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What prospects should be on your radar?
Now that the Astros have called up prospect George Springer, are you looking for who the next top prospect to be called up and possibly impact your fantasy roster? Well, Jason Hunt has you covered in his weekly Buy and Hold series.
Every Saturday morning, Jason updates his top 10 prospects who are nearing a call up. So, if you are in a league where you can roster a prospect in your bench spot, you need to check out this piece every Saturday morning. Here is his latest:
In addition, new Fake Teams writer Kylan Easterling published his thoughts on which prospects are next in line to be called up for each MLB team:
Team by team: Next prospects in line
John Sickels releases his Top 150 Prospects for 2014
John Sickels from Minor League Ball released his Top 150 Prospects for 2014 on Thursday morning, make sure you check it out. He assigned an A grade to 14 prospects, and an A or A- grade to 32 prospects.
John Sickels' Top 150 Prospects for 2014
Blue Jays call up Marcus Stroman
With Brandon Morrow placed on the 60 day disabled list due to a torn sheath in his pitching hand, the Blue did what many fantasy owners, and Blue Jays fans, have been calling for - they called up top pitching prospect Marcus Stroman. But, he will begin his big league career in the Blue Jays bullpen, according to Shi Davidi, Blue Jays beat reporter from
Stroman coming up for bullpen
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) May 4, 2014
Spencer Silva broke down Blue Jays pitching prospect Marcus Stroman back on April 29th:
Young Guns: Marcus Stroman is beating down the door
Jason Kipnis placed on DL
The indians placed second baseman Jason Kipnis on the disabled list with an oblique strain. I ranked Kipnis as my #1 fantasy second baseman coming into the season, and that ranking looks like it won't work out at this point. Indians GM Chris Antonetti stated Kipnis will miss 3-5 weeks, which really hurts his fantasy value going forward.
#Indians 2B Jason Kipnis will miss 3-5 weeks according to GM Chris Antonetti.
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWTAM) May 2, 2014
This is a tough loss for Indians fans and Kipnis owners, but hopefully he can come back in three weeks instead of five.
For more on Kipnis' injury and the Indians, check out Let's Go Tribe, SB Nation's Indians fan site.
Dee Gordon finally breaking out
It took a few years, some maturing, a new position, and a new approach at the plate, but Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon appears to be in the midst of a break out season. He spent the winter honing his approach at the plate, focusing on hitting more ground balls to utilize his speed more. But, he also learned to play second base, a move to increase his versatility in an attempt to make the Dodgers 25 man roster. Instead, he is the Dodgers starting second baseman, possibly for a long while, as Alex Guerrero is still learning to play second base in AAA.
Last night, Gordon went 5-6 with two runs scored, two RBI and three stolen bases in the Dodgers win over the Marlins. Gordon raised his slash line to .357-.387-.464 with a home run, 16 runs scored, 10 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He is on pace for over 200 hits and 90+ stolen bases. He won't hit .350 all year long, but he could keep the average in the .280-.290 range all season.
Kylan Easterling wrote about Gordon finally meeting expectations last week here.
For more on Gordon and the Dodgers, make sure you check out True Blue LA, SB Nation's Dodgers fan site.
Round'em Up
If Red Sox starter Jon Lester keeps pitching like he did on Saturday, the Red Sox are going to regret not signing him to a long-term contract extension in spring training. Lester is doing nothing but adding millions to the free agent contract he will sign if the Red Sox allow him to walk in the offseason. Yesterday, Lester dominated the hot hitting Athletics lineup, shutting them out on one hit, two walks and 15 strikeouts in the Red Sox 6-3 win. Lester moved his record to 3-4 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 58-10 strikeout to walk rate in 48.2 innings thus far. He is pitching like an ace this season, and will get paid like one in the offseason. And consider that the Yankees will have more money to spend with Derek Jeter retiring, and 2014 more than likely the last season we see Hiroki Kuroda in pinstripes.
Speaking of the Yankees, remember back in spring training when Mark Teixeira was telling anyone who would listen that his wrist didn't have the same range of motion as it did before his wrist surgery, and that it wouldn't be 100% all year? Yeah? Well, with the way he is hitting this season, it appears he may not have been so truthful with us regarding the health of his wrist. On Saturday, he went 2-4 with a home run and three RBI in the Yankees 9-3 win over the Rays. Teixeira is now hitting .269-.406-.569 with five home runs, nine runs scored and ten RBI in 52 at bats. The question for his owners is whether he can keep this up or if it is just a hot streak.
The Twins have been a bit of a surprise in the early part of the 2014 season, as they are doing something they struggled to do last season. Scoring runs. They rank fifth in the majors in runs scored, and one of the hitters who is leading the way for the Twins offense is second baseman Brian Dozier. Dozier went 3-4 with a home run and three runs scored in the Twins 6-1 win over the Orioles. Dozier raised his slash line to .246-.365-.465 with 8 home runs, 29 runs scored, 12 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 10 attempts. The average could be better, but he helps in all other categories, and is on pace for his best season as a major leaguer.
Fantasy Rundown
For more fantasy baseball (and football) news and rankings, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, your one stop for all the fantasy news you need on a daily basis.