It started with Joe Mauer’s double down the left-field line that was called foul in the ALDS; it was clearly fair, by a mile! Then there was the double play that wasn’t in the ALCS when both Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano were tagged at third base and neither was exactly touching the bag.

There were many more examples of poor calls made under the microscope of playoff baseball that raised the question: Does baseball need to expand instant replay?

I am here to plead with you Bud Selig. PLEASE do not ruin the Great American Pastime!

I am a firm believer that more instant replay will defile the game that we have all come to know and love. We already have replay for questionable home run calls, just leave it at that.

Most casual sports fans constantly complain that baseball is too boring to watch. As a die-hard baseball fan, and former player, I will be the first to admit that there are a plethora of dull moments in between brief spurts of high intensity. There is no skirting around the fact: baseball involves a lot of down time.

So why slow down a slow game even more? There will always be fans of baseball, past and present, but more replay is bound to alienate many and force the casual fan to change the channel during a 10-minute replay timeout. It will ruin one of the aforementioned high-intensity moments, which brings me to my next point.

Instant replay changes the game too much. Baseball is unique in that one crucial play can change the momentum drastically. How can a team or player gain that advantage when a momentum-shifting play must first be reviewed for 10 minutes?

Baseball is also the sport we can rely on for frequent ejections of players and managers. I know everybody enjoys an occasional base toss by Lou Piniella or a hat slam by Bobby Cox. But how can these managers argue with the all-powerful umpires when a bad call is immediately fixed?

Replay would eliminate those silly moments when pitchers actually get to hit, taking their frustrations out on the defenseless water coolers. It would rob Milton Bradley of chances to throw entire buckets of baseballs onto the playing field, and even avoid him from tearing his ACL while attacking an ump.

Advancements in video and camera technology have allowed us to evaluate sports action in ultra slow motion. Plays that unfold in realtime in a matter of seconds are now at our disposal in frame-by-frame segments. This doesn’t necessarily mean that baseball needs to use this technology to fix every questionable call.

Bad calls are just part of the game, bottom line. Making the move to more instant replay will open the floodgates. Where will the lines be divided between human judgment and computer-generated boundaries? Replay could eventually make umpires unnecessary.

In my mind, baseball has always been a way to escape from reality, a way to relax and enjoy the simplicity of the greatest game the world has to offer. In a world dependent on technology, baseball can continue to stand alone if we let it.

I’ll admit, I was slightly cut off from fantasy football leading up to Week 9 games. First, my New York Yankees won the World Series that Wednesday (let the hate mail start). The next day, my colleague Nicholas Minnix and I flew to Arizona for a rawhide weekend at the Baseball HQ First Pitch Forums.

(If you didn’t know, Nick is a Phillies fan. We somehow remained civil.)

Anyway, much thanks to the folks at HQ and all of the speakers. We were all there for something beyond the industry elbow-rubbing: Arizona Fall League baseball, a proven springboard for young talent.

It’s hard to make a thorough evaluation based on several days of observations (sometimes a few at-bats), but we can still get a feel for how soon a player can make an impact.

Of course, in the case of Stephen Strasburg, a neck strain can rob 100-plus symposium attendees of seeing The Next Big Thing.

I don’t want to jump the gun on our upcoming AFL rundown, due out soon, but I can’t let these observations sit in my head any longer.

Best fantasy bets for 2010

Jason Castro, C, Houston Astros – Imposing lefty stick showed an OK presence as receiver, and the ‘Stros really don’t have many other options. He’ll be priced as a speculative No. 2 catcher on NL draft day.

This guy wasn't the only prospect there....

Drew Storen, RP, Washington Nationals – His funky delivery didn’t help when he gave up a two-run dinger to blow the save in the Rising Stars game, but he recovered nicely after that. His K potential alone makes him a must-watch candidate for the Nats’ closer job.

High Alert

Yonder Alonso, 1B, Cincinnati Reds - The best power prospect I saw. The lefty bat has a hint of left-field pop, as well. Cincy needs to make room for him at third or in left with Joey Votto entrenched, but don’t expect them to wait too long.

