Roto Snips

[Edwards Kings]

"Braves activated C Brian McCann from the 15-day disabled list.
McCann will return to Atlanta's starting lineup on Monday night after missing the first five weeks of the regular season with a shoulder injury. Catcher is a refreshingly deep position this year in fantasy leagues, but the veteran should be owned in most standard formats. He's a .279/.351/.475 career hitter in the majors."

Good news about McCann, but "Catcher is a refreshingly deep position this year in fantasy leagues..." Damn. I must have missed how deep it is hanging around the shallow end of the pool.

[King of Queens]

"Braves activated C Brian McCann from the 15-day disabled list.
McCann will return to Atlanta's starting lineup on Monday night after missing the first five weeks of the regular season with a shoulder injury. , but the veteran should be owned in most standard formats. He's a .279/.351/.475 career hitter in the majors."

Good news about McCann, but "Catcher is a refreshingly deep position this year in fantasy leagues..." Damn. I must have missed how deep it is hanging around the shallow end of the pool.

Depends on your league size and format. I, for one, am finding my 4-team 3x3 Yahoo league to be both refreshing AND effervescent.

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Carlos Gomez went 4-for-4 in the Brewers' loss to the Rangers on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Gomez is now batting .386/.431/.675, and he's on pace for 30 home runs and 35 stolen bases. The talented 27-year-old outfielder is finally putting it all together.'

First, to whoever wrote this, thank you for not saying that regression is sure to follow.
Believe it or not, fantasy players know when a guy may be playing a little over his head....

Second, he's also 'on pace' to hit .386/.431/.675, no?
'On pace' people never use averages, do they.....

Third, just 10 days ago, Justin Upton was 'on pace' to hit over 75 homers. Now it's closer to 60.
Or said another way, Justin Upton has minus 15 homers over the last 10 days.
Or said even another way, if only taking the last 10 days into account, Justin Upton is on pace to not hit a home run again this year....
On @$%^$#%#^&%$ing pace this!

[Edwards Kings]

"Kyle Kaminska has retired from baseball at age 24.
Kaminska had a 7.18 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 18/5 K/BB ratio in 31 1/3 innings this year in the minors. He was a 25th-round pick of the Marlins in the 2007 draft."

Damn. And he was one of my better sleepers. He projected out well at the major league level and was on pace to thrive if he could avoid regression

[Glenneration X]

"Kyle Kaminska has retired from baseball at age 24.
Kaminska had a 7.18 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 18/5 K/BB ratio in 31 1/3 innings this year in the minors. He was a 25th-round pick of the Marlins in the 2007 draft."

Damn. And he was one of my better sleepers. He projected out well at the major league level and was on pace to thrive if he could avoid regression

A real value pick.

[DOUGHBOYS]

In my best Jackie Gleason...

Uhhhhh, Ohhhhhh, a real riot you guys are....
BAM!
ZOOM!
TO THE MOON!!!!!

[BK METS]

"Mike Trout slugged his sixth home run of the season in the Angels' 3-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday.
Trout hit a two-run blast off White Sox starter Jose Quintana in the top of the first inning and added a single in the third. He was hitless in his other two at-bats. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting .283/.351/.513 with 25 RBI, 23 runs scored and five stolen bases in 36 games played. Another special season is in store."

[DOUGHBOYS]

February 20-
'Corey Hart (knee) told ESPN's Tim Kurkjian that he is aiming to return by April 20.
Hart was originally slated to miss four months following right knee surgery on January 25, so this would put him a month ahead of schedule. While this would certainly be a positive development for the Brewers, they will continue to assess their options in-house and outside the organization. As it stands right now, Hunter Morris is the most likely candidate to open the season at first base. '

Followed by this three weeks later ...

'Corey Hart (knee) was cleared to ramp up his rehab following an MRI on Friday.
Great news. Hart is now off crutches, but he's likely about 3-4 weeks away from any baseball activity. As of now, the Brewers are expecting him back at some point in May. '

And now, this...

