September call-ups; MVP thoughts

It's an exciting time in baseball. Not only are the playoffs drawing closer and closer, but on September 1st, all MLB rosters expand to 40 and the game's top prospects get to be showcased for the final month of the season. You have to love this time of the year. As a fan, it's great to see the minor leaguers who have been hyped up by your favorite organization all year long. Maybe you even saw them have an audition during Spring Training. Regardless of what you've seen or heard, all that matters is if they produce when they're called up to "The Show." So without further ado, here are some up-and-comers to watch closely. Tampa Bay's volatile and occasionally controversial budding star, Delmon Young, may have been suspended for 50 games for throwing a bat an umpire, but the game's top prospect was called up a few days early and was promptly hit by a pitch in his first big league plate appearance by Chicago's Freddy Garcia. However, Young got his revenge later in the game with his first Major League hit, a two-run homer to deep left. Once I heard the Rays called him up, I pounced on him in every league where I had room for him and he's now in my starting outfield. I expect great things out of Young, as I'm sure everyone in the Tampa Bay organization does, and if he performs up to his potential, he should be in the Rays' starting outfield on Opening Day in 2007. Manager Joe Maddon has said that Young will be the everyday starting right fielder straight through the end of the season. As a result, picking Young up now isn't as risky as it was earlier in the season, or, for someone like myself, on Draft Day in the lower rounds. Hey, if he wouldn't have had that incident with the umpire, my decision to draft him late probably wouldn't have looked as bad. I don't regret it. Next year, no one will question his selection. In fact, I'll probably have to pick him a few rounds earlier if I really want him. Several young hitters have emerged this year, especially in Los Angeles (read: Andre Ethier), but there are also some promising pitchers to watch out for in the A.L. Central. When Francisco Liriano went down with a strained ligament in his left elbow, the Twins had no choice but to call up their next budding star in Matt Garza. The 6-foot-4 righty showed his nerves by giving up 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings in his major league debut against Toronto, but in three starts since he has pitched well enough to win each game, if only the Twins would give him some run support. Garza has gone deeper into the game with each successive start, but has only received seven total runs of support in four starts. With Brad Radke going to retire at the end of the season, the Twins seem to have found the third piece of a dominant trio that can last for several years in Minnesota. Garza is an excellent compliment to Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. And while it could be hard to say who should be the No. 1 or the No. 2 between the two dominant lefties, tossing Garza in between Santana and Liriano could create a devastating lefty-righty-lefty 1-2-3 punch. If you can afford the risk heading into fantasy playoffs, take a chance on Garza picking up some wins and striking out more batters. The Twins are going places and with the Tigers slipping of late, they still have a shot at not just the Wild Card, but also the division title. Speaking of the Tigers, they made an interesting move when they called up Andrew Miller after just three games at Class-A Lakeland. Check this out. Miller went 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA at North Carolina, and just three months ago pitched in the College World Series. Standing at 6-feet-6 inches tall, the 21-year-old has a 98-mph fastball and his intimidating delivery was good for nine strikeouts in five innings of relief work in three games in the Florida State League. He won't be making any starts for Jim Leyland's club just yet, but he will provide the likely Manager of the Year with a lefty power arm down the stretch. Now, as far as fantasy playoffs are concerned, I’ve had the pleasant fortune of making it to the second season with all of my teams. So I’m going to let you in on a little bit of my personal strategy for getting to the final round and hopefully winning bragging rights until next year. For those of you who play head-to-head, my preferred style, live for each week. Don’t rely on those players riding your DL. It’s too late for them to have a huge impact on your playoff run, especially when their return date remains uncertain. So if you have someone like Jim Edmonds, a usual fantasy producer who’s unfortunately suffering from post-concussion syndrome, it’s time to cut him loose and take a shot with someone like Edmonds’ replacement, Chris Duncan, or the aforementioned Delmon Young. Shea Hillenbrand and Jeff Kent are also good options, if they aren't already owned in your league. As far as pitching goes, sometimes you have to sacrifice your ERA for a few key wins. And if that’s the path you take, Steve Trachsel is the man for you. Trachs has gone 12-1 over 15 starts since June 9, and has enjoyed nearly nine runs of support per game from the Mets' offense for his efforts. New York’s magic number to clinch the N.L. East is dropping every day, but with injuries to Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine, they need Trachsel to remain consistent for another month. MVP MUSINGS My Leading N.L. Candidate: Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies practically had a fire sale at the trade deadline, but somehow they were able to improve and Ryan Howard is a huge reason why. The big lefty has 49 homers and 128 RBI with a .299 batting average as of August 31st, so a line of 60 homers, 150 RBI and a .300 average is definitely not out of the question. Factor in the Phillies’ legitimate shot at the Wild Card and you have an MVP in the making. Right now, a lot of people are talking about the Mets' Carlos Beltran or the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, but in this writer's opinion, if Howard keeps up his production and helps the Phillies win more games, he deserves the award. Remember, this is the man who made Philadelphia forget about Jim Thome and won the N.L. Rookie of the Year award in 2005 with an astonishing 22 HR and 63 RBI in 88 games. My Leading A.L. Candidate: Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees Over in the American League, there are several players to choose from, all of which have strong cases that can be made in their favor. There's Justin Morneau on the surging Twins (.319, 32 HR, 110 RBI), Travis Hafner on the Indians (.310, 42 HR, 116 RBI), Jermaine Dye on the defending champion White Sox (.327, 39 HR, 106 RBI) and David "Big Papi" Ortiz on the Red Sox (.287, 47 HR, 121 RBI). Just a month ago, Ortiz was the leading candidate after his runner-up finish to Alex Rodriguez in MVP voting last season, but with Boston taking a nose dive (likely out of playoff contention), and Ortiz spending time in the hospital undergoing tests for an irregular heartbeat, I now have to give my nod to Derek Jeter. It's about time the Yankees' captain received some recognition. After all, the award is called "Most Valuable Player," not "Player with the Best Offensive Stats," and Jeter is just that. A mainstay in the Bronx, Jeter is in the midst of his best offensive season since 1999, and has come through time and time again when it looked like the Yankees might not make the playoffs for the first time since 1993. (The playoffs were canceled in 1994's strike-shortened season.) He is batting over .390 with runners in scoring position, a higher mark than all of the other A.L. MVP hopefuls, and he has driven in 83 runs mainly out of the No. 2 hole. On top of that, he is also playing stellar defense and has stolen 27 bases. As with every close race, it all comes down to who gets on the hottest streak in September. Anyone else remember when Jason Giambi popped 13 homers and drove in 32 runs in September of 2000 to win the A.L. MVP that year?