Fantasy Baseball

While the MLB trade deadline is more than four weeks away, the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers swapped catcher Bengie Molina for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named later on Thursday.

Although this deal may appear insignificant on the surface, it’s important to understand how this trade affects not only the fantasy values of the players involved, but others as well.

In this article we will be surveying the AAA ranks in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues—from the power bat of Chris Carter to the newly minted relief arm of Aroldis Chapman.

Plus the New York Yankees phenom, Jesus Montero, is starting to heating up!

Position Players

Chris Carter, 1B, Oakland
AAA Line: .237, 15 HR, 54 RBI

There is no questioning the pop in his bat as Carter hit 39 HR in A ball in '08 and hit 28 HR between AA and AAA last season.

Considered a potential first round selection, Will Meyers’ asking price caused him to fall to the third round of the 2009 draft where the Royals happily selected him.  Currently listed as a catcher, there has been some talk that he may ultimately move out from behind the plate, possibly to the outfield.  What he’s proven early on in 2010, however, is that his bat should translate anywhere on the diamond:

Headaches for fantasy owners were the result of their poor production. Their names are recognizable. Their pictures are likely one of your top current baseball cards. The bench might be the right place for them to think about what they did this week to so many hopeful fantasy baseball teams.

1) Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves

Heyward has made his way once again onto the slump report. He went only 1-for-16 and ended last week with a .062 AVG.

Ubaldo Jimenez has been absolutely filthy through 16 starts this season, going 14-1 with a Bob Gibson-like 1.83 ERA. The 26-year-old flame thrower even tossed a no-hitter back on April 17 .

Here are the guys you wouldn't have (or shouldn't have) discussed with your friends or family before your 2010 fantasy baseball draft.

"How has no one drafted him yet?" you laughed to yourself.

The problem is, people did know about your sleepers. They passed on them for good reasons-or were simply lucky to avoid them.

You certainly don't find anything funny about these guys anymore because they have forced you to hold on to them, due mostly to the hope that they will, at some point, wake up.

Interleague play has come to an end, but that certainly didn’t stop the excitement.  Who would have thought both Stephen Strasburg and Ubaldo Jimenez would look human on the same night?  Chase Utley owners need to be holding their breath, as he left yesterday’s game with an apparent injury.

Victor Martinez was hit with two foul tipped balls on Sunday, the first off Pablo Sandoval’s bat in the second inning, then off the bat of Andres Torres in the third, which broke a bone in the tip of V-Mart’s left thumb.

As we get one All-Star back from thumb injury another falls. Jason Heyward, the rookie phenom, who has taken Hotlanta by storm, landed on the DL today with an left thumb injury.

The good news was the MRI showed no structural damage so two weeks of resting the thumb should do the trick and he will hopefully be back by the All-Star break.

A quick look at last week's Fantasy Baseball top performing and least owned players on the waiver wire. Edwin Jackson's insane no-hitter.

Carlos Quentin's four dingers. Brandon Morrow & Jhoulys Chacin are strikeout machines. R.A. Dickey's 6th straight.

Is Jamie Moyer really father-time in disguise?

Can they really keep it up for another week? Check out who's a Must or a Bust.

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