Kuzul

Multiple sources are reporting that the Arizona Diamondbacks are willing to trade right fielder Justin Upton for the right price.  The best free agent outfielders are Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford, and an Upton trade would seriously affect where they may end up. 

Some of the teams that may be interested in trading for the former No. 1 pick are the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves.   

The 23-year-old outfielder was the first pick of the 2005 amateur draft.  

For his career, his 162-game average includes 23 home runs, 80 RBI, and a .272 batting average. 

His best season came in 2009, where he had a .300 BA, hit 26 home runs, 86 RBI, and recorded 20 stolen bases. 

Reportedly, the Diamondbacks’ GM Kevin Towers would have to be blown away by a deal in order to trade Upton. 

The Cardinals would be able to offer center fielder Colby Rasmus in a deal with Arizona.  Boston may be willing to trade one of their first base prospects in addition to right-hander Casey Kelly.  The Yankees have some pitching prospects that could get Arizona’s attention as well. 

How much of a better deal is Justin Upton compared to Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford? 

Maybe the biggest advantage that a trade for Upton compared to a free agent signing for one these teams is the price and length of his contract.  

He just signed a six-year contract last March, which is relatively cheap in the beginning years.  Upton is only due $4.25 million next season, but his salary increases towards the end of the contract. 

One other important aspect is that he is only 23.  Carl Crawford is 29 years old, while Jayson Werth is already 32-years-old.  Both of these free agents will be looking for a contract for three or more years, as their play will likely diminish as they get older.  

However, Werth typically delivers more power than Upton. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 27 home runs, which includes a season of 36 home runs and 20 stolen bases. 

Crawford is a better overall hitter than both Werth and Upton.  In five of the last six season, Crawford has batted for an average of .300 or better. 

When comparing each of these outfielders, they are pretty much dead even.  However, Upton’s age makes him the much better catch. 

It comes down to whether a team would rather pay a lot of money over the next few years, or part with their best young talent.  

How interested are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in Justin Upton? 

There have been some reports that both teams have already talked to Arizona about trading for Upton.  However, the talks have not been that substantial. 

The Yankees may just wait and see if they can sign Cliff Lee.  If not, it would make sense for New York to concentrate on either signing Werth or Crawford, or maybe trading for Upton.  

My opinion is that even if the Yankees do sign Lee, management should still pursue an Upton trade instead of signing a free agent outfielder. 

Boston may negotiate with the two best offensive free agents and see how much a deal would cost.  They could then weigh the amount of money that would be spent in a free agent signing against a possible trade with the Diamondbacks.   

A trade for Justin Upton looks a lot more appealing to me than signing Jayson Werth or Carl Crawford.  

In fact if a team does trade for Upton, it would seriously increase the Philadelphia Phillies’ chances of resigning Werth. 

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With teams like the Yankees, Cubs, and Red Sox, we fans simply assume that their means to improving the ball club is to sign pricey veteran players. However, the Red Sox are looking to trade for younger right fielder Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox have had to deal with many injuries during the 2010 season and it cost them the playoffs. They have been looking at free agents Carl Crawford and Jason Werth. Crawford makes sense if they’re going to keep Jacoby Ellsbury and have a speedy outfield. Werth, .296BA 27HR 85RBI, you have to sign him to make your team better by default. But it also makes sense to sign Justin Upton as well.

Last year, Justin Upton hits .273 with 17HR and 69RBI. Their current right fielder, JD Drew hits .255 with 22HR and 69RBI. Here’s the difference. Justin Upton has stolen 18 bases and is 23 years old with a lot of upside. JD Drew has stolen 3 bases and is 34 years old, slowly passing his prime. Upton was paid $.7M, Drew was paid $14M.

It makes perfect sense to trade for Upton. It makes even makes more sense to sign Crawford and cut ties with Mike Cameron and JD Drew.

But the Red Sox are going to have to give up a package for Upton. My guess is it’s going to cost Boston two good, young, major league ready arms and a bat.

