Nicasio nice in first effort

Newly recalled Rockies starter Juan Nicasio dominates the Caridinals with seven shoutout innings on his way to a 15-4 win in his MLB debut. Nicasio walked two and yielded just six hits on the day. He profiles as a project, but with that high-end fastball Nicasio is capable of big things in his career, especially if he improves that slider.

Fantasy Impact: With Aaron Cook expected back with the big league team after a broken pitching hand derailed the start of hi season, it appears this may have been one and done for Nicasio. If that's indeed the case, it might be a good thing for fantasy owners tempted to scoop up the young fireballer. Nicasio has pitched just this season above A-ball, which means he's still working his way through the minor league system. This one-off start was likely a reward for his good work at Double-A (2.22 ERA, 62 K in 56 2/3 innings). That said, the back end of the Rockies rotation (Cook and Clayton Mortensen) is less than inspiring. We fully expect Nicasio to head back to the minors and continue to work on harnessing his impressive stuff. Unless the Rockies are big gamblers, there's only an outside chance we see Nicasio again.

Smoke on the Dodgers

A cloud of smoke is wafting into Dodger Stadium along the first base side. Apparently there's a fire in a warehouse nearby. Fans are being moved to other areas of the part. It's an odd scene.

MLB transactions report - May 22, 2011

Players listed in red included in notes section below.

Disabled List:
Glen Perkins, LHP/RP, MIN - 15-Day DL as of May 22, 2011 (Right oblique strain)
Marlon Byrd, OF, CHC - 15-day DL as of May 22, 2011 (Facial fractures)
Reid Brignac, SS, TB - bereavement list
Juan Uribe, 3B, LAD - 15-day DL as of May 21, 2011 (Strained left hip flexor)

Activated/Recalled:
Clay Hensley,, RHP/RP, FLA - returning from DL for left rib contusion (AAA New Orleans)
Rusty Hughes, LHP/RP, MIN (AAA Rochester)
Justin Berg, RHP/RP, CHC (AAA Iowa)
Felipe Lopez, 2B, TB (AAA Durham)
Rafael Furcal, SS, LAD
Greg Reynolds, RHP/SP, COL (AAA Colorado Springs)

Demoted:
Ozwaldo Martinez, SS, FLA (to AAA New Orleans)

Signed:
Yem Prades, OF, KC - (assigned to A+ Wilmington)

Released/Designated for assignment:
Felipe Paulino, RHP/RP - Designated for assignment (Colorado Rockies)

NOTES:
MIN - Dusty Hughes' replacement of Glen Perkins as a lefty reliever leaves just Hughes and Phil Dumatrait as Minnesota's bullpen southpaws. Hughes saw the hill 12 times for Minnesota earlier this year to Dumatrait's meager four outings. Dumatrait's got the better numbers (3.00 ERA to Hughes' 10.13), but either could be used as a lefty specialist in setting up closer Matt Capps. Dumatrait's 6.95 ERA over his short career suggests Perkins' 1.59 ERA and 1.19 WHIP will likely be missed.

FLA - Clay Hensley served as Florida's primary setup man prior to hitting the disabled list. He even closed out 7 saves in 2010. Expect Florida to work him back into late innings opportunities as he's deemed fit. Hensley's not the most dominant setup man in baseball, but he's proven capable over stretches.

CHC - Justin Berg provides some relief pitching depth as Marlon Byrd hits the DL with facial fractures after getting hit by a pitch against the Red Sox.

COL - Greg Reynolds was recalled to step in for a spot start against the Cardinals on Saturday. He holds little fantasy value.

Crane Kenney won't throw it back

Cubs president Crane Kenney is causing quite an internet stir for not throwing back a home run ball he caught at Fenway off the bat of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Cubs tradition says a bleacher bum should throw the ball back. Some observers say throwing a ball back is stupid. It's been long debated whether or not throwing a baseball back is a true form of fandom or otherwise.

