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

Lastings Milledge’s hot second half continued Tuesday with a 3-for-4, three RBI day on Tuesday. Milledge is over .300 since the All-Star break and is making a strong case for potential fantasy suitors next year. (Rotowire)

Lastings Milledge went 0-for-4 in the loss to the Mets on Thursday. Milledge would seem to be guilty of trying too hard against his former team. He ends the season series against the Mets with a .203/.282/.250 line in 64 at-bats. He’s fanned 20 times in 17 games against the Mets and 72 times in 112 games versus everyone else. (Rotoworld)

Nationals OF Lastings Milledge collected three hits for the second consecutive game Monday against the Mets, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. Milledge keeps making small bits of progress, but he still doesn’t have the consistency to make him a trustworthy option in mixed leagues. Treat the potential 20-20 man as a No. 5 Fantasy OF. (CBS Sports)

Lastings Milledge collected three hits and two steals in an 8-7 loss to the Marlins on Sunday. Milledge singled twice and doubled once while scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs. His .262 average and 14 homers in 479 at-bats haven’t been much of a help, but Milledge’s 22 steals have given him some value. He’s still just 23 years old and is coming off a red-hot August, so he’ll be a candidate for a jump in production next season. (Rotoworld)

FantasyBaseballGeeks.com just ran their NL edition of “What We Learned in 2008” with a team-by-team rundown. I think this was based towards mixed-leagues, as it wasn’t that deep, but here are the takes on the 2008 Roadrunners:

NL East:

• Jose Reyes is the most exciting offensive player in fantasy when he is on and his slumps are becoming fewer as he matures.
• John Maine will be a bargain next year.
• Shane Victorino is a very useful fourth outfielder but shouldn’t be counted on for more.
• Brett Myers continue to baffle, but should be very useful next year.
• Josh Johnson is now the NL version of James Shields.
• Chipper Jones is a warrior but the show is closing.
• Lastings Milledge is still very raw but might turn into a decent fourth outfielder.

NL Central:

• My personal favorite fantasy story this year was “The-Riot” himself Ryan Theriot. Somehow he found a way to put up points with single after single. He will peck your opponents to death.
• Prince Fielder is not going to hit 50 homers every year, more like 35.
• Corey Hart is still underrated and showed off his 20/20 skills again this year with excellent RBI totals to go along with a .280 BA.
• Brandon Phillips is still an elite option to enjoy for years to come.

NL West:

• Brandon Webb is a Cy Young candidate every year but note carefully the innings toll and how he crawled to the finish line.
• Chris Iannetta finally got his average over .100 and showed some potential as a fantasy catcher.
• Chase Headley was still a little undercooked despite every expert demanding his promotion to the big leagues.
• Jody Gerut had a terrific year and showed why he was once a highly regarded young talent.
• Tim Lincecum is the new strikeout king and is the most dazzling young talent on the mound in quite a while. He is still young, but pitches like a veteran. He wants the ball bad and will go 7 innings; a rarity nowadays in this pitch count era.
• Brain Wilson had a great year as a closer and probably even his owners missed it. His ERA wasn’t pretty but he got the job done

Nationals OF Lastings Milledge went 1-for-4 on Friday at Florida. He’s batting .154 (4-for-26) with one home run over his last six games. Milledge keeps making small bits of progress, but he still doesn’t have the consistency to make him a trustworthy option in mixed leagues. Treat the potential 20-20 man as a No. 5 Fantasy OF. (CBS Sports)

Nationals OF Lastings Milledge, who hit five home runs in the first 10 games of August but only one since, hit a solo blast Sunday at Atlanta, finishing 2-for-5 with two walks and three runs scored. Milledge had gone 0-for-8 over his last two games but is hitting .288 since the All-Star break. The power-speed threat is beginning to show signs of a breakout and is worth a flier in all leagues. (CBS Sports)

Nationals OF Lastings Milledge had a pair of singles and one RBI in five at-bats Wednesday against the Phillies. He is 8-for-24 (.333) with five RBI in his last six games. Milledge has been great at the plate for Washington since Aug. 1 and is finally showing the kind of potential that made him a first-round draft pick. Consider him someone to trust in all deeper leagues now, especially Rotisserie formats. (CBS Sports)

