Huey Lewis and the News

Knowing Where You Stand – This is baseball's final leg of the marathon. Prepare to be bombarded by "There is only one October" commercials everywhere and pray that they spare us from Dane Cook's wrath again. This is the best time to be a baseball fan. You've dragged it out through the dog days of summer and now you are rewarded by stretch run games and the fact that armchair managing tirades can spill into Sunday's with football starting this weekend.

A quick look around the league has us still seeing a few surprises. The Rays lead the AL East and still ESPN decides that only the Yankees being 12.5 out of first or the Red Sox being 5.5 out matter. The surprise team of the year (and my favorite to win it all) has too much pitching that will come up in September to not be heavily considered. In the AL Central the White Sox hang on by the slimmest of margins to a Twins squad that just doesn't seem like they should be there. The AL West was locked up some time in spring training by the Angels and now they're just blowing leads so K-Rod can break the single season saves record.

The NL is a little tighter however. The senior circuit east is a tight race as the Phanatics try to repeat last year's Metropolitan debacle and win the division back-to-back years. The Marlins have faded as the season has gone on and the team may call up Dallas McPherson and Gaby Sanchez to see if they'll be ready to fill in for a possible Dan Uggla/ Mike Jacobs move. In the NL Central the Cubs still lead, but the Brewers are only 4.5 out and we know how well the Cubs do in the long run. Like the Marlins, St. Louis has fallen off the face of the earth and will be filled with internal questions going into next year (pitching, outfield, prospects). No one wants to win the NL West and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Rockies (6 games out) to make this race even tighter. The D-Backs keep making moves but none that seem to make a big difference while the Dodgers keep creeping up. This all plans to be a solid month of September and should feature some interesting races.

A Little Too Little, A Little Too Late – While it must be nice for the Yankees to see Carl Pavano back and seemingly healthy, it must be tough to know that he could have been helping them in what amounts to a lost season if he had done it earlier. Pavano has pitched rather well since coming off the DL. And on a Yankees squad who has had pitching troubles all year, Pavano could have been someone that was a slump buster or even a live arm that could have spared some of the youth. The real question will be now that teams have seen how Pavano works and how long he was out; will anyone be willing to give him a big deal if he pitches lights out the rest of the year? My guess is yes, but only time will tell.

Nicks, Nerds and Notes – Matt Capps is back in Pittsburgh and closing once again... Kevin Gregg is out as closer in South Florida and Matt Lindstrom is expected to be the main beneficiary... Jeff Kent will likely miss the remainder of the season with knee surgery on the slate. With Kent out, Chin Lung Hu will play at second base... Rosters expand Monday, September 1 and with that a slew of minor league prospects are expected to come up such as David Price, James McDonald, Mat Gamel and others... The Cubs must be looking over their shoulders at the Brewers with news that Carlos Zambrano needs to miss a start with a tired arm... Ian Kinsler expects to be back Sept. 9... Troy Percival may be back in a week or two to help lead the Rays towards the playoffs.

Selling the Farm

The minors are entering playoff mode and for teams that don't make it, their top players will likely be looking at a plane ticket to the show. Here's what you need to know to be ready for September's flood of rookies.

Guys to Eye

Alcides Escobar, SS, MIL
Before this season, Escobar was put towards the middle of most Brewers prospect lists because of his slick-fielding, mediocre bat approach. All of that changed this season as Alcides hit .328 with 8 HR, 76 RBI and 34 SB. The glove is still there, but it's the impressive stick work that has really had prospectors raving. With his expected promotion looming, Escobar could be a real target in next year's drafts if the Brew Crew decide to move JJ Hardy somewhere else on the diamond or someone else in the league.

Derek Holland, SP, TEX
Throwing 150.2 innings and making three stops along his minor tour of duty, Derek Holland, 22, has been spectacular. The most amazing thing about him is that he has gotten better as the season has progressed. Sporting a nifty 13-1 record with a combined 2.27 ERA, Holland has struck out 157 batters while only walking 40. His WHIP is a fraction of a percent over one. While it would not be too surprising to see Holland in the big leagues next year, I can see Texas leaving him in AAA to get a little more seasoning and then bringing him up mid-year. Still, Holland should be put into draft books for next season due to his upside alone.

Weekly Wrap-Up

The season has ended for most minor league clubs, but I wanted to reflect on watching Royals top prospect Mike Moustakas and Cardinals first round draft pick Brett Wallace play at Quad Cities. First and foremost, Moose Tacos was already switched off shortstop as predicted and playing third base. The position seems to suit him and his bat was as real as I could imagine. He belted a triple off the center field wall and with a little heads up coaching at third, could have run home after a throwing error by the centerfielder. He tagged another single and played an all around solid game. The problem will most likely be how to use him in the future with Alex Gordon at third and the Billy Butler experience happening at first.

As for Brett "The Hitman" Walrus, everyone has been saying he has no chance to stick at third. I beg to differ. Even though it was only one game and a small sample size does not make a full season, I watched Wallace make two solid plays that a "poor defender" usually would not make. Also, he pulled a single through the right side and had trouble with no one on in front of him getting on base. Of course, the day after we watched him, he was promoted to AA Springfield.

Prospect of the Week

Daryl Jones - Having the breakout season of a lifetime, Jones had a scorching week blasting 4 HR and RBI while batting an astronomical .438 and swiping two bags. Jones has been climbing up the Cardinals depth chart and could make things interesting for the wunderkind Colby Rasmus.

WAIT A MINUTE MR. POSTMAN

With the end of the season coming up, who is the one prospect that most people don't know about that you'll be watching? - Tom, NJ

Well, I'm hoping the Rays give Jeremy Hellickson a call, but I'm not too sure they will. They're more likely to try Wade Davis and David Price. So instead I will be keeping my eye on Oakland outfielder Aaron Cunningham. The kid has been hitting everywhere and because he is A) in a small market and B) not the type to "ooze tools," Cunningham is overlooked though he shouldn't be. He could possibly force Carlos Gonzalez to right field next season and make the team forget about Travis Buck. Some other quick names for fans to focus on: Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, Greg Golson, James McDonald, Andrew McCutchen, Jon Niese.

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. An all around fan of sports, Jake follows the Cardinals of both St. Louis and Arizona as well as the Boston Celtics and the whole 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.