Kuzul

In this article we will be surveying the AAA ranks in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues—from the power bat of Chris Carter to the newly minted relief arm of Aroldis Chapman.

Plus the New York Yankees phenom, Jesus Montero, is starting to heating up!

Position Players

Chris Carter, 1B, Oakland
AAA Line: .237, 15 HR, 54 RBI

There is no questioning the pop in his bat as Carter hit 39 HR in A ball in ’08 and hit 28 HR between AA and AAA last season.

He’s displayed good patience at the plate, drawing 42 walks (85 in ’09). The strikeouts, albeit, are alarming. He K’d 133 times last season, and has already whiffed 91 times in 76 games this year. When behind in the count he’s hitting .151 with 40 Ks, which means he’s quite pitchable.

I for one have had enough of Jack Cust, and would love to see Carter get a shot with the big club.

Yonder Alonso, 1B, Cincinnati
AAA Line: .230, 3 HR, 21 RBI

The 2008 No. 7 overall selection has struggled with his promotion to the International League. After posting a 19:16 BB to K ratio in 31 AA games, his current 10:33 ratio is a complete reversal.

A LHH, he’s struck out 26 times against RHP, and only seven times in 55 AB against LHP. He’s sporting a .272 OBP in 45 games. Alonso is not flashing power either, with six combined HRs between the two levels (76 games). He’s slugging .328 in AAA.

Unless he’s a trade piece, it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel with Votto in his path. 

Jesus Montero, C, N.Y. Yankees
AAA Line – .251, 6 HR, 31 RBI

It took a while, but Montero is starting to mash. To put things in perspective: he had three homers and 21 RBI in the season’s first two months—he has three HR and eight RBI in his last nine games. Eight of his 17 doubles have come in the month of June.

Standing at 6’4”, and with stalwart defender Austin Romine also in the system, Montero seems destined for a position change.

Josh Bell, 3B, Baltimore
AAA Line: .260, 8 HR 38 RBI

Another power bat with too many Ks in it. The switch-hitting Bell averages a strikeout per game on the season, and has K’d 14 times in his last 10. This is not startling news, as he struck out 98 times in two AA stops last season. However, the precipitous drop in walks is worrisome. He’s drawn only 18 BB in 72 games, as opposed to 61 BB in ’09.

On a positive note, Bell has shown enhanced focus in RISP situations, hit .304 and driving in 30 of his 38 runs.

The O’s certainly have no use for Tejada, so maybe Bell will find his opportunity by default.

Allen Craig, OF, St. Louis
AAA Line: .306, 9 HR, 55 RBI

After a strong showing in spring training, the 25-year-old Craig broke camp with the big club. Unfortunately, his stay was short lived as he collected just one base hit in 18 AB. He’s been tearing up the PCL since.

In 27 June games, he’s batting .336 with 11 doubles, seven HR and an eye popping 35 RBI. His June OPS is 1.044, and he has 14 RBI in his last ten games. Craig is hitting .366 in 71 AB with RISP.

He can flat out rake, but there’s simply no room for him in a stacked Cardinal OF.

Michael Taylor, OF, Oakland
AAA Line – .249, 3 HR, 38 RBI

Taylor was the centerpiece of the Roy Halladay deal for Toronto, and then sent to Oakland for Brett Wallace. At 6’6” and 260 pounds, he’s an absolute mammoth of a man, but possesses incredible athletic gifts.

Not many people his size can run and play the outfield.

He stole 15 bases in ’08, 21 in ’09 and eight thus far in 2010. He’s a real threat to leg out a triple as well. The A’s are still waiting on his power at the AAA level (.378 SLG %). Taylor is hitting .343 with RISP.

At 24, he’s still raw with a definite learning curve, but the skills are there.

Brandon Allen, 1B, Arizona
AAA Line: .259, 8 HR, 33 RBI

Allen is showing great plate discipline, drawing nearly as many walks (41) as he has hits (43). Despite his average, his OBP is .411. His previous high for BB in a minor league season is 60 in AA ’08.