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Each season, players seemingly come out of nowhere and become catalysts for their team. Whether it is a high-profile rookie, a second-year player, or simply someone who finally got their chance, new stars pop up each and every season.

What follows is a list of the 25 players most likely to breakout in 2011. There are a number of top prospects on the list, as well as some former top prospects who have still not lived up to their high billing.

So as the offseason wheelings and dealings begin to unfold, here are the 25 guys who will make their teams better with a breakout season in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

Now that the least interesting World Series in years is finally over, all 30 MLB teams can again have hopes and dreams for the upcoming season. Most of the 2010 playoff teams are again favorites heading into the off-season, but there is always yearly change in who makes the playoffs. 

The following list is mostly compiled of teams who were not competitive at all late into the year. The teams are in order of how much change their 2011 season will be from their respective 2010 seasons. A major motif for these teams is how their youth will take it to the next level.

Here are the teams that were considered afterthoughts in 2010, but who are going to surprise everyone in the 2011 season. 

Begin Slideshow

There were a lot of players whose average was based on a lot of luck in 2010.  What are the prospects of them replicating those numbers in the upcoming season? 

Will they continue to hold value?  Let’s break them down, one-by-one, and take a look:

1. Austin Jackson – Detroit Tigers – .396

We all kept waiting for the regression to come for Jackson, but it just never seemed to.  Despite posting a strikeout rate of 27.5%, Jackson’s luck helped him post a .293 average. 

Can we realistically expect that to continue?  He had a minor-league strikeout mark of 23.6%, so that number is extremely believable. 

With his speed, a higher than normal BABIP is not outrageous, but this was a bit over-the-top.  Look for his luck to turn in 2011, meaning his average will likely fall significantly.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hit .260ish, and without power and only 24 SB, his value is likely going to take a significant hit.

2. Josh Hamilton – Texas Rangers – .390

It was a magical season, buoyed by an unrealistic BABIP.  Hamilton is a great player and will remain one of the elite, but he’s just not likely to hit .359 once again. 

As long as he can stay healthy, I’m talking .300/30/100/100 type of value.  People looking for a reason to downgrade him will point to the BABIP, but you really shouldn’t.

The only concern is his health.  Outside of that, consider him among the elite outfielders in the game.

3. Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies – .384

Many were expecting a breakout 2010 campaign and boy, did he deliver.  However, the BABIP is just one of the questions that surround him entering the 2011 campaign.

Can he deliver a 20.4% HR/FB again?  If not, that drop, along with the inevitable fall in BABIP, is going to cause his average to fall significantly.  It will also mean fewer runs and RBI, further hurting his potential value.

Don’t get me wrong, Gonzalez should be among the best outfielders available, but I just don’t see him repeating his .336, 34 HR, 117 RBI, 111 R, 26 SB campaign.  That said, even if he falls to .300/27/95/95/20, with the potential for more, what is there not to like? 

A regression is likely coming, but there’s little to be concerned about.  We’ll talk about him in a lot more detail in the coming months, however, so I’ll save the bulk of the discussion for later.

4. Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds – .361

Like the two names before him, his value isn’t solely entrenched in his average (.324 in 2010), so a regression here is not going to be devastating. 

He has shown tremendous power and RBI potential, as well as adding double-digit stolen bases from a position where you rarely see it.  At a deep position, he’s emerged as one of the elite.

5. Omar Infante – Atlanta Braves – .355

Unfortunately for Infante, he has no power and no speed.  In fact, is he guaranteed to even have an everyday job entering 2011? 

He’s a career .274 hitter (who hit .321 in 2010) and has always been more of a utility player. 

With even a small fall in his BABIP, his value disintegrates, since average is all he has going for him (8 HR, 7 SB in ‘10).  Even with full-time playing time, he’s not worth considering.

6t. Justin Upton – Arizona Diamondbacks – .354

He’s posted big BABIP for the past two years, having posted a .360 mark in 2009.  Does that mean we should come to believe it?  Unfortunately, I don’t think so. 

