Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

Baseball Prospectus recently released the results of the 17th Annual Internet Baseball Awards. Blake Dewitt finished ninth in the balloting. Below are the results:

Rnk Name                        1      2      3       B       P
  1. Geovany Soto             1178     63     17    1258    6096
  2. Joey Votto                 74    618    242     934    2466
  3. Jair Jurrjens              26    302    324     652    1360
  4. Jay Bruce                  21    105    131     257     551
  5. Hiroki Kuroda               8     93    111     212     430
  6. Kosuke Fukudome            10     23     31      64     150
  7. Clayton Kershaw             5     26     31      62     134
  8. Johnny Cueto                0     25     33      58     108
  9. Blake Dewitt                1     11     16      28      54
 10. John Lannan                 0     11     20      31      53

 14. Jorge Campillo              1      5     12      18      32
 14. Chase Headley               1      5     12      18      32
 18. Pablo Sandoval              1      4      6      11      23
 25. Gregor Blanco               0      2      1       3       7
 29. Brandon Moss                1      0      0       1       5
 33. Manny Acosta                0      1      0       1       3
 33. Chris Dickerson             0      0      3       3       3
 33. Greg Reynolds               0      0      3       3       3

Brandon Moss (knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery instead of a microfracture procedure because his damage was not as severe as expected, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. It remains possible, though unlikely, that he’ll complete his rehab in time for the start of spring training. “It’s still too early to say for sure, but his prognosis is very good,” Pirates GM Neal Huntington said. (Rotowire)

Brandon Moss will undergo surgery Friday to repair a divot forming in the bone of his left knee and is expected to be out 4-6 months. The second opinion must have confirmed the original diagnosis. The extent of his microfracture won’t be fully known until the procedure is underway. “We’re not going to have a firm idea of length until Dr. Steadman gets in there and sees what’s inside,” GM Neal Huntington said. It looks as though Moss could miss part of the 2009 season. “(The injury) was caught early,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We’re optimistic Brandon will be back on the field early next spring.” Moss, who turned 25 last week, has played in 45 games for the Pirates, batting .222 with six homers and 23 RBI in 158 at-bats. This injury could make him an injury risk for the beginning of the 2009 season. He should enter spring 2009 with a starting job, but we don’t see him doing much better than a .280-15-80-75-5 Fantasy line if he gets full-time at-bats. (Rotoworld, Rotowire, CBS Sports)

The Roadrunners are dealing with quite a few injuries as the season winds down, and these are affecting my stats over the final week:

Catcher: Both Chris Iannetta and Pablo Sandoval are day-to-day after weekend injuries.  Sandoval had a strained quad, while Iannetta was pulled from Sunday’s game with severe leg cramping, which isn’t good for a catcher.  Both are day-to-day over the final week.

Infield: Brandon Phillips is on the 60-Day DL due to a broken finger from two weeks ago.  Ryan Theriot’s Cubs have already clinched, and he and other regulars are being rested over the final week in preparation for the post-season.  Chipper Jones‘ latest injury is shoulder inflammation, which has limited him to pinch-hitting appearances since last Friday.  Depending on the pitching matchup, he may sit occasionally.  Even September call-up Mat Gamel admitted he was injured, and he was shut down with a sore elbow, though this is likely what caused his poor second half.

Outfield: Remember when the Roadrunners had ridiculous depth of somewhat-decent outfielders?  Well, no more.  Corey Hart is slumping badly, though at least the Brewers are striving for the wild card - they’ll trot him out there each day.  Brandon Moss just learned that he has some bad knee cartilage, and he has been shut down, and may require surgery that’ll have him miss part of Spring Training.  Ten days ago Chris Dickerson hurt his foot, and he had been hobbled.  Finally an MRI detected a hairline fracture in his heel, so he’s shut down as well.  Jody Gerut has only one start since August 27th due to a strained finger tendon, making it impossible for him to hold a bat - though he has been a pinch runner.  Gregor Blanco has been sitting of late as the Braves try to figure out which of their young outfielders will be in their plans for next season.  Blanco should be safe, but he’ll be no more than a No. 4 OF.

Pitching: The pitching isn’t in bad shape in this final week.  In addition to the Noah Lowry pickup (he was rehabbing while on the 60-Day DL when picked up), John Maine has basically been shut down for the season. Well, but no one told him that - there’s a chance he’ll be on the playoff roster (if the Mets win the wild card), but he has a bone spur that requires surgery.  Idiotic Giants manager Bruce Bochy has been driving Tim Lincecum into the ground, and yesterday’s start showed that he might not have anything left in the tank.  Lincecum of course leads the majors in pitcher abuse points, and I’d like to personally thank Bochy for ruining Lincecum’s career for a fourth-place 70-87 squad that’s 12 games out of first.