But honestly, Who cares? Is it worth the debate? This will be the first and last post on the matter in this blog. Do whatever you wish.

MLB transactions report - May 21st

Players listed in red included in notes section below.

Disabled List:
Josh Johnson, RHP, SP, FLA - 15-day DL as of May 17, 2011 (Right shoulder inflammation)
Brad Thomas, LHP, RP, DET - 15-day DL as of May 11, 2011 (Left elbow inflammation)
Alex White, RHP, SP, CLE - 15-day DL as of May 21, 2011 (Right middle finger soreness)
Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT - 15-day DL as of May 20, 2011 (Right quadriceps tightness)
Donnie Murphy, 3B, FLA - 60-day DL as of Apr 30, 2011 (Right wrist inflammation)

Activated/Recalled:
Pedro Ciriaco, SS, PIT (AAA Indianapolis)
Alfredo Simon, RHP, RP, BAL (Restricted list)
Micah Owings, RHP, SP, ARZ (AAA Reno)
Jay Buente, RHP, SP, FLA (AAA New Orleans)
Charlie Furbush, LHP, RP, DET (AAA Toledo)
Lance Pendleton, RHP, RP, NYY (AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
Josh Judy, RHP, RP, CLE (AAA Columbus)

Demoted:
Amauri Sanit, RHP, RP, NYY (to minors)
Jason Berken, RHP, RP, BAL (to minors)

Signed:
Lenny DiNardo, LHP, RP, OAK (Long Island Ducks - Atlantic League)

Released/Designated for assignment:
Russell Branyan, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks

NOTES:
FLA - Josh Johnson's repeated arm problems need to worry fantasy owners about his long-term viability. He's already suffered Tommy John surgery, missed the end of last season with arm problems and now a first DL stint of 2011 in May.Jay Buente owns encouraging minor league numbers that make him look like a potential flier as a starter at the MLB level. The again, his MLB numbers as a reliever haven't cut it (11 BB in 11 IP, 6.55 ERA).

CLE - Alex White went down with middle finger inflammation. His DL stint opens the door for Mitch Talbot's return. Talbot performed as a middle-of-the-road starter for Cleveland last season. White may end up in the minors after his recovery, but could also be on the heels of Carlos Carrasco for the Indians' fifth starter spot. He's one to watch as a promising young prospect who looked poised the the major league level.

PIT - Pedro Alvarez's DL time opens the door for former Angel Brandon Wood in Pittsburgh. His marginal fantasy value is worth a flier if you're desperate for a third baseman. There's some upside there, but Wood has shown time and again he's baffled by big-league pitching.

DET - Brad Thomas's injury means rookie Charlie Furbush jumps up to the big leagues as a potential impact arm. With 400 strikouts in 378 1/3 MiLB innings, Furbush has been able to limit walks and win more than he lost as a starter. The lefty could push his way into a setup role for the Tigers relatively quickly.

ARZ - Micah Owings earned a spot start for the D'backs and pitched fairly well (5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). He'll likely head back to the minors soon with starter Zach Duke on a rehab assignment and nearing a return to the parent club. Russell Branyan's release will open more time for Xavier Nady and Juan Miranda at first base, but those two will likely steal at bats from one another in a platoon of some sort. At this time neither inspires more than younger options at the position garnering more playing time.

Ciriaco called up; Pirates 3rd base thoughts

The Pirates recalled 25-year old infielder Pedro Ciriaco from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. Despite taking the place of injured Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, Ciriaco owns just one appearance at the position in the minors. Brandon Wood should continue to see starts in Alvarez's absence.

