Over the past few years we've seen multiple prospects come up and make an impact across the league. It's not just Mike Trout, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper; other young players have made a lot of noise over the past few seasons. Manny Machado, Yasiel Puig, Starling Marte, Jurickson Profar and Matt Harvey are just some of the young stars in the league. With so many names coming up it would be easy to assume the minor leagues are now depleted, but that's not the case.

This list is based on each player's potential Fantasy value to me over the next few years. None of the players on this list have ever played in the Majors. That means no Puig, no Profar and no Zack Wheeler.

#26 Kyle Gibson MIN
I mentioned it a while back, I still think Gibson will be in Minnesota before season's end.

#37 Matt Davidson ARI
I had high hopes for Davidson entering the year. I think he's one to watch if you're looking for power.

#43 Zach Lee LAD
Lee is one of the more underrated Pitchers in the minors today. I ranked him as my #16 Prospect Pitcher entering the season.

#49 Joc Pederson LAD
With the emergence of Yasiel Puig I wouldn't be shocked to see Pederson become the rumors of multiple trade rumors over the next few months. Keep an eye on him moving teams this summer and possibly getting some playing time late this season.

If you have any Fantasy Baseball questions regarding these players, or other prospects, please post them in the comment section below.

Alex Wiesner
June 18th, 2013
Archives 

Here's a closer look at 22 year old Yasiel Puig's first 13 games as a Pro. The Cuban Outfielder has been stellar this season in the field and at the plate. Puig is currently one of the most dangerous hitters in the National League after playing in just 13 games. I knew he was going to be good, but not this good - and not this soon.

To get a better idea of just how hot Puig's start has been take a look at his numbers compared to a handful of other notable players through the first 13 games of their careers:

If you have any Fantasy Baseball questions feel free to post them in the comment section below.

Alex Wiesner
June 18th, 2013
Archives

The NBA Draft is set to take place June 27th and is quickly approaching as it is right around the corner. Here are some players that may not be lottery picks but have been turning some heads in NBA circles at tryouts and workouts. These are players that with some luck could find themselves sneaking into the second round to be picked or even moving up to the end of the first round. It is all about finding value and diamonds in the rough as the draft moves on and these players fit that bill.

Lorenzo Brown. Point Guard, North Carolina State: 
If you watched a NC State game this season you would be hard pressed to pick out the point guard at the beginning of games. Brown is huge for a point guard, standing 6’5” and looking for like a shooting guard or small forward. His size is something that will set him apart at the point guard position as he will tower over most of his opposition. He makes up for the lack of speed and explosiveness with his size, smarts and style of play; he looks very comfortable running the show. Brown averaged 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. The 7.2 assists led the ACC and landed Brown the sixth spot in the nation. Brown has the point guard skills down right now of running a team but lacks some offensive skills. He is a poor shooter, knocking down only 26.3 percent of his three pointers this past season and needs to improve his finishing around the basket as he shot only 41.9 percent from the field overall. That will come with practice though as Brown has the makeup of a solid NBA rotation player.

Erick Green, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, Virginia Tech: 
Many people do not know who Green is but if you look at the scoring leaders from this past college basketball season you don’t need to go far to see his name. Green led the NCAA in scoring last season with 25.0 points per game in a power conference; something that had not been done since the early 90’s by Glen Robinson and Kurt Thomas. Green has outstanding scoring instincts at 22 years old, possessing an outstanding perimeter game to go along with a devastating pull-up jumper that would make even Walt “Clyde” Frazier happy. The biggest problem with Green is that teams view him as a dreaded tweener as he scores like a shooting guard but has the size of a point guard. He has improved his distribution skills this season, improving his assist numbers every season at Virginia Tech.This still has knocked Green down draft boards but there have been other players such as Stephen Curry and Dwyane Wade to be labeled as such and they have turned out fine. Green does not possess the talent of either player but passing up on him solely because of his size would be a mistake.

