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Class of their own
Class of their own  | | The Brewers might be forced to find room for Matt LaPorta soon. (Getty Images) | |
| Some of the best talent in baseball currently work on their craft at the Double-A level. Eric Mack digs a little deeper in this week's Prospects Report and explains why some guys are no longer prospects. Full story | |
MLB Scores
| Most added players in CBSSports.com leagues (as of 5/9) |
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1.
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Greg Smith, SP, Athletics
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11.
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Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox
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2.
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Scott Kazmir, SP, Rays
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12.
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Matt Kemp, OF, Dodgers
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3.
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Darrell Rasner, SP, Yankees
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13.
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Ryan Doumit, C, Pirates
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4.
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Andy Sonnanstine, SP, Rays
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14.
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Gavin Floyd, SP, White Sox
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5.
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Justin Duchscherer, SP, Athletics
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15.
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Cristian Guzman, SS, Nationals
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6.
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Ryan Church, OF, Mets
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16.
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Juan Pierre, OF, Dodgers
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7.
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Vicente Padilla, SP, Rangers
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17.
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Jose Bautista, 3B, Pirates
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8.
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Garrett Olson, SP, Orioles
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18.
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Sidney Ponson, SP, Rangers
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9.
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Aaron Cook, SP, Rockies
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19.
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Max Scherzer, SP, Diamondbacks
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10.
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Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs
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20.
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Joey Votto, 1B, Reds
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| Complete CBSSports.com player rankings |
Exclusive Features
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 Gagne removed from closer's role
Eric Gagne, RP MIL
News: The Brewers yanked Eric Gagne from the closer's role on Sunday after the reliever called his latest performance embarrassing and said he didn't feel he deserved to pitch the ninth anymore. Manager Ned Yost said he read Gagne's comments and will use a closer by committee approach while Gagne takes what Yost called a "mental break." "He's really pushing himself really, really hard and taking it really, really hard," Yost said. "We'll probably just mix and match, I'm not going to do anything crazy." Yost said he hopes Gagne works his way back into the closer's role. Possible options to close games include Guillermo Mota, David Riske and Salomon Torres.
Analysis: Gagne, who signed a $10 million, one-year contract with the Brewers in the offseason, said after Milwaukee's 5-3 loss on Saturday that he wanted to keep pushing through, but he didn't deserve to close. "It's mental, I think it's negative thinking that creeps back in your mind," Gagne said Saturday. Yost said the coaching staff thinks they know why Gagne has struggled recently, but declined to reveal what they've found in Gagne's approach. "His stuff is not a problem. He's throwing the ball really, really well," Yost said. "He just, right now, has been beat down a little bit and needs to take a step back and regain his confidence and make an adjustment or two." Consider Gagne a less than attractive Fantasy middle reliever until he is back in a ninth inning role, if that day ever comes.
Profile
 Ellis has three hits, leaves hurt
Mark Ellis, 2B OAK
News: Athletics 2B Mark Ellis, who showed signs of breaking out of a slump earlier this week, conclusively did so Sunday at Texas. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored. He also stole his fifth base but had to leave in the ninth for a pinch runner after sustaining a minor hamstring strain. He's listed as day-to-day. He is batting .429 (6-for-14) over his last four games.
Analysis: Ellis won't come close to hitting .300 this season, but he has decent pop for a middle infielder and has added steals to his repertoire. In traditional Rotisserie setups that require middle infielders, he definitely deserves to start when healthy. Of course, hamstring injuries have a way of ending up worse than they initially appear, so he looks like a somewhat risky start for Fantasy Week 7 (May 12-18).
Profile
Ramirez deals with sore leg
Manny Ramirez, LF BOS
News: Manny Ramirez's pursuit of his 500th home run will have to wait for at least another day. Ramirez, who has 497 career homers, was given Sunday night off against the Minnesota Twins because of a sore right hamstring. Manager Terry Francona said he saw Ramirez come up a little gimpy while running out a grounder in Saturday night's 5-2 victory over the Twins. Ramirez called Francona on Sunday morning and told him the leg was a little sore. "When he reached for first last night, I thought I saw him (grab) behind his right hamstring, kind of lower," Francona said. "It looked a little awkward. He called me this morning and said, 'You know what, it's kind of sore."' Jacoby Ellsbury took Ramirez's spot in left field, but Ramirez did ground out in a pinch-hit appearance.
