Jose Fernandez is a 20 year old right hand pitcher from Cuba for the Miami Marlins.  He is the third youngest Marlin to make their major league debut and youngest starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Marlins with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. In his first full professional season last year in 25 starts 14 coming in low A and 11 in high A he went 14-1, striking out 158 batters and walking just 35 in 134.0 innings. His ERA was 1.75 and his was WHIP 0.93.  He was ranked as the #1 Marlins prospect & #5 in all of baseball to start the year by Baseball America.  He was surprisingly called up to be the Marlins 5th starter to start the year, after they had two projected starters of their rotation start the year on the disabled list.

Once the announcement was made he would start the rotation, the skeptics were out as to whether he would be a viable fantasy option this year or not. After his debut performance I am confidante in saying he will be. I sat down yesterday and with the help of DirectTV watched every pitch of his debut outing and not only did he not let me down he greatly exceeded by expectations.  He went a very strong 5 innings with a Marlins debut record of 8 strike outs. He pitched flawlessly the first three innings getting the side out in order all three and striking out the side in the 2nd. He then got into a slight jam in the 4th after allowing a single with one out and a walk with two outs  before getting the next hitter to ground out.  His control that inning did seem to be a bit shaky out of the stretch as he walked one and went to a 2-2 count with the final batter of the inning. He was able to get it under control and get a inning ending ground out leaving both runners stranded.  In his fifth and final inning of work he gave up his lone earned run but was able to limit the damage by leaving a runner stranded on second.  He exited after throwing 80 pitches, 53 for strikes.

Now that we know a little bit about Jose Fernandez and have detailed how his first outing in the big leagues went, lets talk fantasy value. After watching his impressive debut there is no doubt in my mind that not only is he a top dynasty/keeper lg player but that he will also be a relevant redraft mixed leagued starter.  Will he have his ups and downs, yes and wins may be hard to come by playing for the lowly Marlins but the Ks and other quality pitchers stats will be there. One thing to keep an eye on however is that the Marlins do plan on limiting him to around 150 to 170 this season. He only went 5 today and I foresee that to be a pretty regular occurrence.   This may mean he will not be leading your team come playoff time but first you have to reach the playoffs and he could be the type of free pickup that helps you reach that goal.

Regarding his keeper/dynasty league value there is not a lot to say that already hasn’t been. He was the #5 prospect in baseball coming into the season and had a very impressive debut. Add to the fact that he is only 20 years old, if your league mates haven’t been smart enough to roster him already drop what you are doing and RUN to pick him up. Pitchers like this don’t come along everyday and in a long term format he looks to be the type of pitcher that can anchor your pitching staff for many years to come.  As of this writing he is currently owned in 70% of CBS, 32% of yahoo, & 9.9% of ESPN leagues, which I imagine will have a pretty big spike following his debut outing.

Now that we have welcomed Jose Fernandez to the bigs, will you have him rostered? I do. Let me know in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs. Enjoy the season gamers, it has only just begun.

Billy Hamilton was drafted in the second round of the 2009 major league baseball draft out of Taylorsville High School by the Cincinnati Reds. He was ranked as the 50th best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2011 season and became the 12th minor league player to have 100 stolen bases in a season with 103 SBs while hitting .278.

He then moved up to the 48th ranked prospect by Baseball America prior to this season before taking the baseball world by storm, catching everyone’s attention by breaking Vince Coleman’s 29 year old professional record of 145 stolen bases on August 21st.

By mid season, he had climbed the prospect ranks reaching #27 on Keith Law’s mid season prospect rank. His remarkable baseball stealing skills have made him one of the most talked about prospects in all of baseball this year. He is so fast on the base paths that he has been known to score on a sac fly from second.

He is currently at 150 SBs on the seaon as of this writing.  He has been so dominate in the base stealing department this year that he leads the AA Southern League with 45 SBs in 42 games having only debuted in AA a little over a month ago on July 11th.  He also still leads the High-A California league by 19 SBs and hasn’t played a game at High-A since July 7th.  He is hitting .320 this year, a .042 point improvement from last year, and looks to have become a good switch hitter, which he has been working on since being drafted and hitting .311 from the left side this year, his weak side.