Mike Muscala, Center, Bucknell: 
Bucknell isn’t known for their athletics but they have had some impressive feats in the NCAA tournament, most notably knocking off Kansas 64-63 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2005. That was the first win for the Patriot League in the NCAA tournament and Muscala will be the first Bucknell basketball player to make an NBA regular season roster. The prospects of Muscala are all over the board as some executives think he has a chance to make an impressive NBA career for himself while others do not even believe he is an NBA players. The stats say that Muscala has a chance to make in the Association as he averaged 18.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game to go along with 2.3 blocks. Muscala’s pace-adjusted rebounding stat of DraftExpress.com puts him on level with Kevin Love in the historical database. His rebounding percentage of 21.0 is impressive as it trailed only two players whose competition was nowhere near as challenging as Muscala’s. His PER was second only to Kelly Olynyk’s who is a projected mid-first round pick. Muscala showed some versatility on the offensive end as he had an array of moves in the post and can step out and knock down jumpers. Muscala looks like a solid rotation player in the NBA with how his numbers translate.

A.J. Matthews, Power Forward, Farmingdale State: 
There have been nine players ever to go from a Division III school and make it into the NBA and Matthews has a great chance of making it 10. The Brooklyn-born Matthews is becoming the underdog story of the draft process, measured out at 6’10”, weighing 215 pounds. Matthews played for Farmingdale State on Long Island the past two seasons and dominated as a senior, averaging 22.4 points, 16.3 rebounds and 3.75 blocks per game. They all ranked near the top in the nation, as his rebounding led the nation, his blocks placed him third and his scoring put him at 11th in the nation. He had top-tier Division I talent but his grades never were as good. He did not have qualifying SAT scores coming out of American Christian Academy in Aston, Pennsylvania and has bounced around since. He ended up at five different JUCO schools, ending with Farmingdale State after drawing interest from Cincinnati and Oklahoma State early in the process. It would be quite an accomplishment for Matthews to make it to the NBA after the path he had to travel to get there. 

Prosper was one of the taller players at the tryout whose abilities really stood out. He showed that he has legitimate talent and thrived throughout the tryout. Prosper shows good defensive instincts and rebounds well, averaging 7.5 per game in just 19.6 minutes per game to go along with 1.08 blocks. He is an improving shooter, as his mid-range jumper is becoming more consistent with the makings of a player that looks to have a legitimate chance of stretching his range out to the three point line. He has good size at 6’10” and 240 pounds and plays well for someone with so little basketball experience. Prosper’s path to playing basketball is not a common one as he did not travel the high school and AAU circuits. Even with such little experience, Prosper had a more than respectable career at SUNY Old Westbury, punctuated by his senior year averages of 19.6 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. Getting drafted looks like a long shot right now but his path to the NBA or D-League looks as bright as it ever has. Also personally knowing someone who plays professional basketball would be awesome, as I went to the same college as Prosper and actually lived in the same dorm building as him the last two years he was at school and also have played pick-up basketball with him.

Kenneth Teape
June 18th, 2013
Archives

30. Miami Marlins (21-47) --
Major League Baseball is considering different ways to speed up games. One possible solution would be to let the Marlins know they lost via fax. #GotJokes
 
29. Houston Astros (26-44) --
No matter what we say about them, they're still paying their entire team less than the Yankees have to pay Alex Rodriguez.
 
28. Milwaukee Brewers (28-40) --
With Ryan Braun on the DL things have gone from bad to worse in Milwaukee.

24. Seattle Mariners (31-39) --
The Mariners are just 7.5 games behind the Rangers for the second Wild Card spot. I think they'll be in the market for another bat come the Trade Deadline.

23. Minnesota Twins (30-36) -4
Joe Mauer has put together another All Star caliber season.

22. Los Angeles Angels (30-39) +1
What do the Angels have in common with Billy Graham?
- They both can make 50,000 people stand up and say "Jesus Christ!"
 
21. Toronto Blue Jays (32-36) +1
My Blue Jays have won eight of their last ten games. Although we're in last place in the AL East, there's still a chance we can make some noise if Jose Reyes comes back healthy.