In his 100 AB stint with the Diamondbacks last September, Allen hit .202 with four HR, and a 12:40 BB to K ratio. He has a long swing and not a particularly swift bat. He will likely always struggle to make contact at the higher level. But when he does connect, it can go a long way.

If the D’backs deal LaRoche, he’ll play 1B.

Pitchers

Aroldis Chapman, SP/RP, Cincinnati
AAA Line: 5-5, 4.06 ERA, 81 K

The Reds have made the decision to use Chapman out of the bullpen for the remainder of 2010. However, the plan is still to groom him as a starter in the future.

On the season Chapman has 81 Ks in 68 2/3 innings, but with those strikeouts also come 41 BB. LHH are hitting .241 against him. After producing a 1.29 ERA in four April starts, he pitched to a 5.47 ERA in May and 5.09 thus far in June.

Daniel Hudson, SP, Chicago White Sox
AAA Line: 10-3, 3.83 ERA, 97 K

Hudson has put up stunning K:BB ratios at every minor league stop; 90:22 in Rookie ball, 166:34 between A, AA and AAA in ’09, and 97 to 27 this season.

Hudson’s fastball is in the low-mid 90s with good location and his trademark pitch is his change-up. Hudson made two big league starts last season, compiling 11 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 8 Ks and an ugly nine walks.

With the resurgence of Freddy Garcia (sort of), I suppose he’ll have to wait for his time.

Tanner Scheppers, RP/SPm Texas
AAA Line: 1-0, 2.86 ERA, 39 K

After 11 innings of three-hit, one run ball as a reliever in AA (.079 BAA), the Rangers are now trying to stretch Scheppers out in AAA. He’s yet to throw more than four innings in any of his four starts. In 15 2/3 IP he’s allowed 14 hits, 7 ER, K’d 12 and walked four.

Scheppers is a power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and a hard breaking curve, but lacks a third pitch. He’s suffered with shoulder problems in the past.

Josh Lindblom, SP, L.A. Dodgers
AAA Line: 2-1, 6.25 ERA, 49 K

Lindblom made a powerful impression during spring training, but his first half of 2010 has been rocky to say the least.

In 10 games as a starter, opposing batters are hitting .349. He’s given up an unfathomable 80 hits in 51 innings. His GO/AO ratio is 0.84. His last six appearances have come in relief, where he’s been far more effective; he’s allowed six hits and one run in eight relief innings.

The Dodgers view him as a starter, but priority numero uno is getting him straightened out.

Brandon Erbe, SP, Baltimore
AAA Line: 0-10, 5.73 ERA, 50 K

Consistency has been a problem for Erbe in his young career, but he’s been consistently awful in 2010. For a pitcher with his “stuff” to go 0-10 is hard to believe, but the numbers don’t lie. He’s given up 86 hits in 70 2/3 innings and his BAA is .294. He’s had difficulty getting the ball down in the zone, and thus has given up 11 HR and his GO/AO ratio is 0.75.

Now for some good news, he’s only allowed three ER in his last ten innings of work…I’ll go out on a limb and say he gets a W before the All-Star break.

Anthony Slama, RP, Minnesota
AAA Line: 14 Saves, 1.42 ERA, 49 K

The 26-year-old Slama is a proven closer at the minor league level. He finished with 14 saves in ’07, 25 in ’08, and 29 in ’09.

His strikeout figures have been off the charts, K’ing 110 in 71 innings in ’08 and 112 in 81 innings in ’09. However, command has been problematic. He walked 40 in ’09 and 21 in 44 1/3 innings to this point in 2010. Opposing batters are hitting a rather ludicrous .122 off him this year.

If he can harness his control, he’ll be in the show—but likely in middle relief.

Notes

Alex Presley, OF, Pittsburgh : The diminutive Presley hit .350 in the Eastern League before his call up to AAA. In just his third game with Indianapolis, he hit for the cycle, going five for six with a HR. An eighth round pick in 2006, Presley has never been classified as a major prospect (likely because of his size), but he’s making serious waves now.

Aaron Poreda, SP, San Diego : The 6’6” lefty reliever was promoted to AAA after posting a 2.52 ERA and 1.50 GO/AO ratio in AA. It should be noted that despite those impressive numbers, he did walk 26 batters in 25 innings. In 11 1/3 innings in the PCL he has given up three hits and yet to allow a run. But once again, the seven walks are holding him back.

