I’m not kidding, Carlos Zambrano is mentally ill. He needs to be institutionalized. And he needs to get socked really hard in the face for blaming the fact that he is shitty now on Derrek Lee. Yeah, it’s Derrek Lee’s fault you gave up four runs in the first inning, you psychopathic jagoff.
With the first half of the 2010 fantasy baseball and major league baseball seasons coming to an end, here are 10 position players to check for on the waiver wire that might be good injury replacements or sleepers that could help your fantasy team make that final push for a win.
Gaby Sanchez – 1b – Marlins – .307 avg, 38 runs, 8 hr, 34 rbi, 3 sb
The Marlins rookie first baseman got off to a bit of a slow start but has really started to show why he was one of the organizations top prospects for the last few years. Available in most mixed fantasy leagues due to a deep first base position, he could be worth a grab if you have a weak corner infield spot or an injured starter.
Tyler Colvin – OF – Cubs – .294 avg, 22 runs, 9 hr, 23 rbi, 1 sb
The Cubs seem to be frustrated with Alfonso Soriano and the main beneficiary of this has been Colvin. Colvin has taken advantage of the extra at-bats with some consistent pop. If you have Soriano and want his platoon-mate or you are in a deep league in need of some homers, give Colvin a shot.
Justin Smoak – 1b – Rangers – .221 avg, 26 runs, 8 hr, 34 rbi, 1 sb
A lot of owners jumped on the Smoak bandwagon when he first got called up and then quickly bailed when he struggled out of the gate. The Smoak Monster wasn’t known as a power hitter in the minors but he can certainly hit for average and put up RBI’s at the major league level. He has really gotten hot lately and has a lot of protection in the Ranger’s offense. I’d grab Gaby Sanchez first, but if he’s not available you could certainly do worse than Smoak.
Pat Burrell – OF – Giants – .244 avg, 16 runs, 6 hr, 23 rbi, 0 sb
Pat Burrell may very well end up being this fantasy baseball season’s most added/dropped player by the time the year is over. Everyone knows what you get with Pat The Bat, power and a slight ding to your team average. Average is just one category, however, and with more playing time coming his way he could be a nice 2-category boost for those owners looking for homers and RBI’s for their late season push.
Brennan Boesch – OF – Tigers – .344 avg, 24 runs, 11 hr, 40 rbi, 3 sb
A virtual unknown heading into the 2010 Major League Baseball season, and even more so going into the 2010 fantasy baseball season, the 6’6″ Boesch has been quietly making a name for himself in Detroit. An injury to Carlos Guillen got him the playing time he needed and he has taken advantage in a big way. He has done so well that Guillen is now playing second base. If you have any hesitation about adding Boesch to your fantasy baseball roster, just look at the numbers, they definitely speak for themselves and have been put up in just 189 at-bats.
Mark Ellis – 2b – A’s – .278 avg, 18 runs, 2 hr, 16 rbi, 2 sb
In my opinion, Ellis has always been underrated as a fantasy contributor. Playing a shallow position, he brings some decent pop (could hit another 10 homers), above average speed (could steal another 10 bases), and consistent hitting (should finish around .280). He won’t score or drive in many runs in the yawn-inspiring A’s lineup, but in deeper leagues and some shallow leagues it would be worth the 30 seconds it takes to compare what Ellis is doing to what your current starter is putting up.
Russell Branyan – 1b – Indians – .261 avg, 24 runs, 10 hr, 24 rbi, 0 sb
If any player is going to challenge Burrell for the “most added/most dropped” title this season, it would be Branyan. No matter what your feelings are about K-rate, there is no questioning this guy’s raw power. With the potential to hit at least another 15-20 homers this season, Branyan is definitely worth a look.
Alcides Escobar – SS – Brewers – .254 avg, 29 runs, 2 hr, 21 rbi, 5 sb
It’s a bit sad to have to mention Escobar in a waiver wire article this late into the season. He was a sleeper pick for a lot of fantasy owner’s at this year’s drafts, but a slow start and a surprising lack of stolen bases have lead a lot of owners to send him back to the lumber yard. He has a couple of stolen bags in the last 10 games and his bat is heating up, so now would be the time to check and see if an impatient owner gave up on this talented rookie.
Melky Cabrera – OF – Braves – .266 avg, 25 runs, 2 hr, 20 rbi, 3 sb
Ok, I have to be honest here, I’m not a Melky fan. A popular late pick this year after he was named the starting center fielder for the Braves, The Melk Man rewarded these savvy owners by starting the season exactly how I thought he would, horribly. Nate McClouth batting .180 turned out to be a better option for the Braves and for fantasy owners. But in the last 20 games Melky is batting .328. It would have to be a deep league or NL-only league to pick him up because he doesn’t really help in any other category, but you can’t ignore a hot bat when you’re trying to make a run at a title.
