hit for power. He has worked at it for his entire life. It is only a slight exaggeration (if it is at all) to say that it would be more surprising to see him fail than to become a productive major league player.

2011 Sleeper Candidate: Felix Pie OF Baltimore Orioles

One of my many bad habits is falling in love (in a macho, manly sorta way) with certain players. Years ago now I fell for Felix Pie and he's starting to love me back. It is interesting that I was also once enamored with Corey Patterson who is also showing signs of life with the Baltimore Orioles.

Pie and Patterson both came up through the Chicago Cubs system. They both left as disappointments. But at least in the case of Felix Pie, that conclusion was probably premature. The Cubs never really gave Felix Pie an extended opportunity to become accustomed to the majors. He was constantly being pulled in and out of the lineup, up and down from the minors, and suffering from an assortment of injuries. He never received more than 194 plate appearances with the Cubs and even those came haphazardly spread out across the 2007 season.

In January 2009, Pie was traded by the Cubs to the Baltimore Orioles for Hank Williamson and Garrett Olson. Although the trade seemed to signal an ending of sorts for Felix Pie it was likely the best thing for his career. It is easy to blame the Cubs for mishandling Pie as a prospect, they done that quite a bit. However, teams in contention, or in the case of the Cubs, in constant desperation to be in contention, needs players to perform or get out of the way. It is the same reason that so many Yankee prospects see more success on other teams.

Last season the Orioles allowed Pie to spend the entire season in the major leagues. He received a career high 252 at-bats and showed signs of the player he has the potential to become. He achieved his major league best walk rate (8.5 percent) and ISO (.171) and improved plate discipline. That led to his opportunity in Spring Training. He beat out the power hitting Nolan Reimold and began this season on fire. Then he got hurt and was out of the lineup for months.

The good news is that upon his return to the majors, especially since the hiring of Buck Showalter as the Orioles manager, Pie is again on fire. As of this writing, Pie has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .392 and showing power and speed on the bases and real effort on defense. In such a small sample size it is difficult to know whether Pie has continued his development or has just experienced a couple of nice hot streaks. However taken together with the evidence of progress during the 2009 season, it looks pretty good.

Fantasy owners should definitely have Pie back on their radar. He had incredible tools and the potential to become a 30/30 type player. At just 25-years old Pie could still be a star in the major leagues. He is with a team that has nothing to lose by giving him that opportunity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9lix_Pie

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/piefe01.shtml#trans

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=3751&position=OF

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