The Woes of Uggla

     Owners that drafted Dan Uggla this season thought they were getting the most consistent power source at the second base position for the last 5 years. He seemed like a guaranteed 30 home runs, which he had done the last four seasons. Many owners, including myself, thought the move from Florida to Atlanta would help his RBI totals because he would be in a better lineup with more protection. Well it just hasn't happened for him this season and is on pace for the worst season of his career. He has the worst batting average in the National League for players who qualify and is in the midst of a 6-65 slump.

"His biggest problem," said one scout, "is he's not getting his front foot down, so he's got a timing issue. And now he's pressing."

He looks awful," said another scout. "Every ball down in the zone is a 6-3 or a 4-3. And it's becoming psychological."

     I'm not in the boat that believes you should cut Uggla if you're an owner. If you don't own him and he's on another team go ahead and try to get him for dirt cheap. There are no options in the free agent pool that excite me and you have to believe that he'll get his timing down based on his track record. Look at it as who will be better for you from now until the season's end. Forget about season stats to date. Will the better play be a free agent like Gordon Beckham (owned in 68% ESPN.com leagues) or Orlando Cabrera (owned in 43.9 ESPN.com league), or will it be Uggla. Even with Uggla's awful season, he still has given better RBI and home run numbers. Be patient with him, he could be the difference at a position that is scarce in power.

Brett Anderson Travels Back to Oakland

Brett Anderson returned to Oakland on Monday for an evaluation of his left elbow. Yes, he's a left handed pitcher. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported he traveled back because he is experiencing a recent drop in velocity and has had trouble controlling his slider.
     This news comes after an awful Fantasy Week in which he let up 14 earned runs in two starts. It was against two top lineups in the Yankees and Red Sox but there was something clearly wrong. Anderson’s  ERA rose from 2.84 to 4.00 during the week.
     This news is troubling because he made two different trips to the DL last season with injuries to the same elbow, causing him to miss much of the season. His injury could cause him to miss some extended time or the injury could linger. Anderson is not a top pitcher, and if your league allows only one DL spot, I wouldn’t hold on to him. There are plenty of decent pitchers out there that can give you good time.

Choo's DUI Affecting His Play

     Indian's outfielder Shin-Soo Choo admitted that his DUI arrest has been affecting his play. In May, Choo hit an unusual .247 with only 1 HR and 1 SB. Choo was arrested on May 2nd in Ohio after blowing a .201 on a breathalyzer test, more than twice the legal limit. Choo says that ever since then, he's been pushing himself to play well and gain redemption among fans in America and in his native Korea.

"That happened last month. So I wanted to play good in the field, show better play and then try to make people forget," said Choo. "I'm trying too hard. That's just my natural thought. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it makes it worse. It's given me a lot of stress."

 In the past, Choo has been a valuable addition to any fantasy owner's roster. However this season Choo has been less than spectacular. He's on pace to hit only 14 HR's and drive in 61 RBI's. Choo has been a 20-20 guy for the past two seasons and the fact that his mind is getting in the way of his play scares me. Physical injuries usually have some sort of timetable, but mental blocks have no prognosis.
     Even worse is news that Indians' manager Manny Acta has dropped Choo from 3rd to 6th in the batting order. Fewer at-bats mean fewer chances for redemption. My advice would be to bench Choo and wait out this slump. He should get back to form eventually, but you can't afford to waste a starting OF roster spot while Choo breaks out this funk.

Kung-Fu Panda set to Return

     Pablo Sandoval could be nearing a return after having surgery to remove the fractured portion of the hamate from his right wrist. He has been sent to San Jose on rehab assignment according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He'll spend a few days there and barring any setbacks will move on to Triple-A Fresno. He is supposed to join the Giants sometime next week.
     The Third base position has been hit hard by the injury bug this season so it's nice to see one of them returning. Sandoval was having a nice bounce back season hitting .313 with 5 homeruns and 14 RBI's. A positive sign that the hand is healed is him hitting both left and right handed. When hitting left-handed the knob of the bat puts pressure against the surgical area. I see no reason why he wont continue to produce once he returns to the everyday lineup.

Will Hanley go to DL?

     The Florida Marlins are expected to put Hanley Ramirez on the DL Monday after experiencing lower back pain since May 29^th when he was pulled in the second inning.

“It’s very sensitive. When you’re standing up on a plane for three-four hours, I tell you he’s not joking around,” said Manager Ewin Rodriguez.

     If he can’t even sit on a plane, it’ll be tough for him to play baseball. The biggest hint that he’ll be put on the DL is the Marlins recalling shortstop Ozzie Martinez from Triple-A New Orleans.

     The Marlins were reportedly going to make their decision on putting Hanley on the DL Friday but after Clay Hensley got hurt and placed on the DL Thursday ( right shoulder sprain),  they decided to wait until Monday.

