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Well Carlos Delgado will have surgery and be out until around the All-Star break. Possible replacements that may possibly arrise via trade are Aubrey Huff/Orioles; Nick Johnson/Nationals; Victor Martinez/Indians; and maybe even Jorge Cantu/Florida if any of these guys are or become available. I can see all these teams saying they need 2 of the Mets top  prospects, and I honeslty don’t think any of them except Victor Martinez warrant them, however, I would be willing to trade both if we can also land a SP in the deal ala Cliff Lee or Fausto Carmona (even though he hasn’t been great) from Cleveland; and Jeremy Guthrie (even though he hasn’t been great) from Baltimore. I doubt the Indians are willing to trade Victor Martinez and or Cliff Lee/Fausto Carmona so soon, but if so I would be willing to trade Fernando Martinez(of), Jon Niese(sp), Reese Havens or Wilmer Flores(ss) for BOTH Victor Martinez and Fausto Carmona or Aubrey Huff and Jeremy Guthrie, potentially. I think at catcher and 1b, Victor Martinez would be a dream fit, but Huff/Johnson would be less attractive becasue then what do we do when Delgado is back? I guess Huff could play LF again which moves Murphy to RF and then Church and Sheffield become unhappy or Murphy loses playing time which I would thoroughly disagree with. I guess Nick Johnson/Washington can come quite cheap since they also have Adam Dunn and a sundry of outfielders. I just strongly want to emphasize if we trade for a 1b then we should attempt to land a SP along with them if we rid of our top prospect(s). Agreed?

Some other random suggestions/potential candidates:

Russel Branyan/1b, Jose Lopez/2b, Erik Bedard/sp – Mariners… I think something could work here

Adrian Gonzalez/1b, Jake Peavy/sp – Padres… I wish something could work here

Jermaine Dye/of – White Sox (Move Murphy to 1b)…He’s solid but we really need a SP also

Matt Holliday/of – Athletics (Move Murphy to 1b)…May require way too much for thus far subpar performance

Helton/Atkins/1b – Rockies… Hmm, maybe Helton Could come cheap other than money cost?

All these guys are probably tradable minus Adrian Gonzalez, but they have a top notch 1b prospect.

Who has the most home runs on the Brewers?

Ryan Braun?

Prince Fielder?

Mike Cameron?

Corey Hart?

JJ Hardy?

Nope… It’s 2b, Rickie Weeks – the Perennial 20hr/30sb candidate, however his sub .240 avg keeps him out of the top 10 rounds and out of the top 5 2b’s. He’s a solid 25/20 candidate this year now. His sb’s need to pick up a little though and they should.

Free Agent Watch: 2 Guys I’m somewhat passionate about -

*Chris Coghlan/3b (and maybe 2b/of) -Florida Marlins. If anything happens to Uggla/Hermida/Ross/Bonifacio this kid could stud it up. They want him in the lineup bad. He just hit his first career homerun. Keep watch!

*Philip Hughes/sp-Yankees. I know he had a horrendous start against the Orioles and not a great start against the Red Sox, but this guy is an aboslute stud and could be better than Joba for the rest of this year. His fastball moves and his curveball is sick. If he’s dropped in your league, pick him up and at least stash away until he keeps hot. I understand Wang may be back up – hopefully the Yankees understand they need Joba in the bullpen so Hughes can start. I’m assuming he’d have to string together 3 solid starts before that happens, but if it does – Jump.

The NL East is shaping up to be a very uncertain affair with the exception of
the doormat Nationals team. Four games are within five games of first. All of them
have good chances to be competitive.

That’s why the win over the Mets in the “rubber” game of the three game series
was big. The Marlins fought back from a deficit for the second straight night and overcome
another strong start by their ace Johan Santana. We can be grateful that they chose to
take him out so soon.

The fish have maintained their lead in the division despite suffering a seven game
losing streak. They now go to Chicago to take on a team with the best record in the
National League last year. Good performances will be needed to get wins up there.

Last night’s game should be forgotten just as soon as possible. Hanley Ramirez
was taken out by an inside pitch on his hand and a grand slam capped a six run
New york first inning off Anibal Sanchez. The Marlins only mustered two hits off
Mets pitchers all night.
 
 Despite the seven game losing streak, the clouds should have a silver lining.
X-rays of Hanley’s hand showed that nothing is broken, so he might be out shorter
than first expected. They actually still lead their close division. Sanchez pitched a solid
five innings after that terrible start. There is not a need to start panicking now.

 Tonight’s game will feature two struggling pitchers from each side. Nolasco and Hernandez
have both been hit quite hard in their latter starts. Let’s hope that the former of them
can rebound nicely.

There is no cause for panic at this point. They still lead their division. Noone expected them to be where they are now.

