Baseball Prospects, Part 2

Brett Cecil, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Cecil was the Rays top pitching prospect, even higher than Ricky Romero. He pitched really well to start, before getting torn apart by the Red Sox, which got him sent down to the minors. He'll be back and should develop into a solid starting pitcher.

Ricky Romero, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Romero came with less fanfare, but also pitched well before landing on the DL. There wasn't a spot for him initially when he came off the DL, but is back up and should be a decent starting pitcher.

Derek Holland, SP, Texas Rangers
Holland was one of the best pitching prospects in baseball; a rare power lefty. He started in the bullpen before getting his first start a week or so ago. The results have been mixed, but good enough to keep him in the rotation, especially with Vicente Padilla and Matt Harrison on the DL. The arrival of Neftali Feliz, paired with Holland, should give Rangers' fans hope for their pitching staff.

Nolan Reimold, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Reimold has been on a tear lately, hitting home runs in three straight games. Orioles fans have a lot to get excited about with Markakis, Jones, and Reimold in the outfield, and Roberts and Wieters in the infield.

Mat Gamel, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Gamel absolutely rakes and sports the Pete Incaviglia non-stick model for his glove. He's basically Ryan Braun from the left side. The Brewers outfield is currently clogged, and Gamel will be hard pressed to find AB's. He's a premier talent though.

Matt LaPorta, OF, Cleveland Indians
May have been the best pure power hitter in the minors before getting a taste of the majors. He struggled and is back in the minors. May he be dangled for Matt Cain? We'll see.

Gerardo Parra, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
There wasn't a lot of fanfare surrounding his ML debut, but he has provided a spark for the D'Backs. He's only 22, boasting a nice ISO without a ridiculously high BABIP.

John Mayberry Jr, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Swapped for Greg Golson in a rare 1-for-1 prospect swap of AA, toolsy, outfielders with good upside. We'll see if the tools become results. I'm wary.

Fantasy Baseball

The Hope Flying Dutchmen are riding a three game winning streak. After an inexplicable three game losing streak to start the season, the ship appears to have been righted. Now tied for sixth in the league, but only two games out of first. The vast majority of the league is pretty closely bunched. But on to the Dutchmen.

Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Markakis have been offensive stalwarts, with Marco Scutaro and Adam Lind providing depth. The return of Joe Mauer has been a huge lift. Mauer has been producing at superhuman levels, at around three points per AB. If Chris Davis awakens this offense will be one of the best in the league.

The pitching staff was the strong point entering the draft as well as ending the draft. Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Matt Garza, Josh Beckett, Kevin Slowey, Jair Jurrjens, and Rick Porcello spearheaded a strong staff. Except for Garza and Slowey, the rest have even underperformed expectations and their true talent levels. The unexpected implosion of Chien Ming Wang was offset by the pickups of Koji Uehara, Brian Tallet, and Brett Cecil.

I was just able to trade Mike Napoli, who is no longer needed now that Mauer is back, and the upstart rookie Cecil for John Danks. In my mind, it is the classic sell high buy low trade. I don't expect Cecil to continue at this pace, he has a low BABIP, and doesn't throw extremely hard. Danks has had 4 great starts and three terrible ones. I fully expect him to be the White Sox's ace and pitch like one.

I'm really liking my chances going forward. With the exception of my shortstop position, I don't have a hole. My pitchers have the ability to carry me.