Up:

• OF Lastings Milledge
• 3B/U Casey Blake
• P Matt Lindstrom

Down:

• OF Jody Gerut
• OF Chase Headley
• P Mike Gonzalez

Lastings Milledge (hand) hit his 13th home run of the season Tuesday. His hand, struck by a Ryan Dempster pitch over the weekend, would seem to be just fine. Milledge is wrapping up a fantastic August, collecting hits in 21 of 24 games en route to a .344/.412/.611 line in 90 at bats, and it doesn’t look like he’s about to slow down. Milledge is heating up at the dish and now has hits in seven of his last eight contests. He’s having a nice second half, finally proving to be the elite talent he is. Consider him someone to trust in all deeper leagues now, especially Rotisserie formats. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)

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

Lastings Milledge suffered a bruised hand after getting hit with a Ryan Dempster pitch on Saturday. A big relief for the Nationals. Milledge looked to be in severe pain after he was hit, dropping to a crouch while team trainers rushed around him. After a couple of moments, he was able to get up and actually stayed in the game. “I’ll be all right,” said Milledge. “It’s a little sore, but I’ve got to play [Sunday].” (Rotoworld)

• Atomic Roadrunners acquires Lastings Milledge ($9/1 year)

• Cover Zero acquires Steve Pearce ($1/1 year)

The Sports Xchange notes, Pirates RF Steve Pearce has been a disappointment since being called up on July 26 when Xavier Nady was sent to the New York Yankees as part of a six-player trade, hitting .208 with five RBI in 15 games. Most disappointing is that Pearce has yet to hit a home run in 116 major-league at bats over the past two seasons after going deep 34 times in the minor leagues in 2007. Pirates’ manager John Russell said he first wants Pearce to get untracked at the plate before worrying about hitting for power. Hitting for power? Pearce should try hitting period. Still, he’s starting every day for the struggling Pirates. Consider him a sleeper in deeper formats, especially NL-only and long-term keeper leagues. (CBS Sports)

OF Lastings Milledge continues to perform well for the Nationals even when his team is struggling. Milledge has hit safely in 16 of his past 18 games, going 26-for-71 (.366) with five homers, 11 RBI and nine extra-base hits. His season average is up to .261. Milledge is having a nice second half, finally proving to be the elite talent he is. Consider him someone to trust in all deeper leagues now, especially Rotisserie formats. (CBS Sports)

Analysis: With the trading deadline just hours away, the Atomic Roadrunners accepted the trade offer from Cover Zero. There is no question that Milledge is hitting better than Pearce right now, and it’s probable that Milledge will shine for the rest of the season (even though he’s a National). The deal came down to years. Milledge is a free agent in the WBRL after this season, and Pearce is protectable for two more years at $1. However, Pearce may not be in the rebuilding Pirate’s plans. Next season will likely feature Nate McLouth, Brandon Moss, and possibly rookie Andrew McCutcheon. And with Adam LaRoche back, Pearce may only be a 4th OF/backup 1B, which may not be worth protecting, even for $1.

In essence, Pearce’s disappointment this season, plus the nagging notion of a “wasted” $1 bid on an active spot, wants me to be rid of him. Plus, with X-Men’s acquisition of Alfonso Soriano (also from Cover Zero), the Atomic Roadrunners need all the help they can get. So welcome, Lastings, may you make us proud in these final days before free agency! And as Chris Keck reminded me in August of 2000, “Flags fly forever.”

Update (8/22): Pirates optioned outfielder Steven Pearce to Triple-A Indianapolis. Pearce had gone 12-for-55 with seven RBI and no homers since getting called up in the end of July. He’ll be back in September. (Rotoworld)

Trade:

• Trade OF Steve Pearce ($1, 3 years) to Cover Zero.
• Acquire Nationals’ OF Lastings Milledge ($9, 1 year), added to actives

FAAB Acquisitions:

• OF Chris Dickerson, Reds [$0 bid, add to actives]
• P Noah Lowry, Giants [$0 bid]

Down:

• OF Shane Victorino

Cut:

• P Jason Bergmann
• OF John Bowker