Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
While the majority of the American workforce got a day off on Labor Day, some major league hitters were getting their power stroke on in a big way. With only 11 games on the docket, four players left the yard twice in one game: Derrek Lee, Billy Butler, Mark Teixeira and Juan Uribe. The fantasy fallout isn't huge, save for one; Lee's having a resurgence, Butler a breakout campaign and Teixeira an MVP-caliber season. Uribe, though ... that's news.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Ervin Santana went 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 214 strikeouts last season. The promising 26-year-old has yet to rekindle the success in 2009, though, due mostly to arm injuries. Still, we know the potential he possesses, which is why there's no reason to give up on him halfway through the season. Any sign of a turnaround is sure to give fantasy baseball owners hope.
Thursday night, we got a glimmer. Santana dominated the A's. He worked 8 innings and struck out 4, while only allowing 3 hits, 1 earned run and 2 walks -- garnering the win in the process.
"It's too early to tell," Reds manager Dusty Baker said last week. "It's two starts. But he's at the corner. It's progress."
Sometimes it's easy to forget that David Dewitt Bailey is barely 23 and instead focus on his false starts and yo-yo trips between the majors and Triple-A. The Reds' No. 1 draft pick in 2004, Bailey has had to deal with high expectations ever since. But he had a 5.76 ERA in nine starts in 2007 and a 7.93 mark while going 0-6 last year.
As the Reds linger around in the NL Central race -- a.k.a. The Race No One Seems to Want to Win -- they could really use the services of last year's ace, Edinson Volquez. The right-hander who went 17-6 last season has been on the disabled list since June 2 with elbow tendinitis. Initial plans were to activate Volquez quite soon.
Those plans have now been put on hold because a recent MRI (the second one taken during last homestand) revealed muscle inflammation in Volquez's forearm, and they have completely shut him down until it subsides.
These Kids Are Alright is FanHouse's look at minor league prospects who could have a fantasy impact in the near future.
Word on the street is Homer Bailey might be recalled to start for the Reds this Saturday, as there is a hole in their rotation -- and we're not talking about Micah Owings, who actually has a better ERA than Bronson Arroyo -- with Edinson Volquez on the disabled list.
Bailey, to me, typifies the gimme-now mindset of today's fantasy owners. It's hard to blame us, because everyone wants to grab the next big thing when they are called up and see immediate dividends (a la Ryan Braun, Tim Lincecum and Evan Longoria). Sometimes, though, it doesn't go as planned. With Bailey, it hasn't.
The Reds announced today that Edinson Volquez is heading for the 15-day disabled list with a back problem and that Homer Bailey will take his place in the rotation Saturday night against the Indians. It's amazing how much can change in two years. At this time in 2007, Bailey was making his debut as the Reds' can't miss pitching phenom. Two years and two bad stints with the Reds later and with little improvement in Triple-A, and Bailey's recall is a secondary story to Volquez being placed on the DL.
It's still worth noting that Bailey got the call from the big club because he's made some pretty big strides in Louisville this year. His 4.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP may not seem impressive, but he's struck out 43 hitters and walked just 17 in 45 1/3 innings; numbers better than any year since his 2006 season in Double-A. He's still very young (he turned 23 earlier this month), and could be a big part of the Reds' rotation in the future if he can get himself back on track.
As we've now witnessed a touch over a month of minor league baseball, it's worth it in many fantasy leagues to look ahead at who may be making a visit to the majors sometime this season. Remember, Ryan Braun, for example, wasn't yet in the major leagues at this point in his rookie season. This isn't to say that all of these guys -- or any -- will have that sort of an impact in the majors this year.
We're just giving a quick, non-comprehensive list of players who are playing relatively well in the minors this year and/or who have a chance to make a fantasy impact at some point. We'll start with the big names, but it won't be limited to just them. Dynasty league players should be paying the most attention.
Cincinnati Inquirer beat reporter John Fay is reporting that Reds manager Dusty Baker is toying with the idea of using Homer Bailey in the bullpen.
On another subject, Jocketty said, he, like Dusty Baker, is open to the possibility of Homer Bailey making the team as a reliever. "It's something we talked about," Jocketty said. "There's a possibility that (Bailey or Micah Owings) could be in the bullpen." Owings and Bailey are competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. Baker announced earlier today that Masset was out of the race. Speaking of Bailey, a scout said he was consistently at 93 mph in his last start. "He looks more free and easy," he said.
The Homer Bailey as a big league starting pitcher idea is obviously failing. He was 0-6 in eight starts last season and had 18 strikeouts and 17 walks in 36.1innings. His 7.93 ERA also goes to prove the point that running with Bailey in your rotation is a bad idea.
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Cincinnati Reds.
Once one of the most admired franchises in professional sports, the Reds have now suffered through nearly a decade of futility. The last time they finished above .500 was in 2000, when they won 85 games. The last trip to the postseason was in 1995. Even their gorgeous ballpark is barren for much of the summer, as the Reds finished 23rd in attendance last season. It's safe to say that the days of the Big Red Machine are a distant memory.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Starting Five
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
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As the Reds linger around in the NL Central race -- a.k.a. The Race No One Seems to Want to Win -- they could really use the services of last year's ace, 
The Reds announced today that 
As we've now witnessed a touch over a month of minor league baseball, it's worth it in many fantasy leagues to look ahead at who may be making a visit to the majors sometime this season. Remember, 
Cincinnati Inquirer beat reporter John Fay is reporting that Reds manager Dusty Baker is toying with the idea of 
