The Angels sent top prospect Mike Trout down to AA Arkansas before last night's game. Trout struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, but the talent is obviously still there. He could be back in September, but it would not surprise me if the Angels decided to wait till next year to give Trout more time to develop in AA/AAA.
With the trade of Brandon Allen over the weekend, the Diamondbacks needed an everyday first baseman and they are giving AA slugger Paul Goldschmidt a chance to play everyday in Arizona. Goldschmidt was hitting .306-.435-.626 with 30 HRs, 94 RBIs and a 92-82 K/BB rate. He has improved his K rate and BB rate this year and will need to maintain that growth to succeed in the big leagues. Goldschmidt batted 7th last night in the Dbacks lineup.
Pirates new first baseman Derrek Lee had a big first game with his new team, going 2-4 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs last night. He batted cleanup and could provide a solid bat in the Buccos lineup. As a Pedro Alvarez owner, I hope he can help the young guy improve at the plate.
More Roundup after the jump:
Braves second baseman Dan Uggla is on fire right now and fantasy owners want to know where he was the first 3 months of the season. Uggla hit .293 in July after hitting under .195 in each of the first three months of the season. He went 3-4 with 2 HRs and 2 RBIs last night, and now has 22 HRs, but just 49 RBIs on the season.
Red Sox starter John Lackey had been pitching well of late, but August brought back the Lackless Lackey as he gave up 5 runs on 8 hits in 6.2 innings, including two home runs. Is he pitching hurt? I think we will find out in the next few months.
Indians second base prospect Jason Kipnis had his best game as a major leaguer last night, going 3-5 with a HR, 3 runs and an RBI. He has homered in two straight games, and is giving fantasy owners a taste of the power in his bat.
Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera went 3-5 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs and is now hitting .293-.347-.501 with 19 HRs and 65 RBIs on the season. Is this breakout year a fluke, or something he can carry into 2012? That is a question many will be asking in the offseason.
If I told you in the beginning of the season that on August 1st, Carl Crawford would be batting 6th in the Red Sox lineup, hitting just .248-.283-.384 with 7 HRs, 37 RBIs, 42 runs and just 12 SBs, you would think I was crazy, right? In what round does he get drafted in 2012? Third too early?
Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton went 2-5 with a grand slam and 4 RBIs last night, and is hitting .259-.333-.535 with 25 HRs and 67 RBIs. He is on pace for a 37-100 season as a 21 year old. How many HRs will he hit when he is in his prime? 45-50? 50+?
A few weeks ago, manager Jack McKeon said he thinks Stanton could be a 30-30 hitter at some point. Stanton is just 3-5 in stolen base opportunities this season.
Yankees starter CC Sabathia scattered 10 hits but gave up just 2 runs to beat the White Sox last night for his 16th win of the season. Sabathia is now 16-5 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. If he doesn't opt out of his contract for more money in the offseason, I will be shocked. He will have Brian Cashman offering him a new contract before the season is over.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw pitched another complete game last night as he held the Padres to 2 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. He is now 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 177-42 K/BB rate. Kershaw leads the NL in wins and Ks, and is 2nd in complete games and innings pitched.
Kershaw's teammate Rubby de la Rosa got some bad news last night as he has a sprained UCL in his right elbow and could require surgery. RDLR was having a promising rookie season and will miss the rest of this season and possibly all of 2012 if he requires Tommy John Surgery.