Jon has words with his fantasy players and reveals his true second half favorites.

It was not exactly an intervention. It was more like a State of the Union address, though instead of telling Congress what they wanted to hear, I was giving the members of my various fantasy squads a chance to praise, criticize, and berate each other as well as me. I have to admit, it's much more fun that way. A quick look around the room assured me that everyone I had invited (and a few I had made a point of not inviting) had arrived.

Robinson is part of the red hot Yankees. Photo Credit: DANNYWILD

Just as I was about to get things started one of those uninvited guests made a beeline to the podium. It was Robinson Cano, and he had a very smug look on his face.

Robinson: “Hah! You told people to dump me but I’m having a great second half!”

Jon: “Congratulations Robbie. I’m very happy to have been wrong about you.”

Robinson: “Why, I’m not on any of your teams. You know, since the All-Star break I’m batting .514 with three home runs and ten RBI.”

Jon: "Yes, Robbie. I was clearly wrong to suggest people dump you.”

After pulling that concession out of me, Cano turned and prissily walked away. (I made an obscene gesture at his back... and Kevin Millar laughed.) Cano is clearly Moving Up, but let's look at why that is. He has not changed his attitude at the plate. He has just one walk since the break. Cano has never been a big strikeout guy, but he is doing it even less with just two Ks since the break. That gives him a BABIP of about .562. If you think he can keep it up, or that it is not mostly luck, then you must also think that Cano is a certain-to-be-Hall-of-Famer.

I stepped up to the podium. I banged the gavel to bring the room to attention. I was making a few idle jokes as I checked that my index cards were in order. That was when I heard a small cough. It was not a throat-clearing cough. It was one of those "please pay attention to me" coughs. Of course, it was Eric Byrnes. He has not left me alone since my February prediction that he would never manage to steal 50 bases again. I guess it does not matter if I was one hundred percent correct about it. He was next to a guilty looking Shane Victorino, so I was sure I knew where this was going.

Jon: “Yes, Eric, what is it?”

Eric: “Well, first I just want to say that, had I been healthy, I’m certain I could have duplicated my 2007 season.”

Jon: “Of course, I am certain you could have, Eric.”

Eric: “Liar. Anyway, I wanted to point out that mister cheap steals over here, the great Shane Victorino, hasn’t been as good as you claimed he’d be. No offense, Shane.”

Shane: “No offense taken, Eric.”

Jon: “I think Shane is having a fine season, especially when you take into account his nagging injuries and DL stint this season. He has a slash line of .280/.347/.422 with 24 steals. What’s the problem?”

Eric: “I don’t think he’s going to steal 50 or 60 bases as you suggested.”

Jon: “He still can. He stole two bases in the last seven days. If he kept up that kind of pace for the rest of the season…”

Eric: “He still isn’t a better player than me.”

Jon: “Okay, Eric, do you mind if we get started?”

It was a good speech. I will not bore you with all the details. I thanked them for staying healthy (I did kind of glare at John Smoltz, but I do not think he noticed). I shared that we were a lock for three different championships, including a Three-Year Championship prize. If you have a long-term keeper league and feel the need to spice things up, a Three-Year Championship is a great idea. We were also solidly in the money in most of our leagues. There were just two leagues that we had no chance at winning.

We were wrapping things up when Alex Rodriguez and David Wright stood up and asked to be heard.

Alex: “Uh, Jon? I don’t want to bring undue attention to myself, but why exactly are you abandoning the only team that David and I are both on?”

David: “Yeah, Jon, Why is that?”

Jon: “Please don’t think I’ve given up on the team altogether. But this is a tough league, and my pitching is pathetic, and… -- HEY! Whoever that is in the back singing "Like a Prayer," quit it right now!”

Kevin Millar was laughing again but it was not him.

Alex: “I love that song.”

Jon: “I know Alex, it’s a good song, but they’re just trying to get under your skin.”

Alex: “Oh, well thanks Jon, I have no idea why people are always making fun of me.”

Jon: “Anyway, I do have a plan to get back in it, but it is one of my high-risk schemes that could be a disaster. I’m going to cut every pitcher that isn’t helping and pick up high strikeout relievers.”

David: “Are you daft? How will we make up wins with a bunch of middle relief guys?”

Jon: “I’m not daft, David. We're not looking for wins. We're looking for help with ERA, Ratio, and Strikeouts. A five-point gain in each of those categories is a reasonable expectation. That (and a little luck) will be enough to get us within shooting range.”

David: “Are you certain you can find relievers who are that good?”

Jon: “I'm absolutely positive, there are always good relievers on the waiver wire. Especially in 12-team mixed leagues. Players such as Joe Nelson of the Florida Marlins, David Robertson of the New York Yankees, Hong-Chih Kuo of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Alex Hinshaw of the San Francisco Giants are completely dominating and freely available in many leagues. A lot of fantasy leaguers haven’t realized that adding a few quality middle relievers can be the equivalent of adding an ace starter, especially when they replace awful pitchers.”

