FanHouse Mlb New Studs

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

The only downside of the NBA playoffs is that I feel like I miss some baseball that I would normally get to see. But with the Lakers (sigh) crowned champs now, both Kobe Bryant and I -- he was at the stadium, I was pantsless in my apartment, natch -- got the chance to watch the Angels and Dodgers go to civil war on Sunday Night Baseball.

And what I was treated to was a very impressive showing from my current favorite mancrush, Clayton Kershaw. You might know him as the "next Sandy Koufax" if you're a real devote, but more than likely, you know him as the "inconsistent southpaw who has yet to really flourish in the Dodgers rotation."

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

Coming into the season, Fantasy FanHouse loved Pablo Sandoval. He was dubbed a breakout candidate and tabbed as someone who would become a stud during the season. Well, here we are. This week's New Stud on the Block is Mr. Sandoval. He should never be on the bench or waiver wire in any format. He's just too valuable a commodity.

The 22-year-old Venezuelan is currently hitting .338 with 8 home runs and 33 RBI. He's even stolen 2 bases. If he's not already eligible at catcher, keep an eye on those games. He's caught three times this season.

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

Josh Johnson is only 25 years old and is still less than a year removed from a Tommy John surgery comeback. Another thing he is right now is an absolute fantasy baseball ace -- and don't expect that to change any time soon. The 6-foot-7 right-hander from Minnesota has worlds of potential. The only thing standing the way the past few seasons was his health, and that is no longer even remotely a question. He's fine, and he's an ace.

Continuing along with their youth movement in the pitching staff, the Athletics called up 22-year-old Vin Mazzaro last week to make his first major league start. He didn't disappoint.

On Tuesday, Mazzaro threw 6.1 innings of shutout baseball and only gave up three hits. It was a great start where he earned his first victory, but his four walks with only one strikeout weren't ideal.

The A's threw him back out there again on Sunday and Mazzaro impressed again. In 7.1 innings of work he allowed five hits and, once again, did not allow an earned run. He also struck out four batters and walked none; seemingly fixing his control issues from his first start.

After two starts, Mazzaro has a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in 13.2 innings of work. He's struck out five and walked four. And now you're wondering... "When can I pick him up in mixed leagues?"

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

All year we've been waiting on Ian Stewart to show the kind of potential in the majors that he has any time he's been in the minors. He simply had too many tools to be one of those Corey Patterson quadruple-A players. Last year, in only 69 triple-A games, Stewart clubbed 19 home runs and 57 RBI. He's only 24 years-old, and he plays half his games in the thin air of Denver's Coors Field.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Ben Zobrist has transformed from a run-of-the-mill slap hitter into one of the most powerful middle infielders in baseball. Right when you thought he might be cooling off, SMASH! -- a grand slam against Kansas City for his 10th home run of the year. He's slugging .659 with a 1.073 OPS for crying out loud. And he's somehow still available in over 35 percent of mixed leagues. So the question becomes: Is it time for you to believe in the man Joe Maddon nicknamed "Zorilla" or will his power eventually fade just like Marco Scutaro's did?

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

After a sparkling start Sunday afternoon, it's becoming pretty clear that Edwin Jackson is a pitcher who should be active in every fantasy baseball league. The imposing right-hander is only 25-years-old, but he's already had two teams give up on him. All the pitching-rich Rays wanted back for him was Matt Joyce. Think they want a mulligan?

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

Thursday, in the thin air of Colorado, Wandy Rodriguez spun yet another gem for the Houston Astros -- and, of course, his fantasy owners. After seven innings of work, where he allowed only five hits and two earned runs, Rodriguez's ERA actually increased to 1.90. Of course, he also struck out a career-high 11 batters and ran his record to 4-2 in the process. It's time to officially declare him a must-start in every fantasy league.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Remember when Rickie Weeks was a hot new prospect whose quick bat drew comparisons to Gary Sheffield? Yeah, turns out that was four years ago.

Following season after season of frustration for hopeful fantasy owners, Weeks is finally coming through. The speed isn't there, but he's homered in three straight games to give him nine total in only 140 at-bats. By comparison, he only hit 14 in 475 at-bats last year. So has our man-crush of yesteryear suddenly transformed into the new Dan Uggla, or is this impressive power display just another tease?

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Every year in fantasy baseball there are a number of players whose hype exceeds reasonable expectations, because so many freaking people have them tagged as a "breakout." Peter Gammons may have been the first to tag Adam Jones with such a label, but it caught on quickly, and he was a popular fantasy draft selection. (Note that this also applies to my homie Chris Davis, who I think might hit 40 taters, but who was wickedly overvalued coming into drafts. More on this in a second.)

And the man that wants no part of being called "Pacman" -- for obvious reasons -- is suddenly flat-out destroying opposing pitching. Jones was always considered a "five-tool" prospect, with power and speed potential, not to mention just being a great baseball player.