The hope has to be that he can reduce his strikeout rate (30.7% in 2010) and rediscover his power (he went from 26 HR to 17 HR in 2010) in order to maintain a usable average.

Chances are he’s going to regress in the BABIP department, so if he can’t do those two things, his average is going to become unusable (he hit .273 in ‘10). 

It’s going to be interesting to watch how this plays out, because he has the potential to be one of the elite players in the game.  We will certainly revisit him as the season gets closer.

6t. Colby Rasmus – St. Louis Cardinals – .354

His feud with Tony La Russa and whether he asked out of St. Louis helped to mask that some of his success was buoyed by a lot of luck. 

However, before we say that he’s going to post an unusable average (he was at .276 in ‘10), he saw his strikeout rate go from 20.0% in 2009 to 31.9% in 2010. 

Considering his 22.7% minor league strikeout rate, there’s little reason to believe he’s that bad.  Even with a fall in his BABIP, he should continue to post a usable average.

8. Ichiro Suzuki – Seattle Mariners – .353

What is there to say about Ichiro that we don’t already know?  He has a career BABIP of .357 and is one of the best hitters in the game.  There’s no reason to expect anything less from him in 2011.

9. Jayson Werth – Philadelphia Phillies – .352

We have to expect a regression, but we can’t get a full grasp on his potential value in the average department until we know where he is going to play. 

If he leaves Philadelphia, the power potential may fall, which will certainly help contribute to a lower average.  We’ll revisit him once he signs via free agency.

10. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins – .348

Catchers just aren’t supposed to do this, but year after year, Mauer delivers.  With a career BABIP of .344, there’s little reason to think that he’s going to fall off in any way, shape or form. 

While we learned in 2010 that his power surge in 2009 was likely an aberration (28 HR), he once again proved that he’s among the elite average hitters in the game (.327 in ‘10).

What are your thoughts on these players?  Who is going to maintain their big 2010 seasons?  Who may regress in 2011?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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We have finally reached the payoff portion of the fantasy baseball season: the playoffs! It’s been a grueling 22-week season, but if you’re lucky enough to still be reading fantasy baseball articles, now is the time to really ramp it up.

This is the point in the year where one hot bat could decide your season—or a dead-armed pitcher could ruin it no matter how well his team has done thus far. Below are ten guys who are either destroying your championship dreams or carrying you to the promised land.

And just a heads up, next week will be the final By The Numbers of 2010, so we’ll be going through some of my hits and misses way back from my Mock Draft Reports in the preseason. Be sure to tune in!

Four

That is the Yahoo! rank over the past two weeks for Neil Walker. The Pirates second baseman has been on fire, blasting five home runs and driving in 16 runs. Many had no idea that Walker had been batting third for Pittsburgh for some time, and he’s clearly been taking advantage of the lineup.

The home runs are a huge surprise, considering he only had five for the season prior to this most recent hot stretch. But it’s important to realize that he wasn’t a slouch either, batting in the .300 range for most of the season. He is exactly the kind of random spark plug to add a few home runs and bring your team a title.

Two

Rafaeul Furcal has had two stolen bases since returning from the DL on September 3rd. The fact that he is already active on the base paths is a great sign that he is over his back issues and needs to be plugged back into lineups immediately, especially considering he had a 3-4 game on Monday.

When healthy, he can be one of the best shortstops in fantasy. He provides a high batting average (.316), stolen bases (nine seasons of 20+ stolen bases), and even a bit of power, exhibited by his five home runs in July. All owners, and especially those of the day-to-day Elvis Andrus, need to make sure their league is not one of the 25% in which he is available.

600

That’s the number of career saves by Trevor Hoffman, who achieved the feat Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. An absolutely huge feat that could not have come any sooner, as his struggled throughout the season. Not to mention, the emergence of John Axford significantly delayed the accomplishment longer than anyone expected.