Fantasy Impact: Ciriaco provides little fantasy interest outside of his speed. He's stolen 152 bases in 202 attempts in the minors, but his .650 career MiLB OPS and .190 average this year leaves much to be desired. He should carry little interest with fantasy owners. Wood is an intriguing stop-gap player who has never put it together at the major-league level. He's show a touch more ability at the plate since joining the Pirates (.217 avg, 26% K rate) after leaving the Angels (.168 avg, 33% K rate). Alvarez was striking out nearly 34% of the time before his injury and hitting just .208 with limited pop. If Wood continues to perform at this pace or even slightly better, he's arguably the man for the job in Pittsburgh. That makes him a low end fantasy option with some upside due to his former prospect status at the minor league level.

White out early

Indians starter Alex White only lasted three innings against the Reds due to an apparent right middle finger injury. White cruised through the better part of two innings before recoiling awkwardly on a third-inning pitch. After initially staying in the game, White did not return for the next frame. He struggled to throw strikes and threw no off-speed pitches after getting check out by the Indians' trainer.

Fantasy Impact: White is not your typical sinkerballer. The rookie right-hander hits the mid 90s with consistency and has shown composure on the mound of a pitcher far his senior. With fellow Indians starter Mitch Talbot having completed a rehab assignment you have to wonder if an injury to White could allow Talbot back to the Indians at White's expense. Whether that is via a disabled-list stint for White or demotion to the minors, he's certainly in limbo if the injury forces him out of his next start.

Royals' third shot at Tomlin

Keep an eye on Indians starter Josh Tomlin tonight and this week. Tomlin, who has looked extremely effective in his seven starts this season (4-1), faces the Kansas City Royals for the third time Monday night. The previous two meetings, the Royals failed to string together hits and save for a pair of solo homers in game two put little pressure on Tomlin. Now with a new and potent lefty bat in the lineup in Eric Hosmer, we'll see if the third time is the charm for Kansas City. Tomlin's gotten by while surrendering a hefty eight home runs in 46 2/3 innings so far this season. If Tomlin does get past KC, he'll face a tough lineup in the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

Fantasy Impact: We'll see if the Royals can better game plan for Tomlin after seeing him twice in the span of six days back in late April. Tomlin's peripheral numbers are underwhelming. He's striking out just five batters per nine innings and the longball could eventually become a problem - that is if at team can produce some more hits against him. Tomlin has sparkled, allowing just 1.7 walks per nine innings and six hits per nine. The hits numbers are atypical for a guy who doesn't strike people out. Tomlin has pitched like a fantasy ace over the early part of this season. We'll see if the team that's seen him the most can actually expose him. Otherwise, we might be witnessing the emergence one of those few guys that can really pitch and get by without much help from strikeouts.

Beachy's beached; Teheran to get spot start?

Update (10:14pm CST): It's now been confirmed by Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez that Beachy will be out at least one month. That means Teheran remains likely for the spot start on Wednesday, and the Braves will need to make a decision for a few more starts at the end of the month and in early June. Teheran might be worth a flier in certain deeper fantasy leagues this week. Hanging on to a guy some consider the top pitching prospect in the minors can keep opposing fantasy managers hands off him if he's indeed the guy to earn more starts in coming weeks.

Braves rookie starter Brandon Beachy hits the DL today with a "significant" oblique injury, and it appears that Julio Teheran will become the Braves choice in Beachy's absence as a spot starter. Minor, who earned one start earlier this season and struggled through nine appearances with Atlanta in 2010, not only went ahead with his scheduled start at Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, he worked deep into the game. That should end speculation that he might go short Sunday in preparation for a Major League start on Wednesday with the Braves.

Fantasy Impact: With Rodrigo Lopez out of options, this should become a no-brainer for the Braves. Minor can't throw on Wednesday and the start will only be a spot start due to manager Fredi Gonzalez feeling no need for a fifth starter again until May 31. Teheran is likely to jump up to the parent club for Wednesday alone, and news on Beachy's status will be needed moving forward. Without detailed news on his injury, it's too early to know what the Braves will need to do that last day of the month. Oblique issues can vary significantly from injury to injury and person to person. Just last year, Yovani Gallardo returned from an oblique strain in just three weeks. Beachy, presumably, could make that next start if all goes well. Time will tell. Hold off on any fantasy baseball roster moves regarding these Braves pitchers until more information is available.

