Draft 14 – Derek Fisher, Aaron Nola, Jeff Hoffman, Dillon Overton, Denz'l Chapman

6-10-13 - Derek Fisher, OF Virginia - Fisher was one of my favorite players in the 2011 draft class.  He is a good athlete with a line drive swing with good bat speed.  There is good power projection in his bat.  His approach has improved over the last year at Virginia. link

6-11-13 - 5. Aaron Nola, RHP, Louisiana State: What's a Draft class without a top LSU arm? Nola was LSU's Friday starter this year, going 12-0 with a 1.68 ERA, striking out nearly a batter per inning while holding hitters to a .187 BAA. LINK

6-13-13  -  10. Seattle Mariners — Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - The 6’-4”, 190 pound right-hander is a workhorse who could have a Jonathan Gray-like rise next season with continued development on his curveball and change-up, both of which are solid offering right now. His fastball is a plus pitch already and touches 97 mph. Over 15 starts this season, he had a 3.20 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 84 K/39 BB over 109.2 innings. His 7.3 innings-per-start show the kind of stamina he has and he maintains velocity deep in games. LINK

Oklahoma head coach Sonny Galloway announced he was becoming head coach at Auburn. Junior prospect SP Dillon Overton had some choice tweets for his ex-coach as it seems both (63rd overall pick by Oakland) are leaving:

“All the crap I went through this year/season... But my team helped me through it. Good luck with the new coach boys. Thanks for being two faced the entire time I knew you. Lied to our whole team and never had any of our backs. The program made me better...which is something you couldn't do. I hope all the talking behind my back to my teammates comes back to you in some way. You really disappointed me and all my teammates. Good luck at Auburn.”

6-17-13 - Denz'l Chapman is accustomed to the spotlight. He remembers a moment in Las Vegas, competing for a team from his hometown of Gardena, Calif., against players from all over the country, with the game on the line.  In a youth bowling tournament.  "That's a family thing, we love to (go bowling)," said Chapman, who learned the game from his father. "I think I went out there with something like a 200 average."  Chapman's team didn't win that day -- "We came in like third or fourth" he says -- but it might be just as well. LINK

Baseball – Jose Pagan, A.J. Burnett, Hal Trosky Jr., Jeremy Guthrie

Jose Pagan (b. 1935) was a shortstop-third baseman for the Giants and Pirates.  In the decisive Game  #7 of the 1971 World Series, his eighth inning double knocked in Willie Stargell for the game-winning/series-winning run. fairandunbalancedblog  

Let’s start by looking at what went wrong for Burnett this past season. A.J. Burnett’s ERA was just awful for a fantasy starter. His FIP and xFIP, however, indicates that he could be in for some improvement. His 4.77 FIP isn’t great, of course, but his 3.86 xFIP offers hope for some type of rebound. The reason for the large gap between Burnett’s ERA and xFIP likely is a result of Burnett’s horrible 17.0% home run rate. That home run rate was the worst among all qualified starters this past season, even worse than Bronson Arroyo, who gave up 46 home runs. The silver lining is that with a home run rate that high, things are likely to regress towards the mean this upcoming season. This also isn’t the first time Burnett has experienced a huge spike in home runs. In 2007, Burnett’s home run rate jumped to 17.7%. The next season, it dropped to 9.6% — slightly below his career average. http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/should-you-draft-a-j-burnett/

Hal Trosky, Jr. grew up with a great model to emulate while dreaming of becoming a big league player. His father, Hal Trosky, Sr. was a major league star, who, if not for World War II may have made a very strong case for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. As it was, Senior had a star career that ended after the 1946 season when Junior was 10 years old. By that time the younger Trosky had seen enough to know what he wanted to do with his life- play baseball. By the time he was in high school, Trosky, Jr. had become a talented player and was drawing a lot of interest from professional teams. As a senior in Cedar Rapids, Iowa he hit .667 and had scouts from nearly half the major league teams in attendance at his games. The connections his father had made during his time in the game helped guide the young man’s decision making, and in 1954 he settled on signing with the Chicago White Sox after making a good connection with team owner Charlie Comiskey, Jr., who shared the commonality of being baseball progeny. http://seamheads.com/2012/02/12/hal-trosky-jr-a-stubborn-baseball-player/