Still, it is troubling to lose five games in a row. They have now blown leads twice in a row at home. They have not gotten enough production from the key spots in the batting order, most notably leadoff.

The manager chose to switch closer in Saturday’s game. That may be called for because Lindstrom gave up six runs but hardly a way to inspire confidence in your staff. It might have been better to give him one more chance.

Notes: What I tend to do heavily in my rankings, unlike all the other rankings, is group players together based on their position/projection/potential. For example, in round 8/bubble I grouped together 4 cl (Brad Lidge and Jon Broxton as well as Matt Capps and Heath Bell). Broxton has had a great start and Lidge has had a rough one, but by season’s end the stats should be about the same. I also grouped together 6 sp (Rich Harden, Joba Chamberlain, Adam Wainwright, Yovani Gallardo, Josh Johnson, and Erik Bedard). These are all great sp’s with ?’s though – inning/injury concerns. Of course, I have 3+ weeks of the season now to include in my rankings (upping Zach Greinke and Josh Johnson on my list, but honestly guys like Carlos Quentin and Matt Kemp I already thought should be ranked where I have them), but here, I posted my rankings followed by a notes section [In the notes section,  I’ve bolded the players that are in the referenced round]. Within the rankings, I bolded some guys I like and ranked higher than most others, and italicized others I didn’t like as much or ranked lower than others or have since been hurt.

Top 12/Round 1:

In 2009, I think Miguel Cabrera could break 37 homers and 127rbis he had last season. He’s already off to a hot start, batting .431 up to this point. With an increase in runs from 85 to about 100 and to me – a sure increase in batting average from .292 to about .315, I think Miguel Cabrera could be ranked above David Wright this year. Similarly, I see Ryan Braun breaking 40hr and 15sb. If his avg raises passed .300, and I think it will, he too, could surpass Wright because of the HR total, but obviously I would take Wright over both Miggy and Braun b/c of 3b eligibility – Is Miggy 3b eligible in your league though??? Chase Utley to me at 2b just beats out Ian Kinsler (2b) because of the RBI total. He’s healthy, and he’s already got 4hr and 2sb with 12r, 12rbi, and a .362avg. One guy who is absolutely on fire, and probably will stay that way if healthy for a full season, is 2b (position scarcity) Ian Kinsler. His line is already: 15r-5hr-16rbi-7sb-.381avg. Most projections call for about 25sb, but I didn’t see why he can’t break 30 (now 35) with a full season – 118r-26hr-84rbi-34sb-295avg anyone??? Like I said, I’d honestly rank him above Utley if it wasn’t for Utley’s rbis’s – and for that matter at 2b he could also be above Wright/3b, Miguel Cabrera/1b, and Ryan Bruan/of by year’s end. Kinsler had 23 and 26sb respectively in the past 2 seasons in 483ab’s and 518ab’s. With health, and in that lineup, he should approach 550ab’s, score a ton of runs, and should have a decent amount of rbi opportunities. Evan Longoria jumps into the first round again because of position scarcity (3b) over Josh Hamilton (of) and Mark Teixeira (1b). He’s already on fire batting 10r-5hr-16rbi-1sb-.386avg.

Round 2/Players 13-24:

There may be some surprises in round 2. Justin Morneau is so clutch, I just can’t rank him any lower. I think 27-30hr and 120rbi with 95r and 300+ avg is justified where I have him. Alex Rodriguez will miss time, but there’s no question he could still go 100-32-105-12-300. There is only 2 more sure thing 3b’s in Kevin Youkilis and Aramis Ramirez in the next 4 rounds (Chone Figgins, just there for speed and Chipper Jones is so injury prone I think he should be in round 7). The New-B’s here are Carlos Quentin (of) (who is already studding it up, and I have no idea why most projections were so low on him maybe batting avg. He’s got 7hr already); Matt Kemp (of) (don’t love his lineup spot, but still a great lineup with a lot more rbi opp’s and he’s such a great power-speed combo – already at 13r-3hr-14rbi-4sb-.362); Nick Markakis (of) (who would be first round material if he gets more than my projected 23-25hr and 9-12sb. He should hit 100-105r and 105-110rbi with a .307-.315avg.

Round 3/Players 25-36:

Tim Lincecum/Manny Ramirez/Dustin Pedroia/ BJ Upton are all still 2^nd round material to me depending on if you like drafting one ace very early in Lincecum or stolen bases in Upton or position scarcity in Pedroia. Kevin Youkilis somehow remains underrated (especially because he’s 3b eligible). He contributes greatly to 4 categories: about 100-105r; 27-30hr; 109-115rbi; 3sb-4sb; .305-.315avg. I just don’t love Matt Holliday outside of Coors and in Oakland, but his 95/25/95/15 potential is still 2^nd round material if that’s his line by season’s end. Aramis Ramirez could be ranked right before Kevin Youkilis or maybe early into round 4, but at 3b, I still love him in the Cubbies lineup.