As a result, his 600th save may be his last; the Brewers really have no reason to go with the Hoff over Axford from here on out. This should give Axford a boost down the stretch and essentially makes Hoffman waiver fodder, and subsequently less likely to reemerge ever again. Bow your heads baseball fans, a legend like Hoffman doesn’t come around every day.

You can’t resist reading more…

Lane Rizzardini has been playing fantasy sports for over 10 years. His earliest memory was drafting Fred Lane in 2003, only to find out Fred’s wife had shot him in the offseason. You can find more of Lane’s writing over at BrunoBoys.net.

You can contact him at Lanerizz@gmail.com or through his Twitter page.

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The 2005 MLB Draft has brought in some of the youngest and greatest hitters of todays game. Not only hitters, but pitchers too.

The 2005 Draft has created a pool of young, power hitting, power pitching athletes that are some of the best in todays game.

Here is a look at some of these athletes that clubs took a chance on, and came into the bigs surprising everyone.

Begin Slideshow

1)       1B Ryan Howard Phi

Philadelphia’s powerhouse went 8-for-20 with four home runs, nine RBI, five runs and finished last week with a .400 AVG.

The last few weeks have been filled with players hitting three or more home runs in a week. But last week, he was the only player with four home runs.

He is on the wave of a five-game hitting streak.

Howard is currently hitting .299 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI for the season.

2)       OF Nelson Cruz Tex

The Texas outfielder went 12-for-23 with one home run, 10 RBI, four runs and finished last week with a .522 AVG.

He is riding a eight-game hitting streak and hit the game winning home run on Monday night’s game against Detroit.

Cruz is hitting .325 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI for the season.

3)       3B,/2B Gordon Beckham CWS

The White Sox infielder went 11-for-18 with one home run, six RBI, three runs and finished last week with a .611 AVG.

He is currently the hottest pick-up off free agency at 29% increase in fantasy ownership.

If he is already on your team you might be able to sell high based on his recent production.

Beckham is currently hitting .241 with four home runs and 28 RBI for the season.

4)       C Bengie Molina Tex

The Texas catcher went 6-for-13 with two home runs, four extra base hits, six RBI, three runs and finished last week with a .462 AVG.

The man known as the slowest player in the majors hit for the cycle against the Boston Red Sox last week. He went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI that night not to mention a grand slam. This ranks up there in unlikely feats with Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter.

He saw only a slight increase in his fantasy ownership this week.

Molina is currently hitting .261 with five home runs and 23 RBI for the season.

5)       2B Rickie Weeks Mil

The Brewers second baseman went 8-for-21 with three home runs, six RBI, six runs and finished the week with a .381 AVG.

Weeks is currently hitting .275 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI for the season.

6)       SS Yunel Escobar Tor

Toronto’s newest addition went 8-for-17 with two home runs, seven RBI, four runs and finished last week with a .471 AVG

He was doing terrible when he was wearing a Braves uniform. Now that he is sporting a new jersey, he has hit two home runs already.

His fantasy ownership increase is about 5% in most leagues but he is still at only 45% total ownership.

Escobar is hitting .252 with two home runs and 26 RBI for the season.

7)       OF Justin Upton Ari

The Diamondbacks popular outfielder went 8-for-17 with one home run, six RBI, four runs and finished last week with a .471 AVG.

Upton is hitting .270 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI for the season.

8)       3B Adrian Beltre Bos

The Red Sox third baseman went 6-for-15 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs, and finished last week with a .400 AVG.

With all the injuries to a large portion of the starting line-up, he is one of the only bats that are keeping the Red Sox in the race.

He is currently hitting .333 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI for the season.

9)       3B/1B Pablo Sandoval SF

Kung Fu Panda was kicking tail as he went 8-for-17 with five RBI, four extra base hits and finished last week with a .471 AVG

He was doing horrible in July hitting under .200 until last week.

Sandoval is hitting .273 with 6 home runs and 39 RBI this season.