Article by Adam Ganeles exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Check back weekly for Adam’s awesome insight on MLB and MiLB Fantasy Baseball!

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Victor Martinez is officially on the 15—day DL with a fractured thumb. So far, this has been the year of the thumb injury, from Aramis Ramirez to Jason Heyward and now to Victor Martinez.

Martinez’s injury is a bit different though, with an actual fracture, unlike A-Ram and Heyward’s bruises. V-Mart will also be the hardest spot to fill in a weak catcher position.

Here is a list of catchers owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues, who are hopefully available for you on the waiver wire. They aren’t great, but beggars can’t be choosers…

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As we get one All-Star back from thumb injury another falls. Jason Heyward, the rookie phenom, who has taken Hotlanta by storm, landed on the DL today with an left thumb injury.

The good news was the MRI showed no structural damage so two weeks of resting the thumb should do the trick and he will hopefully be back by the All-Star break. Playing through the pain certainly didn’t work and since the initial injury 39 games ago, Heyward has seen his average drop from .299 to .251.

He’s also only amassed 3 HR and 17 RBIs in the injured span while in the previous 31 games prior he was a man possessed hitting 8 HR and 28 RBIs.

Clearly a little rest is needed for the big boy, but the real question is – who do you pick up off the wire in the meanwhile? Here is a list of players who are probably out there to help fill the void for the next two weeks.

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A quick look at last week’s Fantasy Baseball top performing and least owned players on the waiver wire. Edwin Jackson’s insane no-hitter.

Carlos Quentin’s four dingers. Brandon Morrow & Jhoulys Chacin are strikeout machines. R.A. Dickey’s 6th straight.

Is Jamie Moyer really father-time in disguise?

Can they really keep it up for another week? Check out who’s a Must or a Bust.

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Fantasy Baseball’s Pitching Line of the Week:

Yovani Gallardo (SP-MIL) 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, W

According to reports out of Milwaukee, there has been another sighting of “El Chupacabra” at Miller Park. This legendary creature, who traditionally lives in the minds of Latin Americans, is said to attack an array of wild stock and leave them for dead after consuming their blood. 

I know that Yovani Gallardo serves his victims a steady diet of fastballs, sliders, curveballs, and changeups, but I’m not sure how this (or something else he has done in the past) has earned him a nickname whose literal translation is “The Goat Sucker.” 

Regardless, Gallardo recorded his most impressive win to date in this 2010 MLB season this past week in Milwaukee against the Minnesota Twins, which prompted us to take a closer look into his young career.

Originally drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft, Gallardo started making noise when he led all minor league pitchers with 188 strikeouts in 155 innings in 2006 for Single-A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville.

In 2007, “El Chupa” was in and out of the starting rotation for the Brewers, filling in for the oft-injured Chris Capuano and Ben Sheets. We saw flashes of brilliance in the 17 games Yovani started that season, as he finished 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts in 110.1 innings pitched. 

Brewers management had high expectations for Gallardo heading into the 2008 season. However, Yovani spent the majority of the year on the disabled list with a torn meniscus in his left knee and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. Gallardo only saw action in six Major League games in 2008, finishing 0-0 with a 1.88 ERA. 

Following the injury-plagued 2008 season, Gallardo once again gave the Brewers’ brass reason to believe he was going to be the next ace in Milwaukee. In 2009, he pitched his first career complete game, threw three two-hitters, and struck out eleven or more batters on three occasions. Gallardo finished the season with a modest 13-12 record but struck out batters at an impressive rate of 9.89 per nine innings and boasted a .233 BAA.

Thus far in 2010, “El Chupa” is 7-3 with a 2.36 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 10.05 K/9 rate in 16 starts. He has recorded 10 or more strikeouts on five occasions while allowing more than two earned runs only four times in sixteen starts. In comparison to his career numbers, Yovani has increased his K/9 and runners left on base percentage, while decreasing his ERA, BB/9, WHIP and BAA in 2010.

