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This morning, we glanced at a couple of guys' Rest-of-Season ZIPS Projection numbers from the invaluable Fangraphs site. One player we looked at is in his prime, the other appears to be having more of a renaissance.

In some time circa 2006-2007 a good number of people started thinking that Hanley Ramirez could become the best all around player in baseball.

Before the 2008 Season, Buster Olney said he could be the next $200 million dollar man.

Here are some numbers from Hanley's first 3 seasons in the Show, starting with his triple/slash lines of BA/OBP/SLG.

2006: .292/.353/.480, 17 HR, 119 R, 59 RBI, 51 SB
2007: .332/.386/.562, 29 HR, 125 R, 81 RBI, 51 SB
2008: .301/.400/.540, 33 HR, 125 R, 67 RBI, 35 SB

The BABIP numbers for each season were remarkable (.343, .353, and .329, respectively). There was some ill-advised chatter before the 2009 season that Hanley Ramirez was going to change his game. He wouldn't be able to steal as many basses, he'd become more of a power hitter, move to the #3 spot in the order, and bulk up. He would presumably not utilize his speed as much as a leadoff hitter.

In 2009, Hanley Ramirez won the National League batting championship and put together this monster line:

.342/.410/.543, 24 HR, 101 R, 106 RBI, 27 SB

The loss in SB's was more than compensated for by the increase in RBI, and improved lineup protection gave him better pitches to hit to a .342 average. Those are two stats I usually ignore to attempt to predict future performance, but for revisionist history it works.

So, why did we look at rZIP's this morning? Is Hanley Ramirez someone we would want to trade for in rotisserie baseball? He's not a keeper, so let's just see how his projections look for the rest of 2010.

Hanley Ramirez 2010 rZIP
12 HR, 16 SB, .392 OBP, .528 SLG, .402 wOBA

The computer is probably expecting him to have a better 2nd half than 1st half. Hanley's 2010 line drive percentage is 15.7%, but his career average is 18.6%. His popup number has also been really high this season, IFFB% 14% (Career 11%).

Magglio Ordoñez is the other guy we looked up. The trade deadline for MLB is about two weeks away, and rotisserie league trading blocks are heating up, as well. We were offered a trade of Hanley Ramirez & Magglio Ordoñez for a few of our guys. Magglio was a beast in Chicago. He was a Cub killer in the cross town classic, and a preposterously good hitter for five seasons from 1999-2003. The White Sox traded him to the division rival Tigers after an injury riddled '04 season made the organization wary of signing him to a lucrative extension. It was actually the alternative surgery he seeked out in Europe for his knee that scared White Sox management from throwing bags of money at the Venezuelan Pauly Shore.

Since then, I pretty much wrote off Magglio as too much of an injury risk to count on in fantasy baseball. Still, this chance to get Hanley makes it look like we might be chanting Oh-eeh-oh, Maaaaagglio while rooting for our team. To the rZIP numbers...

Magglio Ordoñez 2010 rZIP
8 HR, 1 SB, .369 OBP, .472 SLG, .368 wOBA

We'll accept the trade. We'll give Mags a chance. Even if he totally tanks, we'll just drop him. It's not every day that you have a chance to acquire a 26-year-old Shortstop who can do it all. It's not even every decade, when you may get a chance like this. The price? Keepers Ian Stewart & Alexei Ramirez, and fellow non-keeper Stephen Strasburg. Anyone think we paid too much? Let the discussion begin.

Is this a fair rotisserie baseball trade?

The league scoring is standard 5x5, except we use onbase percentage rather than batting average.

The Randy Randos trade:

Clay Buchholz
Brandon Phillips
Hunter Pence
Desmond Jennings

Blow Me Where the Pampers Is trade:

Matt Holliday
Alex Rodriguez
Jimmy Rollins

Here is a transcript of a few back and forth emails or league message board posts. Names may be changed to protect the guilty. (Please keep in mind, the following is extremely childish. Thanks.)

From Us:

I would like to officially challenge the Randy Randos and
Blow Me Where the Pampers Is trade.

It is clearly a lopsided white flag trade by Pampers. If he
weren't being lazy, he'd be able to trade each of those guys
individually for a better bounty than Desmond Jennings and
no-one else worth keeping.

