Do you have some trade offers you are consider, but need to bounce them off of someone? Are you pondering a roster move and want a second opinion? Feel free to post your questions in the Fantasy Baseball Questions thread.
Fake Teams Podcast, Episode 13: We Can Handle the Truth
Zack and Andrew hosted episode 13 of the Fake Teams podcast where they discussed Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kipnis, John Lackey, scouting grades and much more. You can listen to the podcast in two ways:
Yasiel Puig: All Star?
Yasiel Puig is having one amazing start to his big league career, and yesterday he filled up the box score in the Dodgers 6-1 win over the Phillies. He went 4-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, and was a home run shy of the cycle. He came up with two men on in the eighth inning and struck out. He is now hitting .436-.467-.713 with 7 HRs, 5 doubles, 19 runs, 16 RBI and 4 stolen bases in just 101 at bats.
Some think he should be an All Star, and I would love to see him named to the NL roster, but if he did not, I would not have a problem with it. I think an All Star should have played more than a month and a half to be named to the All Star team. I keep waiting for Puig to go into a slump and I have yet to see it happen.
For more on Puig, and the Dodgers, please check out True Blue LA, SB Nation's Dodgers fan site.
Mariners call up Brad Miller
I didn't get a chance to do a write up a piece on the Mariners call up of Brad Miller on Friday, but he is probably someone you want to pick up if he is not already rostered in your leagues. Miller was tearing up the Pacific Coast League, hitting .356-.426-.596 with 6 HRs, 26 runs, 28 RBI and 2 stolen bases in just 104 at bats. All this after hitting .294-.379-.471 with 6 HRs, 27 runs, 25 RBI and 4 stolen bases in AA. So, the guy can hit.
Yesterday, Miller went 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk in the Mariners 7-6 loss to the Cubs. The two hits were the first of his big league career, after going 0-8 with two stolen bases in his first two games.
For more on Miller and the Mariners, check out Lookout Landing, SB Nation's Mariner's fan site.
Round'em Up
The Royals designated Jeff Francoeur for assignment on Sunday morning, and the reason for the DFA has been the play of outfielder David Lough. Lough went 4-4 with 4 extra base hits yesterday, 3 doubles, a HR, 4 runs and 3 RBI and is now hitting .314-.336-.471 with 2 HRs, 9 doubles, 14 runs, 14 RBI and a stolen base.
Indians starter Justin Masterson is having himself a great bounce back season, and yesterday his success on the mound continued in the Indians 4-0 win over the White Sox. Masterson threw a complete game six hit shutout, walking one and striking out eight to win his 10th game of the season. Masterson is now 10-6 with 3.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 125-45 strikeout to walk rate in 124 innings.
Coming into this season, I was not a believer in Ian Desmond's breakout power year in 2012. Well, his power is for real. Desmond went 2-4 with a HR, double, 2 runs and 3 RBI yesterday, and is now hitting .276-.315-.508 with 15 HRs, 36 runs, 48 RBI and 8 stolen bases this season. He is on pace to hit 30 home runs, drive in 96 runs and steal 16 bases. A mini-Tulo?
iMarlins starter Nathan Eovaldi has been a pleasant surprise for the team since his return from the DL. On Sunday, Eovaldi shut out the Padres for six innings, giving up four hits, three walks and striking out none. He did not figure in the decision, but is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 10-6 strikeout to walk rate in 18 innings. He has seen his fastball velocity from 94 mph to just under 97 mph this season.
Rangers ace Yu Darvish has been pitching well this season, but has not won a game since May 16th. Until Sunday. Yesterday, he shut out the Reds for 6.2 innings , giving up 4 hits, walking 4 and striking out 8 in the Rangers 3-2 win. Darvish is now 8-3 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 151-37 strikeout to walk rate in 113.1 innings across his 17 starts. He is on pace for 298 strikeouts this season, and he has to be one of the top 2-3 starters in 5 x 5 leagues going forward.
More from Fake Teams
2013 Prospect Rankings: The Midseason Top-100
Fantasy Baseball: Two-Start Pitchers for Week 14
Minor League Level Review (AAA): Singleton and Walker Debut, Middlebrooks and Wacha Back
Low Level Prospect Review: Miguel Almonte, RHP, Kansas City Royals