BBA: Walter Johnson Award

This is the official ballot of the Fantasy Chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Association's Walter Johnson Award, given to each season's best pitcher.

National League:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Cliff Lee
4. Cole Hamels
5. Madison Bumgarner

American League:
1. Justin Verlander
2. C.C. Sabathia
3. Jered Weaver
4. James Shields
5. C.J. Wilson

See our member opinions:

Dear Mr. Fantasy
Roto Think Tank

BBA: Willie Mays Award

This is the official ballot of the Fantasy Chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Association for the Willie Mays award, given to the best rookie in each league.

National League
1. Craig Kimbrel
2. Freddie Freeman
3. Cory Luebke

American League
1. Eric Hosmer
2. Jeremy Hellickson
3. Ivan Nova

You can see other member votes on these sites:

Dear Mr. Fantasy

BBA: Connie Mack Award Ballot

The official Connie Mack Ballot of the Fantasy Chapter of the BBA reads as follows:

American League:
1. Joe Maddon
2. Ron Washington
3. Jim Leyland

National League:
1. Kirk Gibson
2. Ron Roenicke
3. Bruce Bochy

You can find our member opinions here:

Dear Mr. Fantasy
The Sporting Hippeaux

Hanley Ramirez Injury Impacts 2012 Season

Hanley Ramirez's injured shoulder needs surgery. He could potentially miss up to six months which makes it possible he will not be available to start the 2012 season.

Hardball Talk

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins’ medical staff has recommended surgery for shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who has been bothered by an unstable shoulder since attempting a diving catch in early August. No exact date has been set for the procedure, but it should take place within a week.

The recovery time could last anywhere from four to six months, meaning Ramirez might not be ready for the start of spring training next February and could even miss the start of the 2012 regular season.

Trayvon Robinson: Coming Up on Friday?

If this is true, grab him...

Trayvon Robinson will replace Greg Halman on the Mariners roster, Ryan Divish of The News Tribune tweeted Thursday.

Divish cited two “well-placed and well-informed” sources in a later blog post.

The team optioned outfielder Greg Halman to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday and said they would make an announcement Friday about his replacement.

Robinson, 23, was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend in the Erik Bedard trade.

The Jimenez Deal

I've read a few smart people this morning say the Indians made a mistake trading for Ubaldo Jimenez yesterday. Their arguments are sound, mostly based on Ubaldo not being the pitcher he seemed to be in the first half of the 2010 season, and the Indians' mediocre record since their fantastic start to this season.

I understand what they mean. But a few points in defense of the Cleveland Indians need to be made.

First, Jimenez is not just a potential ace, he is signed for the next three seasons at a very reasonable price. Jimenez is also a much better pitcher away from Coors Field. The effect of pitching in Coors is not what it used to be but it is still one of the worst parks for pitchers in baseball. Eric Karabell pointed out this morning the Jimenez has a better xFIP this season (3.49) than he did last year (3.60). So away from Coors there is a decent chance his numbers rebound for the better.

Second, the Indians have a fan-base that has at times felt betrayed by the team ownership. They traded away players that were fan favorites and great players besides. a park that was once packed every night has had a lot of empty seats. giving up a few prospects from a loaded farm system to win back the fans is more than worth it if you want to have a successful organization. It can't be about just pleasing the number crunchers (I'm one) because at some point you have to please your customers.

I plan to make a reasonable bid on Jimenez in my AL-only league, It would be more if I were actually contending, but I'm hoping to acquire and trade him for a couple of keepers.

BBA: 2011 All-Star Selections

The Baseball Bloggers Association annually select their own All-Stars. They've been popping up all over the internet the last couple of weeks. Here are links to a couple of fantasy blogs and my own picks.

Dear Mr. Fantasy - National League

Dear Mr. Fantasy - American League

Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict

Bleacher GM

American League

Catcher - Alex Avila - This season has been great so far, but I think 2012 will be the real breakout.

First Base - Adrian Gonzalez - The best player in baseball this season, an almost certain MVP.

Second Base - Robinson Cano - Dustin Pedroia may be the slightly better player this year, but not for fantasy purposes, in most leagues anyway.

Shortstop - Asdrubal Cabrera - I was starting to think. he'd never get it together but he certainly has this season.

Third Base - Alex Rodriguez - He's back! The four stolen bases give him a slight edge over Adrian Beltre.

Left Field - Alex Gordon - Finally! How much did you pay for him? Did you just pick him up on waivers? You lucky dog!

Center Field - Curtis Granderson - The batting average isn't great, but this season, fantasy owners have nothing to complain about when it comes to the Yankees center fielder.

Right Field - Jose Bautista - He's faded from his incredible start to the season (how could he not?) but is still the most valuable keeper in most AL-only leagues.

Designated Hitter - David Ortiz - Victor Martinez has had quite a season but he just doesn't have the oomf that Ortiz provides. What's oomf? Homeruns, baby.