Jeremy Guthrie may be going mile-high, but Coors Field isn't quite the terror it was in the 1990s. Homers are likely to be a problem, given Guthrie's 41% career flyball rate, but Camden Yards wasn't a great place for him either, and the difference may not be that drastic. Though he'll be going to the world's most feared hitter's park (and owner of second place on ESPN's park factor list) he'll be staying away from Boston, Toronto, and New York (the third, fourth, and sixth-most hitter friendly parks in baseball) on the road, replacing them with trips to San Franciso, San Diego, and Los Angeles, so the park change isn't as bad as it sounds. Of course, that isn't counting the hitters themselves. Pitching for Baltimore is more than pitching for a bad team, it's facing four of baseball's toughest offenses night after night. The general quality difference between the AL and the NL should help, too. Overall, the change in environment should be a wash at the worst for Guthrie's rate stats and strikouts, and could well give them a boost. http://www.rotoauthority.com/

Baseball: Taijuan Walker, Drew Pomeranz, A.J. Burnett, Carlos Pena, Cory Hahn

Taijuan Walker, Mariners: With the way Walker pitched in his first full season, the Mariners will quickly forget they didn't have a first-round pick in 2010. The SoCal high school product was a multi-sport star and, as a result, is really focusing on pitching full-time for the first time as a professional. So far, so good, as Walker has been dominant as the Mariners have been cautious with him up until this point. The stuff is there, with a mid-to-high 90s fastball and excellent curve. His changeup is rapidly improving. That three-pitch mix, his size and athleticism could all add up to a frontline starter in the future. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120112&content_id=26330142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26330142

Drew Pomeranz, Rockies: The tail end of the 2011 season was a whirlwind for Pomeranz. As the player-to-be-named in the Ubaldo Jimenez Trade Deadline deal with Cleveland, he sat in limbo for a long stretch, unable to pitch, waiting for his part of the trade to be completed. Then he had to have his appendix removed. Despite all that, he pitched very well for the Rockies and earned his first callup to the big leagues, throwing five shutout innings in his debut. When fully healthy, he has a plus fastball and curve. His changeup isn't quite as good, but it's still an effective pitch. If the former Ole Miss southpaw commands the ball the way he did in the big leagues late last year -- that had been an issue for him in the past -- he'll be just fine, and he should get a long look for a rotation spot this spring. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120113&content_id=26339048&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26339048

It seems as if the Yankees are determined to get rid of A.J. Burnett has they have been getting the word out ever since the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero swap that they would love to deal him, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. Start reports that the Yankees would prefer to take on somebodies bad contract rather than eat Burnett’s salary, but there aren’t many comparable options out there. Jason Bay of the Mets may be the best fit if teams are looking to just swap bad contracts. Burnett is owed $33 million over two years while Bay is owed $32 million over the same time period. Alfonso Soriano and Adam Dunn are two other names that have been thrown around as possibilities, but both have contracts that extend beyond 2014 which pretty much kills those possibilities. http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/01/rumor-yankees-continue-to-shop-a-j-burnett/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Carlos Pena was, of course, a member of the worst-to-first 2008 Rays (not Devil Rays, that’ll cost you). That club won 97 games, Tampa Bay’s first ever American League East title, Tampa Bay’s first ever playoff series, and Tampa Bay’s first American League Championship, all just a year after Pena and his .430 wOBA could only power the team to a 66-96 campaign. He was also there for 2010, the Rays’ second division championship, but that team’s success was almost despite him. Pena still provided his trademark power, slugging 28 home runs, but his strikeout problems and a sharp dip in BABIP led to just a .196 batting average and a .326 wOBA. Between the failures of 2010 and his contractual demands — he sought and eventually received eight figures on a one-year deal — Pena and the Rays diverged for the 2010 season. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/carlos-pena-returns-to-the-trop/