The entire crowd started to laugh at me. I was just starting to doubt myself, when a group of five players wearing “Jon Rocks” t-shirts stepped forward. They were all deadly serious and shoving the members of the crowd laughing the hardest.

The stars of this group were:

I was just starting to feel proud of myself when Cliff Lee spoke up:  “You obviously know how to pick them pre-season, but not one of us has been among your picks for the second half. Jon, why is that?”

Jason Kubel and Michael Bourne were both shifting nervously from foot-to-foot. I stepped down from the podium and sat on the edge of the stage, so I could be face-to-face with my players.

Jon: “Don’t worry Cliff. I still have faith in all of you guys. There is something you may not have realized about those recent articles featuring players Moving Up or Moving Down in the second half. I have been doing my best to name just the players that may actually be available, or at least easy to acquire at this point in the season.”

Cliff: “Okay, I can sort of see that, but how about sharing your real picks for the second half without any qualifiers. Who do you really like from now until the end of the season?”

I did not hesitate at all. I told Cliff and the boys exactly who I liked and why. Cliff thought a few of them were obvious, but he was intrigued about some of the others. One pick blew their minds. After my explanations, the room started to clear out. A few players shook my hand in appreciation, while some others spit or slammed their balls, bats, and helmets in my direction. The most aggressive of these was Kevin Youkilis, who I had not mentioned at all. He was coming right at me. I thought I was going to need to deliver a Bronx Beat-Down. That was when Joba Chamberlain blasted him in the head with a fastball. Youkilis barely felt it, before he fell to the ground unconscious. I am certain that when he awoke, he was all alone.

Here are the players that I picked for Cliff Lee's benefit:

1.  Anthony Reyes, SP, Cleveland Indians – There may not be a player in baseball that will benefit more from a change of scenery as much as Reyes will. Do not look at his numbers to date, since they cannot really tell the story. Trust me when I tell you that Reyes is everything Mark Prior was once thought to be, except he’s been dealing with a Cardinals coaching staff (LaDuncan) that refused to allow him a role on the major league team and the freedom to pitch as he chose at the same time. He will be on many of my teams down the stretch and even more of them next season.
2.  Jed Lowrie, SS, Boston Red Sox – Julio Lugo may come off the disabled list soon, but I am betting that he won’t return to a starting job. Lowrie is much better defensively, and although he does not have Lugo’s raw tools, he uses the ones he has with much greater effectiveness. Think Dustin Pedroia but at shortstop.
3.  Andy Marte, 3B, Cleveland Indians – The Indians have now traded away the only real obstacle to regular starts for him at third base (Casey Blake). This week, he has looked like the player that was once the best prospect in baseball, batting .308/.400/.769 with two homeruns. Do not sleep. If he is still available in your leagues, go grab him now.
4.  Juan Rivera, OF, Los Angeles Angels – He has become a starter because of Gary Matthews’ inconsistencies and injuries. Rivera has great power and can hit for contact. He could make a major difference for fantasy teams needing a power boost. The past week he has batted .278/.316/.667 with two homeruns.
5.  Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers – I told you last week that he would be a first round pick in a lot of drafts next year, based on his finish to this season. This week he has batted .333/.429/.708 with two homers.
6.  Anibal Sanchez, SP, Florida Marlins – It all begins on Monday, when he makes his first major league start of the year for the Florida Marlins. In his last minor league start he pitched seven innings with seven strikeouts. The four walks stunk, but they also do not bother me much.
7.  Rocco Baldelli, OF, Tampa Bay Rays – He is coming back this season, no doubt about it. In his last ten appearances, he has 27 AB, 6 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 6 Ks, and a CS. I am going All-In.
8.  Joba Chamberlain, SP, New York Yankees – This season, he will lead the Yankees back to the playoffs, giving us a preview of his 2009 Cy Young season. As a starter: 54.2 IP, 47 hits, .235 BAA, just 2 HR allowed, 23 BB, and 63 Ks.
9.  Ian Kennedy, SP, New York Yankees – Yes, Kennedy is still in the minors at this point. He has been good in his last ten appearances: 33.1 IP, 9 BB, and 27 Ks. The Yankees are engaged in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners to acquire SP Jarrod Washburn, so it is obvious they need to add another starter, preferably a lefty. Kennedy is a better pitcher than Washburn even if he has yet to prove it in the majors, and he will not cost the team nearly $11 million in 2009.
10. Sean Gallagher, SP, Oakland Athletics – The As provide better defense, a better pitchers park, and a better track record of developing pitchers than the Chicago Cubs did. Look for an ERA in the mid-3.00 range plus a healthy number of strikeouts.

So, which player do you think blew the players’ minds? E-mail me with your guesses at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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