With this unheard-of-speed, there have been rumors of the Cincinnati Reds calling him up come September, when rosters expand, strictly for pinch running purposes. The manager of the Reds, Dusty Baker, seems very high on his future, stating recently, “I know the guy’s who records he broke, I know Vince Coleman. I know Donnel Nixon. That’s a tremendous feat. The amount of running you have to do. Your legs have to be in great shape. With sliding, your body takes a pounding. The fact that he’s been able to do that and stay healthy is remarkable.” “Someday, he’ll be here and be a tremendous force.” Lately it sounds like that day may be here sooner than some expected with Baker also stating, “It’s been discussed, It’s not my decision. You’ve got a lot to factor here. Once you put him on the roster, you’ve got to keep him on the roster. . . We’ve asked about him big time. But there’s more factors.” Couple that with GM Walt Jocketty’s comments recently, when he said, “We obviously are having very serious discussions about it, I don’t think he’s ready to play at this level but he certainly could run the bases.”, and I would not be surprised if we saw Hamilton causing havoc on the base paths in September as a pinch runner in the big leagues.

To put his feat into fantasy prospect Mike Trout is leading the majors with 41 stolen bases, Rajai Davis second with 39 and Michael Bourn third with 35.  If an owner owned all three of these players he would still be 34 stolen bases behind Hamilton alone in the stolen base category this season. Theoretically speaking if Hamilton continues his dominance  on the base paths in the majors he could single-handedly win you the stolen base category without a single stolen base from another player on your roster all year. This coupled with his good average, on base percentage and the prospect of him hitting lead off and getting a high number of at bats for your fantasy team. He is my number one rated offensive keeper prospect in my prospect keeper evaluations. While there is some concern that he may not stick at short stop long term, as the Red’s are currently have rookie Zack Cozart playing well at the short stop position. He will steal bases regardless of where he plays and the Reds will find an everyday spot for him as early as next year.  While at the beginning of the year it seemed far fetched that Hamilton would debut this year it does not seem so now and while he will not play on an everyday basis and probably won’t start, if called up we will get a good look at his base stealing abilities.  He may not break camp with the big league club at the beginning of next year. However I do foresee him getting the call at some point next season and becoming an everyday player. Hamilton is owned in %3 of ESPN leagues, 3% of Yahoo leagues and 26% of CBS leagues. Don’t be the one weeping, find him and keep him. I grade his keeper potential as an A+.

As the fantasy baseball season winds down and comes to a close I hope you have enjoyed both the Welcome to the bigs, kids series as well as Finders Keepers. In these series combined I have profiled eight potential keeper prospects and hope you will reference them the rest of the season in your search for the best available keeper prospects in your dynasty/keeper league.

Will you be picking up and keeping Billy Hamilton? Do you foresee a September call up and do you think he can keep up his remarkable base stealing feats at the major league level? Let me know in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ. Also, be sure to check out Blake Murphy’s Cincinnati Reds’ Farm System Report for more on Hamilton and other Reds’ prospects to keep an eye on.

Dylan Bundy was the 4th pick overall in the 2011 major league baseball draft. Drafted out of Owasso (Okla.) High School, he was the 2011 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, Baseball America High School Player of the Year Award and the USA Today National Player of the Year. In Keith Law’s mid season prospect ranks on July 13th, Bundy was rated the number two prospect in all of baseball and was number one in Baseball of America’s mid season prospect rankings posted July 5th. So far, Bundy has lived up to the hype as he’s been lights out in his first season in the minors. He posted eight consecutive scoreless starts in Low-A, then when promoted to High-A, he struck out 63 batters in 54 2/3 innings. He then went 5.1 innings giving up 2 earned runs with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks in his AA debut. Overall, he is 8-3  with a 2.01 ERA, 106 Ks and 22 BBs in 20  games started over 89.2 innings pitched across three minor league levels this year. He also appeared in this season’s Future Games during All-Star weekend held in Kansas City. Kevin Goldstein stated recently in his article Time for O’s to call up Bundy, ”Bundy’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and both his curveball and changeup are advanced, and for much of the season he hasn’t been allowed to throw his low 90s cutter. Which many believe is his best pitch. For many, Bundy is the best pitching prospect in baseball.”

