All-Star Rimirez Goes Hollywood

All-Star Rimirez Goes Hollywood, for real this time.
by Dennis Paige, Editor Tabloid Paige
8/1/2008,

Hollywood gets a Star performer with the trade of Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers. Ramirez who's performances in Boston included " I Can Get You Home if I Want to". "Money Matters, Why I can't Think Straight". And last of all His comical, "Catch It if You Can" And "Manny Being Manny". As Manny's saga continues in Hollywood more titles will be added to the Manny Ramirez portfolio. Ramirez should make his Hollywood premier debut Friday night against Arizona, with Randy Johnson pitching.
Now to the juice.

As the trading deadline neared its close (3:59pm to be exact), Manny got his wish and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three team deal. Pittsburgh's Jason Bay will be sent to replace Ramirez and Boston gives up two minor leaguers and 7 million owed Ramirez for the rest of the season.
Ramirez has had an impressive carrier with RBIs (1,672), fifth in home runs (510), sixth in on-base percentage (.409) and seventh in batting average (.312).
Pittsburgh also picked future prospects, reliever Craig Hansen outfielder Brandon Moss from Boston, third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. LaRoche, Moss and Hansen will join the Pirates. Bryan Morris will go to Class A Hickory.

Analise;
Manny being Manny, we will see more of the same from Ramirez his stats should remain the same. I don't think they will improve even though hes in an easier league. Worse case scenario is he gets caught up into the Hollywood seen.

Analysis:
Adam LaRoche, hit .203 with two home runs and six RBIs in 27 games for the Dodgers. A power-hitting prospect at 24, he spent most of this year at Triple-A Las Vegas.
No need to pick him up.

Analysis:
Hansen, was a first-round draft choice in 2005. His 5.58 ERA 1-3 and 2 saves in 32 games I would leave him alone.

Analysis:
Morris, a 21-year-old right-hander, was 2-4 with a 3.20 ERA for Class A Great Lakes.
He might get a call up later this season from class A. I don't see any help here this season.

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Fantasy Deadline Trade'in Think Twice

From AM New York
Last-minute fantasy baseball trade? Think twice first
By Kyle Stack Special to amNewYork
July 30, 2008
Fantasy Baseball
posted by: Tabloid Paige

Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline looms Thursday, but that doesn't mean it should necessarily have an impact on fantasy leagues.

With fantasy trade deadlines typically set for the first couple weeks in August, many owners might feel the need to shift players based on real-life changes of address.

Here are four strategies for single-year and keeper league players to consider before signing off on a trade.
Nearly every season, effective closers on losing teams are traded to playoff-contending teams to replenish tired and slumping bullpens. Already this month, Washington's Jon Rauch (17-for-22 in save opportunities) and Pittsburgh's Damarso Marte (5-for-7) of the Pittsburgh Pirates were sent packing to serve as setup men; Rauch for the Diamondbacks and Marte for the Yankees.

While the moves strengthen the real-life recipient teams, they throw a wrench into the operation of fantasy pitching staffs. If you own a closer who is rumored to be on the trading block, protect yourself from losing saves by adding his potential successor.Keeper leaguers shouldn't hastily trade Holliday out of fear his production will decrease with a new address. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you never make, so try not to outthink yourself.

Starters are still tough to predict
Seattle Mariners lefty Erik Bedard was the toast of the fantasy world last summer after riding a nine-start streak in which he posted a 7-0 record, a 1.71 ERA and a 84/16 K/BB ratio in 63 1/3 innings. Once he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in February, it was assumed that Seattle's pitchers' palace of a ballpark – Safeco Field – would elevate Bedard to a staff ace. However, the 29-year-old has weathered multiple injuries, little run support from a pitiful offense to pitch a solid, yet disappointing, season.

For every CC Sabathia, who has thrived at his new address with the Milwaukee Brewers, there is a Bedard. When it comes to starters, it is truly buyer beware.

Dangle reliable veterans for promising prospects
Keeper leaguers who own struggling teams should follow the path blazed by real-life general managers of below-average teams: trade older, reliable players for young, promising "keepers." Just about every fantasy league has a team on the cusp of the playoffs, but in need of a veteran who can give the squad a shot in the arm. Identify any appealing veteran players on your squad and turn them into highly-touted youngsters who aren't yet producing at the rate they will in a couple years.

Target future stars such as outfielders Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Justin Upton, as well as Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Real-life trades affect relievers' fantasy values, but have less of an effect on position players
Well, at least elite position players. They're the ones who can typically make adjustments no matter their hitting environment. Take Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, an elite fantasy player who has just a career .278 batting average and a .792 on-base plus slugging percentage away from Colorado's hitter-friendly Coors Field. MLB teams are balking at trading for Holliday, but that's due more to Colorado's high asking price than whether the three-time All-Star can maintain his high level of play with a new team.

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Nady and Marte To Ware Yankees Stripes

Fantasy Baseball Breaking News

Pirates Trade Nady and Marte to Yankees

For a pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and three prospects that might be Phil Coke, outfielder Jose Tabata and right-hander George Kontos.


Coke pitched one inning for Double-A Trenton on Friday before being pulled.

The Pirates have not officially made an announcement and said they will do so after medical evaluations are completed.