Round 4/Players 37-48:

Ichiro Suzuki is sometimes ranked in the top 24, and his avg, runs, sb’s make him worth it there, but his lack of hr and rbi keep him down here for me. I’m usually doing fine with sb providers by now (say Kinsler/2b-27sb, Longoria/3b-11sb, Kemp/of-30sb) or (Wright/3b-18sb, Soriano/of-25sb, and Markakis/of-10sb) – that’s 68sb and 53sb respectively. If you end up with like: Howard/1b-1sb and Santana/sp, and Crawford (of) or Roberts (2b) are already off the board, than Ichiro can get bumped up if you think you’ll need the sb. I’d rather someone else and go for Shane Victorino/Jacoby Ellsbury in round 5 though. To me, Brian Roberts is Ichiro Suzuki at 2b, so Roberts is much more valuable to me. Some people still think Carl Crawford can approach 20hr in a season, and depending on his lineup spot he could knock in 85rbi, but in the 2-whole it looks like he should have a line of 90runs;10-12hr;70-75rbi;30-40sb;283-287avg, which will still justify this rank or even a little higher. I think by now he can be considered injury prone. I honestly think he has top third round potential, but every guy I have in round 3 just knocks him down to round 4. Brandon Phillips is great at 2b, and he’s a solid 4 stat contributor with a nice young lineup, but his average keeps him in round 4 to me. I like Cole Hamels and Brandon Webb here so long as they’re healthy because they symbolize the end of the 4 category top-notch fantasy aces (w,era,whip,k). Josh Beckett, Roy Oswalt, and Chad Billingsley are great, but Beckett’s era could be somewhat high as can Billingsley’s whip, and Oswalt looks to be slowing down a bit and striking out less batters although he was fantastic in the 2^nd half of last year. I like the 3 catchers: Victor Martinez, Brian McCann, and Russell Martin here. McCann’s eye is a worry and Martin’s starting off somewhat slow, but by season’s end I think they’ll be worth it here. If the latter 2 slip into round 5, fine.

Round 5/Players 49-60:

I usually have top power guys (David Ortiz/Carlos Pena), top speed guys (Rafael Furcal/Shane Victorino/Jacoby Ellsbury), or power-speed combos (Nate McLouth/Bobby Abreu/Corey Hart/ Carlos Granderson) as well as position scarcity (Geovany Soto/c; Rafael Furcal/ss; Alexei Ramirez/2b-ss) all in round 5. Soto is just too good to let drop for a catcher. I could see him being a 4^th rounder next year with another consistent year – similar to where McCann, Martin, and a healthy Victor Martinez are. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Victor Martinez, Brian McCann, Geovany Soto, Russell Martin, Joe Mauer, and Matt Wieters all go in round 4 next year. 12 players-6 catchers-1 round…Mark it (round 5 the latest).

Round 6/Players 61-72:

I love Joey Votto for his 7-10 sb and .290-300avg in addition to 24-28hr and 90-100rbi. I wouldn’t mind going with Robinson Cano here either at 2b in the Yankees lineup either. I love Cano slipping to round 7/8 because I think he can perform to the line of 90-95r;18-20hr;90-95rbi;4-5sb;.292-.302avg. Here, I like the 4 closers too: Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, and Francisco Rodriguez – all great 3 category pitchers with a good amount of k’s for relievers as well, however, personally I wait to draft closers and may look to draft 3 in a row, come round 13/14. Chad Billingsley is already showing why I have him ranked here with 4 wins and a 26:9 k:bb ratio, and a Dodger team that should be just as good for years to come. [Dodgers Lineup: Furcal-Hudson-Manny-Ethier-Loney-Kemp-Martin-Blake] – wow! If Billingsley keeps the whip down, he’ll jump to round 4/5 prior to Beckett and Oswalt. I don’t love Chone Figgins at 3b or Dan Uggla’s avg, but you can’t go wrong with Figgins’ sb’s and Uggla at 2b. Ryan Ludwick (already at 5hr and 16rbi, 1sb, and batting .370), after a great year last year, was way too underrated in this year’s drafts – the power and rbi’s should be there.