Recently, the Orioles sent their designated hitter, Jim Thome, currently on the disabled list, to watch Bundy’s first start in AA. Showalter said Thome was impressed but told the manager he thinks Bundy needs to add a slider to be successful in the majors. “Well, he does have a slider,” Showalter says. “A real good one. Actually, it’s more of a cutter. They took it away from him down there to reduce the wear and tear. He really wants to throw it. Imagine how good he’s going to be if he’s throwing a cutter, too.”

The Orioles have been very conservative with Bundy this season as he was only allowed to go three-innings in starts in April. He was allowed past five innings for the first time Aug. 1 which was his 18th start of the season. The plan currently in AA is to have Bundy pitch in a six-man rotation  and make a total of four starts, the last of which is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 1. That is the day major league roster limit expands from 25 to 40. This also would leave Bundy at approximately 100 innings pitched at the end of August which is enough under the roughly 125 innings at which the Orioles plan to cap him, for him to help them in September. The Orioles recently shocked the baseball world in calling up their top offensive prospect in their organization Manny Machado directly from AA skipping AAA altogether. So a September call up for Bundy is definitely not out of the question especially with the Orioles in the thick if the playoff race and looking to make their first post season appearance since 1997.

Even if he is not called up in September, which all indications point to him getting the call, he is predicted to start in the Orioles’ rotation next year. If he is available in your league, stash him now and keep a close eye on his possible promotion and results if and when he is promoted. Here is his percentage owned in the following leagues; 0% ESPN, 2% Yahoo, 22% CBS. Pitching prospects are always hard to predict but with some comparing Bundy to the likes of Justin Verlander, Dwight Gooden and Tim Lincecum as well as his pedigree, youth and fact that he is on the fast track to the majors. I grade his keeper potential as an A+.

Will you be picking up and keeping Dylan Bundy? Do you agree with the Orioles possibly calling him up come September and are you buying the hype? Feel free to let me know in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ.

In Better Late Than Never, I will be profiling 25 year old Oakland A’s post-hype prospect Chris Carter. In this profile I will give you some background on his career in the minors, his past struggles in the majors and his surprising emergence this year at the major league level as well as my recommendation, fantasy-wise, for the rest of the season in yearly and dynasty/keeper leagues. Unlike another famous Cris Carter, where all he did was catch touchdowns, all this Chris Carter does  is hit home runs.

Chris Carter is a 25 year old first basemen for the Oakland Athletics.  He was drafted in the 15th round of the 2005 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox. During the 2007 offseason Carter was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Carlos Quentin.  Two weeks after he was traded to Arizona, Carter was traded to the Oakland Athletics as part of the package to bring Dan Haren to Arizona.

In four previous stints with the A’s prior to this season, Carter was a major disappointment. Once considered the club’s top prospect, he struggled mightily. In 2010, he hit .186 with 3 Hrs and had 21 strikeouts in 24 major league games.  Then, in  2011, his performance was even worse, hitting just .136 with 0 Hrs and 20 strikeouts in 15 major league games.

However, the tools and talent have always been there. In 2009, he seemed destined to become an impact power hitter. He produced 28 hrs and 115 rbis in 544 at-bats in season, splitting time at both the double-A and triple-A levels and also appeared in the Future Game. In 2010, he produced  31 Hrs and a .258 avg with 94 RBIs in AAA.

While prior to this season, he had never been able put it all together at the major league level, the talent was evident at the minor league level. In his last four minor league seasons, he was good for 122 home runs and 399 RBI.  While putting up good numbers in the minors, he had fallen off most “top prospect lists” and many insiders were beginning to label him a Quad-A player (a Quad-A player is a player is one who has enough talent to dominate in Triple A but continually fails in the Majors). Was this who  Carter was destined to become?

Enter 2012. It now seems he has arrived. The now post-hype prospect has hit . 272 with 10 HRs, 22 RBIs and only 33KS in 103 ABs this season.  While he could still work on lowering his strikeout numbers some, it’s a major improvement from his high K-rate in much less ABs in his short stints in the majors in ’10 and ’11.  Plus, the power is definitely there. His 10 Hrs in only 103 ABS in a pitcher-friendly park is nothing to scoff at. Finally receiving consistent playing time, it looks like the late-blooming  25 year old Chris Carter may have finally arrived.