Josh (Pampers), I'm sorry, but your response of "have a nice
season" showed that you're throwing in the towel way before
the trade deadline.

Why wouldn't you at least try to shop these guys around a
little? Buchholz is hurt. Phillips and Hunter Pence are
average, to slightly above average, at best.

It tilts power in the league unfairly, unjustly, and un-you
know it's not right-ly.

This sets a bad precedent to try and trade for any teams top
3 picks by offering one good keeper and a few other okay
guys.

From Randy Randos Management:

This deal was negotiated at arms length. I received two players that have serious injury risk attached to them, in Arod and Rollins. In addition, Rollins, while drafted in the first 3 rounds, is nothing more than an 8th round pick. If the Yankees get any distance in the standings, which is possible, he will begin to rest on a regular basis. As for Holiday, while over the last two and half weeks, he's played expceptionally well, overall he has been very mediocre...I have him in another league so I can personally attest to that.

On the other hand, Phillips, while you discount due to your normal and obvkous [sic] prejudice, is a top keeper. Rant all you want, he is on pace for well over 100 runs 25 hrs, 20+ sb's and a .370 obs. This also not the first season he has put up these numbers. Year in year out, he ends up with excellent numbers and well worth being a keeper. Buccholz is on the same path as Lester was. So again, discounting your normal prejudice, Bucholz is a top pitcher in the league. His injury is irrelevant. First, he's now healthy. And Second, Richman can and should keep him. He is going to be a super star and is already worth keeper status...just like Lester, and Jiminez. Pence is incredibly consistent and again a great keeper. You don't like him, that's what your protest boils down to. He is a very good player that puts up excellent numbers. There's a reason I'm in first place...my players are good. Richman got 2 top tier keepers, 1 very good keeper and Jennings could be a sleeper keeper or a great player to trade to another team.

You want to cry, go ahead, but this deal wasn't him folding over...he got very very good players in return.

And, then again, from us:

That'll be the day.

Looking at their 3 year averages, shows Arod as the 3rd best player in the league, Holliday as 4th, and J-Ro as 14th.

Arod "resting" is when he's the DH.

Your Phillips numbers are skewed, as can be expected. He's more likely on pace for less than 20 Homers, less than 20 SB's, and he's only OBP'ing at .350, not .370. In fact, Phillips' 3-year avg OBP is .326. Regression strongly suggests that he'll have a poorer 2nd Half as he trends towards that average.

Hunter Pence is just okay. He's like David De Jesus, in that he has some pop and some speed, but not a lot of either. His lineup table setting and protection blows, on the Astros. Oh yeah, and his OBP is .316.

Holliday, Arod, and Rollins' OBPs are .373, .345, and .353, respectively. They also bring power and good lineup protection to your team. Spare me the "injury risk" talk. These guys are not any more brittle than the average player.

Buchholz is not close to being Jon Lester. Plus, he's on the DL.

Stop arguing as if this is the best Richman could do. He could have actually gotten 3 really good potential keepers, and I protest the unfair shift in league balance this off the level trade has caused.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

This story will continue, as the league commissioner has yet to respond. We also expect Randy Randos Management to respond at least one more time.

According to this report from Minneapolis, the Twins offered Seattle Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks for Cliff Lee.

Twins prospect Wilson Ramos, a major league-ready catcher with Joe Mauer ahead of him, is the name most often mentioned in any deal, and certainly he is expendable. But what about outfielder Aaron Hicks? Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse, citing an unidentified major league source, said the Twins offered him to Seattle, as well.

Those are the team's top two prospects — Hicks is No. 1 — as ranked by Baseball America.

Lee was traded on July 9th. It probably killed the Twins' chances that Hicks sprained his wrist "diving for a ball on July 7."

Wrist injuries can be devastating. Cliff Floyd, for one, lost some superstar years because of wrist trouble.

Hicks, at least, did not break his wrist. Plus, he's still just 20 years old, meaning he is more likely to recover completely than a player at least a few years older. After all, it seems like players' prime years are age 24 to 28. Even if it takes Hicks 2+ years to completely recover to this sprain, which is awfully pessimistic, he's be back to full strength in time for his prime years.

Preseason reports, like this one from MLB.com says...

