Class A Change
Last week, I added someone in almost every keeper league I am in. I added Jhoulys Chacin, a pitcher in the Colorado Rockies system. Right now, he’s pitching for the Asheville Tourists in the Class A South Atlantic League and he’s dominating. Scouts are raving about him and cite a stellar change-up as a major reason he’s making minor hitters look foolish. Kids this young usually don’t have a change this good and, even if they do, usually aren’t mature enough to realize the value in using it consistently. These are two reasons I added him and why he’s high on my list of pitchers to see perform in person. 

Call To Arms
Jake Westbrook going down with an elbow injury means Aaron Laffey will be staying in the Indian’s rotation for the foreseeable future. And until Fausto Carmona returns Jeremy Sowers will take the mound for the Tribe. I am finding all these guys are gettable right now in deep leagues. Given Cleveland’s current struggles, the front office has actually been floating C.C. Sabathia’s name out there to teams. Reports are they are nowhere near talking trades for the impending free agent, however do the math. If July rolls around and the Indians are 10+ games out, they will see what they can for C.C. They have to. And if they do, that makes the aforementioned names valuable in deep leagues. 

Man Crush
Man, I love Hiroki Kuroda. Loved him before the season and love him even more now. Not to beat a dead horse, but just watch him pitch sometime. Soon. He’s seems to be getting better with each outing (barring a meltdown against the Mets two Sundays ago, which I witnessed in person) and he just pitched an absolute gem against the Cubs on Friday night. I don’t think people realize how good he is and how much he can help fantasy teams this year, especially when/if the Dodger bats wake up (and I do think they will). 

miSSing
WTF happened to Rafael Furcal? Did the SS enter witness protection or something? Word is he’ll return to the field for the Dodgers in ten days. Hopefully he’ll return healthy. And if he does, he can finally resume the MVP-like season he was having. If the Furcal owner in your league perhaps forgot how well he was doing, take advantage of it. Now. 

Red versus Ray
I not only think the brawl between the Boston and the Tampa Bay was great TV, I think it was a right of passage for the Rays. I think Shield’s comments about the days of team being pushed around in the division being over absolutely resonate. Not saying they are winning that division, but while many experts are forecasting an impending slide for the team. I believe the opposite. They will hang around all year and if they can get a healthy Pena and Percival back, look out. 

This Is A Joke, Right?
Speaking of the Rays, Karl Ravech asked Peter Gammons this question on Baseball Tonight last week. “Peter, besides great pitching and great hitting, what do you attribute to the Rays sudden success?” Hey, Peter, I got this one. Well Karl, I guess I attribute the other teams scoring at least one fewer run than the Rays during their games. 

Beaver Down
I’m scratching my head at one prospect’s struggles this year – the Padres’ Matt Antonelli. He’s batting .169/.303/.267 (33-for-195) for Triple-A Portland Beavers. I did not see this coming. After dominating in the California League and Texas League last season, I thought he was on a fast track to San Diego. He hit for average, raked 21 home runs and swiped 28 bases. This season, however, he just looks lost. Not giving up on the kid, but his slide is a bit baffling. 

Draft Today, Draft Tomorrow
I cannot tell you how stoked I was that ESPN finally decided to cover the MLB draft last year. Why? Well, I firmly believe that watching baseball is a major secret to being successful at fantasy baseball. Relying too much on stats removes the passion and excitement and gut feeling from a game that should be filled with all three. If you think about it, that’s why scouts are still sent to major and minor league games all over the country every day. Seeing is believing. Therefore, seeing the kids in action during the MLB draft as ESPN flashes to their highlight reels, to me, is invaluable. So much so, I TiVo the draft and then dump the entire show onto a VHS tape. Then, early next year, when all the prospect lists and books arrive prior to all the drafts in my keeper leagues, I pull that tape out and I watch. I put names to faces and, more importantly, put the passion and excitement and gut feeling into each and every one of my selections during each and every draft. 

What You Should Be Watching This Week:
Alexei Ramirez, Alexi Casilla, Clint Barmes
Boof Bonser, Adam Loewen, Kevim Escobar
Shawn Hill, Scott baker, Jeremy Sowers
Braves at Cubs, Rays at Angels, Dodgers at Diamondbacks 

Major League Words of Wisdom: “Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m Jay Bruce.” 

Phil Brody resides in Los Angeles, California. He works as a freelance writer and director. In his spare time, he devours everything baseball. He can be reached at: philbrody@earthlink.net 

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