Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 5/FeedCrossing.com

By Ryan Lester


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Just because you’ve slipped behind in the Stolen Base category doesn’t mean you can’t catch up.  Here are some reasonably available stolen base options.
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Alex Casilla, Minnesota Twins:  Casilla had five stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .396 with nine runs and five RBI. On the year he’s hitting .255 wtih 22 runs, nine RBI, and eight stolen bases. Alexi is owned in eight percent of Yahoo! and 14.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Peter Bourjos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  Bourjos had four stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .240 with five runs, a home run, and three RBI. On the year he’s hitting .241 with 27 runs, three home runs, 13 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Peter is owned in 17 percent of Yahoo! and 6.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Andres Torres, San Francisco Giants:  Torres had four stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .263 with nine runs, a home run, and nine RBI. On the year he’s hitting .264 with 19 runs, two home runs, 12 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Andres is owned in 31 percent of Yahoo! and 48.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Roger Bernadina, Washington Nationals:  Bernadina had three stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .255 with nine runs and three stolen bases. On the year he’s hitting .255 with 14 runs, one home run, eight RBI, and seven stolen bases. Roger is owned in about one percent of fantasy leagues.
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Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers:  Jackson had three stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .304 with ten runs and an RBI. On the year he’s hitting .240 with 29 runs, three home runs, 14 RBI, and nine stolen bases. Austin is owned in about 33 percent of fantasy leagues.
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Xavier Paul, Pittsburgh Pirates:  Paul had three stolen bases over the past 15 days while hitting .409 with five runs and three RBI. On the year he’s hitting .304 with 11 runs, six RBI, and six stolen bases. Xavier is owned in about one third of fantasy leagues.
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Eric  Young, Jr., Colorado Rockies:  Young has three stolen bases since debuting on May 27th with three runs and three RBI. With Dexter Fowler on the DL, Young could see fairly steady playing time. He’s owned in about six percent of fantasy leagues.
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Also check out:

• Where’s the Love for Miguel Olivo?
• Should Justin Masterson Owners Be Nervous?
• Can Tim Stauffer Be Even Better?
  
• Why Reaching For Saves Doesn’t Make Sense
• Can John Danks Get Back on Track?

Giants’ Buster Posey Wants Fans to Calm Down/FeedCrossing.com

By DieHardSportsFans
 
Unfortunately for San Francisco Giants’ catcher Buster Posey, his season’s over after a violent home plate collision with Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins on May 25, and he now wishes all of the controversy over the play was over too so life can just go on as normal.

Posey just wants to get on with things and rehabilitate his injuries, which include a badly broken left leg and torn ankle ligaments. He released a statement to the press on June 4 that basically asked people to calm down and get over it, especially after Cousins started receiving threats to himself and his family.

The Giants’ released a statement the day before Posey’s that said the organization doesn’t blame Cousins, even though the club’s general manager Brian Sabean has publicly come out with some harsh words about him. Posey more or less supported the team’s official stance on the issue and said Cousins has tried to reach him several times and has left messages of apology to the catcher.

The injured catcher said he appreciates the sentiment, but would rather just put the whole thing behind him and doesn’t feel it’s really necessary to speak with Cousins at the moment. He made sure Giants’ fans got the message though when he said he appreciates their support, but doesn’t condone in any way threats to Cousins and his family.

Posey said he wasn’t in any condition to talk to Cousins on the night of the injury when he tried to speak with him, but appreciates the effort. He added that he just wants to rehabilitate himself and get back on the diamond with the team as soon as possible.

Sabean added to the controversy just a couple of days before Posey’s statement when he went on the radio  and laid into Cousins, basically saying the Giants would exact revenge sometime down the road. This led Logan Morrison of the Marlins to join in the fray with a personal verbal attack on the Giants’ GM.

The Giants’ statement was more general in content and focused on the topic of catcher safety instead of the specific incident between Posey and Cousins. The club’s president Larry Baer and manager Bruce Bochy also tried to steer the conversations away from Cousins.

In fact, some people such as hall of fame catcher Johnny Bench said Posey was injured because of his bad positioning on the play and didn’t see why Cousins was being blamed. But Sabean, Baer, and Bochy have all asked Joe Torre, the executive vice president of baseball operations for the league, to change the rules regarding home plate collisions. Bench disagreed though, and said Posey was fair game as soon as he tried to block off the plate.

Bench said Posey is a great kid, but he put himself in a bad spot on the play. The former great said catchers should stand away from the plate when they don’t have the ball so the runner can see it. Bench said this way, the runner will usually attempt to slide. He added that Posey was in front of the plate and compared him to a broken down car in the middle of the highway.

“You’re just going to get smacked,” he said.

Player Profile: Joe Panik/FeedCrossing.com

Hello everyone. This is Vince here (yes, it's me). I'm really sorry about all the guest blogging. I've been busy trying to make black and white photography, and I just about got the hang of it. I will be posting some of my articles and blog posts soon, along with a Giants trivia of the day.