'Brewers first basemen Corey Hart, on the 60-day disabled list with a knee injury, said he isn't sure whether he will be ready to return once his stint on the DL expires May 30, MLB.com reports. Hart added that he hasn't experienced any setbacks but that his rehab is going slower than expected

"It really depends. If I have one really good week, then I can go play [for a minor-league affiliate]," Hart said. "Or, it could take until the middle of June. I don't know until I can do quick movements without it hurting, and we're not there yet." '

A lesson re-learned....
Never believe injured players during the off season.
They say what we want to hear.
A trap as bad as, 'Jeff Francoeur is in the best shape he's been in years and has lost 15 pounds.'

Almost making us temporarily forget that Frenchy won't hit, no matter his weight.....

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Dodgers placed RHP Josh Beckett on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 14, with a left groin strain.
Manager Don Mattingly said after Beckett's start Monday that the groin ailment was minor, but the Dodgers will play it safe. He seems likely to be activated when eligible or shortly after. Matthew Magill seems likely to get a start in Beckett's place, and Ted Lilly (rib cage) could be ready next week.'

Sometimes the joke is right there....Josh Beckett's groin is minor...we get it.

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'Cole Hamels yielded five runs and two homers in five innings Wednesday in a loss to the Indians.
Hamels dropped to 1-6, but this is his first poor outing since April 7; he had a 2.41 ERA over his previous six starts. Subpar command has definitely plagued him this season, but it doesn't help matters that the Phillies have completely thrown defense out the window and started going with a Domonic Young-John Mayberry Jr.-Delmon Young outfield.'

I can understand one name or the other, but this guy destroyed both parts of Dominick Brown's name!
He does make a good point about Philly's defense, but any defense that includes Delmon Young is suspect.

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'Dodgers signed LHP Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league contract; assigned him to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Sanchez can opt out of the deal on July 1 if he is not on Los Angeles' major league roster. The 30-year-old left-hander posted an 11.85 ERA and 2.42 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings earlier this season with the Pirates. He is doubtful to pull off a sudden turnaround.'

Sanchez, Kazmir, Bedard, Saunders, Francis....
Left handers are like old losing football coaches. They never go away. Somebody hires them back.
And we are all left wondering why.....

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'Starting for the first time in five days, Kyle Blanks homered and walked Wednesday against the Orioles.
Carlos Quentin will probably prove to be a better hitter than Blanks this season, but there's no doubt the Padres would have been better off starting Blanks regularly in his place over the first month and a half. Quentin did have a hit today, though: his popup to shallow right got lost in the sun by Ryan Flaherty. If only he had run it out rather than sulked, he would have had a double instead of a single.

Hindsight 20-20 much? Sounds like a Quentin owner.
No, that can't be. If he was, he wouldn't want Quentin bustin' his ass and blowin' out a knee.

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'Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. that Bryce Harper (nausea) will not undergo further testing.
Harper passed an initial concussion test, but Nationals manager Davey Johnson said after Tuesday's game that the young outfielder would "probably" undergo more tests after he experienced some nausea. However, Rizzo doesn't appear concerned. "There's no concussion, he's feeling better," said Rizzo. "He'll be ready to go in the next day or so."

Oh, the irony.
Harper face plants into a fence, has bruised ribs, bum shoulder, knee, stitches....And Rizzo says, "Next day"
Strasburg is perfectly healthy, not a problem in the world.....And Rizzo says, "Next year"

[KJ Duke]

You missed one of my favorites yesterday Dan ...

"Moreland has three homers in two days, six homers in May and nine homers on the season, putting him more than halfway to his career high. We still view him as a fringe player in mixed leagues".

Fringe = batting 300, hitting for power, no longer platooning, hitting lefties for the first time in his career, playing for one of the best hitting teams in one of the best hitting parks in baseball.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Damn, how'd I miss that?
Some of these are so funny, they need no commentary....

