Fantasy Baseball Dugout

Lisa Dergan Podsednik’s husband Scott has been traded. 

A STEAL: Podsednik led the NL with 70 steals in 2004.

Lisa Dergan Podsednik, our early leader in the 2010 Baseball’s Hottest Wives contest, has been swapped from the Kansas City Royals to the Los Angeles Dodgers in one of those typical have-nots and haves deals that happen in July.

The three time Baseball’s Hottest Wife nominee is no Spring Chick and neither is her husband Scott, age 34.  Lisa is a well-known cougar at age 40.  It’s a tribute to her longevity; the gorgeous middle-aged Lisa has received 16% of the vote thus far.

Podsednik has been a great value for the Royals.  Signed for a year at $1.75 million, the Dodgers will pick up his $650,000 remaining on his contract for the year.  Pods  has had a great year: .310 batting average; 5 homers; 44 RBI; 30 stolen bases.  Great production, especially for a leadoff man.

With Manny Ramirez and Reed Johnson on the DL, Podsednik is a great insurance policy and will play a lot for the time being.  When Ramirez and Johnson return, however, he’ll likely get less playing time so there’s no doubt that Podsednik’s fantasy value has decreased.  Manager Joe Torre has said that Ramirez is still a week away from returning and he’s not been scheduled for his minor league rehab yet.  Johnson is out with a lower back injury.  Hence, Podsednik is really just another Juan Pierre — a year later.

Rafael Furcal has a lock on the LA leadoff spot so it is likely that Podsednik will hit in the two hole.  That won’t hurt his ability to steal a base.  WhenRamirez returns to the lineup to join Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, however, Podsednik will be relegated to a fourth outfielder role.

The Royals picked up prospect Lucas May in return for Podsednik.  May, a catcher, is hitting .296 with 11 homers and 45 RBI on the year in Pacific Coast League, but he’s only a .257 hitter lifetime.  He’ll likely get a September call-up and KC will give him some playing time over veteran Jason Kendall.  May should not warrant any fantasy baseball consideration at this time.

Some advanced fantasy baseball leagues use a pitcher innings limit.  This means that the total innings that your staff can pitch is limited.  Once that total innings pitched is reached, your statistics are locked in for the season.

Adam Wainwright is one pitcher you want to use every chance you get.

The most common amount of innings pitched limit appears to be 1250 per season, although the Fantasy 411 League uses a limit of 1500.

Having a pitcher innings limit causes managers to be more selective with the use of their pitchers.  It also encouarages managers to pay closer attention to match ups.  It can be exactly the opposite of the strategy that we write about called the 2 start pitchers week where managers like to move pitchers into the starting lineup when they are going to get two starts that week.  Such a strategy often considers quantity over quality.  After all, if a guy has a chance to win two games in a week instead of one, why not bring him up, even in favor of a better pitcher who will only start once that week.

Most fantasy baseball managers tend to keep an innings pitched pace throughout the season so that innings are averaged out over the course of the season.  There is some disagreement on whether its best to keep at pace, ahead of pace, or behind pace, but one thing is for sure–you want to make sure that you use all of your innings that area allotted. 

Pitcher innings limits.  Just one more thing to think about as a fantasy baseball manager.

Manager Ozzie Guillen seems to have reached the end of his rope with closer Bobby Jenks.  Jenks blew a save on Wednesday night and that prompted

Jenks blown save puts Putz in closer role.

Guillen to say that he will now go with a closer by committee until further notice.

Jenks has saved 20 of 22 save opportunities this season which certainly isn’t grounds for dismissal, but his ERA on the year is 5.09 and his WHIP is 2.94!  Moreover, in July, Jenks has a 9.95 ERA!  Certainly not the kind of stats that will keep your closer job very long.

Who will get those fantasy baseball saves for the Pale Hose? 

Former Mariners closer J. J. Putz and lefty Matt Thornton are the most likely ones to get save chances while Jenks is struggling. Putz has been outstanding this season with a 5-2 record, two saves and a 1.50 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. Opposing hitters are just .172 off of Putz.  Thornton made the AL All-Star team and has five saves with a 2.58 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

Both Putz and Thornton are logical choices.  Keep a close eye on the Chicago White Sox closer situation and consider picking up Putz (a member of BallparkBob’s All Name Team) and Thornton now.  As set up men, both guys may be available in your league since we all know that holds don’t count.

Saves are a category where quantity wins out over quality and now may be the time for you to move up a few notches in the saves category.  It’s certainly a lot easier to make a quick move in saves than it is in something like batting average or ERA where one player really can’t have much of an effect.

One of the great additions to Major League Baseball is the ball girl.  She sits down the left field and right field lines, chats with fans, and fields any ground balls that come her way.  Don’t be mistaken.  These girls are more than just eye candy; they can play.  Most are former high school and college softball stars and you won’t see them booting those hard grounders down the lines.

Rays Ball Girls

Rosie Santizo, Mariners

Jennifer Scanlan, Phillies

See more pictures and read more about the Phillies ball girls tryouts.

Megan Saucedo, Rangers

The Texas Rangers offer just six positions in its ball girl crew in Arlington.

Padres ball girl

Of all the MLB teams, however, the Philadelphia Phillies have taken its ball girl program to a new level and  the best in baswe consider them the best in baseball.  No, they are not as hot as the Marlins ball girls who exist just to giggle to try to get fans into the stands in a city that doesn’t seem to care.  Why are the Phillies ball girls the best?  The Phillies ball girls can play.  They regularly demolish the far less athletic Eagles cheerleaders and Sixers dance teams in charity softball games.  There’s something hot about an athletic girl in a baseball uniform.

Phillies ball girls 2010

At Fantasy Baseball Dugout, we believe there’ s nobody better at covering Baseball’s Hottest Wives, but when it comes to baseball ball girls, we give the tip of the fantasy baseball cap to Bleacher Report.

John Kruk recently did a Denny’s commercial with a bunch of talking chickens. They asked him a whole bunch of clucktastic questions to seek his copious amount of fantasy baseball advice. Hilarity ensues.

And just for the record – if anyone really does have a fantasy baseball lineup closely resembling the names dropped in this commercial… then their team doesn’t have a clucking chance of winning anything.

Yeah, I went there. Oh well… check out the video below. Happy viewing.