Now for his fantasy value. Chris Carter is only owned in 5% of Yahoo!, 7% of ESPN and 33% of CBS leagues. While I know his past struggles had him off most fantasy owners radar early in the season, why the reluctance to roster him now, gamers? He has hit 10 HRs in 103 ABs. That’s virtually one home run for every 10 ABs. And with just 28 total hits, 35.7% of them have been home runs.

In comparison, a very disappointing Eric Hosmer has 10 HRs in 408 ABs and is 68% owned in Yahoo leagues. That’s a 63% ownership difference between Hosmer and Carter. I know a lot of ownership levels are based on name alone but if we could all get past what we thought Carter was and see what he is doing and becoming,  he’d be a very valuable pick up and commodity for anyone needing power in general, specifically at the first base position. I understand your trepidation, gamers. I really do. I was leery of picking him up myself but needless to say I finally did and have been reaping the benefits ever since. Now is the time to pick him up. Under 10% owned in Yahoo and ESPN is criminally low.

It has come to the point where he’s in my lineup over guys like Brandon Belt and Yonder Alonso, both with a slightly higher ownership percentages. The one and only thing going forward to keep a close eye on is playing time.  He has played on a regular basis during the month of August and it looks as if the A’s management now realizes they have finally found their first baseman of the future.

I recommend a Chris Carter pick up in all leagues right now and even recommend him as a borderline keeper. If he is fully endorsed as the A’s starting first baseman heading into next spring (which I do expect to happen), I’d then give my full endorsement on keeping him. Keep a very close eye on this situation next spring.

In summary, it looks like Carter is reaching his full potential this year and, with his low ownership numbers, is out there for the taking in all leagues. While it may have taken him longer than most highly-rated prospects to finally become a fantasy factor, like they say, “It’s better late than never”.

Will you be picking up Chris Carter or have you already? Do you feel he is finally for real and here to stay or are you still not buying into him? Let me know in the comments and as always follow me on Twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

Welcome to the special double edition of Finders Keepers/Welcome to the Bigs, Kid. Late Wednesday evening, the Baltimore Orioles shocked the baseball world and fantasy community, at large, by announcing the call up of their top position player prospect, 20 year old Manny Machado.  If you are familiar with either of this series of articles you know what will follow. But if not, here is what will. In this piece, I will give a little background on Machado, welcome him to the bigs and go into his long term fantasy value as well as give my overall keeper potential grade.

Manny Machado is a 20 year old shortstop prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization.  He was drafted 3rd overall in the 2010 Major league draft, was Baseball America’s #11 prospect coming into the season and was ranked #9 in their mid-season rankings. He projects to be a potential All Star with plus grades for both hit tool and power from scouts. He hit .266 with 11Hrs and 59 RBIs in 19 games this year in AA.  While profiled as a shortstop, the Orioles plan to give him time at third upon his promotion as they are in the thick of the playoff race.

The Orioles are in a three way tie atop the wild card standings and only 4 and a half games back of the AL East leading New York Yankees.  It looks as if the Orioles are doing everything they can to make their first playoff appearance since 1997.  While Machado has not been lights out this year in AA, since the AllStar break, he has hit a .275 with four HRs, 11 BBs and 15 Ks in 104 plate appearances and was on a tear his last ten games hitting  .444 with three doubles, two triples, three HRs and seven RBIs.

If he can live up to even half the expectations most have for him it will not be hard to outperform the dismal production of the revolving door of Orioles third basemen this year who’ve hit a combined .245 with 13 HRs and 45 RBIs on the season. The one catch here may be his defense.  He has only played two career games at third with one error, so some could argue the O’s are throwing him into the fire at the hot corner without the proper minor league experience at this position.  However, the Orioles have struggled defensively at third, with Wilson Betemit making a team-high 13 errors at third and Mark Reynolds making six errors at the hot corner in 15 games and also the Orioles do not seem to overly concerned about the tranistion.

As Oriole’s vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told the team’s official website,”Manny should be a plus defender, wherever we play him. He’s a five-tool player, and he can help our team. I think he improves our team, and it’s important here (for this club) to be strong.” When Manny himself was asked by the media before Thursday’s game about how comfortable he was playing third his response was, “I’m very comfortable out there. Every day I try to be proactive, I try to take a couple ground balls at third base after I catch my grounders at short. I am pretty comfortable out there. So, I’m really looking forward to it.” He started at third base Thursday night going 2-4 with a triple and one run scored.

