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.
There was reason for concern with Cliff Lee. After storming out of the proverbial gates upon his entrance to the so-called Senior Circuit, he stumbled. Lee's first five outings yielded a 5-0 record with a 0.68 ERA and a 39:6 K:BB in 40 innings. His next three? Ugly. He got a win (going 1-2), but his ERA in 15 innings was 9.60, after allowing 29 hits, 16 earned runs and 4 home runs.
Tuesday night, Lee re-announced his presence with authority.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Matt LaPorta has arrived. LaPorta, the key player the Indians got in exchange for CC Sabathia last year, finally donned an Indians uniform on Saturday. LaPorta did not get into the game in his first day in the big leagues, but Tribe fans are certainly going to be eager to see him when he does.
LaPorta, 24, was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft. He is a big-time slugger, considered one of the top hitting prospects in baseball. LaPorta has played outfield and first base. The Indians could use him at either of those spots, or at DH in place of the injured Travis Hafner.
The Brewers ace struck out 11, only allowed two hits and provided the deciding solo homer over eight juggernaut innings against the Pirates. That outing brought his ERA for the season down to 2.86 and his record to 3-1. And with 34 K's over 34 2/3 innings, it's safe to say he's in fantasy stud territory. But Gallardo isn't the only pitcher that has transcended draft value so far.
Update 5/1/09: According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Indians manager Eric Wedge announced that No. 1 prospect Matt LaPorta will be called up Saturday along with infielders Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield.
For all of you fantasy baseball speculators out there, a flurry of transactions by the Cleveland Indians over the past 24 hours may be a precursor to the promotion of one of baseball's top prospects.
Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner went on the disabled list Wednesday and the team called up an extra arm to help out with the pitching staff. This left the team with only two hitters as bench players and a 14-man pitching staff. If the team decides to make a change there and bring up another hitter, the first player called up might be top prospect Matt LaPorta.
PHOENIX -- The beauty of spring training is watching all the young players and trying to figure out which ones are going to be stars. In the quest to separate the hyped prospects from the ones who are legit, I've been polling scouts in the Cactus League to get some of their impressions.
The players who could make their presence felt in 2009 are after the jump.
Yard Work focuses on what chicks allegedly love: the long ball. From the big boppers to the small poppers, it's a rundown of which home run hitters will make a dent in your fantasy baseball league.
When Jose Reyes makes his move for second and robs another bag from an unsuspecting pitcher, the Mets faithful follow with applause and "Jose, Jose Jose Jose!" chants. But there's 50 or so more to go from Jose, and no matter how dirty that jersey gets, it's still just a stolen base.
David Wright steps up to the plate, drills a first-pitch heater into the picnic area ... it's BIG APPLE TIME. Cue the wackier video animation and the rumbling seats, too.
Say what you want about the appeal of steals, the home run is still king.
In fantasy baseball, however, that king can be overrated.
Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in Better Know a Prospect. In this edition we look at three players from the Indians' system, which is one of the deepest in the majors.
Matt LaPorta, OF: The 24-year-old LaPorta came over from the Brewers as the main piece in the CC Sabathia trade. One of the premier offensive prospects in the minors, LaPorta boasts a slugging percentage of .577 in 477 at-bats since Milwaukee selected him with the seventh pick in the 2007 draft. Prior to being traded, LaPorta was tearing up Double-A Huntsville, with a .288/.402/.576 line. He struggled in just 60 at-bats with the Indians' Double-A affiliate after the trade, but that's just a blip on an otherwise fantastic resume. The Indians currently have weaknesses at both of LaPorta's potential positions -- left field and first base -- on the big club, so his impact could be felt as early as this spring.
Take a deep breath, baseball fans. The dust has settled after another trading deadline, and what a deadline it was. Three future Hall of Famers were moved. So was a reigning Cy Young winner and two former All-Stars. And we haven't talked about Rich Harden yet. Undoubtedly, 2008 was the most entertaining trading season in recent memory for baseball fans.
