Prospects Report: Potential minor playoff tweaks

It is Fantasy crunch time. It is when you put your Fantasy Football draft research aside -- yeah, right -- and map out how you are going to put your Fantasy Baseball bretheren away in the final seven weeks of the 26-week marathon.

This week's Prospects Report will focus on how can you use the minor leagues to win this darn thing. Here are our top five ways:

1. Don't rely on youngsters

If you are hoping for a savior from the minor leagues, you are not going to win your league. The Fantasy Baseball playoffs are not place and time to try a recently promoted prospect.

August call-ups don't tend to be impact players. If they were going to be, they probably would have been up already.

Front offices and scouts are smarter than you. Sorry all of you GM-wannabes. They have gotten a good look at what they have and there are some significant reasons players will finish out the minor league regular season before getting their cup of coffee.

Remember the pre-Aug. 1 call-up of Cameron Maybin a year ago? A smash hit in the prospect headlines, but a thud of a Fantasy arrival.

September call-ups are even worse, because roster expansion from 25 men to sometimes over 30 means a lot more players to rotate into the action. More players sharing less opportunities, especially for teams in the race. Like Maybin this year. The Marlins could call him up, only to serve as defensive caddy and pinch-runner for the likes of Josh Willingham and Cody Ross.

2. Do rely on Mr. Price

OK, so our No. 1 way to win your league by looking at the minors is to actually not look to them at all. A pretty blatant copout.

But David Price of the Rays is a special case, for so many reasons. The most important one is he is only still in the minors because of those 10 weeks he missed this spring due to elbow inflammation. Now, this is a guy who can put you over the top.

Price's ownership this week was at 57 percent as he toils back in Double-A, awaiting the call he says he is anxious for every morning he wakes up. So, he is available.

If your leagues won't let you stash him at this point, the key dates to note this month are those of his probable starting days: Friday, Aug. 8; Wednesday, Aug. 13, Monday, Aug. 18, Saturday, Aug. 23 and Thursday, Aug. 28. Watch the Rays news (CBSSports.com team reports, MLB.com probable pitchers, MiLB.com news and box scores and google news reports from his outings) around all of those dates. That is what yours truly will be doing.

You just might get the jump on your league mates and this website. If you don't, give Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer -- two earlier season faves here -- a shot as consolation.

3. Go on a rehab assignment

Now, we're giving you homework. Winning your league shouldn't come easy. What's the fun in that?

The Yankees are giving another look to Ian Kennedy this weekend and the bet here is it will go much closer to the 2007 stretch run than the start of the 2008 season for the right-hander. But, even more help is on the way from the minor leagues.

Phil Hughes made his first Triple-A rehab start Thursday night and might be just one or two more rehab starts from returning himself. He will next start Tuesday in Triple-A, putting next Sunday in play for a potential recall. We don't advise you using him in Fantasy Week 20 (Aug. 11-17), but his 16 percent ownership on CBSSports.com should at least double within then next 5-10 days.

Proof that anyone getting starts for the offensively potent Yankees is intriguing in our book: Watch Carl Pavano, too. Yeah, that Pavano. He worked a Double-A start Thursday in his return from Tommy John surgery and could return to the Yankees by September. Heck, with the likes of Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson in their rotation, Pavano might even be needed to start.

Some other players on the DL and will play in the minors before they impact your Fantasy leagues down the stretch: OF Vernon Wells, TOR; C Victor Martinez, CLE; SP/RP Adam Wainwright, STL; OF Michael Cuddyer, MIN; OF Ryan Church, NYM; SP Erik Bedard, SEA; SP Bartolo Colon, BOS; OF Justin Upton, ARI; SP Andrew Miller, FLA; OF Rocco Baldelli, TB; SP Tom Glavine, ATL.

These guys even fit our No. 1 above in that they are established players you can rely on in lieu of an unproven prospect, if they can at least prove healthy and worthy of being activated.

4. Watch Team USA in the Olympic Games

Ben Sheets was an Olympic baseball hero turned Fantasy star. We could see the same happen to some of the most-owned minor leaguers on this site.