This is the breakout year the Brewers management expected two years ago.

Yovani Gallardo is currently owned in 97% of Y! leagues. 

The “Double Dipper” is a starting pitcher who will get two starts in the same week. Each  Sunday, we will preview the top three options in each league and highlight streaming options for players owned in less than 50% of Y! leagues.

Top 3 NL Double Dippers

Ubaldo Jimenez/COL (@SD, vs. SF)—Frontrunner for NL Cy Young right now; 13-1, 1.60 ERA 

Chris Carpenter/STL (vs. ARI, vs. MIL)—5-0 in last eight starts; 7.80 K/9, 2.63 ERA

Yovani Gallardo/MIL (vs. HOU, @STL)—Nine or more strikeouts in each of his last three starts.

Top 3 AL Double Dippers

Cliff Lee/SEA (@NYY, @DET)—Last two starts: 2 W, 2 CG, 1 ER, 16:0 K:BB; Contract year.

Phil Hughes/NYY (vs. SEA, vs. TOR)—5-0 in last five; Great match-ups, well-rested.

Francisco Liriano/MIN (vs. DET, vs. TB)—9.71 K/9, 3.11 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Warning: Streaming can be lethal. The following pitchers are owned in less than 50 percent of Y! leagues.

Brandon Morrow/TOR (@CLE, vs. NYY)—Two or less earned runs allowed in last five starts; 9.86 K/9

R.A. Dickey/NYM (@ FLA, @ WAS)—6-0 in seven starts; 2.33 ERA 

Jason Hammel/COL (@ SD, vs. SF)—5-1 in last eight starts; Solid match-ups.

Don’t Touch ‘Em

Nick Blackburn, Paul Maholm, Manny Parra, Bud Norris

Week 10 One-Start Stars Owned in 50 Percent or Less

Jon Garland/SD (50 Percent Owned in Y!)—Thursday vs. HOU (Moeller); 14 consecutive scoreless innings and three consecutive wins against the Astros.

Trevor Cahill/OAK (35 Percent Owned in Y!)—Friday @ CLE (Talbot); 6-0 in last eight, plus ratios, .212 BAA

Jonathon Niese/NYM (15 Percent Owned in Y!)—Friday @ WAS (Atilano); 4-0, 2.71 ERA in five June starts.

Is “El  Chupacabra” real? Watch Video here and here.

Who will be the best two-start pitcher owned in 50 percent or less in Week 13?

Leave a comment, or reply to us on Twitter!

Article by Alan Harrison exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Check back weekly for more great fantasy insight, analysis, and occasional nonsense from Alan.

For more Fantasy Sports Advice, Insight, and Analysis, visit www.TheFantasyFix.com .

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This article should be called Tulowitzki Two for obvious reasons. For starters, one of the top three second baseman just landed on the DL with a broken foot.

Second, this position, like shortstop, has very few elite players on top, and then a tremendous drop-off in talent and statistical production. It’s important to remember that replacing this kind of player for the long run is a difficult task.

So let’s approach this a little differently than we did with Tulo because it doesn’t sound like Pedroia will be out as long. What we want to find here, in not so many words, is rent-a-player to fill the void of Pedroia’s absence. I’ve done the research as usual, you make the choice and take credit for all the success.

Here is a look at what we lost, what we need to replace, and a base to build from:

Dustin Pedroia (Season): 52 Runs- 12 HR- 41 RBI- 8 SBs- .292 BA (295 AB)
(Month): 19 Runs – 4 HR – 16 RBI – 6 SB – .330 BA (103 AB)

The following players can be found on your free agent/waiver wire and will be welcome additions to your battered lineup: (Statistics for the past 30 days displayed)

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Ultimately, a player’s career determines his value come free agency; however a big contract year can draw attention to a player and force a bidding war where a player gets paid, the more than he would have expected when the season started. Use Danny Tartabull as an example.Tartabull had two great seasons leading up to the off season of 1991-2. One of those great seasons was the 1991 campaign which was parlayed into one of the biggest contracts in baseball (Only $5 million a year, but it was 1992). The following players could benefit from a big second half just like Tartabull.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com