Now for his fantasy value in yearly leagues. I wouldn’t drop anyone of good to decent value for him. As @FantasyRundown stated yesterday on Twitter, “Human nature to get excited about the latest and greatest, but I would not drop anyone of significance for Manny Machado.”  However, I suggest if you have a bench spot or start the Logan Forsythe and Willie Bloomquist‘s of the world, pick him up.  Just keep in mind, many top prospects struggle when they first get called up.  Case in point, Mike Trout struggled in his first tour in the big leagues prior to this season.

Once Machado gains his dual eligibility (3b/SS), it will be a major asset going forward and since he will be playing third primarily depending on your leagues rules it shouldn’t take long to add 3rd base eligibility to go along with his short stop eligibility. With this dual eligibility he could be a valuable asset onany yearly league owners bench.

Now for keeper leagues. Pick him up as he is a very highly rated prospect and a highly rated prospect can be very valuable keeper and or trade asset. Keep him for the rest of the season and go from there or even flip him immediately to the owner in your league who is enamored with prospects. Either way it is a win/win. At worst, he can be dropped come keeper time and at best, you have either flipped him for valuable pieces and/or have the next big thing on your fantasy roster come keeper time. He may lose shortstop for next year but if he does not, having dual eligibility will make him that much more valuable. When a prospect is called up prior to the expanded rosters in September it gives you a larger sample size than just the normal September callup small sample size. This enables you to have that much more of a look at the player. Allowing you to make an even better asset of him as a player and potential keeper, come keeper time. Percent owned as of Thursday August 9th: 2% ESPN, 8% Yahoo and 35% CBS. He is currently only shortstop eligible. I grade his keeper potential as an A.

Will you be picking up Manny Machado or did you happen to have have him already rostered?  Let me know in the comments and, as always, be sure to follow me on Twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

We now have come to the point of the fantasy season where it is painfully obvious for a lot of fantasy gamers that they are no longer in playoff contention. Resist the urge to turn to your attention to fantasy football because while there is always next year, for owners out of contention in Keeper and Dynasty leagues now is prime time to mold your foundation or add to an already solid one. On Friday, Daniel Straily of the Oakland Athletics made his major league debut going six innings with 5 hits allowed, 1 Er, 1 BB and 5 Ks.  While fairly unknown and barely sniffing the prospect list rankings this preseason, he shot up the professional ladder with a dominate performance in AA and AAA this season. Along the way becoming a very hyped and big potential prospect leading us to the latest edition of Finders Keepers.

Daniel Straily is a 6’2  220 lb. right handed pitching prospect out of Marshall University. He was drafted in the 24th round of the 2009 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics. While fairly unheralded before this season. He burst on to the scene with 175Ks in 138 and a third innings between AA and AAA this season more than any other pitcher in professional baseball and 21 more Ks than MLB leader Stephen Strasburg. All the while shooting up Kevin Goldenstein’s top 12 fantasy prospects for 2012 eventually landing at #1 on August 2nd 2012.  To be clear these rankings are a bit different from other prospect rankings; these are strictly for 2012 fantasy purposes. So not only do talent and recent performance play a role in the rankings, potential paths to the big leagues also factor in. He had a 2.60 ERA in 22 minor league games pitched this season.  In 85 and a third innings pitched in AA he had 108 Ks and when moved to the A’s AAA affiliate in the very hitter friendly Pacific Coast League he continued his dominance with a record of 5-2 with a 1.36 ERA and 67 Ks. He does not have overpowering stuff but has great command with his 90-92 MPH fastball. Plus command and control of this pitch, a plus rated change up and an above average slider.  He used this arsenal of plus rated pitchers as well as his superb command and control to register a 11.39 K per nine innings ratio in the minors, the best rate in all of baseball.