2010 MLB closers - final report

***2010 MLB closer report last updated 10/2/10 12:00 AM***

For 2011 MLB closers - the most thorough information on MLB bullpens - click here.

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Closers are listed at the top under each team name. Their competition follows. This list will be updated throughout the regular season:

Arizona Diamondbacks:
Juan Gutierrez
Aaron Heilman
Blaine Boyer
Esmerling Vazquez
Chad Qualls

Atlanta Braves:
Billy Wagner (L)
Jonny Venters (L)
Peter Moylan
Takashi Saito
Eric O'Flaherty (L)

Baltimore Orioles:
Alfredo Simon
Matt Albers
Mark Hendrickson (L)
Koji Uehara
Will Ohman (L)

Boston Red Sox:
Jonathan Papelbon
Daniel Bard
Hideki Okajima (L)
Manny Delcarmen
Ramon Ramirez

Chicago Cubs:
Carlos Marmol
Kerry Wood
Sean Marshall (L)
Andrew Cashner
James Russell (L)
Justin Berg

Chicago White Sox:
Bobby Jenks
Tony Pena
Matt Thornton (L)
J.J. Putz
Sergio Santos

Cincinnati Reds:
Francisco Cordero
Nick Masset
Logan Ondrusek
Arthur Rhodes (L)
Jordan Smith

Cleveland Indians:
Chris Perez
Rafael Perez (L)
Tony Sipp (L)
Joe Smith
Frank Herrmann

Colorado Rockies:
Huston Street
Matt Belisle
Manuel Corpas
Rafael Betancourt
Joe Beimel (L)

Detroit Tigers:
Jose Valverde
Brad Thomas (L)
Eddie Bonine
Phil Coke (L)
Ryan Perry

Florida Marlins:
Leo Nunez
Brian Sanches
Mike Dunn (L)
Clay Hensley
Jose Veras
Burke Badenhop

Houston Astros:
Brandon Lyon
Matt Lindstrom
Wilton Lopez
Jeff Fulchino
Tim Byrdak (L)

Kansas City Royals:
Joakim Soria
Robinson Tejada
Dusty Hughes (L)
Kyle Farnsworth
Blake Wood

Los Angeles Angels:
Fernando Rodney
Brian Fuentes (L)
Kevin Jepsen
Francisco Rodriguez
Scot Shields

Los Angeles Dodgers:
Jonathon Broxton
Hong Chih Kuo (L)
Ronald Belisario
Ramon Troncoso
George Sherrill (L)

Milwaukee Brewers:
John Axford
Todd Coffey
Kameron Loe
Carlos Villanueva
Trevor Hoffman

Minnesota Twins:
Jon Rauch
Matt Guerrier
Jesse Crain
Jose Mijares (L)
Brian Dunsing (L)

New York Mets:
Francisco Rodriguez
Hisanori Takahashi (L)
Pedro Feliciano (L)
Elmer Dessens
Manny Acosta

New York Yankees:
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Boone Logan (L)
Chad Gaudin

Oakland Athletics:
Andrew Bailey
Craig Breslow (L)
Brad Ziegler
Jerry Blevins (L)
Michael Wuertz

Philadelphia Phillies:
Brad Lidge
Ryan Madson
Jose Contreras
Chad Durbin
J.C. Romero (L)

Pittsburgh Pirates:
Octavio Dotel
Evan Meek
Joel Hanrahan
D.J. Carrasco
Javier Lopez (L)

St. Louis Cardinals:
Ryan Franklin
Kyle McClellan
Mitchell Boggs
Dennys Reyes (L)
Trever Miller (L)

San Diego Padres:
Heath Bell
Luke Gregerson
Edward Mujica
Mike Adams
Joe Thatcher (L)

