Roger Clemens story keeps getting better and better.  The Big Skirt ends up in Oakland. Phil Hughes is on the DL and Hank Steinbrenner wants him a warm cup of Joba. Enough wordplay, on to ...

Huey Lewis and the News

Baked Zito - Barry Zito will be sliding in to the bullpen for the time being, making him a relatively well paid long relief man. The Giants have decided that Zito should work on his problems out of the pen. I don't know how the pen is going to add 5-6 miles per hour back on to his fast ball and add location, but if that what the team feels will help then so be it. In reality, Zito seems to be trying too hard to live up to the absurd money he was given. It's not his fault there was a team stupid enough to pay him that money.
Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez will be taking on the big innings with recent call-up Pat Misch taking over the fourth spot. As of now, no one is sure who will be the fifth starter when the time comes to throw one out there. Noah Lowry hasn't even begun to throw really and Kevin Correia is on the DL with a strained left oblique. The team has some serious problems with no real solutions on the horizons and you can almost be assured that when the need for a fifth starter arises, Zito will be asked to step back in.

Hurtin' Hank - Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock will be heading for the DL with a torn hamstring. He's only expected to miss 3-6 weeks, but these injuries usually take time to get things going again. In the meantime, Ramon Vazquez and German Duran will fill in at the hot corner with Vazquez most likely getting the majority of plate appearances. While Vazquez isn't much to write home about, Duran could be a surprise if he can replicate his minor league numbers. A decent average guy, Duran could pop a few out and become a valuable guy if given the playing time.

Also in Big D, Jason Botts was designated for assignment. Botts has always had the promise of a big bat but never came through in his major league appearances. Called up in his place was outfielder Brandon Boggs and Chris Shelton. Shelton should see some playing time at first while Boggs should get occasional time in the outfield. Most know about Shelton and his propensity for striking out, but Boggs is somewhat of a mystery. Not overly big or quick or powerful, Boggs brings a little of everything to the table. His average will probably settle in the .250-.265 range with a few homers and a few steals. His one shining feature is his ability to get on base. Last season alone he had an on base percentage of .380 and in 18 games at AAA Oklahoma City he was getting on to the tune of a .368 OBP.  

Nicks, Nerds and Notes

Yankees youth seems to be all the rage these days. With Phil Hughes hitting the DL, you can expect every sports junkie to be calling for Joba Chamberlain to log some starter's innings... Some big name promotions in the past week: Max Scherzer, Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement just to name a few. Nick Adenhart may be following soon...John Rauch will continue to rack up the saves in D.C. until Chad Cordero can (if he can) come back from a torn lat... Troy Tulowitzki is most likely headed for the DL...John Smoltz may be back sooner than expected from the DL. The one surprise: he may be coming back as the closer...Micah Owings should be ready for his next start. Just to make sure his ankle was alright, he belted a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's game so he could jog the bases.

Selling the Farm

The major league season started, but we're still waiting on the minors to kick into gear. This week starts the Prospect of the Week and the Weekly Wrap-Up.

Jesse Todd , SP, STL
Yes, he's smaller than you'd like to see. Yes, he's only in High-A. But nevertheless, Jesse Todd is a guy you should keep an eye on. He plays for a team who could be pitching short in a year or two depending on resignings and rehabs. If things work out, Todd could be in youthful rotation of Jamie Garcia, Clayton Mortenson, Adam Ottovino and possibly Chris Carpenter by 2010.

For now, Todd will be looking for an opening in Springfield to move up and show off his gaudy numbers. In six games (three as a starter due to the Cardinals piggyback system) Todd has racked up 24.1 IP with 31 K and a 3-0 record. A tidy 1.48 ERA is justified by an opponents batting average of .174. Todd's got some good stuff and, at only 22, a bright future ahead. 

Zach Braddock, SP, MIL
Coming off of a DL stint, Braddock has nothing short of spectacular. Another High-A prospect, Braddock is lulling batters to sleep with a .095 opponent batting average. If that wasn't enough, in his two starts for low-A West Virginia, Braddock racked up two wins, 13 strikeouts and a 4-1 groundball/fly ball ratio in just six innings. As the season wears on, the injury may be a little more noticeable, but don't expect Braddock to have too much trouble. Just to give an idea of what he's capable of; in 47 innings last year Braddock racked up 68 K and a 1.15 ERA.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Don't be surprised to see Homer Bailey back in Cincinnati soon. With Matt Belisle doing much of nothing and the team performing well below expectations, Bailey could be the shot in the arm the team needs... Adam Lind was called up this week and has promptly done nothing... Another player who could be making a major league splash this season is Will Inman. With Justin Germano getting hit around, Wil Ledezma would get first crack at the job. If he were to falter, the team could try to get Inman up for a sneak peek before Mark Prior returns...Ranger's top prospect Blake Beaven made his major league debut a good one. 6 innings, no runs and three strikeouts... Mike Burgess has been stroking the ball lately with 8 HR in under 100 AB...Colby Rasmus and Cameron Maybin are having some troubles in AAA. Both players are hitting under .225 after having shots at making the major league squads this spring...Luke Hughes (MIN) has been feeling it so far. The Australian is hitting a sweet .375 clip with 9 HR and 19 RBI... Cardinals catching prospect Bryan Anderson was promoted Wednesday to AAA Memphis.

WAIT A MINUTE MR. POSTMAN

With Phil Hughes going on the DL, do you think Joba will step in as a starter and what might he do? - Tim, Sarasota, FL

I do think Chamberlain will get a chance to start, but I don't think it is in the Yankee's best interests right now. When you take Chamberlain out of the bullpen, who will be giving the ball to Mariano Rivera? Kyle Farnsworth? Also, it will most likely take a few starts to stretch Joba back out meaning the rest of the pen will need to log extra innings on his first few start days. You take the chance of overexposing the kid as well. Hitters will see his stuff more often and if he falters, when returned to his relief role, players will have a better understanding of his pitching routines and movement.

If I were the Yankees, I would keep Chamberlain in his relief role for now, but possibly start to give him opportunities to pitch two or more innings every now and then. I would call up Darrell Rasner and give him another shot as his numbers so far (4-0, 0.87 ERA, 31 IP, 27 K, .170 Opp. BA) have made him an option again. If Rasner can't cut it, you can then bring Chamberlain in with the knowledge that he has already started to be stretched back out and he won't hurt your bullpen as much.

If Joba does start, I would expect something in the line of 4-5 IP for his first five or so games with maybe five or six strikeouts per game. If he sticks longer than that, he could be dangerous as he was a starter all the way up until making it to the big leagues. Without a real timetable for Hughes injury or knowledge as to just how much power Hank Steinbrenner actually has, it's tough to get a read on this. In this instance, Tim, I will have to plead ignorance and say he could be electric, but I have a feeling we'll have to wait a little longer before we even get a chance to find out.

Keep the emails and PM's coming so you can avoid the likelihood that you'll be starting Paul LoDuca this year. To get your questions answered, PM TheSnake at FPM or email pick_six@hotmail.com.


Jake Gott is a writer for FantasyPlaymakers.com. A part-time journalist, Jake is an unfortunate die hard fan of the Arizona Cardinals and the NHL. A proclaimed "fantasy nerd," he has hoisted many a belt above his head in league championship glory. To reach Jake, email him at pick_six@hotmail.com or by sending him a message on the FPM site under the name of TheSnake.