As for his long term fantasy value.  He does not project to be a sure fire ace but could very well easily become a solid #2 pitcher for your fantasy squad and who doesn’t need a Robin for their Batman. He pitches in a very hitter friendly park and for an organization that is know for developing under the radar pitching prospects. Let’s be honest here fantasy gamers, few were high on Straily entering this season but the strikeout numbers are legit and very intriguing. While we only have one major league start to go by, we do have the rest of the season to get  a good look at what he has to offer going forward. Everyone can use a pitcher with great command who walks very few and has a ridiculously  good K/9 rate, I know I could. Stats are what we are chasing here and he has all the looks of a strikeout machine. If you are in need of Ks add him now.  There was quite a stink over the weekend about him not being in the Yahoo and ESPN player pool until Friday for ESPN and Saturday for Yahoo.  So, he may very well still be available under your leagues waiver rules. He is only owned in 1% of Yahoo leagues, 9% of ESPN leagues but is owned in 51% of CBS leagues as they have had him in their player pool all season. If you happen to play in a Yahoo or ESPN league and are fortunate even to have saved your high waiver priority don’t be the one weeping. Find him, claim him and keep him. I grade his keeper potential as a B+.

Are you now at the point in your keeper or dynasty league this season where you  have one eye on the future? How do you feel about Straily not being Yahoo’s and ESPN’s player pool prior to his call up and will you be burning your waiver priority to claim him?  Let me know in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

Domonic Brown is a 24 year old right fielder drafted in the 20th round of the 2006 Major league draft out of Redan High School in Stone Mountain Georgia. Following the draft he planned to attend the University of Miami to play wide receiver on the football team but the the Phillies offered him a $200,000 signing bonus to choose baseball instead, which he ultimately did.  He was ranked as the 48th best prospect by Baseball America in 2009, #15 in 2010 and #4 in 2011.  Baseball America also had him ranked as the Phillies best prospect in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He initially made his major league debut on July 28th 2010 and had another stint in the majors in 2011. In 280 major league ABs he has not met expectations with a career line of .236 with 7 HRs and 32 RBIs.  However in 1989 minor ABs he hit a solid .296 with 58 HR, 106 SBs and a .343 OBP%. He has added left field and center field to his resume and Charlie Manuel said he could see time at all three outfield positions. The initial plan was to have him in the lineup Tuesday night, but a delayed flight out of Syracuse meant he did not arrive until game time. He ended up pinch-hitting, knocking a single up the middle in the eighth inning to improve his batting average to 1.000. He was in the starting lineup Wednesday batting 6th and playing left field. He went 0 for 4.

Now as for his fantasy value, I know a lot of yearly and even some keeper/dynasty league owners may have given up on this once heralded prospect.  However post sleepers come along more frequently than most think. A recent example being Alex Gordon and with Brown only being 24 he has the potential to be the next one. In yearly leagues he is a somewhat a debatable add due to his past disappointing performance at the major league level. However depending on your roster strength and teams needs, he could be a valuable piece to your team for the rest of the season. If you are looking for an outfielder with good speed potential and a high OBP% he is your guy. Due to the open spots left in the Phillies outfield by the departures of Pence and Victorino, Brown should get very solid playing time for the rest of the season. The Phillies will want to know if he is the player they thought they were getting when they drafted him in ’06 and if he fits into their long term plans.  This will lead to him being an everyday player and a possibly a valuable waiver wire add for the stretch run in yearly leagues.

Now for keeper and dynasty leagues, he is a must add.  While he has under performed in the past he will be given every chance to succeed this time around as the Phillies seem to be on the verge of rebuild mode. With everyday playing time and 5 or so weeks left in the fantasy year before playoffs start.  What better time to add Brown let him boost your teams OBP% and steal numbers as well as audition for a potential keeper spot on your team. He is only rostered in 4% of yahoo, 1% of ESPN &  19% of CBS leagues.  While he is still widely available in all leagues strike while the iron is hot. If he goes on a tear in the next week or two his availability will no longer be so widespread.

Will you be picking up Domonic Brown? I did. Or has this once top prospect bright future dimmed to much for your liking?  Let me know in the comments and, as always, follow me on Twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

By now, we have come to the point of the fantasy season where it is painfully obvious for some and dangerously close for others that they are no longer in playoff contention. While there is always next year, for owners out of contention in Keeper and Dynasty leagues, now can be prime time to mold a solid foundation for a future title run. Enter shortstop/second baseman Jean Segura, who Friday was in the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim trade for Zack Greinke. On Friday, Zack Greinke of the Milwaukee Brewers was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  in exchange for three prospects:  shortstop/second basemen Jean Segura, RHP John Hellweg and RHP Ariel Pena. While on the surface most baseball fans and fantasy baseball players in general will view this as Greinke to the Angels. For keeper and dynasty league owners it should be all about Jean Segura to the Brewers. Below, I will go over Segura’s minor league profile and path to the majors now that he has been acquired by the Brewers and his long term potential and prospects.

