Major League Baseball announced the winners of its prestigious awards this week; now, FanHouse is following suit. We voted on winners in five categories (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Draft Day Bargain, Draft Day Bust), the results of which are revealed below. Remember, this awards show deals strictly in fantasy baseball. I'll also throw in a few awards I'm personally doling out for performances that made the 2009 season what it was.
"I can't give you all that information," Gardenhire, the Twins manager, said of his No. 3 hitter. "You'll write it and then other people might figure it out."
So you know, Ron, how to get him out?
"Hell, no, I don't! That's why I don't want to say anything.
While the Philadelphia Phillies are yet to clinch the NL East title, a seven-game lead over Atlanta with ten left to play should be good enough to get the defending champs back into the playoffs. Barring some kind of epic Brad Lidge explosion in which he figures out how to blow eight games at once, anyway.
Speaking of Lidge, his inability to close out games for the Phillies this season has manager Charlie Manuel mulling over his options in the bullpen for the postseason. Since the format of the playoffs allows teams to use a three or four-man starting rotation that means it's likely one of Philly's starters will be going to the bullpen, and it's looking like that person could be the young lefty J.A. Happ.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Rangers could not have fallen out of the playoff race any more quietly than this. Not only have they been losing, but their bats have fallen silent. Including Friday night's 2-0 loss to the Angels, the Rangers have scored just one run in the past five games, a first in franchise history. The last team to score once in five games was the Braves in June 2007.
Scott Kazmir handed them a critical defeat on Friday. The Angels, who had been scuffling themselves on a trip to New York and Boston, came into Texas and pushed the Rangers a season-high 7 1/2 games back in the AL West. The Rangers trail Boston by seven games in the wild-card race.
From the Angels side, Kazmir seems to have turned around his season with the trade from the Rays to Angels. Kazmir had a 5.92 ERA with Tampa Bay, but he's got a 1.42 ERA in four starts with the Angels.
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.
All season long, we've been waiting for David Price to deliver on the hype. But Price's year has been up and down, with counting stats that resemble waiver-wire fodder outside of his strikeout total. Well, there's another Rays starter that may be on track to finish 2009 stronger than Price, and is well worth a spot in all keeper leagues.
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.
The Phillies weren't expecting much when they signed Pedro Martinez right around mid-season. Well, let me rephrase and say the Phillies weren't expecting this much.
On Sunday, Martinez pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out seven while walking two. But those aren't his most amazing numbers. When Martinez pitches the Phillies are a perfect 7-0. Think about that. Every time Pedro runs out there to take the mound the Phillies win.
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.
By now we all know of the greatness of San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum. He's the best pitcher in baseball this season, with a 2.34 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 233 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings. But there's another hard-throwing young kid in the Giants organization that, like Lincecum, has a shot to be one of the league's best very quickly. He's a guy you want to burn that No. 1 waiver priority on, in case he sticks in the rotation for the rest of the season. He is Madison Bumgarner.
Carpenter, who won the award in 2005, was ruthlessly efficient in a 99-pitch, one-hit shutout of the Brewers on Monday, running his record to 16-3 and dropping his ERA to a stingy 2.16.
"That was Nintendo baseball. That's as good a stuff as I've seen this year. He throws strikes with electric stuff," Brewers right fielder Jody Gerut said.
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.
Then, late last week, general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. said Happ is staying in the rotation. In fact, Happ is so important Amaro stated the Phillies might go with a six-man rotation for the time being.
PHILADELPHIA -- And the Phillies' postseason closer is ...
While the Philadelphia Phillies are yet to clinch the NL East title, a seven-game lead over Atlanta with ten left to play should be good enough to get the defending champs back into the playoffs. Barring some kind of epic Brad Lidge explosion in which he figures out how to blow eight games at once, anyway.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
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.
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 is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
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.
