Podcasting pleasure

Herald colleague and podcasting fool Jason Dill and I are back with another Fantasy Focus baseball podcast for the month of June.

Click on the link to hear our take on some impact rookies (Michael Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward); what to do with struggling stars (Carlos Pena, Wandy Rodriguez, Josh Beckett, Grady Sizemore), Kendry Morales; and fantasy's best pitcher so far in 2010 (surprise, it's not Tim Lincecum).

Also, listen closely for the souped-up intro by the mighty Metallica ...

Strasburg, Stanton are coming

Looking for reinforcements for your fantasy team? Look no further than two super prospects who are coming to a stadium near you.



Start with Washington wunderkind Stephen Strasburg, who's been blowing them away (6-2 1.43 ERA in 10 starts between Double-A and Triple-A) and packing in the stands in the minor leagues. The rookie is set to make his major league debut June 8 in Pittsburgh, and the baseball world is already buzzing. A friend of mine who works in the Nationals organization and has watched many of Strasburg's starts (they're shown on MASN, the Nats' TV partner) was raving to me last week about the righty's tantalizing mix of 99 mph fastballs and 89 mph change-ups. Fantasy players should be excited, too, and will want to have Strasburg on their team and in their lineups, because there's a good chance he can be an immediate contributor.

If you already missed the boat on the much-hyped Strasburg but still want to bolster your lineup with a top prospect, turn your attention to the Marlins' Michael Stanton, a power-hitting outfielder who's already unleashed some legendary home runs.



Stanton, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound 20-year-old (please don't confuse him with former MLB pitcher Mike Stanton!) already has 20 homers and 50 RBIs in 48 games this year and has been favorably compared to the Braves' Jason Heyward in his power potential. While he has shown a tendency to strike out too much (50/40 K/BB ratio this year), that can be forgiven if he can give us 20 or so homers at the major league level this season. The Marlins have already delayed Stanton's arbitration eligibility by keeping him in the minors this long, so there's a strong possibility we'll see him in the show in the next week or two.

If you're jealous of other fantasy owners who grabbed Heyward or Strasburg in your draft, picking up Stanton -owned in just 3.8% of ESPN fantasy leagues - would be a nice consolation prize.

Jump on Jason Heyward

It's easy to get caught up in the hype about fantasy baseball prospects. Matt Wieters was supposed to be the second coming of Yogi Berra last year, and while his rookie season was solid, particularly in the second half, he didn't quite revolutionize the catching position.

Sometimes it's best to use caution when trying to project stats for rookies or build your fantasy team around them. But sometimes there are prospects that are simply too enticing to ignore.

Jason Heyward is one of those prospects.

Heyward, Baseball America's minor league player of the year in 2009 and top prospect for this season, has been tearing up the Grapefruit League (.366/.500/.537). He's been turning heads with his power - his 6-foot-4, 245-pound frame doesn't hurt, either - to the point the Braves have considered adding special nets at their spring park to protect the parked cars from getting smashed by his monster home run shots.

Heyward's forced his way into an Opening Day starting spot in right field for Atlanta - not bad for a 20-year-old. And the Braves have a pretty good track record of knowing when a top prospect is ready for the big show - remember Andruw Jones at age 19 and Chipper Jones at 21?

Sure, Heyward doesn't have much minor league seasoning under his belt, only having been in the Braves' system since 2007. But his career .899 OPS on the farm is a great sign, and the rave reviews and Opening Day roster spot are too good to ignore. I'd be more than happy to have Heyward as my fourth or fifth outfielder this year.

- Photo by The Associated Press

Prospect watch: Jennings, Alvarez and more

Really want to get ahead of the competition in your 2010 baseball league? Familiarize yourself with Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, released last week.

Some of the guys I'll be targeting this year:

1. Jason Heyward, OF, Braves: The 20-year-old has steamrolled his way through the minors and should be an early season call-up if he doesn't make the Braves' big league club outright this spring. This story should give you some sense of his raw power.

6. Desmond Jennings, OF, Rays: He was 52-for-59 in steals last year in the minors and will be a fixture of Tampa Bay's outfield for years to come. That kind of speed is hard to find in the majors, which is why you'll want Jennings on your bench whenever he makes it to the big leagues.

8. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pirates: He smashed 27 HRs in the minors last year, and although he's got to cut down his strikeouts, he'll be breathing down Andy LaRoche's neck for playing time in 2010.

9. Neftali Feliz, RHP, Rangers: Hopefully you saw what the fireballer did last year in a bullpen cameo in the majors (1.74 ERA, 11.32 strikeouts per nine innings in 20 relief appearances), and that was before he developed what scouts are calling a great changeup. Whether he's a starter or reliever this year, he's someone to grab.

22. Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Reds: A lefty who throws 100 mph? Sign me up. The Cuban import is a big unknown, but he's the kind of talent you take a flier on.