Indians corner outfielder and first baseman Matt LaPorta is the most notable of the hitters. The Indians will be anxious to keep the hometowns interested in September by unveiling the big piece to their white-flag trade of CC Sabathia.

Speaking of white-flag wavers, the A's have a pair of elite pitching prospects who could get spot starts come September, Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson. Gio Gonzalez has arrived this week, but he is merely a decent prospect compared to the long-term potential of those grade-A's Olympians.

5. Feed on the weak

Contenders will dominate the news amid pennant races in the coming weeks, but you cannot sleep on the rebuilding teams. The Mariners, Orioles and Indians will be taking looks at young players and likely are inclined to give full-time duty to some elite prospects.

The Mariners need to find out if Wladimir Balentien is something more significant than a Quadruple-A player (dominant in Triple-A but a scrub in the majors). He was recalled this week and there is pop in his bat if he can prove more consistent in Seattle this time around.

But, even more intriguing is the Joba Chamberlain-like move of Brandon Morrow to a starting role. Morrow has a Chamberlain-like arm that goes unnoticed in Seattle. He will need at least the end of Triple-A regular season to be full-go as a starter, but the Mariners could audition him for the spring 2009 rotation come September.

Among other retooling franchises, the O's could get a look at Bedard piece Chris Tillman or the next great Fantasy backstop in Matt Wieters. A catcher who can mash? Sign us up on Wieters even in mixed leagues if he gets a look in lieu of disappointing veteran Ramon Hernandez. The Indians are looking at trade deadline score Anthony Reyes, but David Huff, Trevor Crowe and LaPorta are other interesting names to watch for late looks.

Prospects watch

Every Thursday, we break down all the minor leaguers who are owned in at least 1 percent of our Fantasy leagues. This will be your essential guide to unearthing the elite prospects before they hit the big time.