[DOUGHBOYS]

'The Royals aren't sure when Salvador Perez will return from the bereavement list.
Perez is in Venezuela following the death of his grandmother. "We’re really having a hard time getting ahold of him," manager Ned Yost said, when asked if he had an idea of when Perez will return. "The best guess is Monday… but we’re hoping it will be before then." Yost indicated that the delay is likely being caused because Perez is working on bringing his mother back into the United States with him. '

This one is incredible. I'd find it more funny if I didn't have Perez on a Main team. I've made my feelings about the Royals (lack of) organization clear, so this may be piling on, I don't know.
Still, in a time of cell phones and mass communication through several devices, the Royals have not kept in touch with a star player?
George Steinbrenner would be tearing his hair out and ordering underlings to bring back Perez AND HIS MOM as soon as possible.
Perez is in the same place where Wilson Ramos was kidnapped. A place where celebrities are kidnapped on a regular basis and the Royals are 'having a hard time getting a hold of him' ?
This one is more sad than funny.

[Edwards Kings]

"Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the Pirates' loss to the Braves on Tuesday. McCutchen was responsible for two of the Pirates' five hits in the 10-inning affair, with his third-inning double off Jeff Locke driving in two runs. The two RBI gave him 30 on the year."

This guy is such a good hitter that even hits doubles against the pitchers on his own team!

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Albert Pujols said Wednesday that he feels better at the plate right now than he ever felt last season.
Pujols is batting .313/.385/.567 with four home runs, five doubles and 13 RBI through 17 games this month. "This is me right here," Pujols told reporters. "I feel right now like my old me, like when I was in St. Louis." The 33-year-old first baseman had a .246/.318/.415 batting line over the first two months of the 2013 season.

Some folks in Las Vegas threw the 'Value' word at me upon telling me that they got Pujols in the latter part of the first round.
I feel for them now. If this is Albert at his 'now' best, where does he fall next year?
Third round?
Fourth round?
Farther?
Part of Pujols appeal in his prime was that he was a very good baserunner and would steal double digit bases.
Pujols is moving so slow that stealing is on his mind as much as safecracking is on Edward Scissorshands mind.
Next year may be the last year that Pujols qualifies as a 1B.He has DH'ed 41 times this year, played first 29.

For those that said they got 'value' on draft day. I'm sorry.
Because Albert was taken by a lot of folks in the middle of the first round in drafts, does NOT make him a value pick for those taking him near the bottom of the first round.
He merely became somebody not trusted to hold up by those in the middle, making him look like a gift to those at the bottom of the round.
I'll say again, there are no values in a draft, during a draft.

While on the subject, there was a certain vice principal who crowed that Ryan Braun was the pick of any draft if not taken in the top three.
He's not.
Sometimes we see certain players drafted in certain places so long, that we tend to think they're ENTITLED to be there through adp.
No player is entitled to be anywhere.
The Vice Principal fell into this trap. He also believed in Braun's innocence 100 %, NFBC drafters don't have that luxury.
And, if Braun is suspended, he may never see the top three again. Drafters will be left to wonder how much help did Braun get from PED's and if Melky Cabrera is any kind of barometer this year, Braun's fall may be long.

[Edwards Kings]

Chad Gaudin was charged with one count of open and gross lewdness after allegedly groping a woman who was on a hospital gurney in Las Vegas.

Gaudin was arrested by Las Vegas police on January 27, though the rest was not made public until now. The 30-year-old, who was also allegedly intoxicated, had to be held down by hospital security until police arrived. He later told police that he wasn't sure how he ended up at the hospital.

Really? Was it the sexy hospital gown that turned him on? Or did he mistake her pained expression and that hospital anti-septic smell for a come-hither look and Chanel #5? There is drunk....and then there is drunk.

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Royals placed RHP Wade Davis on the paternity leave list.
Davis started Wednesday night against the Yankees and wasn't going to pitch again before the All-Star break, so the Royals will let him go spend a little extra time with his growing family. The right-hander has a 5.89 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 94 2/3 innings this season. '

And yet, he has pitched as if needing Maternity Leave.
Next year, I won't be drinking the Kool-Wade.

'Rick Porcello's suspension was dropped from six games to five games.
He will begin serving the sentence immediately. Porcello was issued the six-game suspension for intentionally plunking the Rays' Ben Zobrist at the end of June. He faced the White Sox on Wednesday night and wasn't going to pitch before the All-Star break anyway.'

This results in telling your child to go to his room as a punishment, when his room is decked out with a 40 inch tv screen, latest computer, and an i-phone.

'Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that he hasn't given up on Pete Kozma.
Daniel Descalso has started at shortstop over Kozma in five of the Cardinals' past six games, but Kozma should be back in there Thursday. "You can’t complain for one second what we’ve seen (defensively) from Pete Kozma," Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "And we can’t forget either a lot of the big hits that he’s had."

Big deal! I've never heard a Manager say that he's given up a player on utility player.
They're just quietly benched and fade away.....

'Shane Robinson told reporters that Chris Carpenter's cutter was "virtually unhittable" on Wednesday.
Robinson was one of a couple hitters standing in the box for Carpenter's 100-pitch simulated game at Busch Stadium and he provided rave reviews. Carp has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment Monday at Double-A Springfield and could be allowed to join the Cardinals' starting rotation around early August. He will be worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues if his rehab debut goes smoothly.

Seriously?
What else is a young kid going to say about a veteran on the same team?
Roto World just slays me.

'Rockies prospect RHP Jonathan Gray allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over three innings in his professional debut for Rookie-level Grand Junction.
Selected by the Rockies with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, Gray recorded only one strikeout in the outing, which was his first since pitching for the University of Oklahoma in the NCAA Super Regionals on June 7. While it was a disappointing debut, the 21-year-old was on a three-inning/50-pitch limit and still managed to finish the start. Gray will be stretched out to 60 or 65 pitches in his second start early next week.

I have to admit, it is cool seeing a RotoWorld update of a game I scorekept. Gray had a fastball at a consistent 95-96 last night. Easy gas. Trouble is, if not locating, even rookie ballers can hit heat.

[Edwards Kings]

Yoenis Cespedes outlasted Bryce Harper to win Monday's Home Run Derby.
Cespedes established himself as the early favorite after blasting 17 home runs in the first round, a total no one else reached even after two rounds. Harper launched eight dingers in all three rounds, but Cespedes, who was the only participant not on the All-Star team, reached nine in the final round with a few outs to spare.

Really Cespedes?! You hump...how about bringing some of that game somewhere that counts!

[MadCow Sez]

Yoenis Cespedes outlasted Bryce Harper to win Monday's Home Run Derby.
Cespedes established himself as the early favorite after blasting 17 home runs in the first round, a total no one else reached even after two rounds. Harper launched eight dingers in all three rounds, but Cespedes, who was the only participant not on the All-Star team, reached nine in the final round with a few outs to spare.

Really Cespedes?! You hump...how about bringing some of that game somewhere that counts!

Hasn't it also been a trend that the winner of the HRD tails off their performance in the second half?

[Edwards Kings]

Yoenis Cespedes outlasted Bryce Harper to win Monday's Home Run Derby.
Cespedes established himself as the early favorite after blasting 17 home runs in the first round, a total no one else reached even after two rounds. Harper launched eight dingers in all three rounds, but Cespedes, who was the only participant not on the All-Star team, reached nine in the final round with a few outs to spare.

Really Cespedes?! You hump...how about bringing some of that game somewhere that counts!

Hasn't it also been a trend that the winner of the HRD tails off their performance in the second half?

In that case, they will have to start subracting from the homeruns he already has! And that means the 0.225 BA is his high point for the year!

[Bronx Yankees]

How's this for by-the-minute reporting:

2:08 p.m. - "Dewayne Wise (hamstring) has completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte."

3:55 p.m. - "Dewayne Wise suffered a new right hamstring strain at Triple-A Charlotte and is out indefinitely."

What? Boy, that was a dangerous hour and forty-seven minutes for Mr. Wise.

Mike

[Edwards Kings]

Yoenis Cespedes outlasted Bryce Harper to win Monday's Home Run Derby.
Cespedes established himself as the early favorite after blasting 17 home runs in the first round, a total no one else reached even after two rounds. Harper launched eight dingers in all three rounds, but Cespedes, who was the only participant not on the All-Star team, reached nine in the final round with a few outs to spare.

Really Cespedes?! You hump...how about bringing some of that game somewhere that counts!

