Have you been watching this year’s ALCS and wondering who the heck that is wearing number 11 and playing first base for the Boston Red Sox? Why, that’s none other than former Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres outfielder Mark Kotsay. Kotsay was one of those late-August waiver trades that contending teams make and others don’t realize it until that same guy smashes a bomb into the seats in right field in the middle of October; *see Stairs, Matt.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering, “If Kotsay’s on first, then who’s on third?” The Greek God of Walks, Kevin Youkilis, is proving that he can play both corners of the infield more than adequately with his play at third this postseason. Youkilis, the number 20 you might have seen at third base, has proven repeatedly that he can stick over at the hot corner. Read more »

Talk about a blessing and multiple curses all rolled into one. New York Mets closer Billy Wagner was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with a forearm strain, the New York Daily News reported, opening the door for setup man Aaron Heilman to give ninth-inning duties a crack.

While this is an opportunity for fantasy owners chasing saves, manager Jerry Manuel indicated that others will get their chances. We would even venture to guess that this becomes a committee situation or that 22-year old right-hander Eddie Kunz ends up getting a majority of the chances. Read more »

Ah, the injury bug. It can bite your fantasy team just as viciously as it bites a big league team and turn a season of promise into a season of doubt. But help is on the way, as several stars will soon be returning in the coming weeks.

Hopefully owners were patient enough to hold onto these guys. We talk 10 impact players from each league who can help fantasy teams in the second half of the season. These players are being ranked both in terms of immediate impact and potential upside. Read more »

Nothing personal against Milwaukee Brewers closer Eric Gagne, but his placement on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis Friday served as sweet, sweet relief for all parties involved. Manager Ned Yost, his teammates who can feel safer with ninth-inning leads, and fantasy owners, who have suffered through a 6.98 ERA, can turn the page on ugly chapters in their teams’ histories.

Maybe temporary replacement Salomon Torres takes control of the closer role in Gagne’s absence, or maybe Gagne immediately re-claims the job upon his return. Either way, we’ll get a better, healthier (physically and mentally) Brewers closer when Gagne is due back in two weeks. Of course, it couldn’t have gotten much worse with Gagne issuing walks and base hits to every Tom, Dick and Harry who grabbed a bat against him. Read more »

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is finally getting his chance to play every day, something fantasy owners have pleaded for since the 2006 season. It is no coincidence that the Dodgers are 8-2 since the last time Kemp was held out of the lineup, as he and Andre Ethier are passing veterans Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre on manager Joe Torre’s outfield depth chart.

Kemp was brought along slowly but surely in the early part of his career, but management knew the time would soon come to take off the kid gloves and let Kemp play. His game hasn’t been perfect - he can be overmatched by right-handed pitching, and he doesn’t have great plate discipline - but those are things that are corrected with time and experience. Read more »

Most major league teams are 15 games or so into their seasons, and everything is beginning to settle down. Each team has had their “Opening Day” at home, and while some teams look like they left their bats in Florida (ahem, Detroit), others look to be in mid-season form, like the Diamondbacks.

Looking around the league many things appear to be normal, however one can’t help but notice how many players have gotten hurt already.

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