Following Kendry - Brandon Wood

A talked about prospect who hasn't put it together in the bigs yet. That sentence could be used for a lot of players. Last year, that was what could have been said (and no doubt was) for Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels. He finally lived up to the hype and became a stud in fantasy. Yes, there are better 1B then Morales, but that list got dramatically shorter. And how good was it for you who grabbed him late or off the waiver wire? This year, we have someone on the same team who could do the same thing. Brandon Wood.

Brandon Wood has been the future SS or 3B for the Angels for what feels like many years now. Well, the future is now, barring injury or a terrible spring, he will be the starting 3B this year. Third base, like first base, is a position that demands attention in fantasy sports. These are positions that teams count on for production. So any starting player at these positions, even unknowns, should be watched closely. Wood, however, is not a complete unknown.

Wood's minor league stats shows great talent, with a good AVG (.280+), and above average power (30 HR potential). But in his 224 big league at-bats over the last 3 years he has only managed a .192 AVG, 7 HR, and 19 RBIs - not very exciting. But his playing time was sporadic at best, not the way to get into a groove. Being an everyday player, he has the potential to start to put it together and be the guy the Angels have been looking for. Which is exactly what happened with Morales last year.

Having two guys breakout in a big way, in back to back years, is unlikely, but not impossible. Even if Wood doesn't reach his full potential, he can still have good value as a late round pick (It's worth noting that Woods has already gone deep in spring training). He's not worth overpaying for, but is worth a bench spot in moderately deep leagues. These are the type of guys that can make your fantasy year - a late pick that produces like a high one. Learn from Morales and take a chance on Wood.

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Unknown Jose Julio Ruiz

Jose Julio Ruiz was unknown to me until recently when his name popped up in an article about an impending signing. Since reading that article and several others, I'm a little surprised that I'm only starting to know about him now. The attention he is receiving from major league clubs shows that he is definitely not unknown around baseball circles.

Jose Julio Ruiz is a 25 year old Cuban ball player who defected and appears nearly ready for the bigs. Generally listed as a first baseman, he has the athleticism to play the outfield. Not bad a for a guy who is 6'3" and weighs around 230 (Arod size). Not bad indeed as he has been known to steal 30+ bases in a season. Can he hit? Playing for Cuba, he has a lifetime average of .330 (5 years), and has decent power (I would put him at 20 to 25 a year). I think he could be a slightly stronger, faster version of James Loney.

Ruiz believes he is ready to start very soon. In fact, that is a huge part of his decision as to where to sign (which is believed to happen in the next week or so). He feels he is ready to go (expect at least some time in AAA, but who knows). Regardless of how he is listed on your fantasy site (1B or OF or whatever), consider him a very strong prospect and draft accordingly. Being that there is a very good possibility that he will contribute sooner then later, he should definitely be considered in most formats that aren't too shallow. I imagine that he will be drafted rather late due to the 'unknown factor' - be ready to pounce. Now it is true that Ruiz is unproven when it comes to MLB, but the talent in Cuba is very good, so the transition shouldn't be too bad (I expect a much faster transition then Kendry Morales).

Jose Julio Ruiz may have been unknown to you, his playing position may be unknown, and how good he will be in the majors is still unknown, but don't be scared. Unknown Jose Julio Ruiz will not be unknown for too long.

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Prospect Watch: Brian Matusz

Baltimore pitching prospect Brian Matusz is expected to be called up to make his first major league start on Tuesday against Detroit. Matusz is starting in place of the injured Bradley Bergersen, who went on the D.L. on July 31st with a left leg contusion. Matusz, 22, was rated 25th on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects of 2009. The big lefty split time this season between single A and double A before being called up. While at AA Bowie, he dominated, posting a 7-0 record, 1.55 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 45:10 K:BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings. Long term, Matusz projects as a top of the rotation starter, but he has the potential to post solid ERA, WHIP and K totals right away. In most mixed leagues, Matusz is a player to watch, but a great debut will make him a hot commodity. If you have the roster space, Matusz's upside makes him worthy of a speculative add. If you're in a keeper league, and Matusz isn't owned, stop reading and go grab him immediately!