Yoenis Cespedes was a late scratch to the Athletics starting lineup on Friday due to left wrist soreness.
Cespedes has dealt with a wide array of injuries during his brief time in the big leagues, and it appears that his wrist may have been tweaked in the Home Run Derby. Chris Young took his spot in the lineup and drew the start in left field.

What a loser....

[DOUGHBOYS]

Barry Zito was yanked after allowing three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings Tuesday against the Reds.
He struck out four and walked three, hurling 84 pitches before an early exit cost Zito a victory. Zito entered the game 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA and 2.08 WHIP over three July starts, so a mediocre road start in a cozy ballpark against a powerful offense actually seems promising.

C'mon RotoWorld!
Are you really that lazy in your fact checking?
Sure, you can look at a box score and assume that it was a road start for Zito, but you're better than that!
At least I thought you were.
Zito did have a 'visiting start' last night, but it was in his home sweet home.
The premise that Zito shows promise after a 'mediocre ROAD start' is lost on readers.
Stupid.

[Edwards Kings]

"Lance Lynn will start the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Pirates.
The Cardinals want Lynn in the first game so that he is matched up against A.J. Burnett. Tyler Lyons is slated to start for St. Louis in the nightcap."

Further, St. Louis Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny, is quoted as saying "We found out that Wayne Edwards has both Lance Lynn and A.J. Burnett on his sorry-ass NFBC Main Event team and we figured the best way to further screw him out of getting two wins tonight would be to have these two guys pitch against each other!"

In an unrelated story, 10 yards of horse manure was "accidentally" dumped in Mike Matheny's front lawn in 15 minutes.

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in Sunday night's win over the Dodgers.
It was his first multi-hit game since being called up on Monday. Bogaerts is batting .333 (3-for-9) over four games with Boston and is a must-own in standard leagues. '

The above was written after a fine game by Bogaerts just this past Sunday night. The writer came away from the paragraph as if he'd been touting Bogaerts and nobody was believing him. Now, with a two hit game, he feels a little vindicated and writes his blurb.
Almost like a nah-ner-nah-ner-nah-ner to somebody.

Then, reality sets in and we get this.....

'Xander Bogaerts is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles.He's sitting, even with left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on the hill for Baltimore. Bogaerts is plenty talented, but he might not play enough to justify keeping around unless you are in a fantasy leagues which allows for daily lineup changes'

This really is bad scribesmanship.
The only thing that is different between Sunday night and the posting of today's lineup is the reality for this writer that Bogaerts is nowhere near a 'must own in standard leagues'.
He was simply wrong.
Boston thinks of Bogaerts as a nice option. Probably playing in two or three games a week. Mostly, to give Drew or Middlebrooks a blow.
RotoWorld drank too much Kool-Aid and is going from 'must own' to 'only daily leagues' mode in less than 48 hours.
Which does their fantasy lookers as much good as touting a double start pitcher, only to tear him a new one after getting drilled in a Monday game.
Fantasy folks that put stock in their prose are shaking their heads, asking, 'Where's that farmer?'
Or shortened, 'WTF?'

[Likewhat17]

This really is bad scribesmanship.The only thing that is different between Sunday night and the posting of today's lineup is the reality for this writer that Bogaerts is nowhere near a 'must own in standard leagues'.He was simply wrong. Boston thinks of Bogaerts as a nice option. Probably playing in two or three games a week. Mostly, to give Drew or Middlebrooks a blow.RotoWorld drank too much Kool-Aid and is going from 'must own' to 'only daily leagues' mode in less than 48 hours.Which does their fantasy lookers as much good as touting a double start pitcher, only to tear him a new one after getting drilled in a Monday game.Fantasy folks that put stock in their prose are shaking their heads, asking, 'Where's that farmer?'Or shortened, 'WTF?'

First off, let me say that I am thankfully not responsible for either of those blurbs on Bogaerts. The simple reality of the disjointed messages is the fact that there are many different writers contributing, all of whom have different personal opinions on players.

Furthermore, some of those writers may not always look back at the previous blurbs when updating something new on a player. That's something that I always make a strong effort to do, and even if I don't agree with the previous opinions that were professed, I at least make sure that I don't blatantly disagree or give the opposite opinion.