10)   OF Josh Hamilton Tex

The Texas outfielder went 10-for-22 with three RBI, four extra base hits, three runs and finished last week with a .455 AVG.

He is only two home runs behind leading home run hitter, Cabrera. However he recently sustained a calf injury last week, which may put out his fire.

Hamilton is hitting .353 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI for the season.

Honorable Mentions:

JJ Hardy

Jason Bartlett

Evan Longoria

Delmon Young

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Fireworks were bursting in the air as we celebrated Independence Day, but they weren’t coming from these players.  Here’s a list of those who slumped the most last week:

1) Kevin Kouzmanoff, Oak. 3B

The “Crushin’ Russian” hasn’t been doing much crushin’ lately as the Oakland third baseman had no hits in 21 at-bats last week.

His fantasy stock has dropped over ten percent in most leagues.  He is hitting .266 with eight home runs with 40 RBI, and 34 runs this season.
 
2) Justin Smoak, Tex. 1B
 
Unlike his teammates, Smoak has not been productive, going hitless in 20 at-bats last week. His fantasy hype has gone from fire to smoke.  Smoak’s fantasy ownership dropped around five percent in most leagues.
 
 
3) Juan Uribe, SF. IF
 
California was hot, but Uribe and his teammate Renteria were locked in the freezer.  Uribe managed only one hit in 22 at bats.
 
 
 
4) Adrian Gonzalez, SD 1B

San Diego’s powerhouse went 1-for-19 last week.

There isn’t anything to get worried about, though, as he is hitting .293 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI, and 44 runs this season.
 
5) Edgar Renteria, SF SS

Renteria had only one hit in 18 at-bats last week.
 
Renteria started the season hot, but since recently returning from the disabled list he is still trying to find his swing.
 
He has lost some fantasy ownership since the slump. On the bright side, he didn’t have much fantasy presence since he only has around ten percent ownership in most leagues.
 
 
6) Ty Wigginton, Bal. IF
 
Wiggington went 1-for-24 last week.
 
About two months ago Wigginton was a hot pick up, but has since seen his fantasy ownership decline.
 

7) Troy Glaus, Atl. 1B
 
Glaus was scorching hot for weeks, but it took fantasy owners some time to warm up to the injury prone slugger.
 
He didn’t make many fantasy owners happy last week, going 1-15, and saw his ownership drop about five percent in most leagues.
 
 
8) Rajai Davis, Oak. OF
 
The speedster from Oakland had one hit in 13 at-bats last week.
 
Further, his stolen base numbers weren’t enough for fantasy owners to keep him around as his fantasy ownership took a 15 percent plunge in most leagues.
 
 
9) Justin Upton, Ari. OF
 
Upton went 2-for-20 last week, hitting more like his weak-hitting brother B.J.  His fantasy ownership was not affected, however.  

10) Vernon Wells, Tor. OF  

Wells , much like Renteria, started the year grabbing headlines, but had only three hits in 23 at bats last week.
 
His fantasy ownership was not affected by his latest slump.
 
 
Un-honorable Mention
 
Robinson Cano, NYY OF  3/23 .130 AVG.

Derrek Lee,  ChC 1B   3/23 .130 AVG.

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Last week was filled with laser shows from coast to coast. There were 14 players who hit three or more home runs last week. There were a lot of hot streaks going on. But these few players stood out as the studs of Week 12.

1) 2B Dustin Pedroia Bos

Boston’s scrappy second baseman went 6-for-13 with three home runs, five RBI, four walks, and finished last week with a .462 AVG.

Pedroia had the game of his career when he was 5-for-5 with three bombs, pushed five us teammates across the dish, and scored four runs on Thursday night against the Rockies.

Pedroia was placed on the disabled list with a displaced fracture in his foot as a result of a foul ball the following night. He will likely miss six weeks.

The DL placement is a huge disappointment to fantasy owners as Pedroia was playing fantasticly in recent weeks.

Fantasy owners will ride out the DL and pick up a temporary replacement at second base.

Pedroia is hitting .292 with 41 RBI for the season.