Segura is a second basemen/shortstop who was currently ranked as the Angels #1 prospect  in their system following the graduation of Mike Trout  earlier this year. He was also ranked as Keith Law’s 44th best prospect in all of baseball coming into the season and 67th best prospect by Kevin Goldstein. He was the Angels only representative at the Future’s Games during the All Star break. Segura’s career average is.310 with 203 RBIs and his 122 career walks drawn show good plate discipline. He was hitting .294, 7 Hrs, 40 RBIs and 33 SBs in 374 ABs with the AA Arkansas Travelers the Angels AA affiliate prior to his call up on on July 21st.  However he was immediately assigned to AA Huuntsville Milwaukee’s AA affiliate following the trade but is predicted to make his Brewers debut later this year. He has struggled with injuries throughout his minor league career but has hit for a high average with good stolen base numbers at every minor level so far. He has low power numbers, career high HRs 10 with scouts being very high on his plate discipline and his ability to make contact.  He is profiled as a possible All-Star who should hit for average with true plus speed.

Now for his keeper potential and prospects. He was blocked in the Angels organization by long term contracts for starting shortstop Erick Aybar and starting second baseman Howie Kendrick. With the added road block of super utility infielder Maicer Izturis and Mike Scioscia’s general reluctance  to rely on rookies. While he was called up recently by the Angels, prior to the trade, when Aybar went on the disabled listed he only saw one game of actual game action going 0 for 3 with 2 strike outs. Now that he is with the Brewers his path to the majors and full playing time is much clearer. Short stop talent is very thin in the Brewers organization and he is only blocked at the major league level by shortstop Alex Gonzalez currently out for the year with a torn right ACL with the Brewers holding a club option on him for next year, 36 year old utility infielder Cody Ransom and 32 year old veteran shortstop Cesar Izturis. None are considered the long term option at short for the Brewers. All signs point to Segura reaching the big league club this year, becoming their everyday shortstop starting opening day next year and sticking there for the foreseeable future.  If you are looking for a long term shortstop in your keeper or dynasty league then Segura may be your man. With a possible call up coming later this season this will give you a nice glimpse of his potential and services he could offer as a keeper for your fantasy team. As of yesterday he is owned in only 0.1% of yahoo leagues, 0.1% ESPN leagues and 8% CBS leagues. He is currently second base eligible only in both CBS and yahoo with SS eligibility only in CBS. He is being projected long term as the Brewers everyday short stop. He does however have the skills and ability to play second so he could have duel eligibility in future fantasy seasons. I grade his keeper potential as a B.

Are you at the point in your keeper or dynasty league this season where you  have one eye on the future? Will Jean Segura be on your radar for a possible pickup and keep? Feel free to let me know in the comments and as always following me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

Harvey is a 23 year old right handed starting pitcher for the Mets who stands 6’4  and weighs 210 pounds with a fastball that reaches up to 98 MPH and very a good changeup.  He was originally drafted in the third round in 2007 by Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim but opted not to sign and instead attended the University of North Carolina. After three years at UNC he was then drafted by the Mets in the first round in 2010, #7 overall. He was ranked the #38th best prospect in baseball by Keith Law coming into the season and ranked as the 9th best fantasy prospect on July 20th prior to his call up by Kevin Goldstein in his top 12 fantasy prospects. The top 12 fantasy prospects  rankings are a bit different from other prospect rankings; these are strictly for 2012 fantasy purposes. So not only does talent and recent performance play a role in the rankings but potential paths to the big leagues also factor in.  In his two seasons in the minors Harvey is 20-10 with a 3.48 ERA. He’s struck out 268 batters in 245.2  innings. He was 13-5 spanning Class A and Double-A in 2011. He was 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA, 112 Ks and 48 BB in 110 innings pitched this year in AAA.  The strikeout numbers are there but much like with many other rookie pitchers walks could be a concern.