17. Cleveland Indians (34-34) -2
There's a good chance we'll see top prospect Francisco Lindor up later this month.

16. San Diego Padres (35-34) +2
The Padres swept the Braves and the Diamondbacks last week.

15. Washington Nationals (34-34) +1
Strasburg's return may lighten the mood in D.C. but there's no doubt that the Nationals have a lot of things to figure out over the next few months.

14. San Francisco Giants (35-33) +1
I'm still not ready to hit the panic button on the Giants. 
 
13. Colorado Rockies (37-33) --
As a team the Rockies lead the league in hits (672) and total bases (1,101).
 
12. Tampa Bay Rays (36-33) --
Alex Cobb has been released from the hospital after being hit in the head with a line drive. No word yet on when he'll return, but it appears he's going to be okay.

9. Baltimore Orioles (40-30) +2
Chris Davis' monster season continues as he hit his Major League leading 23rd home run on Sunday.
 
8. Arizona Diamondbacks (37-32) +2
"America's First Baseman" is now 13 for 62 in June bringing his average down to a healthy .301 on the season.

7. Detroit Tigers (38-29) +1
The Tigers are about to go into cruise control on top of the AL Central. Max Scherzer is definitely the favorite to win the AL Cy Young at this point. #SorryYu

4. Boston Red Sox (42-29) --
Boston has the best road record in the American League.

3. Cincinnati Reds (42-28) +3
The Reds are just 2.5 games behind the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.

2. Atlanta Braves (41-28) --
The Braves lead the National League in home runs and strikeouts.
 
1. St. Louis Cardinals (44-25) --
The Cardinals have established themselves as baseball's best team. It would take a lot to move them out of the number one spot.
  
Have a great day and don't forget to vote! Thanks for coming out.
 
Holly Murray
June 17th, 2013
Archives

For my 3rd NBA Mock Draft I shook some things up hoping to be a little controversial. Although this year's Draft doesn't boast any "potential superstars" it still has a ton of solid players with All Star upside. I truly believe players like Otto Porter and Victor Oladipo have the potential to come into the league and contribute right away in ways that may not show up in the stat sheet.

As you read through this Mock take some time to realize where I have the high upside players going.

Something worth noting, Dario Saric is leaning towards withdrawing his name from the Draft pool. The deadline for early withdrawal is June 17th. For the sake of this Mock I took him out of the player pool. 

1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Otto Porter SF Georgetown
2. Orlando Magic - Nerlens Noel C Kentucky
3. Washington Wizards - Anthony Bennett PF UNLV
4. Charlotte Bobcats - Victor Oladipo SG Indiana
5. Phoenix Suns - Ben McLemore SG Kansas
6. New Orleans Pelicans - Alex Len C Maryland
7. Sacramento Kings - Trey Burke PG Michigan
8. Detroit Pistons - Michael Carter-Williams PG Syracuse
9. Minnesota Timberwolves - Steven Adams C Pittsburgh
10. Portland Trail Blazers - Cody Zeller PF Indiana
11. Philadelphia 76ers - Mason Plumlee C Duke
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto) - C.J. McCollum PG Lehigh
13. Dallas Mavericks - Allen Crabbe SG California
14. Utah Jazz - Shabazz Muhammad SF UCLA
15. Milwaukee Bucks - Gorgui Dieng C Louisville
16. Boston Celtics - Sergey Karasev SF Russia
17. Atlanta Hawks - Rudy Gobert PF France
18. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston via Brooklyn) - Jamaal Franklin SG San Diego State
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles) - Kelly Olynyk C Gonzaga
20. Chicago Bulls - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG Georgia
21. Utah Jazz (from Golden State via Brooklyn) - Dennis Schroeder PG Germany
22. Brooklyn Nets - Tony Mitchell PF North Texas
23. Indiana Pacers - Shane Larkin PG Miami
24. New York Knicks - Tim Hardaway Jr. SG Michigan
25. Los Angeles Clippers - Glen Rice Jr. SG D-League
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis via Houston) - Giannis Adetokoubo SF Greece
27. Denver Nuggets - Archie Goodwin SG Kentucky
28. San Antonio Spurs - DeShaun Thomas SF Ohio State
29. Oklahoma City Thunder - Livio Jean-Charles PF France
30. Phoenix Suns (from Miami via L.A. and Cleveland) - Tony Snell SF New Mexico

31. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando) - Lucas Nogueira C Brazil
32. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Charlotte) - Isaiah Canaan PG Murray State
33. Cleveland Cavaliers - Reggie Bullock SF North Carolina
34. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix) - C.J. Leslie PF N.C. State
35. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans) - Jeff Withey C Kansas
36. Sacramento Kings - Erick Green PG Virginia Tech
37. Detroit Pistons - Nate Wolters PG South Dakota State
38. Washington Wizards - Mouhammadou Jaiteh C France
39. Portland Trail Blazers (from Minnesota via Boston & Cleveland) - Adonis Thomas SF Memphis
40. Portland Trail Blazers - DeWayne Dedmon C USC
41. Memphis Grizzlies (from Toronto) - James Ennis SF Long Beach State
42. Philadelphia 76ers - Erik Murphy PF Florida
43. Milwaukee Bucks - Jackie Carmichael PF Illinois State
44. Dallas Mavericks (pick may be conveyed to Lakers) - Lorenzo Brown PG N.C. State
45. Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston) - Michael Snaer SG Florida State
46. Utah Jazz - Bojan Dubljevic PF Spain
47. Atlanta Hawks - Ricky Ledo SG Providence
48. Los Angeles Lakers (pick may be conveyed to Dallas) - Kenny Kadji PF Miami
49. Chicago Bulls - Myck Kabongo PG Texas
50. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston) - Trevor Mbakwe PF Minnesota 
51. Orlando Magic (from Golden State via Denver & New York) - James Southerland SF Syracuse
52. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Brooklyn) - Pierre Jackson PG Baylor
53. Indiana Pacers - Ray McCallum PG Detroit
54. Washington Wizards (from New York) - Amath Mbaye SF Oklahoma
55. Memphis Grizzlies - Colten Iverson C Colorado State
56. Detroit Pistons (from Clippers) - Carrick Felix SG Arizona State
57. Phoenix Suns (from Denver via. Lakers) - Peyton Siva PG Louisville
58. San Antonio Spurs - Seth Curry PG Duke
59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Oklahoma City) - Andre Roberson SF Colorado
60. Memphis Grizzlies (from Miami) - Elijah Johnson SG Kansas

Mock Draft 1.0
Mock Draft 2.0

There's no need to overreact to this Mock Draft, I purposely went out of my way to become controversial. If you have any other thoughts or ideas you'd like to contribute please don't hesitate to post them in the comment section below.

Alex Wiesner
June 14th, 2013
Archives

Previous Rankings
Alex Wiesner
June 13th, 2013
Archives

This week's Hitter Rankings will be a little different than the previous five. In this week's rankings I will show the progress of each of my Top 100 hitters throughout the season. Before I get into the rankings I want to discuss three players that have really stood out to me over the past few weeks.

Since mentioning him as my "One To Watch" in my May 16th Rankings Domonic Brown has hit 12 homers and drove in 28 runs in his last 25 games. He's been one of the best hitters in the game in that span, his 19 home runs for the season ranks second to only Chris Davis in all of baseball.

My rankings are based on how I perceive each players' current and future value for this season alone.

Kyle Blanks SD
I've been a fan of Blanks for the past four years but his proneness to injury has kept me from mentioning him as much as I would like to. Blanks is a mammoth hitter who has enough power to make even Petco Park look small. If you're in need of another power source give Blanks a look.

Alex Wiesner
June 13th, 2013
Archives

This week's Starter Rankings will be a little different than the previous five. In this week's rankings I will show the progress of each of my Top 50 Starters throughout the season. Before I get into the rankings I want to discuss three players that have really stood out to me over the past few weeks.

I mentioned Max Scherzer in an article last week proclaiming him to be the current favorite to win the American League Cy Young award and at this point there isn't a lot of competition outside of Yu Darvish and Clay Buchholz. I think Scherzer has the durability to maintain a lot of his numbers throughout the rest of the season. He's a true Fantasy ace.