Chris Heisey, OF, Cincinnati Reds – Safe to say I was a Reds fan in Phoenix. Poised at the plate, he has scorched the desert diamonds. As with Alonso, there may be a left-field slot calling for Heisey.

Dustin Ackley, OF, Seattle Mariners – Not much power coming from his wood, but his opposite-field prowess stood above and beyond the rest of the talent I observed. This year’s No. 2 overall pick looks like a prototypical two-hole hitter but probably won’t touch the bigs until 2011, at earliest.

Chase D’Arnaud, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates - Smooth in the field, aggressive on the basepaths, and patient and chippy at the dish. A 2010 impact isn’t out of the question, NL players….

Keeper leaguers: Remember this name

Tanner Scheppers, RP, Texas Rangers – High-level heat that could spell trouble for Frank Francisco owners in a few years. Think long-term more so than 2010 and keep him on your inseason watch list.

Carlos Triunfel, SS/3B, Seattle Mariners – I’m impressed by reports of his work ethic, and he hit a bomb in the AFL Rising Stars game that hasn’t landed yet. Oh, and he turns 20 in February. Though it might not happen this season, he’ll soon ease the pain those Yuniesky and Adrian guys caused M’s fans.

Sleepers

Wilin Rosario, C, Colorado Rockies - Hands down the best defensive catcher I laid eyes on – Posey and Castro included. Nick and I are still talking about this 20-year-old, who boasts a compact batting stance and smooth footwork behind the plate (think Carlos Ruiz). He has a long way to go, but don’t lose track of him.

Kenley Jansen, P, Los Angeles Dodgers - This converted catcher showed standout velocity and some electric movement, but control has been an issue. Think center-of-the-Earth NL-only sleeper, probably not even for this season.

Undecided

Grant Desme, OF, Oakland Athletics – His 31-40 season at Class A was nice, but he looked overaggressive in the two contests I observed.

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants - He looked fatigued. He has received a ton of work this season and displayed flatness at the plate and behind the dish. I’d say it’s too soon for San Fran to give him anything more than one-third of the work next year, but expect him to be overvalued in your draft.

Jordan Danks, OF, Chicago White Sox – Has nice speed-power potential, but needs to work on his discipline. He hacked a bit too much at the plate.

Josh Bell, 3B, Baltimore Orioles – Didn’t see enough of him to make a judgment, but intrigued to see if he makes enough progress to start at third in B-more this year.

Not interested

Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals - I used to be high on him, but it doesn’t look like he has done much to improve his plate approach or his diet. Alex Gordon doesn’t have much to worry about.

Remember, our full AFL report is coming soon. Hit us up:

• Fantasy Football Ask The Experts every Thursday on the home page
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The AFL kicked off its annual six-week, 32-game schedule yesterday in Phoenix. For those of you looking for the next crop of fantasy studs, look no further than the Arizona Fall League.

The Mesa Solar Sox, Peoria Javelinas, Peoria Saguaros, Phoenix Desert Dogs, Scottsdale Scorpions and Surprise Rafters round out the six-team league that is loaded with prospects from all 30 MLB teams.

To give you an idea of how prestigious this league is, here is a short list of AFL alums that have gone on to have successful major league careers: Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Todd Helton, Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, Jimmy Rollins and the list goes on…

Last year’s class even produced two Rookie of the Year candidates in 2009: Oakland’s Andrew Bailey and Atlanta’s Tommy Hanson.

This means that there are players in the AFL that could contribute to your fantasy roster as early as next season, especially in AL and NL-only formats.

These players tuning up in the AFL this year could become tomorrow’s fantasy stars:

Stephen Strasburg (Nationals)

The AFL is the next stop on the Strasburg express

If you haven’t heard of this fireballer, then you must not be a fan of baseball. The 6-foot-4 220-pound righty can reach speeds in the triple digits. He had a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 254 to 38 in 168 2/3 innings at San Diego State. Enough said.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft is expected to be on a fast track to the bigs, and given the Nats’ starting-pitching deficiencies, don’t be surprised to see him called up late next season.