Scouting report: Hicks has the kind of raw tools scouts love to dream about. He's got terrific speed that he'll be able to use on both sides of the ball (defensively, he already does, but he's got to learn the nuances of baserunning). He's got great bat speed which should generate plenty of power as he matures. A former pitcher who could crank it up into the upper 90s, Hicks has one of the best outfield arms in the Minors. One thing Hicks has above some other raw, toolsy types is an advanced knowledge of the strike zone. All he needs is experience for the performance to catch up with the tools.

Upside potential: When all is said and done, Hicks could be a franchise type player, a power-speed combination who will provide Gold Glove caliber defense in center field.

They said it: "There are a number of things that come to mind with Aaron. He has a lot of talent. With patience and the skills he has, [there's] a chance to be that five tool, complete All Star player." -- Twins farm director, Jim Rantz

This one from something called TwinsTarget.com also praises Hicks' athletic ability and tools...

Hicks was blessed with an incredible set of athletic abilities available to him. He was a successful golfer before he chose to pursue baseball as a career, and his speed is also extremely good. Assuming there are no set backs in his development, Hicks should be able to swipe 30 bases a season once he reaches the major leagues.

In the batter’s box, Hicks stands almost unrivaled in terms of raw power and tools. He has a quick swing that will most likely translate to a solid batting average in the major leagues, as well as superior arm strength, which could lead to around 30 home runs per season once he has fully developed.

The arm strength of Hicks has never been questioned. Both at the plate and in the field, power is not a problem for the young outfielder. Hicks is a well above-average defensive outfielder, but still has plenty of room for improvement. In center field, Hicks has drawn comparisons to Torii Hunter.

Perhaps the biggest downside to Hicks is his occasional lack of focus. Scouts say that because the game comes so easy for Hicks, he simply loses focus and stops paying complete attention. Once he advances to tougher leagues, though, this will surely change.

While the 20-year-old Hicks is far from a sure thing, it is difficult to over-state his ceiling. Hicks has the potential to become a perennial All-Star and hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases at a position that requires immense defensive skill.

Sleep well, Twins fans.

A couple of weeks ago, in this post, we tried differentiating the ol' BAseball Reality Tour by awarding Midweek Players of the Week.

On July 4th, in between exasperating moments of heat and isolation on Governors Island, I thought it could still be novel, and less constraining, to actually give Player of the Fortnight Awards.

That way, we can do it any day of the week and still be unique since everyone else does players of the week or month.

Sorry, I cannot remember where I read it, or who said it. However, I do remember a scout being quoted in a story, about a year ago, who said something to the effect of, "The only stats I need to look at to tell me how a player is doing are his stats from the past two weeks. That'll tell you how a guy is doing."

I remember it vividly because ever since then, I routinely checked "past 14 days" stats for Free Agents under consideration for our roto team, Good Friends.

Before checking the stats for the subject of this column, I have to ask, is anyone else thinking about adding Jason Nix? He's always had power, will play every day for the next couple of weeks - minimum, and he's as hot as an Alabama Manhole. We thought about picking him up two days ago and finally pulled the trigger last night, releasing that weirdo, Felipe Lopez.

Before we get to the award winners, can we also take a moment to share in the utter disgust of watching the Cubs become sellers for the next seven weeks?

Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Tom Gorzelanny, Xavier Nady, Kosuke Fukudome, and even fan favorite Derek Lee are some high-profile Cubs who could get moved. It seems, however, that everyone else is available, too. The problem is no-one wants any of the other overpriced, under producing, and lovable losers. The team really stinks.

Well, on that inspiring note of optimism, we present our Player of the Fortnight Awards

NL Hitter of the Fortnight
Rafael Furcal, Dodgers
We were surprised to see Furcal’s recent performance rise to the top of NL hitter rankings. Looking at his standard stats, we see he hit .472, with 4 Homers, 18 runs scored, 15 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. Raffy also led the league in with a 1.328 OPS and .569 wOBA.

Of the four awards we're giving out today, this was the only one where there was pretty much one clear winner.

Dexter Fowler, Joey Votto, and Lance Berkman, Buster Posey, David Wright, and Martin Prado were the only other NL hitters to OPS over 1.000*

NL Pitcher of the Fortnight
Josh Johnson, Marlins
Looking at standard stats, we would probably be deciding between Mat Latos and Adam Wainwright, who each went 2-0 with respective ERAs of 0.44 and 0.59. When looking a little deeper, the recipient of the award actually came down to a virtual toss up between Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 1.74) and our eventual choice, Josh Johnson (1-1, 1.23). Both, Kershaw and Johnson, had a 12.50 K:BB ratio, but Johnson's 1.23 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) put him over the top.

