AGRI Biz

Bobby Valentine was in Japan too long. Less than a week ago the Baseball Tonight analyst declared if the Cy Young had to be given out after a single month, the only two National League pitchers in the competition were the Mets Mike Pelfrey and the Phillies Roy Halladay. Good thing Valentine's vote didn't count. On Monday, the league announced that Ubaldo Jimenez was the N.L. Pitcher of the month in ...

Baseball season's fourth week came and went with several surprises and some solid performances. Here are the fantasy studs, the players who have me concerned, and the potential pickups from the week of April 26th – May 2nd. Fantasy Studs Paul Konerko: .389/4/8/.538.  Konerko quietly leads the majors in home runs. Konerko, usually forgotten on draft day, is good for 20 plus home runs every year. Robinson Cano: .417/4/5/.462. Cano has ...

Every year it seems, a 30-something-year-old player inexplicably locates the fountain of youth. Last year it was Kevin Millwood , though he appears unwilling to revert back to his old ways this season. The 2010 version may very well be 15-year veteran Livan Hernandez . Through four starts this season with the Nationals, Hernandez boasts both an ERA and WHIP of a minuscule 0.87. Opponents are batting just .187 against the right-hander, and ...

THE MEAT OF THE ORDER Every week there are three things I deem to be really important. It's kind of like the "meat" of my lineup. This week, there is only two because my DH is on the disabled list.   1. Ryan Howard Contract Extension The Philadelphia Phillies made headlining news when they signed their MVP first baseman Ryan Howard to a contract that will make him only the second player to earn ...

We will be closing in on the thirty game mark in the 2010 Major League Baseball season, and we still have players continuing to surprise, and star players that are struggling. This weekly list does not take the top five best statistical players, because it would virtually be the same people every week. This list focuses on some stars, but also on the underdogs who ...

It's been a fairly eventful two-plus weeks since I last posted here.  Having not grown up in the Kansas City area (unlike my father, whose fandom I unfortunately inherited), my in-person Royals experiences have been mostly limited to seeing them play the Twins at the Metrodome or seeing Omaha play the Round Rock Express.  While visiting my sister in Lawrence, I got to see the ...

ESPN is reporting Mike Pelfrey had MRI in New York this morning for general shoulder tightness. He's been cleared to start this weekend vs. Giants. I noticed him in these past two starts kind of hunching his shoulder after a couple of pitches as if he were trying to shake it loose. Most pitchers feel tightness especially this time of year, as the weather changes, spring going into summer. He ...

What I’m Reading The parallels between Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard continue, as Howard’s recent contract extension is bound to influence the market for Pujols’ cash-in day. That must be one deep bruise. In addition to the past two games, the ailing Joe Mauer is expected to sit for this week’s Tigers series as well. And just like that, Alex Gordon is headed back ...

Maybe you’ve started to hear the buzz surrounding Mike Stanton . In 23 games for the Marlins Double-A affiliate, the outfield prospect is hitting .354 with 12 home runs, a .505 OBP and an .866 SLG. Sounds like the Double-A equivalent to Barry Bonds if you ask me. Stanton was ranked as baseball’s third best prospect by Baseball America , behind only Jason Heyward and Stephen ...

In 41 games with the White Sox last season, Alex Rios had a line of 11/.199/3/9/5. Gross. In just 22 games this season, Rios has already reached his home run and RBI totals with the White Sox last season with 10 runs, nine steals, and a triple-slash line of .276/.326/.470. Rios hasn’t had a SLG that high since 2007, and his .294 BABIP (career .319) suggests all three of those numbers should improve ...