Everything’s bigger in September (Part 2)

In part one we looked at the prospects of Chris Young, Chris Davis, and Mat Gamel. Today, we’ve got new batch of players to dissect and discuss:

Kila Ka’aihue

Kila Kaaihue is no secret. The 25-year-old MLB ready first baseman is once again proving he is ready for the major leagues, flashing his polished skills in Triple-A.

+--------+-------+-----+----+----+-----+----+-------+-----+----+
| Season | Level | AB  | R  | HR | RBI | SB | AVG   | BB% | K% |
+--------+-------+-----+----+----+-----+----+-------+-----+----+
| 2008   | AA    | 287 | 64 | 26 |  79 |  3 | 0.314 |  22 | 14 |
| 2008   | AAA   | 114 | 27 | 11 |  21 |  0 | 0.316 |  17 | 23 |
| 2009   | AAA   | 392 | 76 | 17 |  54 |  0 | 0.265 |  19 | 20 |
+--------+-------+-----+----+----+-----+----+-------+-----+----+

Although his production dropped off some this this year, Kila still showed his elite on-base ability. Given major league at bats, he could hit in the .280s with decent pop.

Jacobs returning to the dugout after hitting a home run, the one thing he’s good at. (Icon/SMI)

The player standing most in Kila’s way for plate appearances is Mike Jacobs (cue laugh track). Owner of a .321 wOBA (the MLB average is .330), Jacobs should be left stranded along the side of the road on the next road trip, and the Royals should then pick up Kila and have him play. There is no reason for a 30 year old with limited upside to block a burgeoning prospect, especially on a team not fighting for a playoff spot.

Hopefully the Royals see it my way and give Kila enough at bats to make him fantasy-worthy. In AL-only leagues and 16+ team mixed leagues I would add him given the chance they do.

Hector Rondon

Hector Rondon is a 21-year-old pitcher in the Indians system who curiously seems to get better as the Indians promote him to higher levels. See for yourself:

+------+-------+-----+----+------+------+------+
| Year | Level | IP  | W  | ERA  | K/9  | BB/9 |
+------+-------+-----+----+------+------+------+
| 2007 |     A | 136 |  7 | 4.37 | 7.48 | 1.79 |
| 2008 |    A+ | 145 | 11 | 3.60 | 9.00 | 2.61 |
| 2007 |    AA |  72 |  7 | 2.75 | 9.13 | 2.00 |
| 2009 |   AAA |  53 |  4 | 2.68 | 8.39 | 1.68 |
+------+-------+-----+----+------+------+------+

Considering the current state of the Indians and their rotation consisting of stars like Jeremy Sowers and Fausto Carmona, they might want to give their prized Venezuelan a taste of the majors in September. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and a complimentary change-up, Rondon can rack up the strikeouts while also, more importantly, allowing few free passes.

For those in AL-only leagues, Rondon may be worth a look if given starts against favorable opponents.

Lightning Round

Aaron Poreda is a player I would stay away from. At the moment he is experiencing a troubling control problem, and while a spacious Petco may limit his home runs, it won’t help him pitch in the strike zone. He is still only 22 years old and now in a great pitcher’s park so I still like him long term.

The frustrating Brandon Morrow has not pitched that well since returning to Triple-A, so even if the Mariners bring him back up for the final month, I’d feel comfortable letting another team scoop him up.

When September comes around it might be another chance for talented Marlins prospect Cameron Maybin to get a shot in the majors. Maybin’s got speed and some power, so those in NL-only leagues should take a look. There is a chance the Marlins do not call up him, I should warn.

Another player for NL-only leaguers, Jeff Clement, could see some playing time at first base and catcher on Ryan Doumit’s off days. If your current catcher gets hurt or it is a really deep NL-only league and you are looking for anyone with playing time, Clement could make a good speculative add. He may return to his former top-prospect hitting ways, you never know.