Julio Borbon - Pierre With Power

Juan Pierre with a touch more power. That is how I would describe Julio Borbon, CF for the Texas Rangers.

Borbon is young, only 24, but has shown some serious talent at the major league level. Last year, 46 games, he batted .312, 30 Runs, 20 RBIs, 4 HRs, and 19 Stolen Bases. Solid. The next time Juan Pierre hits that many homeruns in less then 50 games will be the first time.

If we calculate that Borbon played a 1/3 of a season, that would mean that over a full season he would have 90 Runs, 60 RBIs, 12 HRs, and 50+ Stolen Bases. That would be pretty sweet! Can he continue at this pace for a full year? Not sure. But he will get his chance.

Texas has made it clear that he is the starting center fielder and want him as their leadoff hitter. So what we have in Borbon is a starter with good potential, a nice sample of big league games, and plays on an offensive minded team. There is a lot to like here.

I would value Juan Pierre a little higher then Borbon just because of his stellar track record, but Borbon could out perform him - especially with a little more power. Julio Borbon is another good young outfielder that can be had late in the draft.

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Juan 'Not Gone' Pierre

Here is another outfielder who will be available late in your draft that can give you some good numbers. Juan Pierre.

Pierre has been stuck in obscurity while in LA because they simply had too many outfielders. The Dodgers had to play Manny, Kemp, and Ethier ahead of him. However, he will not have any problems getting playing time on the White Sox. I think it was a strong/smart move for them to pick up Pierre.

What do you get with Juan Pierre? Most notably, stolen bases. Outside of his rookie year, he has never stolen less then 30 bags (even while playing part time for the Dodgers). He has stolen more then 60 bags in a season twice. Bottom line is that this guy is fast and knows how to steal (more then speed is involved with base thieving). As a full time player, expect an easy 40+ swipes. What else do you get with Pierre? You get a career .301 hitter, a guy that should give you around 90 runs, and kick in about 40 RBIs. You will NOT get the long ball. Pierre hit 13 homeruns, not last year, but in the last 10 years total. Nuff said.

As with many other outfielders, Pierre is not a high draft pick and can be had late in your draft - hence the Juan 'Not Gone' nickname.

So repeat after me, I will fill in my shallow positions before I fill in my outfield.

-Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Where's the Love For Juan Pierre?

I don’t understand a lot of things. I don’t understand why anyone uses, talks about, or “networks” with Twitter. I don’t understand how Vegas gets away with charging you $600 for a $50 bottle of Grey Goose. I don’t understand why I thought Emilio Bonifacio was for real. And I especially don’t understand why Juan Pierre is not owned in 100% of fantasy baseball leagues. As it stands, Pierre is available in 40% of Yahoo leagues and 28% of ESPN leagues. What more does Pierre need to do to get some love? Get a smaller helmet? Hit homeruns? Ok, fine, I’ll give you that. But apart from a lack of homeruns Pierre has been an absolute monster since Manny’s suspension. Since May 7th, Pierre is hitting .421. He’s also scored 18 runs, driven in 15 runs, and stolen 8 bases. He has been probably the most productive player on a team that has scored the 2nd most runs in the Majors. We’re not talking about a guy who is just putting up numbers out of the blue. Pierre has always been productive in the Batting Average, Runs and SB categories. Pierre is a career .302 hitter and a guy who stole 40 bags last year in just 375 at-bats. He simply has not had the chance to play much with LA signing Manny and developing both Kemp and Ethier. I know you’re probably thinking that he’s not worth the pick up because he’ll be back to the bench once Manny returns. While that’s true, it’s also true that Manny is still five weeks away. On top of that, with the way Pierre is putting up numbers while Ethier is struggling, Pierre just might see some additional playing time. I’ll tell you what: take the numbers I laid out above and compare them to what you’re getting from your current Outfielders. I can pretty much guarantee you that at least one of them is not giving you the numbers Pierre is putting up. The clock is ticking on Juan Pierre as an everyday starter. Strike while the iron is hot. - - PCB Scout - - - Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

Manny Being A Cheater

Scout Hoffman profantasybaseball.com In some shocking news out of Los Angeles this morning, Manny Ramirez is being suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. Up until now Ramirez has not been linked in any way to performance-enhancing drugs. It has been reported that it was not a steroid, but a prescribed drug for a medical condition. Nonetheless, he is out of the lineup until July 3rd. This obviously puts a drastic downturn on Ramirez’s fantasy value, but who else does it hurt? Andre Either has benefited greatly from having Manny around him in the lineup. Since Manny joined the Dodgers last summer, Either has hit at a .320 clip with 15 HRs and 58 RBI in about 300 ABs. In the 350 ABs before Manny became a Dodger Either hit .274 with 11 HRs and 46 RBI. Some of the increase in numbers can surely be attributed to his growth as a hitter, but a large part has to do with pitchers giving him better pitchers to hit with Manny protecting him. I would expect Ethier’s average, runs and RBI to see a slight dip over the next two months. Orlando Hudson is another Dodger whose fantasy value could take a hit. Hitting ahead of Manny, the O-Dog was on pace for over 100 runs, nearly 100 RBI, and is hitting .342, nearly 60 points above his career average. You can expect those numbers to decrease while Manny is serving his suspension. The entire Dodger pitching staff will certainly miss Manny. The Dodgers are first in the NL in runs scored and that number will most likely drop without the slugger in the three spot in the order. Chavez Ravine has always been a pitchers park so I do not anticipate a drop in ratios for the pitchers, but they may miss out on a few wins. Not all fantasy hope is lost for the Dodgers for the next 50 games. Xavier Paul will be called up to take his roster spot, he is off to a solid start in AAA, but I do not think he will see everyday playing time. Juan Pierre may stand to see an increase in playing time, so those of you who need runs and SBs, he may be a good two month rental. Pierre could be pushed into the leadoff spot and bump Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson down a spot in the order. Matt Kemp who has been buried in the 7th hole will may be pushed up in the order and could see an increase in RBI chances. Everyone knows that Manny Ramirez can be a both a positive and negative force in the clubhouse for a team. It will be interesting to see how Manny and the Dodgers react not only during the 50 games suspension, but when he returns. Will he go back to being the force he has been for his three months in Dodger Blue, or will he revert to the guy who played his way out of Boston for personal gain. Only time will tell.