Fake Teams Hits the Fantasy Links

Today is June 10th.  On this day in 1921, Babe Ruth became the career home run leader for Major League Baseball when he hit his 120th homer off of Jim Bagby of the Cleveland Indians in the third inning.  67 years ago today, Joe Nuxhall became the youngest player to ever play in an MLB game at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days.  He pitched 2/3 of an inning for the Reds, giving up 5 runs on 2 hits and 5 walks (his ERA+ for the season was 9), and would return to the team 9 years later as a legitimate player.  On this day in 1692, Bridget Bishop became the first person executed in the Salem Witch Trials for "certaine De-testable Arts, called Witchcraft & Sorceries."  Happy (?) death day to Alexander the Great (323 BC).  Here are your fantasy baseball links for today:

Playing the Name Game | COSFBA
I love this stuff. I may try to start doing one of these regularly around here.

SP List Update – 40% Mile Marker | Baseball By Paul

Buy or Sell: First Base | Fantasy Baseball 365

Closer Report - Depth Chart Update | Fantasy Phenoms

Follow the jump for more of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis from around the web.

AL Waiver Wire:  Week 10 | The Hardball Times

Hardy's line drive, groundball and flyball rates nearly mirror his career best 2007 marks, with the biggest difference in batted balls being a crazy pop-up rate of 22 percent. Should he straighten that out, a reasonable projection for his final line would be one that is indistinguishable from his 2007 and 2008 seasons. At worst, Hardy is worth rostering while he's tearing the cover off the ball and ditched when he cools off.

NL Waiver Wire: Week 10 | The Hardball Times

In terms of what you can expect, think of Gordon in the mold of Eric Young Jr., only with the ability to hit for average with shortstop, rather than second base, eligibility. Another perk of Gordon over the perpetually disappointing EYJ is that Gordon has a manager who, if for no other reason than there are really no other options, will play him consistently.

Under the Radar - Mixed Leagues | BaseballPress.com

Although [Murphy] doesn't have the power of traditional first baseman, he's swinging a hot bat right now, putting together a .429/.471/.524 triple-slash line since May 20. In addition to regular at-bats while playing first, his second base eligibility is an added bonus for fantasy owners.

Granderson, This Season's Bautista | Beyond the Box Score

Curtis Granderson is looking to be this year's power break out candidate. He currently has 17 home runs through 59 games with his previous high being 30 in 2009. The thirty year old seems to be taking the same path the Jose Bautista did, pulling the ball more.

Free Swinging Freddy Freeman | Baseball Analytics

It looks like [Freeman's] success on some outside pitches is causing him to go after more of them. That may work short term, but once pitchers realize they don't need to throw strikes to get Freddy to swing, he'll receive fewer and fewer pitches he can drive.

Price Even Better in 2011 | FanGraphs Baseball

Once upon a time, Price was a two-trick pony with a dominating fastball and a lights-out slider. In 2011, Price still has the excellent fastball that he relies on heavily, but is now a well-rounded pitcher who throws up to five different pitches on any given night. One of those pitches is a changeup that is increasing in usage.

Cole Hamels Staying Grounded | FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

Hamels is getting many more grounders with his fastball this year, while also boosting his ground ball rate on cutters and curveballs thrown. His changeup already got a lot of grounders and has continued to do so in 2011. Hitters are putting the ball in the air less often against Hamels, which has helped the 27-year-old decrease his slugging percentage on contact nearly across the board.

The Duffy Problem | Royals Authority

Of course, this leads into his struggle with command. Seriously, it’s not supposed to be this way. Through his first five starts, Duffy has a 1.06 SO/BB ratio. He’s struck out 18 batters and walked 17 (including four last night) in just 24 innings. That works out to a 6.7 SO/9 and a 6.3 BB/9. I don’t think anyone expected this. It’s truly disturbing. In Triple-A this year prior to his recall, Duffy had a 2.5 BB/9 and 10.8 SO/9. Obviously, you would expect those numbers to change just a bit as you progress and land in the majors, but the Duffy that has been struggling with command at the major league level has never… never had this kind of problem.

Injury Report: June 10: Dustin Pedroia, Leo Nunez, Denard Span & More | Rotoprofessor

Cheeks Weather Report | Sons of Roto

Prospect of the Day: Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals | Minor League Ball

Power is Moustakas' best asset: his bat speed is tremendous and he can pull just about anything. On the negative side, his strike zone judgment can be spotty and he doesn't draw many walks, making his OBP very dependent on his batting average. A saving grace is a low strikeout rate: he's impatient, but adept at making hard contact even on stuff he probably shouldn't chase. His swing is short and surprisingly compact, and pitchers have found few holes in it even with his aggressive approach.

Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Dustin Ackley, more | KFFL.com

As for the present, much is going to be made of Rizzo getting little support from a punchless supporting cast and playing half his games in PETCO Park, arguably the worst environment in baseball for hitters. These factors will certainly play a part in negatively affecting Rizzo's fantasy numbers, but he has the raw power to overcome some of the handicaps that the expansive right field of PETCO Park brings.

Royals Call Up Mike Moustakas | Sons of Roto

His time at triple-A this season hasn't gone as well as it did in 2010. He's striking out a little more (19.7% K%) and the power is down (10 HR in 55 games, .211 ISO). We should expect similar troubles when he is promoted to the majors. Facing big league pitching and defense does that to freshmen. We should also note that Moustakas has benefited from playing in hitter friendly park in AA/AAA and will be playing in a pitcher friendly (to neutral) park in KC.

The Five Best Pitches In Baseball | Baseball Nation
A look at the best pitches in baseball, starting with Justin Verlander, and moving on through Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Mariano Rivera, and Jonny Venters.