CBSSports.com's most-owned minor leaguers
Minor leaguer	TM	POS	Own%	Can this guy help you down the stretch in Fantasy?
David Price	TB	SP	57	The question is not if, but exactly when?
Brandon Morrow	SEA	RP	44	Yes, but a new starter on a bad team is high risk
Dana Eveland	OAK	SP	31	No, he had his chance and he pitched his way to Triple-A
Ian Kennedy	NYY	SP	30	Absolutely, we should see that Friday night
Micah Owings	ARI	SP	28	Maybe, but we like another young D-Backs starter better
Jesse Litsch	TOR	SP	19	In AL-only leagues. He has been improved of late
Dontrelle Willis	DET	SP	16	Nah. His Class A numbers hardly look Fantasy-worthy
Max Scherzer	ARI	SP	15	Absolutely. He is building up arm strength as a starter again
Cameron Maybin	FLA	OF	14	Yes, but he likely is only good for steals come September
Aaron Laffey	CLE	SP	13	In AL-only leagues. He should finish year in Indians' rotation
Matt LaPorta	CLE	OF	12	Yes, but not until after the Olympic Games
Tom Gorzelanny	PIT	SP	12	In NL-only leagues. He should finish year in Pirates' rotation
Rich Hill	CHC	SP	10	No. What a mechanical disaster he has become
J.R. Towles	HOU	C	8	Yes, his bat has finally come to life, but can you trust him?
Colby Rasmus	STL	OF	7	Probably not. He is nothing more than a reserve in September
Jo-Jo Reyes	ATL	SP	6	In NL-only leagues. But you might be too scarred to use him
Blake DeWitt	LA	3B	6	No. He is nothing more than a reserve come September
Brandon Wood	ANA	3B	5	Yes. Streaky slugger has been on monster power tear
Matt Wieters	BAL	C	5	Yes. Catching prospects this good don't come around often
Andrew McCutchen	PIT	OF	5	Yes. But where is he going to play with Moss-McLouth-Pearce?
Brian Burres	BAL	SP	4	No. He shouldn't have been in the O's rotation in the first place
Felix Pie	CHC	OF	4	Only in deeper NL Rotisserie leagues for his bench steals
Eric Stults	LA	SP	4	No. He is nothing more than a middle reliever if he returns
Matthew Gamel	MIL	3B	4	If his glove wasn't so suspect, he would be more than a pinch hitter
Travis Buck	OAK	OF	4	In AL-only leagues. Rebuilding A's might find him some at-bats
Ronny Paulino	PIT	C	4	Back from injury, but he is nothing more than a reserve catcher
Jonny Gomes	TB	OF	4	He was seldom-used reserve and will be again come September
Nick Adenhart	ANA	SP	3	No. A disappointing year means he needs to open '09 in Triple-A
Adam Miller	CLE	SP	3	He is throwing again, but don't see the Indians rushing him back
Franklin Morales	COL	SP	3	He hasn't lost since early July, so there is still hope for him yet
Fernando Martinez	NYM	OF	3	His Double-A numbers aren't Fantasy worthy and he is still a teen
Trevor Cahill	OAK	SP	3	Absolutely. Can't wait to get a look at this elite talent post-Olympics
Adam Eaton	PHI	SP	3	Haha. He is nothing more than a middle reliever if he returns
Carlos Carrasco	PHI	SP	3	Promotion to Triple-A puts him just a phone call away. Watch closely
Max Ramirez	TEX	C	3	Probably not. The Rangers just have too many good young catchers
Radhames Liz	BAL	SP	2	He will get some starts again this year, but you can't trust him
Jerry Owens	CHW	OF	2	He might be good for some steals in deeper AL-only Rotisserie leagues
Clayton Richard	CHW	RP	2	He will be nothing more than a low-end middle reliever when he returns
Jason Hirsh	COL	SP	2	He should get some starts, but reports are his velocity is not there
Rick Porcello	DET	SP	2	Looks far more worthy of September call-up than teammated Willis
Dallas McPherson	FLA	3B	2	Yes, but he should have been called up to mash months ago
Matt Antonelli	SD	2B	2	August is finally looking like a less-than-dreadful month; too little, too late
Wade Davis	TB	SP	2	Price is first, but if he gets some spots starts, he will be a nice commodity
Reid Brignac	TB	SS	2	Broken wrist ends his season and tickets him for Triple-A to start '09
Travis Snider	TOR	OF	2	Promoted to Triple-A, a team not in the postseason. A good September look
Kendry Morales	ANA	1B	1	He would be nothing more than a pinch-hitter or part-time DH
Jarrod Parker	ARI	SP	1	No. He is an intriguing long-term keeper, but there is no chance he is rushed now
Josh Anderson	ATL	OF	1	Might be an option for steals off the bench for deeper NL-only Rotisserie leagues
Brandon Jones	ATL	OF	1	Should be recalled in September, but he would really have to get hot to be useful
Jordan Schafer	ATL	OF	1	Might get a September look, but his luster has been lost amid '08 suspension
Jason Heyward	ATL	OF	1	No. Young slugger will likely pack his bags for the Arizona Fall League
Brent Lillibridge	ATL	SS	1	There is long-term potential but he is nothing more than a reserve come September
Chris Tillman	BAL	SP	1	Yes. He has a rising ceiling with his performance in spring and this season
Hayden Penn	BAL	SP	1	It might not take long for him to join the patch-work O's rotation