Round 7/Players 73-84:

Chipper Jones gets drafted much earlier, and at 3b, he’s so good, but he just doesn’t stay healthy enough for me to rank him higher. We should all know about Chris Davis’ potential by now (and flaws). Carlos Delgado could be Delgado of 2008-2^nd half or 2008-1^st half. I think he’ll go 33-35hr; 110-115rbi. Aubrey Huff was great again last year, and at 3b & 1b, I like him a lot with Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis in front of him. I like Garret Atkins enough to rank him in round 6 at 3b, but to me everyone above him as a little more potential/better power/better position scarcity ala Michael Young (ss;3b). Adam Dunn, Joe Mauer (c), and Andre Ethier are all solid options here as well. Dunn looks to be on a mission; I love Ethier batting clean-up in that Dodger’s lineup (and he should get you some sb’s with a nice avg.) I like James Shields and Zack Greinke (round 8 ) b/c each will have both good era’s and whip’s, where as the next few sp’s could have a high whip or era.

Round 8/9; Players 85-104:

Here, as you can see, I favor sp’s. I actually get my first ace in round 7 or 8 and then attempt to draft 3 or 4 in a row. Felix Hernandez and Scott Kazmir can have fairly high whips, while AJ Burnett can have a fairly high ERA, and as good as the next wave of SP’s are (Harden; Joba; Wainwright; EBedard; JJohnson; Gallardo), they all have question marks in some way (inning concerns, injury concerns, or not enough of a sample size). Derek Lee is in a solid lineup, but hit only 22 and 20 hr in the past 2 years. Without pop, and slowing down in sb as well, I can see him falling out of the top 9 rounds next year.

As I said in my notes section, I group players based on positioning/potential/and your statistical needs. I probably won’t rank the next 15 rounds only because I over/under-rate some players based on position, stats, and potential, and then I’d give away all my strategy.Feel free to question/criticize/comment.

Florida went into the season with three “proven” names in their rotation. The back end was not
that clear and remains so despite the hot start to the season. The 8-0 loss to the Pirates
served to make things worse.

#4 pitcher Andrew Miller will now go on the 15 day DL with a strain. Most likely, some
of the names from the bullpen will take his spot. There is no real frontrunner for the vacant job.

It will be necessary to watch how much their bullpen is used as well. They did set a club record with 24 scoreless innings, but Kensing gave up that fatal grand slam in last night’s game. You don’t want to wear them out too early in the season.

You kind of feel that you have a momentum when you win ten of your first 11. How about two straight come from behind extra innings on the road? Things have been going the Marlins way so far in 2009.

When their usual top players are not at their best, others have come forward. Today Jeremy Hermida bailed Josh Johnson out of a bad start with six runs to the Nationals. Hermida hit dingers both in the 9th and again in the 11th.

Tomorrow is the final game of the three game series with the Nationals. With all the bullpen work
incurred by short starts and extra innings, it will be crucial that the starter can go deep
into the game. Let’s hope that Volstad can deliver.

Before I get into today’s game I want to make mention of a few things:

I didn’t get to post about Yesterdays game against the Florida Marlins, but I woule like to write a quick blurb about it now.  Johan looked awesome, 13 K’s is nothing to sneeze at. Of course he did not get the win…that went to Johnson, Florida’s SP. Johnson got better as the game progressed, and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with this guy. It was an incredible gamer to watch, and I feel it was the best I have watched this season. (Even though it resulted in a Mets loss) Oh yeah, Congratulations to Johan Santana…who’s wife gave birth to a baby boy today…only 18 years and we might see another Johan!

Ok so now for today. Citi Field is in business! It was a true pleasure to see The Franchise and Mr. Mike Piazza on the field once again for the opening ceremonies. Always cool to see those two on the same field. So new stadium, fresh start, let’s give the ball to Mike Pelfrey. What a wonderful first inning it was, the first Padres batter launched a home run over the right field fence to christen the new field. Pelfrey then settled down and escaped the first inning.

Pelfrey have up 4 more runs over the next few innings, and wasn’t all that sharp tonight. His pitches were up in the zone, and I must admit, I am hoping to see more from him this weekend.

Offensively, David Wright looked great, Beltran gave one a ride (but not quite enough), Castillo came through in an important spot. Feliciano balked home the go ahead (at the time) and eventual winning run. Not exactly the best way to start, but let’s see what happens!

Until tomorrow…Happy blogging!

 Johan Santana have not done much wrong in his first two starts for the Mets. In 12 2/3 innings pitched, he’s struck out 20 and only given up one earned run. One expects to have a perfect record when pitching like that.

 Still, he stands at 1-1 in the wins and losses columns. Much of the reason for that came from the hands of Josh Johnson today. The Marlin hurler dazzled the Mets hitters in the complete game 2-1 win. He didn’t give up a hit until the sixth and the lone run came in the final inning. He now stands at 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA for the season.

 Florida will now get a really tough challenge on their hands. They travel to Atlanta in a clash between the two hottest teams of the majors so far in the young season. That should make for some exciting baseball!!