San Francisco Giants:
Brian Wilson
Jeremy Affeldt (L)
Sergio Romo
Guillermo Mota
Santiago Casilla - 15-day DL as of Apr 1, 2011 (Right elbow inflammation)

Seattle Mariners:
David Aardsma
Brandon League
Jamey Wright
Garrett Olson (L)
Sean White

Tampa Bay Rays:
Rafael Soriano
Joaquin Benoit
Dan Wheeler
Randy Choate (L)
Lance Cormier

Texas Rangers:
Neftali Feliz
Darren Oliver (L)
Frank Francisco
Darren O'Day
Alexi Ogando

Toronto Blue Jays:
Kevin Gregg
Jason Frason
Scott Downs (L)
Casey Janssen
Shawn Camp

Washington Nationals:
Matt Capps
Drew Storen
Sean Burnett (L)
Tyler Clippard
Miguel Batista

Reynolds' bad rap

Everyone knows Mark Reynolds is extremely strikeout prone. He owns the three highest totals for strikeouts in a single season, including last year's record-smashing 223. Many fantasy baseball managers let that slide in 2009 because Reynolds performed in breakout fashion, walloping 44 home runs and still managing a slash line of .260/.349/.543, respectable numbers for most power hitters even in spite of the ridiculous whiff numbers.

This year, Reynolds has still managed decent power numbers with 51 extra base hits, but his sky-high strikeout numbers and plummeting batting average have reduced him to marginal fantasy starter rather than the power force he appeared to be in 2009. Reynolds is in jeopardy of a record-setting year of futility in potentially becoming the first every-day player to have a higher strikeout total than batting average (currently 206 K total and .199 average) for the season. His BABIP of .322 for his career is a bit on the high side in terms of good luck. This year's BABIP is .255, which is highly unlucky.

Fantasy Impact: Reynolds goes from a guy who looks like a perennial keeper in your typical keeper league to back in the draft heap for 2011. The good news is that BABIP should come up more in line of his career numbers moving forward, as his high strikeout numbers had never produced a batting average below .239. Bringing Reynolds BABIP back toward the norm leaves a would-be .224 average for this season and he would produce at a .236 clip in 2010 at his career BABIP. That's below Reynlods .243 career batting average, which means last season is still looking like a career year rather than a harbinger of future success. Reynolds simply slipped back to the pack in 2010, despite his 32 home runs leading the third base position. If your league keeps between five and six keepers, he's on the fringe for 2011.

Aviles for this year, Gordon for next?

A couple of notes on a couple of Royals to keep an eye on for the last week of the regular season and into next year. Mike Aviles hit just his seventh home run of the season Thursday night, but he entered Thursday hitting .365 in September before finishing 1-5 for his night.

As you might expect, Royals teammate Alex Gordon turned in a typical 1-4 night in Cleveland, leaving his 2010 average at an unimpressive .227. It's what Gordon is saying moving forward, however, that deserves some attention. Gordon claims he's going to "dominate" in 2011.

Fantasy Impact: Aviles now owns five homers in September and he's hit safely in 13 of 17 games. After a miserable 2009 campaign and quiet start to this season, he's making up for his struggles quite nicely as the season winds down. Remember, he hit .325 after a mid-season call-up in 2008, meaning he can go on long streaks of quality production. Infield eligibility at both SS and 2B add to his increasing value. He's worth an add if you need any kind of infield help.

Gordon's proclamation is at least noteworthy and potentially a warning for fantasy owners for next year. Remember, this is a former No. 2 overall pick out of baseball powerhouse Nebraska who went from college ball to the big leagues in one year with relative success. Gordon hit .321/.438/.578 over parts of three seasons in the minors, and while he's only performed at .247/.330/.408 over four years at the major league level. Injuries, however, wrecked last year and Gordon was able to belt 31 homers in his first two seasons at the ages of 23 and 24. Big things potentially lay ahead, making Gordon a great late-round sleeper pick in 2011. If he's feeling good enough to proclaim future success after a season split between a sub-par big league numbers and another Triple-A masterpiece, there's a good chance he can perform somewhere in-between next year.