My rankings are based on how I perceive each players' current and future value for this season alone.

Michael Pineda NYY
Pineda is currently on schedule to make his season debut in late June. The Yankees traded away their best hitting prospect, Jesus Montero, in order to acquire Pineda from the Mariners prior to last season. Pineda has a high ceiling with the potential to lead the league in strikeouts when healthy. He's a must-own if you're in need of some pitching help.

Alex Wiesner
June 13th, 2013
Archives

My rankings are based on how I perceive each players' current and future value for this season alone.

Trevor Rosenthal STL
In my Draft Guide I mentioned Relief Pitchers as a key part of my pitching strategy. Rosenthal is the perfect example of a Pitcher that will help balance out your ERA and WHIP one inning at a time. Although you will be forced to use a roster spot on a player that won't make a major contribution in any specific category; Rosenthal is a solid pickup if you are one of the lucky few who own a rouge Starter like R.A. Dickey or Yovani Gallardo.

Alex Wiesner
June 13th, 2013
Archives

It's week 11 and although we are far from forming a playoff picture, things are starting to heat up among the contenders. The NL Central may end up being the best division race in baseball - come August. The Cardinals and Reds are both regulars to the postseason, but the upstart Pirates are making strides towards the top of the division. Between A.J. Burnett and the rest of the Pirates staff, Pittsburgh may end up putting together one of the most memorable seasons in recent memory.

30. Miami Marlins (18-44) --
Back-to-back wins over the Mets in extra innings is something to be proud of.
 
29. Houston Astros (22-42) --
Apparently the reason they moved to the AL West was because they were tired of losing to the same uniforms for the past decade.

25. Chicago White Sox (27-34) -5
The White Sox, like the Twins, are still within striking distance of the Tigers. Jake Peavy has to be healthy in order for the South-siders to have a chance.

24. Seattle Mariners (27-37) -1
Kyle Seager has quietly had a terrific season.

23. Los Angeles Angels (27-36) -6
The Halos are scuffling again. Jered Weaver will have to put the team on his back every fifth day just to have a chance to make the Wild Card.

22. Toronto Blue Jays (24-33) +3
Last place and hating every minute of it.
 
21. Kansas City Royals (23-31) +3
If you ever want to plan a vacation in October - talk to Royals management. They always seem to have their flights booked by then.

18. San Diego Padres (29-34) --
Jason Marquis leads this team in wins. #PlayoffTeamsDontSayThat

17. Philadelphia Phillies (31-33) +2
The Phillies have 44 Quality Starts this year, that's the most in the league.

16. Washington Nationals (31-31) --
Strasburg is expected to return June 16th. Maybe things will turn around by then.

15. Cleveland Indians (30-32) -1
The Indians have lost seven straight games. If you listen closely, you can hear the collective groans of their fans from miles away.

11. Baltimore Orioles (35-28) -2
Statistically speaking, Manny Machado and Chris Davis are the best 3-4 hitters in baseball this year.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (35-28) -3
Here are last week's poll results:
Diamondbacks: 50%
Giants: 30%
Rockies: 15%
Dodgers: 5%
Padres: 0%

9. New York Yankees (37-26) +2
The Yankees have now won six of their last seven games.

8. Detroit Tigers (35-26) --
After a slow start Victor Martinez is heating up. He has a .333 batting average this month.

7. Oakland Athletics (38-27) +3
The A's have scored the most runs in the AL West.

6. Cincinnati Reds (37-26) -3
Joey Votto is clearly the Reds best player, but Brandon Phillips leads the team in RBI and tweets.

2. Atlanta Braves (39-24) +4
With an eight game lead over the Nationals it would be easy to go into cruise control at this point of the season. I hope they don't get complacent.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (41-22) --
The Cardinals are clearly the best team in baseball but the Reds and Pirates are closing in on their division lead. Don't forget to vote!
  
Thanks for coming out! What do you think?
 
Holly Murray
June 9th, 2013
Archives