MLB Fantasy Baseball: AAA All-Star Game Prospect Watch

First, let's get this out of the way: 47 minutes of pre-game garbage??? The first pitch wasn't thrown until almost 9:00pm ET?

That's insane. Totally and utterly ridiculous and Bud Selig, and his cronies, should be ashamed. I don't know about you, but I gave up and went to bed. Some of us have to work in the morning. Even people on the west coast were thinking that. 

The pre-game ceremonies were a nice touch, but let's be honest, George Steinbrenner is no Ted Williams. Still, seeing all the Hall of Fame players there was impressive, even if Wade Boggs continues to wear a Yankees cap around. 

Second, the New York Daily News should have been ashamed of the way their headline depicted Jonathan Papelbon.

Even in the article itself, Papelbon defers to Rivera, calling him "The Godfather" of closers and explaining how Rivera should get this if only because Papelbon hasn't paid his dues yet.

The headline made him seem like an ungrateful (jerk). Having his wife threatened during the parade as a result of it was the final touch. Just amazing. 

So here we are. It was a marathon of an All-Star game with an amazing ending...at least that's what SportsCenter tells me. And today we sit here with nothing on the schedule. No games of which to speak in any major sport. For all the days of the year that there are sports on TV, it seems that this one is an oversight. 

How can we be in the middle of summer and required to take a break? I would just think that the powers that be in sports would want to make sure that we remained entertained. But that does not seem to be the case. 

There is, of course, the AAA All-Star game that will take place down in Louisville, Kentucky this evening. 

When it comes to knowing your next fantasy stars, this is the place to go. AA has the best prospects, but the AAA game is no slouch.

The International League and the Pacific Coast League will bring out some solid pitching and even better pitching that could make the difference in a late season push for both their professional team and many fantasy squads. 

Who should you keep an eye on tonight?

On the IL side of the house, check out Pawtucket Red Sox knuckleballer Charlie Zink. Zink has been tutored by Tim Wakefield on an on-going basis and has posted an 8-2 record with a 2.63 ERA. Zink is a different breed of knuckleballer, willing to mix in a fastball that is much better than what you see from most pitchers of his genre. 

The Tampa Rays are battling to find a regular shortstop, especially with the injury to Jason Bartlett. Reid Brignac will represent the Durham Bulls and is considered a top shortstop prospect by many scouts. Brignac has gone .262/7/38 so far this season but is hitting closer to .290 in the last month. 

Andrew McCutchen is arguably the most known commodity in the game. McCutchen is a Pittsburgh outfield prospect that has all the tools to be an impact player at the next level.

Right now, there just isn't room for him. The Pirates could, once again, be sellers at the deadline and could create room for the speedy outfielder. He's already registered 23 stolen bases, has eight home runs and is hitting .280 from the leadoff spot.

My favorite name of the group, though, is Justin Christian. Christian has already had a cup of coffee with the Yankees this season and could see more time if the injuries to Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon are as serious as we are being led to believe (surgery for Matsui is likely).

Christian is another player that could grab and produce steals for you in a hurry and will provide a decent average moving forward. 

The PCL has a few names that you might already know. Dallas McPherson is one of them. The left-handed hitting third baseman already has 29 home runs this season and has hit .304 for the Isotopes. He's behind Jorge Cantu in Florida right now, but McPherson seems to have found his stroke again. 

The Rockies' affiliate will put in some familiar names as well. Seth Smith and Jon Koshansky will make the trip to Kentucky. Koshansky has gone .284/18/78 at first base for Colorado Springs while Seth Smith has posted .328/10/58 during his AAA time. 

Final name to know?

Jamie D'Antona. If you happen to follow the Cape League, or have read The Last Best Leagueby Jim Collins, D'Antona is a familiar name. He was a featured player on the Chatham A's not too long ago and is now making headlines for the Tucson Sidewinders.

He's gone .385/10/49 at third base and could be a candidate to replace Mark Reynolds if he were to struggle or go flat. 

Enjoy the game and we'll check in tomorrow with your daily notes to kick start the second half.