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.

Pauly's Pickups of the Week: Stolen Bases Come onto the Market

Not a lot of time to discuss things this week, but there have been a couple of recent moves that have probably created a surplus of stolen bases on your league's waiver wire.

Angel Pagan has just been activated by the Mets and already has a stolen base to his credit; and Eric Young has been recalled (finally) by the Rockies.

Pagan was likely dropped in all shallow leagues and a good bit of mixed leagues after he stumbled mightily out of the gate, but now it's a fresh start in a sort of can't-lose situation. He hit sixth in the order in his debut from the disabled list, which means some RBI opportunities as well if it lasts.

Young has or will soon have dual 2B/OF eligibility in all leagues, as the Rockies are playing him in center field for the struggling Dexter Fowler. I will assume he will also see some playing time in the infield after Jose Lopez was finally and mercifully cut from the roster. I think Fowler and Jonathan Herrera will see a decrease in playing time.

Both of these guys are capable of stealing 20-plus from here on out... so if you have the need, they have the speed! Good luck!

Jose Bautista, Best of the Best?

Wow.

Last night Jose Bautista hit his 17th and 18th homeruns of the season. His fantastic start to this season has kicked off (ouch, sorry Football Fans) a debate not on whether he is for real (no longer much doubt about that) but if Bautista might be the best player in MLB! I'm not quiteready to take the title from Albert Pujols just yet. But I have to admit, Bautista is looking a lot like Pujols' Buster Douglas.

As of this writing, Bautista is hitting .364/.509/.841 with 18 homers, 37 runs, 31 RBI, and even five stolen bases. This complemented by a 22.2 percent walk rate, and just a 15.9 strikeout percentage. His .323 BABIP is high (a career high for him) but not not so high you might start calling him absurdly lucky or anything. Obviously, you'll have a tough time adding him to your fantasy team if you haven't already. If you own him he is no doubt worth whatever you paid.

A few Bautista links followed by other links you may be interested to read.

Is Jose Bautista the Best Hitter in the AL?
Essentially what it comes down to is how much weight you put on the most recent performance. If you think Bautista’s eight month power binge is evidence that he’s a changed hitter, then it’s hard to get away from the conclusion that he has passed Miguel Cabrera and is now the best hitter in the American League. More conservative types might want to see him keep this up a little bit longer before making drastic changes in their evaluations. I’m not sure either side has enough evidence to be clearly right or wrong, honestly.

José Bautista breaks down a life-changing home run, explaining the power swing that’s made him a star

“Last year was magical for me,” he says, settling by his locker in Dunedin, as footage of his homer loads on a laptop. “I made a lot of adjustments and some other things fell into place.” But to count among the perennial greats—that’s been his dream since he was five years old. “You have one great season,” he says with a smile. “Why wouldn’t you want to repeat it?”

Long-toss debate shakes up MLB draft

The Owasso, Okla., native surged to the head of the high school class this year thanks to a fastball that reached 100 mph this season, a beyond-his-years cutter and the sort of mature approach scouts believe can land him in the major leagues by 2013. Dylan Bundy’s ascent toward the end of the spring sent him to the top of at least one American League team’s draft board, according to a scouting director, and Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein called him the top talent available.

Eric Hosmer And The Gathering Horde

The argument for Eric Hosmer, though, is simply that he was dominating Triple-A to such an extent that he simply had nothing left to learn against minor league pitching, and keeping him in the minors would hinder his development. Most hitting prospects – even most top hitting prospects – are not finished products as rookies. Yes, there’s a chance that Hosmer is Albert Pujols, who was one of the five best players in baseball on his first day in the major leagues – but more likely than not, he’ll be a better player as a sophomore than he is as a rookie. The more reps he gets this year against major league pitching, the more likely he is to go off on the league next year – and next year, the Royals will want their best team on the field from day one, because next year their playoff odds figure to be a lot higher than 10%.

Updates on Strasburg, Ankiel, Wang, Perez
Stephen Strasburg was in Washington yesterday for a scheduled check-up with Nationals orthopedist Wiemi Douoguih and will begin throwing off a bullpen mound "any day now," according to general manager Mike Rizzo.

This Just In: The Mariners Suck!

For a season and a good part of two months, the Mariners have had pitching and known what they lacked - offense. So they broke camp this year with Milton Bradley batting third and Jack Cust at DH. Now Miguel Olivo has batted cleanup and so has journeyman infielder Adam Kennedy. Chone Figgins has been, as the Cleveland broadcast team said last week, "a bitter disappointment."
Fixing the Royals Lineup...

You may recall that when Eric Hosmer was called up, I suggested that he bat leadoff. This led to a discussion with Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John on 810 WHB, with Nate suggesting that for clubhouse reasons it wasn’t practical to lead off with Hosmer, but that you might be able to do it with Alex Gordon. Which was fine with me. At this stage of their careers, Hosmer and Gordon are pretty similar offensive players – left-handed hitters who can hit for a good average, will take a walk, and have power to the gaps if not to the bleachers, and while neither one is a threat for 40 steals, they both have the speed to take the extra base and occasionally catch the opponents napping with a steal.

Sean Burroughs Returns to MLB
Son of former major leaguer Jeff Burroughs, who hit 240 home runs and was AL MVP in 1974, the younger Burroughs led his team to Little League World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. By the time he was 18, he was nearly his dad's size at 6-2, 200, and when he was selected ninth overall in the 1998 draft, he turned down an offer to play college ball at USC to sign with the Padres.