The Pirates have shut down Moss for the rest of the year because of a knee ailment that may require surgery. A team doctor uncovered a cartilage problem that causes friction between the bones of his left knee. After an MRI, Brandon Moss was told he has divot forming in the bone of his left knee and he’ll need surgery that could sideline him 6-8 months. Moss has been able to play despite the knee problem, but he will shut it down for the season now. “The results that came back caught me off guard,” Moss said. “It hasn’t bothered me since June, when I was playing for the Red Sox in Tampa.” Moss is expected to be on crutches for two months after the operation. He’ll need an additional 4-6 months of rehab after that, making him questionable for the start of 2009.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Brandon Moss is seeking a second opinion in the hopes of avoiding knee surgery that would sideline him for 4-6 months. “I’ll take into account what they say,” Moss said. “But I know my body, and I know I feel fine.” Moss has hit just .222 since joining the Pirates, but is adament that he hasn’t experienced pain since the trade. Either way, Moss is done for this season and Steve Pearce will likely replace him in right field for the final week. (Rotoworld)

Moss, who turned 25 last week, has played in 45 games for the Pirates, batting .222 with six homers and 23 RBI in 158 at-bats. This injury could make him an injury risk for the beginning of the 2009 season. He should enter spring 2009 with a starting job, but we don’t see him doing much better than a .280-15-80-75-5 Fantasy line if he gets full-time at-bats. (CBS Sports)

Brandon Moss drove in three runs during Friday night’s win over San Francisco. Moss has shown signs of being a productive hitter. He has six homers and 13 RBI in 107 at bats since being traded to the Pirates but has struck out 29 times. (Rotowire)

Brandon Moss went 3-for-4 with a home run in a win over the Reds on Tuesday night. Moss is hitting .265/.351/.520 since coming over to the Pirates. He’s the only player the Bucs received in the Jason Bay trade who has been productive. He finished the game with three hits, giving him six multi-hit games in the last 11 contests. Moss will see steady playing time the rest of the year, especially with the organization deciding against promoting Andrew McCutchen. (Rotowire, Rotoworld)

Brandon Moss homered, doubled and walked Saturday as the Pirates’ No. 2 hitter. It’s the first time he’s been tried there, but since he did well, it’s likely that he’ll be hitting ahead of Nate McLouth more frequently. He had both of Pittsburgh’s extra-base hits in the loss to Milwaukee. (Rotoworld)

FAAB Acquisitions:

• P Luis Ayala, Mets [$0, add to actives]
• C Pablo Sandoval, Giants [$0, add to actives]

Up:

• OF Shane Victorino (to Utility)
• OF Brandon Moss
• P Jason Marquis

Down:

• 3B Casey Blake (from Utility)
• OF Lastings Milledge
• P John Maine (15-Day DL)
• P Mike Gonzalez
• C Chris Coste

Cut:

• P Charlie Morton
• P Carlos Villanueva

Pirates OF Brandon Moss went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run Monday against the Cubs. He now has two home runs in his last four games. After a sluggish start since coming over in a trade with Boston, Moss has begun to live up to his potential recently. Consider him a decent source of power down the stretch in NL-only leagues. (CBS Sports)

Brandon Moss rejoined the Pirates’ lineup on Wednesday night. Moss went 2-for-4 on Wednesday in his first game back from a sprained ankle. He has the rest of August to get the majority of starts in left field to improve his lot for 2009. He’s made a faster-than-expected recovery from an ankle sprain. Moss, a lefty, gives the Bucs a better matchup against St. Louis starter righty Todd Wellemeyer. As a result, Steven Pearce will ride the bench for Pittsburgh. Moss should continue to play often in September but the team may go with more of a mix-and-match approach with expanded rosters. He’s showed promised but is hitting only .213 since coming over from Boston. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Pittsburgh OF Brandon Moss remained out of the lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals with an ankle injury. Moss is day-to-day. Moss said his ankle is feeling better and he does not expect to go onto the DL but he still couldn’t get into the game Tuesday. When healthy, he is nothing more than a deeper NL-only option. Hopefully he can come back for Fantasy Week 22 (Aug. 25-31). (CBS Sports)

Update: According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Brandon Moss (ankle) “remains on track to play Friday.” Moss has been out since twisting his ankle Sunday afternoon, but the newspaper reports that he “had a highly encouraging afternoon” Tuesday by “running and hitting without further swelling.” Jason Michaels and Steve Pearce have been manning the outfield corners in his absence. (Rotoworld)

According to MLB.com, Brandon Moss’ ankle injury “will not keep him out for an extensive period of time.” Moss twisted his ankle Sunday and sat out Monday afternoon’s game. MLB.com reports that he’s unlikely to rejoin then lineup before this weekend, but should be able to avoid a stint on the disabled list. “I rolled it pretty good, but luckily nothing pretty serious happened,” Moss said. “They said that everything is pretty positive on it because it didn’t swell and it didn’t bruise.” Jason Michaels will pick up playing time in his absence. (Rotoworld)

Brandon Moss left Sunday’s game in the seventh inning with an ankle injury. Moss twisted his ankle on the way to first base on a ground out and had to be helped off the field. Steve Pearce replaced him. Jason Michaels will start in left field for Moss on Monday. The former Red Sox property has shown some signs of offense at times but was slumping like the entire Pirates team — batting .193 since coming over at the trade deadline. (Rotoworld)

Brandon Moss hit his second home run as a Pirate on Wednesday. Moss continues to see plenty of playing time in the Pirates outfield. Entering Wednesday, he was hitting .175/.273/.300 in 11 games as a Pirate. He should benefit from the extra playing time, but his value is limited to deep leagues this year. Moss had five hits in his first five games with the Pirates since being acquired in the Jason Bay trade, but then had just two hits in the next six games. He broke out of the funk Wednesday and let’s hope he can have continued success. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)