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Do you have some trade offers you are consider, but need to bounce them off of someone? Are you pondering a roster move and want a second opinion? Feel free to post your questions in the Fantasy Baseball Questions thread.
Fake Teams Podcast, Episode 13: We Can Handle the Truth
Zack and Andrew hosted episode 13 of the Fake Teams podcast where they discussed Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kipnis, John Lackey, scouting grades and much more. You can listen to the podcast in two ways:
Jason Kipnis is on fire
There were lots of runs scored in Chicago on Friday, and looking at the boxscore for this game, you see the Indians had their way with the White Sox pitching staff. Eight of their nine hitters had two hits or more, and Jason Kipnis, of course, led the way. Kipnis went 3-4.with 3 walks, 3 doubles, 2 RBI and a stolen base, raising his triple slash line to .295-.379-.522 with 11 HRs, 42 runs, 47 RBI and 18 stolen bases. He won't keep hitting like this all season, but he is making fantasy owners, me, start to move him up in their second base rankings. I wrote about Kipnis yesterday, where I discuss the possibility of Kipnis as the #1 fantasy second baseman, so check it out.
For more on Kipnis and the Indians, please check out Let's Go Tribe, SB Nation's Indians fan site.
Wil Myers showing off some power
I haven't had the chance to write about Rays outfielder Wil Myers since he was called up, but I have to say I am a little surprised at how well he is doing. Myers went 2-4 with a HR and 2 runs scored in the Rays 6-3 loss to the Tigers last night. Myers is now hitting .289-.304-.511 with 3 HRs, 5 runs and 9 RBI in just 45 at bats. He will be batting in the middle of the Rays order before too long. HIs power is for real.
He will have to work on the 12-1 strikeout to walk rate though. He walked around 10% of his plate appearances in the minors, so I expect him to start taking some free passes once he goes around the league once.
For more on Myers and the Rays, check out DRaysBay, SB Nation's Rays fan site.
Johnny Cueto, Evan Longoria injured
Reds starter Johnny Cueto left Friday's game with an injury. Here is MLB.com's Mark Sheldon on the injury via Twitter:
Cueto injured for 3rd time on 1-2 pitch to Moreland. Immediately looked in pain and comes out. Cingrani in. #reds
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) June 29, 2013
Sheldon later tweeted that he thinks Cueto aggravated the lat injury that he has dealt with all season. I assume the Reds will take it reeeeeeaaaal slow with him this time. Tony Cingrani should take Cueto's spot in the Reds rotation, again.
Rays third baseman Evan Longoria re-aggravated the plantar fascitis injury while running out a ground ball last night. Early reports indicate he may miss a few games as a result.
Round'em Up
Indians pitching prospect Trevor Bauer didn't make it out of the first inning last night, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs, and a walk. This is all just part of the learning curve that young pitchers deal with every year. At what point will the Indians just leave him in their starting rotation. He will have to learn to limit the free pass before he even sniffs the potential he had coming out of UCLA. He was optioned to AAA after the game.
One pitching prospect who had struggled before getting sent back down to AAA a few weeks ago is Kevin Gausman. Gausman relieved T.J. McFarland with two outs in the third inning, and proceeded to toss 4.1 scoreless innings vs the Yankees last night. He gave up just 3 hits, walking none and striking out 4 to earn his first major league win. Gausman could have earned himself a spot in the rotation after his performance last night. He has a bright future with the Orioles, and could help fantasy teams in the second half of the season.
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has had his share of struggles this season, and last, but last night he probably had his best game of the season. Hosmer went 3-4 with 2 HRs, 3 runs and 3 RBI in the Royals win over the Twins. Hosmer is now hitting .274-.327-.402 with 6 HRs, 38 runs, 32 RBI and 7 stolen bases thus far. He has plenty of work to do to reach the potential he had when he was called up, but he has been hitting better since George Brett took over as the Royals hitting coach. In 101 June at bats, he has twice as many extra base hits (12, 5 of them homers) as he had in April and May combined (6). The increase in power is a positive sign for the Royals and his fantasy owners.
Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball, no doubt, and more than likely the slam dunk #1 pcik in 2014 fantasy drafts. Last night, he went 4-4 with 2 HRs, 3 runs and 3 RBI in the Tigers 6-3 win over the Rays. Miggy raised his triple slash line to .377-.464-.682 with 24 HRs, 62 runs, and 81 RBI in 78 games, putting him on pace for 50 HRs and 168 RBI. Triple Crown #2??
Who has the better shot at hitting 50 home runs this season: Miguel Cabrera or Chris Davis?
Tigers starter Max Scherzer is having the best year of his career thus far, and I think he is the favorite for the American League Cy Young award, especially after winning his 12th game of the season last night. Scherzer gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, a walk and 9 strikeouts in the Tigers 6-3 win. Scherzer is now 12-0 with a 3.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 131-25 strikeout to walk rate in 110.1 innings. Heck, if I didn't include his name in this blurb, one would think I was talking about Justin Verlander and not Scherzer.
Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin appears to be back to being the pitcher he was several years ago. Last night, he shut out the Giants on 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in 8 innings to win his 7th game of the season. Chacin is now 7-3 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 95.1 innings. He has not given up a run in his last two starts, covering 15 innings, and has given up two runs or less in each of his last four starts.
More from Fake Teams
2013 Prospect Rankings: The Midseason Top-100
Failed Baseball America prospects: "The Scouting Report Phenom"
Fake Teams Podcast Episode 13: We Can Handle The Truth
Streamer Report: Weekend Pitching Streamers
Low Level Prospect Review: Renato Nunez, 3B, Oakland Athletics
Waiting in the Wings: Billy Hamilton
Note: I have a graduation party to attend this afternoon/evening, so there will be no Roundup on Sunday morning.