2) OF Justin Upton Ari

The Arizona outfielder was 12-for-21 with three home runs, five RBI, four walks, one stolen base, and finished last week with a .571 AVG.

Upton has had issues with strike outs but his 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases almost make you forget about it.

His spot in the seventh hole has helped him streak and raise his overall average.

Fantasy owners who have stuck it out with Upton could use this hot streak and sell high.

Upton is hitting .271 with 39 RBI for the season.

3) 3B David Wright NYM

The popular New York Mets third baseman was 11-for-22 with two home runs, eight RBI, four walks, one stolen base, and finished last week with a .500 AVG.

He is having another fantastic season making fantasy owners everywhere smile.

Wright is hitting .303 with 61 RBI for the season.

4) OF Jay Bruce Cin

The Cincinnati outfielder was 10-for-20 with three home runs, four RBI, two walks, and finished last week with a .500 AVG.

Bruce has seen a slight increase in ownership and could be a nice free agent pick up if he is available in your league.

Bruce has a .282 AVG with 34 RBI for the season.

5) 2B Rickie Weeks Mil

The Brewers second baseman was 10-for-23 with three home runs, seven RBI, three walks, and finished last week with a .435 AVG.

Weeks tend to streak and follow it up with a slump. Take advantage of the latest explosion of production and sell-high with this hot streak on full steam.

His fantasy ownership increase slightly this past week.

Weeks is hitting .274, 45 RBI, and 13 HR for the season.

6) OF Vernon Wells Tor

The Toronto outfielder was 9-for-21 with three home runs, five RBI, two walks, 1 stolen base and finished last week with a .429 AVG.

Wells is on fire after having a terrible slump in the first part of June.

Wells hit two into the stands and garnered three RBI in Thursday’s game against the Cardinals.

This is a great opportunity to sell high and fill some holes on your fantasy team if you already have some power in your bats.

Wells is sporting a .288 AVG, 47 RBI, and 19 home runs for the season.

7) 3B Michael Young Tex

The Texas third baseman was 10-for-25 with three home runs, seven RBI, two walks, and finished last week with a .400 AVG.

Young doesn’t seem to grab the attention of the fantasy world as much as he should. He is one of the most reliable corner infielders in the game today.

Young is having an outstanding season with 11 HR, 51 RBI and a .316 AVG.

8) OF Carlos Quentin CWS

The White Sox outfielder was 7-for-18 with four home runs, 11 RBI, two walks, and finished last week with a .389 AVG.

Quentin has had five bombs in the last handful of at-bats. If he keeps up this pace he could have nearly 30 home runs for the season.

Take this surge of production by him to make a deal. Distract doubters who are fixated on his average by pointing out his power numbers.

Fantasy owners dropped Quentin like a bad habit a few weeks back. His recent hot streak however has brought a lot of them back as his ownership increased by up to 30% in several leagues.

His season average is terrible as it sits at .233.

9) 3B Alex Rodriguez NYY

The movie star aura that surrounds the controversial star often over shadows his superior baseball play. From the incident with Dallas Braden to his fight with Jason Varitek, A-Rod is always news.

The Yankees third baseman went 8-for-21, three home runs, 10 RBI, five walks, and finished up last week with a .381 AVG.

Rodriguez is hitting .303 with 54 RBI and 11 home runs for the season.

10) OF Josh Hamilton Tex

The Texas outfielder went 10-for-22 with two home runs, five RBI, one walk, one stolen base and finished the week with a .455 AVG.

Hamilton is having a stellar season with .346 AVG and 18 home runs for the season.

Honorable Mention*

3B Miguel Tejada Bal 13/27, 5 R, 1 HR, 1 XBH, 7 RBI, .481 AVG

SS Elvis Andrus Tex 11/24, 5 R, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB, .458 AVG

OF Alfonso Soriano ChC 8/18, 3 R, 1 HR, 4 XBH, 1 RBI, 3 BB, .444 AVG

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