Bautista is home run boss - this year

Jose Bautista hits his 50th home run, putting him nine up on Albert Pujols for the MLB lead. He probably doesn't need to slug another homer in 2010 to win the race by a fairly wide margin.

Fantasy Impact: Career year or breakout season? That's what fantasy owners of Bautista must be wondering now with just over a week to go. Now with 34 more homers than in any of his previous four full-time MLB seasons, Bautista doesn't have much of a track record to expect future presence in the ranks of baseball's top power hitters. He does, however, have a decent-enough base of work to believe this isn't entirely a fluke. Brady Anderson was a guy who hit 50 homers in 1996 but failed to top 20 homers but two other times in a 15-season MLB career. That's not to suggest that Bautista is Anderson, but Bautista's previous four seasons comprised of a slash line of .242/.334/.412, suggesting he's going to come back to earth quite a bit in 2011. Let's argue against an epiphany for this journeyman ballplayer who is already with his fifth organization at the age of 29. He's a good sell-high candidate in the offseason, and maybe before the preseason, as a lesser spring followed by a little bad press will sabotage value on a return.

Enright wins, remains in rotation

Diamondbacks rookie Barry Enright earned a win in his MLB debut with five innings of one-run baseball to down the Cardinals, 4-2. Enright will remain in the starting rotation for a while with the demotion of Dontrelle Willis to the bullpen.

Fantasy Impact: Willis immediately loses any kind of fantasy appeal he had left. Enright is a rookie who is worth a look in deeper leagues. The 24-year-old former second-round pick doesn't sound overpowering, but he improved his numbers over three seasons of minor league ball while making the jump from A-ball to Double-A. That says he learned to do a little pitching in his time in the minor leagues. His improved strikeout rate of 8.0 per nine innings this season at Double-A suggests he's got enough stuff to fool some MLB hitters. A low walk rate also helps matters despite the fact that Enright walked four batters over five innings in his debut. He's at least worth a flier, especially with the advantage of facing teams that have never seen him before.

Giants trade Molina; Posey to earn more at bats

The Giants sent catcher Bengie Molina to Texas Wednesday for reliever Chris Ray. The move clears the way for rookie Buster Posey to take over as full-time backstop in San Francisco despite his recent slump. He's hitting just .146 over his last 14 games.

Fantasy Impact: The Rangers were searching for a catcher for quite some time, and Molina is a good fit. He should improve his ho-hum offensive numbers in the Rangers' stacked lineup.

Posey's labored promotion to the big leagues is suddenly accelerated with his promotion to starting catcher. The move means San Francisco is buying into Posey even if he's not hitting consistently at the MLB level. But to say that is misleading. Despite his slump Posey is at .289 for the season, and he routinely makes solid contact. His BABIP of .310 isn't exceedingly high, but it can improve when you consider that Posey has walked just 3 times in 102 plate appearances. That means he's likely chasing pitches early in at bats rather than finding a good pitch to hit. His better selectivity in the minors yielded a career batting average of .333. Once he becomes settled at the MLB level, expect big things.

Ray is less of a strikeout pitcher now (4.5 K/9 in 2010 vs. 7.7 for his career), but he's limiting hitters to just 6.8 hits per game. He'll be a setup-type reliever for the Giants.

LaPorta resurfaces

Matt LaPorta will return to the majors as a full-time player now that the Indians have traded Russell Branyan to Seattle. LaPorta struggled to find consistency at the plate in his first stint with the big league club this season. Since getting demoted in early June, however, he's hit .353 with a .632 SLG in Triple-A.