Conor Jackson – 1b, OF – A’s – .256 avg, 24 runs, 1 hr, 14 rbi, 5 sb
Another sleeper at drafts this year, Co-Jack is another player sent back to the lumber yard after a dismal start to the season. A change of scenery has done him good, however, and he is batting .333 in the 10 games since being traded from the Diamondbacks to the Oakland A’s. Owned in only 3% of yahoo leagues, Jackson is only 2 years removed from a .306/.376/.446 slash line. Any team in need of percentages should give Co-Jack a look and hope he doesn’t come down with a case of Bay Area Fever.
By The Fantasy Dick
The Fantasy Dick has been handpicked by The Baseball Chick to be her resident fantasy baseball expert and to dispense fantasy baseball advice to her readers. Contact The Fantasy Dick via email: thefantasydick at yahoo.com, with any fantasy baseball questions.
According to a baseball rumor on TMZ, Johan Santana was accused of sexual battery that allegedly occurred on a Florida golf course. However, the case never got noticed and went nowhere according to TMZ.
In the document, the accuser claims she and Santana were walking on the golf course when he “began to kiss her and pull up her top, unclasping her bra.” The report continues: “Johan began to pull at [the accuser's] skirt/ and attempt [sic] to place his hands into her underwear.” According to the document the alleged victim “told Johan no multiple times but Johan persisted.” TMZ contacted Santana’s rep, who said, “Johan denied the charges and was never charged with anything.”
Santana and his accuser both agree they had sex on a golf course, that Santana’s sperm ended up on her thigh, and that she walked with him to meet his father and another friend playing tennis within thirty minutes. But only Santana and his accuser know what really happened. But he clearly the golf got to his head and he thought he was Tiger Woods out there. Understandable. But girl, can’t you wipe that semen off your thigh?!?! Have some class.
In baseball news, Coco Crisp is back up with the Oakland Athletics after his second stint on the disabled list already this season. Crisp has missed all but two games this season after beginning the season on the Disabled List with a broken left pinkie finger. He then returned for a total of one game before being deactivated again with a strained rib cage.
Crisp has been inserted into the starting lineup for Tuesday night’s game, playing center field and batting leadoff.
He will be killing pitching again in about a month, when he begins another rehab assignment in Triple A.
By Dana Bashor
Dana Bashor, from Dana Bashor Baseball Fan, is known by her husband as a “super fan”. Growing up around baseball Dana Bashor’s love for the game continues to grow on a daily basis. Dana Bashor attends as many games throughout the year as she can and she now shares her baseball banter on her website, DanaBashorBaseballFan.com.
Happy Fathers’ Day to the man who made me the hyper-opinionated, asshole-ish, drunken, easily angered, baseball-obsessed, super-cool, Napoleon-complexed, talkative, and insanely intelligent bitch I am today!!! In celebration of the man, the myth, and the legend, my Dad and I are going on baseball and beer-related research this weekend.
Boston’s Daniel Nava hit the first pitch he saw as a big leaguer for a grand slam, leading the Red Sox to their second straight rout of the Phillies with a final score of 10-2 on Saturday. Nava connected on a fastball from pitcher Joe Blanton in the second inning, after earlier being called up from Triple-A Pawtucket.
In a precious little side note, his folks were in the stands operating a video camera. “It’s funny. They really hadn’t seen me play in the last two years,” Nava said. “They were in Indianapolis to watch me play on Friday and I told them I might be playing up here.”
Only four players in MLB history have hit grand slams in their first career at-bat.
According to Nava: “I wanted to treat it like I normally do. I just said, `How are you guys doing (to umpire Bill Hohn and catcher Brian Schneider)?’ They didn’t say anything.” As he rounded second base, it began to hit him, what he’d accomplished. Nava “started to scream. I was pumped.”
Nava got an enthusiastic greeting in the dugout, with veteran Kevin Youkilis and others pounding him on the batting helmet and pushing him to take a curtain call, which he subsequently did.
This is probably the first and last time this kid will be on my site, but I thought it was a nice enough story. It almost warmed my cold, dead heart.
Check out former Major League second baseman Wally Backman tell off some Minor League umpire. I have a strange feeling this is my real father.
Jim Joyce, PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE. What a JACKASS!!!
Armando Galarraga was one out away from the third perfect game of 2010 and the second in less than a week, until Jim Joyce ripped it away from him.
After retiring the first 26 batters in succession, Indians shortstop Jason Donald was called safe on an ground ball to first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Replays showed that Galarraga clearly beat Donald to the bag while receiving Cabrera’s toss, but Joyce called him safe.
Despite the call, Galarraga finished with the first complete game and first shutout of his career — a one-hitter — as the Tigers beat the Indians, 3-0, in the second of three games.
But this fat tub of shit, excuse me, Jim Joyce, should never ump in the big leagues again. I’m sorry, if you can’t even make the easy plays when they count the most, how can we trust this utter moron with any call in the MLB?!? The umps are there to correctly call the game, not to decide it.
Worst call in Don Denkinger. FACT.