Phillippe Aumont (Mariners)

This Canadian right hander was once touted as a future top-of-the-rotation ace. He was slowed by an elbow injury this season, and is now being groomed as a future closer (along with Joshua Fields). Aumont finished his 2009 minor league campaign with a 3.88 ERA while striking out 59 and walking 23 in 51 innings.

Drew Storen (Nationals)

Storen, the team’s other first-round pick (10th overall), signed quickly to expedite his move through the minor league system. He showed why he is expected to be the team’s future closer – he posted a 1.95 ERA and 11 saves while striking out 49 and walking just eight in 37 innings – and was even promoted to Double-A Harrisburg before season’s end.

If Storen picks up where he left off in 2010, he could be auditioning for a prominent role in the Nats’ bullpen next year.

Mike Moustakas (Royals)

The Royals’ third sacker displays plus power to all fields and will force his way onto a major league roster in the foreseeable future. He hit .250 with 16 homers and 86 RBIs with Single-A Wilmington in 2009.

Alex Gordon may be the team’s third-base project at the moment, but Moustakas will be waiting in the wings.

Jason Heyward (Braves)

This kid is for real, and is already drawing comparisons to the likes of Willie McCovey. He was the recipient of the 2009 Minor League Player of the Year award after hitting .323 with 17 dingers and 63 RBIs between Class A and Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Braves are saying they won’t rush him onto their 2010 roster, but I see him being at least a September callup.

Buster Posey (Giants)
Posey was called up this September after a year that saw him fly through the team’s minor league system. He hit a combined .325 with 18 homers and 80 RBIs with Single-A San Jose and Triple-A Fresno.

Bengie Molina is on his way out and Posey is their backstop of the future. Finding a fantasy catcher who hits for average and power are hard to come by.

Stuck in frigid weather this fall? You just might want to take a vacay to Arizona and watch this next group of fantasy contributors in action.

(Don’t worry. We’ll take you back to fantasy football soon.)

Yoo-Hoo has never tasted better.

I’m not much of a chocolate milk chugger, but when the words “fantasy baseball championship” are tied to it, the dark dairy drink gives the palate – maybe your hair? – a much sweeter taste.

(Thanks to MLB.com Fantasy 411’s Cory Schwartz for the link).

After a weekend in which my eyeballs almost fell out staring at various Stattracker applications, I pulled off close – and I mean close – victories in the Fantasy Sports Trade Association Experts’ Challenge and the KFFL K-BAD Fantasy Analysis Draft league.

Now, of course, there’s a significant amount of luck involved in winning a fantasy baseball league. Anyone who denies that has never played.

But at the risk of sounding like an NFL wide receiver, I’d like to think I played last weekend very well.

Using the loopholes of various platforms that count all pitching stats on the same day you hit your innings limits, I loaded up on Saturday starters in the K-BAD, the daily league, with 4 1/3 innings left to burn.

Jair Jurrjens (my pitching MVP for the season), Johnny Cueto, Ryan Rowland-Smith and Anibal Sanchez later, I was sitting pretty, pulling ahead of several teams that had no innings left.

Prince Fielder’s two-dinger Sunday sealed the deal.

In the weekly FSTA, I had been loading up on starts for some time; my biggest mobility chances were in the runs and wins categories.

Enough of my self-promotion. I’ve celebrated enough. Now, my job is to help YOU with some secrets as to HOW I won the more common K-BAD setup.

I filled out my infield first.

The outfield class was deep this year as dictated by ADP, so I waited to fill my fourth and fifth outfielder spots. I missed on Garrett Atkins as a value third baseman in several leagues but was lucky enough to recover.

I was less loyal to players. Remember: Trade for stats, not players.

I tended to hang onto players in my first season in the expert industry, and I was burned numerous times. This year, I ditched projects if they weren’t helping. I jumped on needs that had to be met.

I have been one of Adam Dunn’s biggest fans in the fantasy world, but before I got the chance to see if he could hit 40 homers AGAIN, I concluded that I needed to gain points in steals and batting average while maintaining my upper-level runs production.