Nady started Friday's game and was removed after one inning. Television cameras caught Marte hugging his teammates in the dugout in the second inning, apparently shortly after learning the news.

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Up coming Prospects

Tim Williams - AccuScore Analyst
Prospect Watch

1. Jay Bruce – I was willing to offer Carlos Beltran for Jay Bruce in my NL only league when he got the call, and the owner of Bruce actually declined. Smart move on his part, as Bruce has been on fire, hitting .577 with a homer in his last three games. I predicted a 20/20/.300 season for Bruce when he first got the call. Current AccuScore forecasts have him going 21/20/.340 for the remainder of the season. Bruce is this year’s Ryan Braun.

2. Chase Headley – You may be surprised to see that I’m ranking a guy who has yet to get the call at number two. Headley has been tearing up AAA, with a .306 average and 10 homers. Scott Hairston and Jody Gerut aren’t cutting it in the outfield, and I think Headley gets the call very soon. I can see Headley batting .300 with 20 homers for the remainder of the season.

3. Carlos Gonzalez – He’s the consolation prize if you missed out on Jay Bruce. Gonzalez has shown some potential in his first weekend, with two multi-hit games. He showed 20 home run potential in the minors, and a decent amount of speed. I said in my blog that I expected a 15/15/.280 line for him for the remainder of the season.

4. Clayton Kershaw – I rank rookie pitchers lower than the hitters because of the struggles they can go through. Based on his start against the Mets, Kershaw is not immune to those struggles. I expect numbers similar to Tim Lincecum from last season: 4.00 ERA, six wins, and a 9.0 K/9 ratio.

5. Evan Longoria – The killer for Longoria this year has been his average, which at the time doesn’t make him any more valuable than a guy like Adrian Beltre, unless you are in a keeper league. AccuScore forecasts have Longoria going 15/7/.238 for the remainder of the season, which is far from the hype he came up with to start the year.

6. Max Scherzer – He’s in the bullpen, but I still stand by my prediction that he gets the call back to the rotation at some point, either due to injury or poor performance to either Doug Davis or Randy Johnson. I actually like Scherzer better than Kershaw, because Scherzer doesn’t come with limitations. However, I rank Scherzer lower due to his current relief status.

7. Johnny Cueto – I’m throwing Cueto on this list because he hasn’t exactly been Mr. Consistency, and sports a 5.11 ERA. Despite the high ERA, Cueto has a 1.29 WHIP, an 8.13 K/9 ratio, and a 2.62 BB/9 ratio, showing that his control is no issue. The problem with Cueto is the amount of home runs he allows, currently 14 in 12 starts. Cueto can give you solid strikeout numbers, and he will keep your WHIP low, but until he gets the home run issue fixed, he will be a 4.50 ERA pitcher.

8. Ian Stewart – Stewart is the top hitting prospect for the Rockies, and with all of the current injuries to the team, will see plenty of playing time. He is currently gaining eligibility at second base, which would expand his value even more. There is talk that Colorado may trade Matt Holliday, which would keep Stewart up for the remainder of the season, and give him more eligibility, this time in the outfield. Before getting the call, Stewart hit 12 homers in 171 at bats at AAA.

9. Andrew McCutchen – The top prospect for the Pirates is batting .287 with seven homers and 17 steals at AAA. I actually rank him up there with Bruce and Gonzalez, but his situation will see limited playing time. I think either Jason Bay or Xavier Nady will get traded by the deadline, which will open up a hole for McCutchen. If this article was written at the end of July, I’d have McCutchen in my top three, simply because of his power/speed combo.

10. Brandon Wood – Wood has been absolutely horrible in his call up, although you can’t blame the top power hitter in the Angels’ farm system. He’s not getting regular playing time, having just 50 at bats since April 28th. Due to his power potential, I am keeping an eye on him, just incase he starts to turn it around in the power department. ”>Technorati”>Digg&title=”>Del.icio.us&title=” >reddit

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Outfield Prospect has Second 7 RBI Game

06/01/2008 6:31 PM ET

Jackson has another seven-RBI game

By Alan Friedman

Special to MLB.com

It's one thing to be highly touted. It's another to live up to the hype.
Austin Jackson of the Trenton Thunder may well be in the process of bridging that gap.
On Sunday, the 21-year-old center fielder drove in seven runs for the second time this season as the Thunder defeated the New Britain Rock Cats, 9-3, at New Britain Stadium.
Jackson, selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, went 3-for-5 with two doubles as he raised his batting average to .281 and his RBI total to 33.
After striking out in the first inning, Jackson delivered a three-run double in the second, a two-run single in the fourth and a two-run double in the sixth that capped the scoring for Trenton.
Jackson, a two-sport star (baseball, basketball) in high school in Denton, Texas, also had seven RBIs against the Reading Phillies on May 21, making him the first player in Thunder history to drive in seven runs in a game on two different occasions. The seven RBIs tied the team record.
Last season, Jackson batted .304 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs in 128 games with Class A Charleston, Class A Advanced Tampa and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he appeared in one game and went 1-for-3.
On Sunday, Jason Jones (8-1) allowed one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six frames to pick up the win for the Thunder (36-20).
Oswaldo Sosa (2-5) surrendered six runs on five hits, fanning five and walking seven over five frames, for New Britain (27-29).

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