Now as for his fantasy value, in yearly leagues rookie pitchers are always a tough call. Usually I would recommend picking up highly-rated prospects in all leagues. Pitching prospects, especially in yearly leagues, do not always fit that pattern of recommendation much like with another highly touted prospect, Trevor Bauer, who struggled with his control when he was called up this year, which eventually led to his demotion. Walks could be an issue for Harvey. In yearly leagues, take a wait-and-see approach before you make the add. This is not to say he can’t help you the rest of the season but I recommend seeing how his first couple of starts go before pulling the trigger on the add.  This could be risky, as another owner may grab him, but as we saw with Bauer earlier this year, let someone else roll the dice right now.  If he has a solid start or two, you should add but until then hold tight in yearly leagues.

Now for Keeper/dynasty leagues. If needing pitching help add him now if available but bench him for a start or two.  He is profiled to be a potential #2 or #3 pitcher and should stick in the Mets rotation long term. You will be better off adding him now and possibly having this pay off big when keepers come around. Rather than taking the wait and see approach, and hoping that he is still available after he emerges as a solid fantasy starting option. Expectations should be tempered for rookie pitchers but they can pay big dividends long term.

Will you be picking up Matt Harvey in your league or be using the wait and see approach? Let me know in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ for all your fantasy baseball needs.

Prior to the season Gose was rated as the 39th best prospect in all of baseball by baseball America, 59th by Ketih Law & 68th by Kevin Goldstein. Kevin Goldstein also had Anthony Gose  rated as the 12th ranked  prospect in the futures game last week in Kansas City, played during the All Star festivities.  He is a 21 year old center fielder with plus-plus speed, the potential for average power and fantastic defense in center field. He was acquired  by the Blue Jays from Houston in July 2010 for first baseman Brett Wallace.  He was hitting .292 with 77 Runs, 5 Hrs, 41 RBIs, 18 doubles, 10 triples and a league leading 29 SBs in 92 games in the Pacific Coast league this year prior to his call up.  He has all the tools to be an everyday player but does have some concerns.  While a great source of steals with 29 this year in AAA and 70 in 2011 at the double A level he does have 501 Ks in 1,947 career minor league at bats. He has cut down on the strikeout this year though so getting on base may not be the problem it once was. When he does get on base look out the steals will come.

Now as to if he can and will help your fantasy team. In the short term yes, in all leagues if you need steals he is a recommended pickup.  He did not start Tuesday but did get in the lineup late in the game going one for two.  Wednesday he started in right field and batted lead off going 0-3 with 2 Ks.  As you can see he will be given the opportunity to play everyday and possibly bat lead off while Bautista is recovering. If he plays well and with only the likes of Rajai Davis and Ben Francisco to compete with for playing time when Bautista returns, he could easily find himself starting alongside Bautista and Colby Rasmus in the outfield for the remainder of the year and the foreseeable  future.

In yearly leagues while Gose is worth a pickup he may only be short term help.  When Bautista returns possibly as soon as he eligible to come off the 15 day DL,  there is no guarantee he will stick with the big league club. Although a strong showing may force their hand.  If you are in need of steals and have room on your roster I would take a flier and hope he stays on the big league club post Bautista return.  This things are hard to predict but if he starts hitting well and stealing bases and sticks with the club you don’t want to be the guy wishing you had picked him up when you had the chance.

Keeper leagues however are another story. I would advise everyone to run not walk to their waiver wire and pick him up immediately, I did.  Prospects of his caliber do not get called up everyday and now that is he playing and possibly producing you will not be wasting the spot on just a prospect stash. You will have the possible next big thing on your roster and producing in your lineup at the same time. If he was not stashed already, know is the time to act if for nothing less than the short term help with the added bonus that his high keeper potential and value he will add to your roster.  He is just to good of a prospect  to see the Blue Jays not getting him in the line up on an everyday bases next year, if not for the remainder of the year even. So do yourself a favor and pickup Gose now and possibly even keep him, leaving everyone else in your league wondering why the new wonder kid is not available come next years draft time.

Will you be picking up Anthony Gose now or playing the wait and see game hoping no one else pulls the trigger?  Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments and as always follow me on twitter @FantasyzrTJ We can continue the discussion there as well as other fantasy baseball talk & news.