For now, enjoy this piece on the Giants' 2011 No. 1 draft pick.

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By Max Frankel






Joe Panik is currently the starting shortstop for the St. John’s Red Storm of the Big East Conference but that soon may change. Panik was selected in the first round yesterday, 29th overall, by the San Francisco Giants. Panik has had a distinguished collegiate career and a successful stint in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer. I must admit, he was not a random selection for Off The Bench’s first Player Profile. When playing for John Jay East Fishkill High School, Panik hit a long home run off of yours truly. So I am proud to say that I feel at least a little responsible for his success.

Panik has played well in his three years at St. John’s. Here is what the St. John’s website lists as his accomplishments for just his sophomore year: “Named to the NCAA Charlottesville Regional All-Tournament Team … a member of the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team … a third team All-BIG EAST selection … a second team CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree … appeared in 61 games and made 60 starts … batted .374 with 18 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and 53 RBI … slugged .621 and added a .477 on-base percentage … had 26 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games … hit safely in 51 games … drew a team-best 38 walks … combined to bat .278 (5-for-18) with one double, two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored in five NCAA Tournament games … batted .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in four BIG EAST Tournament games … went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI against then-No. 22 Ole Miss (June 6) in the NCAA Tournament … had two doubles and two RBI as part of a 2-for-5 day at the plate against then-No. 18 Connecticut (May 30) in the BIG EAST Tournament championship game … homered and had two RBI at Rutgers (May21) … launched two home runs and had five RBI at Boston College (May 18) … combined to go 5-for-11 with one home run, two RBI and four runs scored in a three-game set at Notre Dame (April 30-May 2) … tripled and had five RBI as part of a 3-for-5 day against Georgetown (April 24) … went 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, three walks and five runs scored against Fordham (April 21) … combined to go 6-for-13 with one triple, one home run, three RBI and four runs scored in a three-game set at Cincinnati (April 16-18) … went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored against West Virginia (April 11) … had two doubles as part of a 3-for-4 game at Wagner (April 7) … combined to go 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a double-header against Seton Hall (April 1) … hit a pinch-hit, walk-off single against Columbia (March 24) … went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored against Fairfield (March 17) … was 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored at Liberty (March 13) … finished a home run shy of the cycle as part of a 4-for-4 day that included two doubles, a triple and three runs scored at ETSU (March 7) … scored two runs and went 2-for-2 against Illinois (Feb. 28) … went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored at New Orleans (Feb. 19).”

Also, Panik was an All-Star for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League last season. He hit .276 in the pitching dominated league and hit .393 in the playoffs. He was the starrting shortstop and three hitter in the All-Star game held at Fenway Park.

Panik projects more as a second basemen than a shortstop due to below average arm strength but he’s got a knack for getting on base and making something happen and that could help him get to the pros quickly. Here is what ESPN’s Keith Law says about Panik:

“Panik is one of a handful of overachieving college middle infielders in this draft along with Kolten Wong, Ryan Wright, and Brad Miller, and Panik’s track record of performance rivals them all. He controls the zone well with good hand-eye coordination but nearly bars his lead arm and his swing is long for a guy with a history of high contact rates. He’s an average runner whose feet work well enough for him to play anywhere in the infield, but a fringy arm limits him to second base, and he’ll have to hit for average to profile there with below-average power. I think Panik is ultimately a good utility player, but he might just get on base enough to make himself an everyday player at second.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Panik will leave school and join the Giants' system, but either way, I expect he’ll play well. I certainly know I’m rooting for him and looking forward to getting my Panik Giants T-Shirt when he makes the big club.

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Be sure to visit his site, Off The Bench, for more great baseball articles.

Breaking: Buster Posey Releases Statement on Collision, Giants on Sabean/FeedCrossing.com

By Paul M. Banks

Biggie vs. 2pac, Lindsay Lohan vs. Hillary Duff, Bill O’Reilly vs. Keith Olbermann- verbal feuds are fun, and the biggest one of the 2011 MLB season is in full swing.

The wheelhouse of this feud began with the Florida Marlins Scott Cousins putting a big, but legal hit on San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. It knocked the star catcher out for the season, and Cousins later released a statement apologizing for the situation. This led Giants GM Brian Sabean to say some harsh things about the situation. This led the Marlins Logan Morrison to criticize Sabean’s outspokeness.

And then, Giants fans began sending death threats to Scott Cousins.

For the statements of Morrison, Sabean, and Cousins go here.

And now, there’s more:


According to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News, Buster Posey just a couple hours ago released the following three-paragraph statement:

“I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back. But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family."