Lars Anderson	BOS	1B	1	Powerful future David Ortiz replacement is unlikely to be rushed so young
Michael Bowden	BOS	SP	1	They love taking a look at young pitchers in September, but they have no cushion
Ben Broussard	CHC	1B	1	Nothing more than a pinch-hitter, so he shouldn't be owned in this many leagues
Josh Vitters	CHC	3B	1	No. He is still years away, but we might get a look at him in spring training
Danny Richar	CIN	2B	1	He will be called up in September, but likely just as a reserve utility man
Daryl Thompson	CIN	SP	1	Current Triple-A DL stay kills his chances to make an impact this September
Jon Meloan	CLE	RP	1	Reliever-turned-starter should be among the many Indians pitching looksees
Joe Koshansky	COL	1B	1	Great power, especially of late, but there is just no place for him to play
Jayson Nix	COL	2B	1	It'll be interested how he fares in the Olympic Games, but he looks like a reserve
Dexter Fowler	COL	OF	1	Yes, in NL-only leagues. Another Olympian who stands to earn a September look
Greg Reynolds	COL	SP	1	Nah. He could get more starts but he was rushed to the big leagues too soon
Taylor Tankersley	FLA	RP	1	He should be useful as a situational reliever come September
Rick VandenHurk	FLA	SP	1	No. He would be nothing more than a long reliever until the Marlins are out of race (if)
Michael Moustakas	KC	3B	1	No. He is still years away, but we might get a look at him in spring training
Chin-lung Hu	LA	SS	1	No. He is nothing more than a part-timer if he returns. The door was already open
Tony Gwynn, Jr.	MIL	OF	1	A few steals for the deepest of NL-only Rotisserie leagues would be all he is good for
Alcides Escobar	MIL	SS	1	No. A great talent but the Brewers won't be rushing him to majors in pennant race
Philip Humber	MIN	SP	1	No. A terrible season makes him nothing more than a long reliever in September
Claudio Vargas	NYM	SP	1	No. He is nothing more than a long reliever come September
Jonathon Niese	NYM	SP	1	Yes. Mets might need a starter now, but he will get some Triple-A time first
Shelley Duncan	NYY	DH	1	He is nothing more than bench pop for the Yankees, but with little hope for at-bats
Austin Jackson	NYY	OF	1	No. He might get a call-up, but Yankees can trust raw prospect at this point
Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	1	He might be good for some steals in deeper AL-only Rotisserie leagues
Matt Murton	OAK	OF	1	Maybe, but he looks merely like one of the many in the rebuilt A's farm system
Eric Patterson	OAK	OF	1	He might be good for some steals in deeper AL-only Rotisserie leagues
Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	1	We like him just a tick behind Cahill, but that is not a bad act to follow
Jose Tabata	PIT	OF	1	No chance. His Double-A numbers aren't Fantasy worthy and he is still a teen
Yoslan Herrera	PIT	SP	1	Nope. He has his chance and proved completely worthless before recent demotion
Justin Germano	SD	SP	1	This guy shouldn't be owned in 1 percent of leagues if he was in the Padres' rotation
Ryan Rowland-Smith	SEA	RP	1	Expected to join the Mariners rotation this weekend ... but he's no great shakes
Daniel Ortmeier	SF	OF	1	He opened the year as a potential starter and now looks destined to be a reserve
Nate Schierholtz	SF	OF	1	Yes. Giants have not called him up because they want him to start when brought up
Brad Hennessey	SF	RP	1	Minor league vet will get call-up but his role will be likely in long relief or spot starter
Brendan Ryan	STL	SS	1	He is nothing more than a low-end reserve infielder when he comes back up
Dan Johnson	TB	1B	1	Like McPherson above, contending Rays could have used his bat months ago
Jeff Niemann	TB	SP	1	He is behind Davis and Price in the pecking order, so likely just a reliever next month
Jake McGee	TB	SP	1	Tommy John surgery ended his season and perhaps next, too
German Duran	TEX	2B	1	Triple-A numbers don't look Fantasy worthy, but there is some pop, potential here
Taylor Teagarden	TEX	C	1	Olympian should return in September but it will be hard for him to get at-bats
Nelson Cruz	TEX	RF	1	Recent DL stint will keep him out until September, but could get healthy
Neftali Feliz	TEX	SP	1	Double-A promotion is noteworthy, but we don't see the injury-hit Rangers rushing him
Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	1	Perhaps, but potential reserve is good for nothing more than some steals
Christopher Marrero	WAS	OF	1	No. He is still years away, but we might get a look at him in spring training
Ross Detwiler	WAS	SP	1	Disappointing year has kept him in Class A, but he could get get another Sept. look

You can e-mail us your Fantasy Baseball prospect questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Prospects in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.