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?
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Chicago White Sox.
The expectations for the Chicago White Sox weren't very high in 2008. The team was coming off of a dismal 72-90 performance in 2007, following up two consecutive 90-win seasons and they'd lost perhaps their most consistent starter in Jon Garland in a trade for Orlando Cabrera. They also acquired Nick Swisher from the Oakland Athletics, hoping he would be the glue that held the team together.
Now that Alex Rodriguez has opted out and Joe Girardi has been named the 32nd manager in franchise history, the Yankees can turn their attention to figuring out who will man the hot corner for them next season. There are no shortage of options. Several free agents and potential trades are out there, as well as a couple of in-house options, so let's look at at some of the potential solutions. Miguel Cabrera
Pros - A younger version of Manny Ramirez at the plate, Cabrera can flat out rake. His 162-game averages are .313, 31 home runs and 118 RBI and he's the only player with the potential to produce a reasonable facsimile of Rodriguez's production in the middle of the lineup. He turns 25 next April so he'd be a long-term solution who could be the first great player at the new Yankee Stadium.
Cons - He's also a younger version of Ramirez in the head. Doesn't care much for fielding, which would be a disaster playing next to the aging Derek Jeter. Cares even less for conditioning. Would cost quite a bit in a trade and the Yankees should be resistant to deal any of their young pitching.
There was speculation around LA that heads were going to roll following the Dodgers' collapse. Many people blamed Grady Little for failing to properly manage the personalities on the team. Others blamed Ned Colletti for making poor signings (e.g. Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt), and failing to acquire a big bat when one was needed. Well, good thing for both Little and Colletti -- owner Frank McCourt says they'll both be back next year:
Frank McCourt characterized the Dodgers' season as a "disappointment" Sunday but said General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Grady Little would be back in 2008. ... McCourt, Colletti and Little agreed that the organization should remain committed to building around its young players.
"We put a foundation in place that will serve the organization well for years and years to come," McCourt said. "We need to stick with the plan and not be impulsive because we're getting closer."
You can pinpoint many different problems for the Dodgers this year. I would say the injury to Schmidt, lack of offense from Nomar Garciaparra and Rafael Furcal, as well as the organizational impatience with Wilson Betemit, were the primary reasons for the season's failure. Take those four problems and attribute them however you like, and that's where you can direct the blame. I guess Schmidt is on Colletti, Furcal likely underachieved because he was playing hurt, and Nomar simply underperformed (there was pressure from the fans to re-sign him), and I don't know who's to blame for the impatience with Betemit. Add it all up, and really, I don't think much of the season's failure was attributable to Little or Colletti. On paper, the pieces were in place -- it just didn't play out the way it was expected to.
The trade deadline is in less than three hours, so if there's going to be a blockbuster deal, we'll be hearing about it soon. Until then you're just going to have to deal with these small deals that are taking place. Deals like the Dodgers getting Scott Proctor from the Yankees for Wilson Betemit.
The Yankees are on the verge of acquiring infielder Wilson Betemit from the Dodgers for right-handed reliever Scott Proctor, according to a major-league source.
Betemit, 26, is a switch-hitter who can play multiple positions and possibly be the Yankees' third baseman next season if Alex Rodriguez departs as a free agent.
It's official! The Yankees are now poised to overcome the Red Sox in the AL East. July 31st, 2007 is a day that will live in infamy in Boston.
If you're a Yankee fan, how does that sentence make you feel? Replacing Alex Rodriguez with Wilson Betemit? Yikes.
As for the Dodgers, they wanted another arm in their bullpen, and now they've gotten one. If there's anything to be concerned about with Proctor, it's the fact he might be burned out. He made a 83 appearances for the Yankees last season, and has already made 52 more this season.
The Dodgers are also still talking to the Athletics about acquiring Joe Blanton, but they are wary of Blanton's recent performance and Oakland's desire for more prospects than the Dodgers are willing to give up.
You've probably heard a lot about the Dodgers connecting for back-to-back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches in Tuesday night's 4-1 win over the Mets. First went Wilson Betemit, then came Matt Kemp, and rounding out the hat-trick was the most unlikely of characters, pitcher Hong-Chi Kuo. It was Kuo's first career home run, so you could argue that he didn't know how to react to crushing one. Either that, or the dude knew exactly what he was doing when he got off one of the most gangsta bat flips of all-time. See for yourself:
I don't know if I can give Kuo the benefit of the doubt on this one. I wouldn't be surprised if John Maine doses him the next time they meet up. I hope not; I can't wait to see what Kuo does next -- that was priceless.
Third baseman Wilson Betemittook spring rustiness to an extreme Thursday, misplaying three ground balls in four innings of the Dodgers' 7-2 loss to the Atlanta . [Betemit said] "I'm not too worried about it." Manager Grady Littlesaid, "We like Wilson, he just had a tough game."
Booting three grounders in four innings? A-Rod in Toronto last year thinks that's bad. Betemit better watch his back because Andy LaRoche is there waiting.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
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There was speculation around LA that heads were going to roll following the Dodgers' collapse. Many people blamed 
The trade deadline is in less than three hours, so if there's going to be a blockbuster deal, we'll be hearing about it soon. Until then you're just going to have to deal with these small deals that are taking place. Deals like the Dodgers getting 
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