Thus, buh bye Dunn, hello Jacoby Ellsbury.

I also eventually swapped closer Jose Valverde for runs-steals-batting average dynamo Shin-Soo Choo, which brings me to another valuable lesson.

Revisit player values as the season goes along, and remain open-minded.

I warmed to Choo’s multicategory prowess. He did all the little things, while throwing in 20 dingers. We were down on him coming into the season, but, as that guy Darwin said, survival requires adaptation.

We also called Chris Davis a bust heading into the year, and we were right. He wasn’t long for the bigs. However, after he started producing again in the minors, he was a valuable pickup for a brief period after his callup. I didn’t have to worry about draft value with him, and he helped me sustain productivity at a CI spot in numerous leagues.

This lesson: Always use forward thinking for the scrap heap.

In no-trade leagues, like the 14-team, 28-man roster, weekly-lineup FSTA, this is doubly – no, triply – important.

I didn’t draft catchers before the late rounds in my expert leagues.

In our local fantasy baseball setup, which I also won, I took Pablo Sandoval in the middle rounds because the value was right, but in these two expert setups, which both require two starting catchers, I had no such urgency.

Just want to thank everyone whom I competed against in expert leagues this year for the great competition. You can never stop learning things when playing against your peers.

If you think we’re resting on our laurels, think again. We’ll be checking in during the offseason with thoughts on our projections, and if you feel like winning in 2010, you’d best to stay tuned to our Offseason Guide coverage, which includes our Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove and reports on offseason developmental leagues.

If you want to pick the brains of KFFL’s baseball minds along with a slew of other experts, come meet up with Nicholas Minnix and me at Baseball HQ’s First Pitch Forums, the annual VIP party for the fantasy baseball world! You can see some of the best prospects in the Arizona Fall League, including Stephen Strasburg, and get a head start on your 2010 competition!

First, though, I want to hear how you did in fantasy baseball this year – where you went right, where you went wrong, what your plans will be to change your strategy next year.

OK, fine, go back to enjoying pigskin….

Putting the past in the past, I am actually looking forward to this year’s postseason matchup between the two familiar foes. I firmly believe the Angels will buck the trend and send the Red Sox packing in October.

Here are five reasons why the Halos WILL beat Boston in 2009:

1) Vladimir Guerrero

Yes, he has struggled in his playoff career, hitting just .240 with one home run and seven RBIs in 20 games. However, he did show improvement last year against the Sox, batting .467 with four walks.

The key in 2009 is the lineup around him: Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter, Kendry Morales, Bobby Abreu and Mike Napoli all provide alternate sources of power and production in the order. In clutch situations, Red Sox pitchers will no longer be able to pitch around Vladdy to get to, say, Garret Anderson or Gary Matthews Jr.

Vlad will have more help in '09

With a more balanced lineup – nine of their 10 hitters with the majority of plate appearances hit between .287 and .312 – Guerrero will not be forced to shoulder the load.

2) The Red Sox are limping into playoff baseball this year.

Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, Nick Green, Alex Gonzalez, Jed Lowrie and Rocco Baldelli round out the list of walking wounded.

Beckett’s back spasms forced him to be pushed back to Game 2 of the series, and all three of their candidates at shortstop are banged up. Heading into the postseason with this many injury concerns can never be a good thing.

3) The Angels will run, run and run some more.

They amassed 148 stolen bases this year, which was good enough for third in the majors.

On the flip side, Red Sox catchers had a little trouble keeping their opponents from running wild on the base paths. Victor Martinez threw out just nine of 55 attempted base stealers in 2009 for a caught-stealing percentage of .138. Jason Varitek caught just 16 of 124 attempted base stealers for a percentage of .129.

To give you an idea of how this could play out, Chone Figgins, the team’s leader in stolen bases this season with 42, had a stolen-base percentage of 71.2. When the Angels set the table with their speedsters, don’t be surprised to see a lot of movement on the base paths.

4) Beckett

Sure he has been solid in his postseason career, minus his 8.79 ERA a year ago. His 17-6 record this year can be very deceiving. His 91 earned runs allowed this year were the second highest total in his career and his walk total (55) was the highest since 2006.

