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Today is July 5. On this day in 1947, Larry Doby struck out in a pinch hit appearance for the Cleveland Indians, making him the first African-American player in the American League. Also on this day in 1929, the New York Giants become the first team to use a public address system by doing so at the Polo Grounds. Happy birthday to Dolly the Sheep (1996), the 26th amendment (1971), Goose Gossage (1951), Bill Watterson (1958), and Spam (1937). Here are your fantasy baseball links for today:
Ranking All 30 MLB Closers (As Of July 4, 2011) | Rotoprofessor
Nunez at 18? Grab your torches and pitchforks!
Hail Mary Team, Part 3 | Baseball By Paul
Outfielders to take a chance on
Hail Mary Team, Part 4 | Baseball By Paul
Pitchers to take a chance on
Follow the jump for more of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis from around the web.
2011 Fantasy Baseball, Week 14 Waiver Wire: Josh Reddick Keeps Hitting in Boston | The Fantasy Fix
J.J. Hardy, Adam Dunn and Other Buy Low/Sell High Hitters | Fantasy Knuckleheads
If you make a trade for Markakis now you won’t get the 23 homers or 112 RBIs he racked up in 2007, but you will get the same hitter. I’d expect between 10-12 homers and 50-55 RBIs from Markakis the rest of the way. That is better than what you will probably get from Melky Cabrera or Matt Joyce.
Checking In On Hosmer And Moustakas | Roto Hardball
The power isn't here yet, and may never be Hosmer-level, but it should be plenty for a third baseman. That position is at just .248/.313/.376, and .263/.320/.386 in the AL, so even though Hosmer is seeing more play (Moustakas is owned in 65 percent and started in 34 percent), Moose may be the better starter in the short-term, due to positional scarcity.
On Charlie Furbush, Particularly His Slider | Beyond the Box Score
Two things I'm skeptical of: while Furbush's fastball looks pretty good now, it remains to be seen whether or not it can sustain its effectiveness over the length of a start (a decrease in velocity, which is common for pitchers moving from the bullpen to the rotation, might play a big role in this). Another thing is that funky slider. If it looks more like the horizontal breaker that we saw earlier in the year as opposed the pitch with two-plane break that's appeared over the past few weeks, it could become very prone to flattening out up in the zone.
Injury Report: July 5: Troy Tulowitzki, Mariano Rivera, Albert Pujols & More | Rotoprofessor
MLB Injury Updates, week of July 4th | Roto Hardball
Prospect of the Day: Alex Liddi, 3B, Seattle Mariners | Minor League Ball
Liddi was listed at 6-3, 180 pounds when he first signed but has gained size and strength since then, now measured at 6-4, 230. A right-handed hitter, he has plus power and can drive pitches to all fields, and is particularly strong against fastballs. He has issues with pitch recognition and is vulnerable to strikeouts: he's whiffed 106 times already this year, and scouts worry that he won't make sufficient contact to hit for average in the majors. He does make an effort to work the count and will draw some walks, but batting average will never be his strong suit.
July 4: International Signings Roundup | Baseball America
Baseball's All-Star game can be classic again | Yahoo! Sports