Cory Hahn made his way down the third base line of El Dorado Field to home plate with the assistance of his father, Dale, late Saturday afternoon. The crowd at El Dorado High School greeted him with a standing ovation. After all, he is the main attraction. "He's a star now," said former Los Angeles Angels announcer Rex Hudler. "He's got a chance to encourage a lot of people – more than he would if he were a ballplayer." The former Mater Dei baseball star was the guest of honor as a who's who of Orange County baseball sluggers took part in the 1st Annual Trinity Bat Company Home Run Challenge. Proceeds from the charity event were donated to the Cory Hahn Fund. High schoolers, minor leaguers and major leaguers, including Angels catcher Hank Conger and first baseman Mark Trumbo, attended. However, Trumbo didn't participate while still recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.  http://www.foxsportswest.com/01/21/12/Hahn-inspiring-beyond-baseball/landing_angels.html?blockID=650944&feedID=9174

Hot Stove: - A.J. Burnett, Huston Street, Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, Rhiner Cruz

According to George A. King III, the Yankees are shopping A.J. Burnett at this week's Winter Meetings. The Yankees have told teams that they are willing to eat $8 million of the $33 million left on Burnett's contract, but they haven't found much interest yet. However, it does indicate that the Yanks aren't done working on their rotation. Burnett, who turns 35 in January, went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA and 173/83 K/BB ratio over 190 1/3 innings this season. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346412/baseball-headlines?r=1

According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, the Padres will acquire Huston Street from the Rockies for a player to be named later. It appears that the deal is essentially done. The Padres are expected to pick up the remainder of Street's contract, which includes a $7.5 million salary for 2012 and either a $9 million option for 2013 or a $500,000 buyout. The 28-year-old right-hander had a 3.50 ERA over three seasons in Colorado, so he should do quite nicely in the spacious PETCO Park. He could be a nice late pickup among fantasy closers. As for the Rockies, the move gives them some wiggle room to add a free agent and ensures that Rafael Betancourt will be the closer next season. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346421/baseball-headlines?r=1

There are plenty of similarities when comparing Pagan and Torres — both were late-bloomers who, after years of part-time work, finally got the opportunity to play regularly for their respective teams in 2010.  In that year, they each posted career bests in both home runs and stolen bases and provided an offensive spark that few people saw coming.  They also both came back down to earth the following season.  Expectations were high coming into 2011 and neither delivered the goods. But there are also numerous differences in their game and in those differences is where Pagan’s edge is found.  Again, we’re talking strictly offensive production here.  You may think (as most of us do) that Torres brings a better glove to the table and that may be so.  But with the bat, the 30 year old Pagan brings plenty more. http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/giants-acquire-pagan-to-upgrade-the-leadoff-spot

Giants general manager Brian Sabean said the team will not re-sign free agent outfielders Carlos Beltran or Cody Ross. Sabean said that no offer was ever made to either player and that talks never went past the general stage. We figured once they traded for both Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan that signing another outfielder was a longshot, as they still have to find room for Aubrey Huff, Brandon Belt and Nate Schierholtz. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/346509/baseball-headlines?r=1

Minnesota media was reporting the Twins were focused on selecting a pitcher, and speculation centered on Mets righty Rhiner Cruz, whose fastball touches the upper 90s. Cruz, a former Tigers farmhand who was released in 2006, has reached Double-A and is pitching well for Cibao in the Dominican League this winter. However, a Twins source indicated the club was looking in a different direction. Cruz still fits the profile of players who typically get picked in the Rule 5 and was one of the players not previously named in our two previews who had some buzz. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/12/luhnow-hire-trumps-rule-5-buzz