On top of that, Beckett has thrown a career-high 212 1/3 innings this year. Not much of a surprise now that he is dealing with back spasms. I see him repeating his numbers from the 2008 postseason rather than mirroring his dominant self in 2003 and 2007.

5) Abreu

The one variable in this whole equation is Abreu. He was not around for the past defeats at the hands of Boston in the playoffs.

There is no question that he makes the Halos a more dynamic team on offense: The club set a franchise record with 883 runs scored and led the majors by hitting .285 and with runners in scoring position at .295.

Abreu’s patience at the plate has also worn off on his teammates: The club’s on-base percentage (.350) is a team best in the past eight years, including their World Series run in 2002. Their walk total (547) is 40 more than their next highest total in the last eight years.

Combine all this with the Angels’ success on the bases this year – they also led the majors in going first to third on singles (119) – and the Angels could be saying, Wow! Did we finally beat the Sox in the playoffs?

Eliminating the Yanks this year could be a different story, though…

Those who refuse to let go of this 2009 fantasy baseball season won’t have to just yet. The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers will clash in a one-game playoff Tuesday afternoon to determine the AL Central champ.

Guess what? Those stats will help determine many fantasy championships.

This has come much to the chagrin of this author, who as of Sunday’s completed slate was holding a slim lead in our host expert league, the K-BAD.

I'm counting on you, C-Grand....

Now, I’ll be counting on the Tigers’ Curtis Granderson – and possibly others (more on this in a bit) – while trying to hold my slim advantage for second place in runs scored, which is vital in allowing me to chug this league’s Yoo-Hoo.

In the Fantasy Sports Trade Association experts challenge, in which I entered Sunday losing on a tiebreaker for the championship, I’ll have Minny’s Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera going Tuesday in a league where I’m out of FAAB dollars.

Before you do anything else: Pick up as many members of each tiebreaker team as possible – in descending order of playing likelihood, obviously – including the starting arms: Rick Porcello for the Tigs, and Scott Baker for the Twinkies. Make sure to check that there aren’t any studs available that may have been dropped in the catch-up fray when your opponents were streaming stats.

It wouldn’t hurt to add bench and role players, as their one at-bat or one pinch-running appearance could help. Potential under-the-radar helpers include Detroit’s Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas (may see time since they’re facing a righty) and Adam Everett. The Twins’ Alexi Casilla and Carlos Gomez may see some baserunning time. Relievers like Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain and Brandon Lyon could come in handy here, too.

Now, just because you’re picking up the 163-gamers doesn’t mean you should necessarily play them. Examine your needs and tailor your strategy appropriately. If you’re scared of losing points in batting average, for example, then you may want to hold off. I face this dilemma in the K-BAD.

If you need to catch up in counting categories, though, and aren’t concerned about your ratio movement, fire away. I’m letting it all hang out in the FSWA Industry Insiders League, where I’m fighting for third- and possibly second-place respectability.

Are you trying to block someone else from gaining stats on you? That’s fine. Just tuck your recent pickups on the bench and wait it out.

If you have any last-minute questions, you can find me on Twitter and KFFL.com’s Facebook page. As I decide whether to play Gomez, Casilla and Thomas, I’ll be rooting for a 1-0 contest with more real-life excitement than fantasy drama.

ESPNChicago.com reports Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks (calf) will miss the rest of the season after popping his right calf muscle, according to a source. He aggravated his calf muscle during batting practice Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Jenks’ 2009 season will end with a 3-4 record, a 3.71 ERA and 29 saves.

Thornton best bet to replace Jenks

With Jenks done for the final two weeks of the season, relief pitchers Matt Thornton, Octavio Dotel and Tony Pena could all see some save chances. Thornton could be the reliever who benefits the most, but remember, manager Ozzie Guillen used a closer-by-committee when Jenks was out with kidney stones earlier this year.

Thornton is 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA with one save and five blown saves in 67 innings this year.