Other guys who should be mentioned for their excellence are a trip of NL Cetralers: Johnny Cueto, Ross Ohlendorf, and Wandy Rodriguez. They each had an ERA under 1.30 the past 14 days. WayRod's FIP was actually second best in the NL at 1.48.

AL Hitter of the Fortnight
Ian Kinsler, Rangers
There is a very compelling argument to make for one of our favorite players, Miguel Cabrera. In fact, looking at the numbers, it really could go either way.

The award goes to Kinsler because he plays a premium defensive position, which adds more value to your team than if he's doing it as your first baseman.

July is the best month of the year for MLB trade rumors, and thus mlbtraderumors.com.

To keep up with the pace, we will try to pull the highlights from recent posts...

Miguel Tejada to the Phillies
I actually like this move, a lot, for Miggy. In fantasy circles, many don't like the fact that he'll be a part-time player after Utley and Polanco return. So what? The way he's going for Baltimore, he's a NO-time fantasy player. In Philly, he would have a better chance of increasing his counting stats, including Homeruns, while the starters are on the DL. Plus, who's to say he can't steal time away from Polanco down the stretch?

Cliff Lee to Anyone
Any team would like him, and the most rumored of them are the Phillies, Twins, Mets, Reds, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Yankees.

I keep changing my thoughts by the moment, but I'm beginning to feel that the Phillies will most likely not trade for him.

The only way I see the Phillies landing Cliff Lee is to sign Jayson Werth to an extension and trade Dominic Brown. Brown has been the contingency for Jayson Werth's impending free agency for so long, and his success in Triple-A so tantalizing, that I don't think Ruben Amaro, Jr can stomach the alternative. It's an interesting dilemma for many reasons. Everyone in the organization, and the fans, would love to welcome Lee into the rotation with Halladay and Hamels. I just get the feeling that Amaro is one of those old school, disciplined GM's. He'll reinvest Werth's future earnings into other parts of the organization because Brown should be able to fill Werth's shoes admirably. The last factor that could see stopping Amaro is that he may have to trade more than they got for him this past offseason.

Let's see. When trading Lee to Seattle, they received J.C. Rameriz, Phillippe Aumont, and Tyson Gillies. While each of those guys is certainly young enough to blossom into very good players, none of them have looked any good this season.

Tigers Interested in Stephen Drew
It seems like we've been waiting forever for Stephen Drew to become a reliable offensive threat at the premium shortstop position. I still think he's an exciting player, so a change of scenery would surely be intriguing. Something tells me, however, that switching to the American League would take an adjustment period that a contender wouldn't be able to live with.

Apparantly dozens of writers have already beaten this drum, so we'll let it be.

The only thing we'd like to point out is as follows:

Omar Infante
Games: 57
Plate Appearances: 177
Strikeouts: 29
Walks: 9
BA/OBP/SLG: .309/.341/.376
OPS: .717
wOBA: .318
WAR: 0.5

Mike Fontenot
Games: 57
Plate Appearances: 162
Strikeouts: 18
Walks: 9
BA/OBP/SLG: .297/.346/.419
OPS: .765
wOBA: .336
WAR: 0.5

I've been working on a piece analyzing MLB players rumored to be available in trades. We know Cliff Lee is the top prize. Roy Oswalt will be good wherever he is, and then, of course, there's everyone else. I've been at it for about eight days, I think. It was before the Russell Branyan trade, and that feels like several days ago. The problem is that I haven't really written much on the subject. I've simply been listing/ranking the players I've been hearing about. Instead of analytical thoughts surrounding the list I was compiling, I kept jotting down other random, unrelated thoughts.

The Elite Eight of the 2010 World Cup begins right now!

And Robinho scores. Goooooooooool!

To further underscore the Games' legacy and heritage, we will provide a couple of lists of the remaining teams...

Team Most Likely to Win

Argentina
Spain
Brasil
Uruguay
Ghana
Germany
Holland
Paraguay

Ranked by Favorite

Spain
Argentina
Ghana
Uruguay
Netherlands
Brasil
Paraguay
Germany