Fantasy Baseball

The Texas Rangers are 30-19, leading the Angels in the AL West by 5.5 games after play on Saturday. The Rangers’ quick start can be attributed to their potent offense, which ranks fifth in the Majors, scoring 5.44 runs per game.

Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz have led the way for Texas, combining to hit .303 through the first two months of the season.

Josh Hamilton, however, hasn’t been quite as productive, posting a miserable .234 batting clip while battling through a groin injury.

Week Nine Rundown

Randy Johnson takes the headline for week nine with his chase for 300 wins.  He will be taking the mound on Wednesday in Washington against the horrid Nationals.  This will be his first try at reaching the milestone, after a couple tries to get to 299 wins.

There is a small obstacle: Angels manager Mike Scioscia. He is a singles, contact-hitting, bunt-them-over-and-win-3-2 type of manager. Rodriguez is a free-swinging, slugging infielder with 30 home runs and 150 strikeout potential.

We keep talking about how to improve your team through additions, guys who are just chilling on the wire waiting for you. But what if you don't have anyone on your team you want to drop?

That sixth-round Garrett Atkins pickup in the midst of that run on third basemen seemed like the right call at the time. You needed a masher, and David Ortiz still being around at the top of the fourth round for you seemed to good too be true. You drafted them so high, and they've been so good until this year; why would you give up on them?

Coach Chris Murphy sent out an open invitation for hitters who felt they were doing well to meet in his office on Sunday.  We at Bleacher Report put a balding midget in a Red Sox uniform to pose as Dustin Pedroia to get the inside scoop.

On Wednesday night, Jose Reyes was taken out of the game against the Dodgers with what appeared to be an aggravated calf muscle. It looks like Reyes will be heading to the disabled list, since this has been a lingering injury.  

Reyes has had limited duties the last few weeks and hasn’t been much of a fantasy value thus far in the season. 

Manny Ramirez’s stupidity did not just ruin his own fantasy value.

Nobody in baseball benefited more from the teammate hitting behind him than Andre Ethier has since Ramirez was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trading deadline last season.

Before Hollywood transformed into Mannywood, Ethier was known in fantasy circles as a nice doubles hitter who could bat around .290, but had average speed and average power. He was good enough to be a fourth outfielder on a fantasy roster, but he did not do one thing well enough to be much more than that.

June 1 tends to be the time when a lot of the top prospects start getting called up.  We are now two weeks away, so let’s take a look at seven prospects (I left out names like Clay Buchholz and Lastings Milledge, who have already seen extended time in the major leagues) that should be on owners radars, as they could offer potential help once recalled:

Matt Wieters - Baltimore Orioles

Every season there is a sizable list of prospects who appear primed to make a major impact in the major leagues, but the team has no place to use them.  “Blocked prospect” is a phrase we’ve all heard, and it definitely applies to the Padres first baseman Kyle Blanks.  All he has to overcome in order to be slotted into the middle of the Padres lineup is Adrian Gonzalez, one of the best players in baseball.