Owners of Jenks can safely drop him in all single-year formats. If you are desperate for saves as you push toward a fantasy championship in 2009, you should look to acquire Thornton off the waiver wire. Dotel could be added if you miss out on Thornton or you’re in an AL-only setup.

I need to take a break from football. Here are some of my gut-check reactions to some trends and MLB Hot off the Wire posts:

• The Milwaukee Brewers will decide Friday whether to shut down Yovani Gallardo for the season. Please do, it would make my pitching decisions so much easier down the stretch. That increase in innings could be a huge factor heading into next year. Like with Vazquez, I got lucky with Gallardo for the first four months of the year, but I’m at the point where I don’t think I can pitch him. Stay tuned so you’ll know whether to cut him.
• Chipper Jones is hitting .152 in September and has discovered some flaws in his swing. I figured it would be the age and spotty playing time that made his drafters regret selecting Jones this season.
  

  I've had a love-hate relationship with Gallardo

• Jason Marquis tweaks mechanics after spotting a flaw in his delivery. He relies heavily on downward action, though it hasn’t helped him lately.
• The Kansas City Royals‘ Robinson Tejeda (blister) has been bothered by a blister on his right middle finger that has affected the grip on his changeup. He wasn’t putting enough on the pitch during his start Tuesday. I was already afraid to pick him up because you figure he had to run out of luck soon. This reaffirmed my patience.
• To very hittable Angels closer Brian Fuentes: As much as I want to believe that umpires are afraid of calls at Fenway Park, I think it’s more that strike zones vary way too much depending on pitchers and hitters. It’s a problem that will continue until they create a floating hologram strike zone. Even by then, we’ll have instant replay on one pitch per at-bat, so the madness will never end.
• Oh, and Brian, you had Nick Green at 0-and-2 with two outs. It shouldn’t have come down to a full-count close call anyway.
• Javier Vazquez wants to return to the Atlanta Braves next year. Well, that’s nice, but for the great values that I got him at this year, I’m not going to take a chance on him in the same draft spots next year.
• I wouldn’t be surprised if Jonathan Papelbon was in fact traded after the season. I don’t think it’s the RIGHT decision, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein isn’t exactly loyal to players if he feels the club can start another cycle. I wouldn’t call Daniel Bard closer-ready just yet, though.
• The Orioles’ 2010 closer? Beats me. I’d bet on Chris Ray first since he learned that he can’t throw heat all the time. I’d probably draft around this situation.
• If the Cincinnati Reds are smart enough to keep him in the starting lineup, Drew Stubbs will be a cheap fifth outfielder for me wherever possible next year. He’ll be a value edition of Curtis Granderson.

In other more unfortunate news, I’ve lost my long-standing lead in the K-BAD Expert League to The Hardball Times’ Derek Carty and Eriq Gardner.

My offense has flubbed, and those who were behind the innings pace, including the current leaders, are starting to make noise. For some reason in this league, I started Edwin Jackson against the Royals today. I was greedy in thinking a potential easy win would help me more than sustaining my WHIP and ERA. Oops. Time to retool.

I’m within spitting distance of the FSTA Experts lead, though, one point behind the leader Ron Shandler of Baseball HQ and tied with Fanball.com’s Charlie Wiegert. It’s a three-horse race on paper but Scott Swanay, the Fantasy Baseball Sherpa, and Dave Mitri of Fantasy Trophies.com. I have dominated ERA and WHIP for the majority of the season and have been near the top in homers, strikeouts, wins, RBIs and runs. I’ve failed to gain much ground in steals, saves and batting average, though.

I sit in a distant fifth place in the FSWA IIL. Grady Sizemore’s shutdown, my lack of starts remaining and my Ryan Braun acquisition have been my main downfalls.

Well, back to the baseball cave.

Jim Caple, of ESPN.com, reports Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (back) will miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back. A CT scan Monday, Sept. 14, revealed the stress fracture in the L5 vertebrae in his lower back. Surgery won’t be necessary, but Morneau will have to rest his back for three months. He’ll be able to ride a bike and lift weights, but he’ll have to avoid running and doing anything that puts pressure on his spine.