Fantasy Impact: LaPorta's career minor league numbers (.296 AVG, .388 OBP, .563 SLG) point to an ability to impact the game at a high level. Through 87 MLB games the production hasn't been there. What to do with LaPorta? It's a more clear-cut situation now in Cleveland with Branyan out of the way at first base. LaPorta owns a singular starting position at first base, and he'll be given every opportunity to play regularly for a poor Indians team. That can mean significant payoff in fantasy ball. LaPorta is an intelligent addition for teams looking for an impact bat in the second half. He may run through streaks of both good and bad, but his minor league numbers represent a positive background for a relatively green major leaguer. Add LaPorta, stash him on your bench and hope the breakthrough is coming shortly.

Bumgarner loses first start

Giants youngster Madison Bumgarner made his much-anticipated first start of 2010 and fared well enough to hang around in the big leagues. After some early hiccups, including two home runs and four earned runs in the first two innings, Bumgarner settled down and pitched seven innings, throwing 66 of his 96 pitches for strikes.

Fantasy Impact: Most teams would take those kinds of numbers from their fifth starter, which is exactly Bumgarner's slot for now. He is, however, much more talented than a back-end pitcher in San Francisco's rotation. Bumgarner is a potential future star with high-end upside. He deserves to be active in all formats.

Heyward thumbs down

Braves outfielder Jason Heyward has revealed that an injured left thumb is hampering his approach at the plate. His average had plummeted 50 points since May 30 with many analysts, writers and bloggers believing he was mired in a typical rookie slump. He's expected to miss at least a couple of games and will visit a hand specialist while he's out.

Fantasy Impact: The good news? This isn't your typical skid for a young player, which means Heyward may still be the fantasy baseball freak everyone was hoping to be landing. He has homered just once in his last 24 games, but the power outage may be due to that thumb issue. Then again, we don't know when the problem perked up. We also don't know how long he'll be out. Any time a player visits a specialist it's a situation beyond your typical aches and pains. Heyward may be out or affected by the injury for much more than a span of two missed games. He's a major keeper candidate, but his stock for 2010 may be slipping.

Meek shall inherit a closer job?

Until now, Evan Meek was just a fireballer with an impressive set of stats (9.5 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 6.6 H/9) over a small sample size (19 IP). You know, that flash-in-the-pan type who can't harness his stuff for more than a few outings at a time. Now that he's put it together for all of April, Meek is getting picked up off the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues as a stray-saves hopeful and potential replacement for struggling Pirates closer Octavio Dotel.

Now the speculation on Meek's value reaches a new high; people within the Pirates organization believe the closer job is headed his way.

Meek, a Rule 5 draft pick in December of that year, has a 0.53 ERA through 13 appearances, 17 strikeouts to five walks, a .183 opponents' batting average and a save in his only opportunity to fill in for Octavio Dotel. Among National League relievers, only Colorado's Randy Flores and Washington's Tyler Clippard have lower ERAs.

All that, and his fastball -- which peaked with a 98-mph register a month ago in Phoenix -- as well as a dynamic slider and changeup have many associated with the team feeling it is a matter of time until he closes.

Now, let it be noted that there's no attribution to anyone making this claim other than "many associated with the team," but this is how a story leaks. Meek is still young (27), talented and speculated about. If we're thinking he's got closer written all over him, the Pirates are thinking the same. With Octavio Dotel signed to a one-year deal and likely tradable as a setup man due to his long-standing reputation at the MLB level, there's very little holding the Pirates back. Once they deem Meek ready to handle the pressure, the job is his. It's time to get serious on Meek as a long-term candidate to close in Pittsburgh. Cross your fingers that his production is suddenly legit. The Pirates are.

Wood returns, but for how long?

Kerry Wood returns to the Cleveland Indians as the team's closer and is officially rumored as trade bait by USA Today. This significantly devalues Chris Perez, who now resumes his role as Wood's primary setup man.

Fantasy Impact: A trade would be good for Wood, who doesn't look to get many save chances for the Indians. A trade would also be good for Perez, who would finally get his shot to close games at the MLB level full-time.