Analysis: Francona praised Ramirez for alerting him early enough in the day to give the manager ample time to let Ellsbury know to be ready, but didn't seem too concerned with Ramirez's injury. "He'll be OK," Francona said. "He's a little sore." Ramirez went 0-for-5 on Saturday night and has just one homer in his last 18 games. Ramirez has just one hit in last 14 plate appearances and is going through a mini-slump at this time. Manny might miss a few games with the leg injury and is somewhat of an injury-risk start for Fantasy Week 7 (May 12-18). When healthy, Ramirez is one of the best Fantasy OFs on the market.
Profile
Millwood makes it to DL
Kevin Millwood, SP TEX
News: The Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin on Sunday before Texas' game against the Oakland Athletics. The Rangers called up right-hander Doug Mathis from Triple-A Oklahoma to take Millwood's roster spot. Mathis is 5-0 with a 3.55 ERA in seven starts for Oklahoma, but will pitch in relief for Texas. The Rangers won't need another fifth starter until May 20 at Minnesota. A.J. Murray and Luis Mendoza are the likely candidates to join the rotation.
Analysis: Millwood left Saturday night's game against Oakland in the first inning after throwing 12 pitches to three batters, recording two outs. Millwood was injured on his 11th pitch. After he threw one more, he put his hands on his knees in obvious discomfort before being removed from the game. Millwood, the Rangers' No. 1 starter, is 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA in nine starts this season. Last season he had two stints on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Millwood has been very injury-prone the last few seasons and it has weighed on his performance. Millwood opened this season with a 2.53 ERA in his first five starts, but it has jumped more than two points in his last four. He is nothing more than a low-end Fantasy SP when healthy.
Profile
Weak-hitting Everett hits one out
Adam Everett, SS MIN
News: Twins light-hitting SS Adam Everett connecting for his first home run Sunday against the Red Sox, hitting a two-run shot in the second inning that just barely got over Jacoby Ellsbury's glove and fell into the left-field seats. He finished 1-for-4.
Analysis: Everett is batting .308 (4-for-13) over his last four games and .200 on the season. Believe it or not, the latter is closer to what you can expect from him. Even though he plays nearly every day, he's viable only in deeper AL-only leagues.
Profile
 Monroe doubles season homer count
Craig Monroe, OF MIN
News: Twins OF Craig Monroe put together the third multihomer game of his career Sunday, connecting twice against the Red Sox to double his season count. He hit a three-run home run off Tim Wakefield in the second inning and a solo shot off Mike Timlin in the seventh. He finished 2-for-4.
Analysis: Monroe has three home runs in his last six games, batting .350 over that stretch (7-for-20). He has turned his season around after a slow April and is once again worth starting in AL-only leagues for his modest power potential.
Profile
Morneau perfect 3-for-3, scores two
Justin Morneau, 1B MIN
News: Twins 1B Justin Morneau went 3-for-3 on Sunday against the Red Sox, raising his season batting average to .286. He entered the game batting .273 in May.
Analysis: Morneau has hits in only three of his last six games, but he has at least two in each. With six home runs on the season, he seems to have overcome whatever caused him to bat .243 with seven home runs in the second half last year, but he might never replicate his MVP numbers of 2006. He remains a must-start in Fantasy.
Profile
Drew swinging well, doubles Sunday
J.D. Drew, RF BOS
News: Red Sox OF J.D. Drew went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Sunday at Minnesota. He is batting .333 (8-for-24) during his six-game hitting streak.
Analysis: Drew was a bust after signing a big contract last year, batting .270 with 11 home runs. He has only three home runs so far this year, but at least he has a decent batting average of .284. Aside from his 2004 season in Atlanta, he has gone his whole career without making good on his potential. Think of him as no more than a No. 4 Fantasy OF.
Profile
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