     It’s time to put Hanley on the bench until he either goes on the DL or if not placed on the DL returns to the lineup. He hasn’t been that productive this season (.210 4 home runs 17 RBI’s and 11 stolen bases). He’s a career .307 hitter so I see all of the numbers rising if the lower back pain doesn’t linger. There will be many owners who smell blood on this first round pick and will try to offer you some trades. Hold on the Hanley unless you get wowed by an offer. Your patience will pay off and he numbers should return to his career averages.

Michael Morse is on Fire

    Michael Morse is a journeyman Outfielder who never seemed to get a shot at being the starter until last season when the Nationals gave him the starting nod in the second half of the season. He certainly responded, hitting 15 home runs in just 266 at bats. Many owners were high on Morse, hoping he could put up the same production with everyday at-bats. He didn’t respond at the beginning of this season with just one home run going into the month of May. Many owners gave up on him but he has been on fire during the month of May. In May Morse had 6 home runs 15 RBI’s and a .403 batting average.

    Morse looks like he has put it together this last month and I see no reason why he wouldn’t be able to continue his production. Don’t expect him to hit .400 for the rest of the season but I see him finishing with a .280 average and about 25-30 home runs. He’ll have his cold streaks from time to time that will drive owners crazy but I think if you stay patient, you’ll be rewarded.

Matt Holliday to the DL

     Matt Holliday didn’t go on the DL earlier season when he went through an appendectomy procedure. He did go on the DL Thursday after experiencing nagging pain in his left quad since May 19^th. He had an MRI on Wednesday and clearly the Cardinals felt he needed some time to rest the injury. The DL stint should be good for Holliday and I don’t see this injury lasting past his DL stint. It looks like the Cardinals are just being cautious in trying to make sure Holliday will be healthy for the second half of the season.

     It’s nearly impossible to replace a bat like Matt Holliday’s ( .342 6hr 31 RBI’s). What you need is a stop-gap player who seems to be on a role. Go get Holliday’s former outfield mate Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick has been on a tear. He has raised his batting average 17 points in the last ten game, adding 7 RBI’s. Two guys to get if Ludwick isn’t available would be Michael Brantley or John Jay. John Jay will replace Holliday in the Cardinal’s lineup and has been on a hot streak (hitting .345 in the last week). Brantley is a solid all-around fantasy option who is at the top of a decent Cleveland Indians lineup.

Garza Staying on the DL

     According to Stephania Bell of ESPN.COM, Matt Garza will not be returning to the DL on Friday (the first day he's eligible to come off). Garza has been out with a bone contusion in his right elbow and has just started throwing bullpen sessions. He's scheduled to throw a couple bullpen sessions later in the week. If he continues to improve he should come off the DL sometime next week.
   Garza has been solid his last few starts on a bad Chicago Cubs team. This season he's posted a typical Matt Garza ERA of 3.72 but has had a disappointing 2-4 record. Don't expect much better when he comes off the DL. He's going to be a decent starter going forward but nothing to be excited about. There are plenty of better starters out there.

Is The Chief Back?

     It took ten starts to get his first win, but Ubaldo Jimenez sure made the first one count in a complete game shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night. Jimenez has struggled this season going 1-5 with a 4.98 ERA; but has improved the last couple of weeks, having a quality start in 4 of his last 6 starts.
      It hasn't been all Jimenez' fault as the Rockies have been struggling to score runs for him. They had scored 5 runs in the last 19 innings Ubaldo had pitched on the road.
     He missed some time in Spring Training with leg muscle problems and later spent some time on the DL with a cut cuticle. There were rumblings amongst the media of whether or not he was more hurt than the Rockies had led on.
     Jimenez spent the last couple of weeks looking over his starts from last season, comparing them to this season. Jimenez thought he looked like "a completely different pitcher." Him and Manager Jim Tracy have been working on his mechanics and it looks like he might just turn this thing around.
      I'm optimistic about Jimenez because he's been a fairly consistent pitcher when it comes to stats at season's end (under 4 era in all seasons he gets more than 15 starts). He usually goes through bad stretches and this was no different, he just didn't get the same run support he got in the past. If Jimenez is still available, it's time to get him now. He's turning it around. Hope an owner is frustrated with him and remembers the poor start.

Future Keeper of the Week: Hank Conger

     This week's F.K.O.W. is Angels' catcher Hank Conger. Conger impressed Angel's management with an impressive spring offensively. The 23 year old former first round draft pick's bat has never been in question (career .297 hitter in the minors). The question is will he ever get a chance to be the full time catcher. Manager Mike Scioscia, a former catcher, would be the perfect coach for Conger to learn under, especially with his track record of developing catchers. Conger is hitting .233 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI's in limited time this season.
     Scouts have wondered if he'll be good enough defensively and if he'll be able to call an efficient game. From everything I've read he has improved drastically since last season and should continue in his progression.
     It's rare to get a catcher who can hit. If he gets the chance to be an everyday catcher, he will put up solid numbers. Look for him to be the full time starter either this year or next year. If you can pick him up and stash him as a keeper, he'll pay dividends down the road. He will hit, but will he catch? Only time will tell Conger's future.