After years of near-misses, the Red Sox finally send disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez packing. Ramirez lands with the Dodgers as part of a three-way deal.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
Former All-Star Jason Bay winds up in Boston as the other major piece of the three-way deal. Pittsburgh receives two prospects apiece from the Dodgers and Red Sox for its part in the trade.
Nick Laham, Getty Images
In the final year of his contract, the Reds send Ken Griffey Jr. to the AL Central-leading White Sox in exchange for two prospects, including sinker-balling pitcher Nick Masset.
David Kohl, AP
In need of a big bat for October, the Angels acquired Mark Teixeira from the Braves in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman and a pitching prospect.
Elise Amendola, AP
With fixture Jorge Posada out for the season, the Yankees moved swiftly to get Ivan Rodriguez, sending reliever Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit in return for the Gold Glove catcher.
Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
The Brewers made the first big move of trading season, acquiring reigning AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia from Cleveland for a package of four prospects, including Matt LaPorta.
Jeff Roberson, AP
The Cubs bolstered an already deep starting rotation by acquiring Rich Harden from the A's. Oakland also sent relief pitcher Chad Gaudin to Chicago and received pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh Donaldson in return.
Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
The Phillies got much-needed rotation depth in the form of Joe Blanton from Oakland. The A's received three prospects, including second baseman Adrian Cardenas and pitcher Josh Outman.
Seth Wenig, AP
Florida acquires one of the many left-handed relievers on the market, adding Arthur Rhodes from Seattle for minor league pitcher Gaby Hernandez.
Jim McIsaac, Getty Images
The Yankees also added depth for the stretch run, landing outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte for a package of four prospects that included right fielder Jose Tabata.
Getty Images (2)
Truth be told, it will take years before we know who helped themselves or hurt themselves at the 2008 trade deadline. That's just the way it is when boom-or-bust prospects are involved. But here's an educated (and roughly ordered) guess anyway at which teams won and which teams lost now that the July 31 deadline has come and gone.
Winners
Angels: With a double-digit lead in the AL West, the Angels didn't need to do anything to get to October. They went out and got slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira anyway, and it's nothing short of a coup. For all the praise heaped upon Mike Scioscia's throwback run-at-all costs strategy, it hasn't done much for Los Angeles in the postseason. The Halos have scored 17 runs in their last eight postseason games dating back to 2005, and they don't have single regular slugging over .500 this year. They needed a bat to go all the way in October, and that's just what they got in Teixeira.
The roster for the U.S. Olympic baseball team was announced yesterday and looking at it, it's not hard to see why baseball won't be part of the 2012 Games. There are no major leaguers, which you could guess, but there are barely any top flight prospects which makes things even worse for those who want to see baseball as an Olympic event.
You've got Matt LaPorta, the centerpiece of the CC Sabathia deal, and Colby Rasmus of the Cardinals but just five players on the roster, assuming their teams don't pull them back before the Games, were on Baseball America's list of the top 100 prospects in baseball entering this season. There are some other decent prospects, a few with marginal futures and career AAA types who won't get more than a cup of coffee in the big leagues.
I don't think the United States needs to win for baseball to be successful at the Olympics, far from it. I'd rather see tight games between the U.S., Japan, Cuba and the Dominican than a 1992 Dream Team type rollover. The seasoned teams from elsewhere get a big advantage because the U.S. team isn't the best one possible. To capture the imagination of the rest of the world, however, you need big names from Major League Baseball or, at least, the cream of the crop from the next level. Without them, it's better to skip baseball at the Olympics and focus on the World Baseball Classic.
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
Starting Five
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Update 5/1/09: According to the 
PHOENIX -- The beauty of spring training is watching all the young players and trying to figure out which ones are going to be stars. In the quest to separate the hyped prospects from the ones who are legit, I've been polling scouts in the Cactus League to get some of their impressions.
Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in 
The roster for the U.S. Olympic baseball team was 