“As I said last week, I’m not out to vilify Scott. I appreciate that he made the effort to reach out to me on the night of the play, but I was in no physical condition to talk to anyone. I have not been back with the team since that night, so I haven’t even been aware of any other messages he’s left for me. We all need to move on, so it isn’t necessary to have a conversation with him at this point."

“My only focus right now is looking forward, getting healthy and returning to catching for the Giants.”

So, insane meatball baseball fans out there, heed his advice! Leave Scott alone. If he can move on, obviously so can you. Even though it appears the Giants actually aren’t moving on at all. But there are doing what’s right in the interests of PR and media relations.

The organization released the following statement on the harsh words of Brian Sabean. (San Francisco Chronicle)

“This is a very emotional time for the Giants organization and our fans. We lost for the season one of our best players to a serious injury and we are doing everything we can to support Buster Posey through this very difficult time. We appreciate Scott Cousins’ outreach to Buster Posey and to the Giants organization."

“Brian Sabean’s comments yesterday were said out of frustration and out of true concern for Buster and were not meant to vilify Scott Cousins. Brian has been in contact with Florida Marlins General Manager Larry Beinfest to clarify his comments and to assure him that there is no ill-will toward the player. He has also reached out to Scott Cousins directly."

"The issue of catcher safety is a complicated one. There are a number of differing opinions around the circumstances of last week’s collision and about what baseball should do to prevent serious injuries in the future. This issue goes far beyond last week’s incident as there have been a number of recent collision-involved injuries."

"We have been in contact with Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president for baseball operations, and have asked for a thorough examination of this issue for the health and safety of all players."

"We intend to move beyond conversations about last week’s incident and focus our attention on Buster’s full recovery and on defending our World Series title.”

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook

Possibly Related Posts:

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May MLB Surprises/Taken From FeedCrossing.com

By GM-Carson

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies leading the American and National League East divisions at the end of May is no surprise.

The Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diambondbacks leading their divisions is a surprise though. The Indians are five games up on the Detroit Tigers and the Dbacks have a slim half game margin over the San Francisco Giants.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Minnesota Twins with a MLB-worst 17-36 record. They have allowed 91 more runs then they've scored this season. Many predicted them to win the AL Central. Ouch!

Other Surprises:
*Matt Joyce leads all of baseball with a .370 batting average.

*Jose Bautista has actually improved upon his breakout performance last season and is currently batting .361/.290 with 20 HR. He's no fluke ladies and gentlemen.

*Lance Berkman is having a bounce back campaign and then some to the tune of a .338 average and 1.069 OPS. He's not dead!

*Curtis Granderson has smoked 17 homeruns.

*Kyle Lohse and Kevin Correia are tied for the MLB lead in wins with seven.

*Jair Jurrjens (1.51) and Josh Beckett (1.80) lead their leagues in ERA.

*Sluggers Dan Uggla (.178/.568) and Adam Dunn (.185/.665) are struggling to make an impact with their new teams.

*John Danks already has eight losses with the White Sox after only suffering 11 all last season over 32 starts.

*Brian Fuentes has seven losses and he's a freakin' relief pitcher.

*Closer extraordinaire Joakim Soria has removed himself from that role because he's ashamed of his five blown saves.

Jeff Berry Wants An MLB Rule Change After Buster Posey Hit/Taken From Feedcrossing.com

Last week, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey broke a bone in his lower left leg when he was hit by Florida Marlins’ Scott Cousins at home plate.  Posey was blocking the plate in the 12th inning as Cousins reached home, hoping to score the go-ahead run and earn a victory for his team.  In the process, Posey suffered the aforementioned injury, which will likely keep him out of the remainder of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

Posey’s agent, Jeff Berry of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), was quick to attack MLB rules that allow for such contact.  Following Posey’s injury, Berry stated,

“You leave players way too vulnerable.  I can tell you Major League Baseball is less than it was before [Posey's injury]. It’s stupid.  I don’t know if this ends up leading to a rule change, but it should. The guy [at the plate] is too exposed.

If you go helmet to helmet in the NFL, it’s a $100,000 fine, but in baseball, you have a situation in which runners are [slamming into] fielders.  It’s brutal.  It’s borderline shocking.  It just stinks for baseball.  I’m going to call Major League Baseball and put this on the radar.  Because it’s just wrong.”

We should expect nothing less from someone who advocates on behalf of his clients.  Furthermore, Berry is a former catcher himself, and knows well about the risk that catchers take by placing their body in front of a player coming full speed toward home plate.  Berry caught at the University of North Carolina Charlotte before playing a year in the Boston Red Sox minor league system.  He later earned a law degree at Oklahoma City University, which additionally helps with his ability to negotiate effectively.  With Casey Close’s departure from CAA, Berry became one of the co-head’s of CAA’s large baseball division.

Jeff Berry Wants An MLB Rule Change After Buster Posey Hit from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Agent News, Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Contract Negotiations, NCAA Rules and Regulations.

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