Morneau is done for 2009

Morneau has been playing through the injury since August. He was also able to play through a back injury last year, though this time around the pain was sharper.

The injury could be one reason Morneau’s play has fallen off at the plate. He has a .274-30-100 line with 85 runs on the season, but he is hitting just .201 since the All-Star break. His nine homers and 30 ribbies are solid, though. September hasn’t been kind to him, however; he has just three hits in 39 at-bats (.077) with one homer and four RBIs.

With Morneau out Monday, the Twins started outfielder Michael Cuddyer at first. The 30-year-old Cuddyer has seen most of his PT in right field this year. He is hitting .271 with 24 dingers, 72 RBIs and 76 runs in 513 at-bats. He’ll replace Morneau at first for the rest of the season and likely slot into Morneau’s cleanup spot in the lineup, too.

With Morneau’s season over, fantasy owners can go ahead and drop him in all leagues. Cuddyer should be added in deep mixed as well as AL formats, if available.

This move could also mean more playing time for outfielders Delmon Young (.264-8-43 in 318 at-bats) and Carlos Gomez (.236 average, 47 runs and 11 steals in 297 at-bats); they have just 26 and 14 at-bats this month, respectively. Both should warrant consideration in AL leagues while Gomez is someone to add to your watch list in deep mixed leagues, especially if you want to speculate on some stolen bases.

Oh, how many forget … but I haven’t forgotten about you! Just dropping in to review some recent callups:

Mat Gamel, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers – He probably won’t trump Casey McGehee for majority time, making him strictly NL fodder.

Ian Desmond, SS, Washington Nationals - After a hand injury cut his progress short, Desmond, soon to be 24, has rebounded this year by hitting .330 in Double-A and Triple-A this year. He can run a bit and makes a ton of contact. He shortened his swing and has become more composed with two strikes. This is a great opportunity for Desmond to stake 2010 shortstop claim; the Nats may either move Cristian Guzman to second or ship him away.

The Next Big Thing

Wade Davis, SP, Tampa Bay Rays – That didn’t take long. Updating one of our previous entries, Davis will replace Andy Sonnanstine in the rotation. Deep mixers should grab him. Now.

Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants – He posted a solid MLB debut yesterday for the Giants in place of Tim Lincecum (back), and he reminds me an awful lot of Brian Fuentes with his sidearm lefty offering. I’m not sure how to feel about the latter yet. Either way, the 20-year-old will pitch out of the ‘pen for the rest of the year as long as San Fran’s rotation stays healthy. If you’re feeling desperately seeking something in NLs, just remember Bum won’t give you much for ‘09.

Other thoughts:

• If the Cards decide to rest Ryan Franklin more in the next few days, Trever Miller may get a save chance or two. The lefty specialist (more than a LOOGY) would be a good add for even after Franklin comes back for the Cardinals.
• Marlon Byrd: 12-for-21, a homer and six RBIs in his last six games (five started). Streaky hitter, Josh Hamilton injured … you should at least take a shot for him as a No. 5 outfielder and play him while he’s hot.

Think about the future

If you’re speculating for saves in keeper/dynasty leagues for 2010, enjoy these names to get you started:

• Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians – His recent scoreless run has reignited talk over his potential. If the Tribe remains in rebuilding mode around the trade deadline next year, a Kerry Wood change of uni would open things up for the former Cardinals prospect.
• Drew Storen, Washington Nationals – The Nats aren’t sure if Mike MacDougal is the answer. Storen should help to answer the big club’s question next year.
• Chris Ray and Kam Mickolio, Baltimore Orioles – Here’s guessing Jim Johnson won’t be the stopper for all of next year. Mickolio has reinvented his delivery as a reliever, and Ray has stopped relying so heavily on his fastball.
• Ryan Perry, Detroit Tigers - It’s likely Fernando Rodney will walk after this season for a big payday. With Brandon Lyon also a free agent this upcoming offseason, it’ll be interesting to see if Detroit brings him back; he has been solid in interim work this year. Perry has had a rough go but has closer stuff. This is a long shot.