Prospect Watch: Rick VandenHurk

Last night Rick VandenHurk, 24 year old, 6'5" righty for the Marlins, struck out 9 in 6 innings. Umm, who? Rick VandenHurk. He is a rookie pitcher that was called up in mid-July and has pitched very well in his 3 starts. In those starts, he is 1-0, 17 innings pitched, 2.65 ERA, 16 Ks, and 6 walks. Impressive. The Marlins are a solid, if not good, team. They haven't scored much for VandenHurk which accounts for him having only 1 win despite his low ERA. One would have to assume that he will get the run support he needs to pick up a few more wins (Hanley Ramirez alone should be enough!). A young pitcher on a solid team - worth a flyer if you are able to gamble a little. Shallow leagues should just watch him - maybe he will turn out to be an 'out of nowhere' kind a guy (no one truly knows who will be the next big thing). Deeper leagues have to pay attention to him as 3 good starts can't just be chalked up to a fluke (neither can 9 strikeouts in 6 innings). He is owned in less then 1% of leagues. -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Prospect Watch: Mat Latos

Sunday marks the big league debut of the San Diego prospect Matt Latos. The 21 years old, 6'6" righty is looking to be a promising big league pitcher. With a fastball that tops around 97, a curve, a knuckle curve, and a change up, he has a good mix to cause a lot of trouble for opposing batters. Must be nice to be coming to one of the most pitcher friendly parks in all of baseball. Not so nice to have that offense to back up his starts. In AA Latos is 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA in nine starts. He has 46 strikeouts in 47 innings. Opponents are only hitting .192 against him. Down side? Young, inexperienced, concerns about mental toughness (he has done much to improve this view of him), and stamina - he has not thrown 100 innings in any year. He's worth a flyer in deeper leagues and NL only leagues. Keeper leagues should keep a close watch. -Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Fill In The Blanks

At 6'6" 285, Padres new call-up Kyle Blanks, is a mountain of a man. A firstbaseman by trade, he will quickly become one of the largest outfielders in the bigs when he mans left-field for the San Diego. He is certainly not being called up for his defense (or his hair - check his Yahoo Profile, it is quite the 'do), Blanks is the Padres top hitting prospect and has been raking in the Minors Leauges for several years.

Blanks played 66 games this year for the Portland Beavers producing a .283 / 12 HR / 38 RBI line. Those numbers line up with his prior two years when he went for 20+ HRs, 100+ RBI, and hit over .300, so he should produce some deep league numbers over the last 100 games.

He should slide into a run producing spot in the Padres line-up. Of course the Padres have proved that they are a bit offensively challenged and Petco Park is not exactly a hitters haven, so his run producing opportunities will not be abundant. He has a decent K/AB rate for a power hitter of around 1/5, and that is usually a good indicator of how Minor League numbers translate to Major League numbers.

2009 has not proved to be a great year for rookie call ups, and I do not expect Blanks to put up Braun or Longoria rookie numbers, but he should stand to be a decent option as a fourth outfielder in deep mixed or NL only leagues.

Prospect Watch: Mets' Prospect Martinez Gets the Call

OF Fernando Martinez, the top prospect in the Mets farm system was called up Tuesday. Martinez will take the spot of Ryan Church, who went on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain.

Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said that Martinez would not be called up unless he would see regular at bats, so expect Martinez be inserted into the lower part of the Mets line-up immediately.

Martinez, 20 years old, started 2009 at AAA, and hit quite well. Before being called up, Martinez was hitting .294-.341-.544 with 7 HR and 28 RBI in 160 at bats for AAA Buffalo.

In 2008, Martinez was the youngest player in AA baseball (he was 19), and more than held his own. He hit .287-.340-432 with 8 HR, 43 RBI, 48 runs scored in 352 at bats. Baseball America ranked him the 30th best prospect in all of baseball in their “2009 Top 100 Prospects” rankings.

Martinez is still very young, and may struggle while adjusting to major league pitching. However, he is going to see consistent at bats, so he has the opportunity to be a useful fantasy player immediately.

In standard leagues 10 teams or smaller, Martinez is worth simply watching for now. In leagues 12 teams or larger, Martinez is worth a speculative add. If by some chance he’s still available in a keeper league, he’s definitely someone to grab immediately.

Scout C.P. Staley