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December 1, 2008
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December, 2008
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Saturday, August 11, 2007Waiver Wire: National LeaguePosted by Derek Carty at 6:42pmThe National League is much more interesting than the AL this week. One guy, in particular, has me excited for next year, should he get a starting role. I think you'll figure out who that is as you read. Josh Hamilton | CIN | OF - Ryan Freel is still on the DL and Hamilton is coming off. He should get regular playing time even with the Reds' infatuation with Norris Hopper. As long as the injury didn't affect him much, he should continue putting up good power numbers with a .280-ish batting average. His good walk rate will help him score some runs. Recommendation - Should be owned in deep 10, 12, and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all NL-only leagues. Eddie Guardado | CIN | OF - David Weathers's job is pretty safe. I don't see Everyday Eddie picking up many saves, even if he probably is a better option than Weathers. Recommendation - Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in deep NL-only leagues. Brian Fuentes | COL | RP - Making rehab appearances, Fuentes might be back in the majors in a week or two. It might take him another couple of weeks after that to regain the closer's role. Still, if you're looking for saves, Fuentes is worth stashing. Barring another injury, Fuentes will close in September. Recommendation - Should be owned in all leagues with a DL-spot. Bob Howry | CHC | RP - Another decent pickup for save speculators. Ryan Dempster hasn't pitched very well since returning from the DL, so a trip back to the sidelines is a possibility. He could also be temporarily removed from the role until he regains his form. In either case, Howry would probably get the save chances, even though Carlos Marmol has been pitching well. Recommendation - Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues. Ryan Spilborghs | COL | OF - WOW. I was expecting to write how his 10 home runs are flukish, but his HitTracker data is fantastic. 8 went further than 400 true feet, and two went further than 450. Add in a decent 35% fly ball rate, and Spilborghs (gotta get used to spelling that one) could be a nice pickup for teams looking for a late season HR boost. 22% HR/FB doesn't look so bad anymore. I don't know if he can stay this hot, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised if that number goes up. The downside to his power is that he hits most to center, which will prevent some of the shorter ones from clearing the fence. He also boasts a 83% contact rate, 9% walk, and 20% line drive rate. His .348 BABIP is probably too high, but he could still hit .300 the rest of the way. Isn't playing everyday, but when he does he could be active in many leagues. If he starts playing more this recommendation would improve, and I would then take him over Josh Hamilton. Recommendation - Should be considered in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team NL-only leagues. Byung-Hyun Kim | ARZ | SP - Won't give you a good ERA or WHIP, but if you're desperate for strikeouts, Kim is a cheap option. Recommendation - Should only be owned by teams desperate for strikeouts. Patrick Misch | SF | SP - Pitched in both AA and AAA this year and last. Showed good control both times at AA, but it wasn't good in his first stint in AAA. In 65 IP this year there, his BB/9 was 1.53. Of course, it was as a reliever. His K/9 in the majors might not go much higher than 5.00, but he has the ability to show good control. Only alright in regard to ground balls. There are better options. Recommendation - Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team NL-only leagues. Anthony Reyes | STL | SP - Has always had decent peripherals. K/9 should go above 7.00, but his control is only so-so. More of a fly ball pitcher, posting a 36% xGB%. Better than Misch, less strikeouts than Kim, but puts up enough to be useful without killing your ERA and WHIP. Recommendation - Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be strongly considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues. Rick Ankiel | STL | OF - It'll be interesting to see Ankiel's HitTracker data tomorrow after his 2 homers tonight. 24% HR/FB and 41% fly ball rate in AAA this year was impressive. Not a good contact hitter, though, and will have a tougher time than Spilborghs finding playing time. Chris Duncan, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion, Ryan Ludwick, and So Taguchi are already in the crowded St. Louis outfield. If you need power, you can try Ankiel, but I think Hamilton and Spilborghs would be better pickups. Recommendation - Should be owned in deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues. Shawn Hill | WAS | SP - A good synopsis might call Hill a poor man's Fausto Carmona. That's not exactly a compliment, though. Might have a tad lower K/9 with a few less ground balls. Coming off the DL soon, Hill might have a little value. Recommendation - Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in 14-team NL-only leagues. Matt Belisle | CIN | SP - The Reds' second most skillful starter (behind Aaron Harang) was sent down today. Was a victim of bad luck with a 5.40 ERA and 3.98 LIPS ERA. If he is called back up, it's a good possibility it will only be to join the bullpen. The Reds don't even have a definite replacement yet. Another example of poor Reds management. It's a shame really. A smart MLB team might buy low on Belisle this winter, which would increase his value for next year. Recommendation - Can be dropped in all but the deepest leagues, unfortunately. Derek Carty is a student in New Jersey who loves Fantasy Baseball. His articles can also be found at FOX Sports, and he was a contributor at Rotoworld this past season. He was the champion of the FOX Sports Experts Fantasy Baseball League this past year. He welcomes questions via e-mail. Waiver Wire: American LeaguePosted by Derek Carty at 6:41pmSorry guys. I started writing this yesterday, but got called away and didn't have an opportunity to get back to it. We'll just do both leagues today. Joba Chamberlain | NYY | RP - With Mariano Rivera at the back of the 'pen, Chamberlain won't get many save chances. But in AL-only leagues, he could be a good pickup as he has the potential to be a great setup man. Pitched great in the minors this year. Across three levels (A+, AA, AAA) he put up a 14.24 K/9 and 2.97 BB/9 in 91 IP. He'll be switching back to starting next year, so he definitely deserves a look in keeper leagues. If his K rate is above 9.00 in New York he might be worthy of a pickup in certain mixed leagues. More on that in the coming days. Recommendation - Should be owned in very deep mixed leagues. Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues. Philip Hughes | NYY | SP - His start against the Royals wasn't nearly as bad as the 6 runs suggest. 5 Ks and 2 BBs in 4.2 IP isn't terrible. I still think he'd be a fine addition in all but the shallowest leagues. Owned in just 34% of ESPN leagues, so there's a decent chance he's still available in yours. Recommendation - Should be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues. A.J. Burnett | TOR | SP - When healthy, Burnett has been one of the best pitchers in the league, as expected. If he is available in your league, pick him up and hope you can get at least 5 or 6 starts out of him. Recommendation - Should be owned in all leagues while healthy. Scott Baker | MIN | SP - Having a year very similar to last, except he isn't getting as unlucky this time around. Still getting unlucky, though, which is why he is sitting on the Waiver Wire in just 7% of ESPN leagues. Not the best pickup if you need strikeouts, but his ERA and WHIP will be pretty good. LIPS ERA: 3.80. DIPS WHIP: 1.20. Recommendation - Should be owned in all but shallow leagues. Garrett Olson | BAL | SP - Has shown the ability to strike batters out in the minors — 9.04 K/9 in AA, 8.63 K/9 in AAA — so he might be able to put up a K/9 around 7.50 in the majors. Control isn't great — 3.30 BB/9 in AA, 2.71 BB/9 in AAA — so he might struggle to post a K/BB much over 2.00. I don't think it'll be below that number, though, and he can get a decent amount of ground balls, so he has some value. If he pitches well against the Red Sox today, he could find himself a spot in the rotation. Recommendation would improve with a few good starts. Recommendation - Should be owned in deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues. Aaron Laffey | CLE | SP - I made a mistake with Laffey's numbers last week, which was corrected in the comments section. He was sent down, though, and with the Tribe not needing a fifth starter until the 25th, Laffey might not be back. Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers would be the other two candidates for the spot. Recommendation - Should be dropped in all leagues. Melky Cabrera | NYY | OF - Playing time is crazy in the Bronx, but Melky should find himself a little. His power is worse than advertised, but he should be able to maintain a batting average above .280. Doesn't have a set spot in the order, but no matter where he plays he should grab a decent number of RBIs and Runs. Has also shown the ability to steal a few bases. Recommendation - Should be strongly considered in 12 and owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues. David DeJesus | KC | OF - Owned in just 11% of ESPN leagues, DeJesus is a guy who could help your team in a few categories. Batting lead-off, he's scoring a lot of runs, and his average might be able to get up to .290. He could also grab a few homers and steals. I've traded for him in one league where I have a lot of potential points to gain in the runs category. DeJesus or Melky? Depends on your position in the standings. Recommendation - Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues. Asdrubal Cabrera | CLE | 2B - The Indians called Cabrera up the other day, and with Josh Barfield's struggles this season, Cabrera could steal some time down the stretch. Not much power, but a decent contact hitter. Might be able to post a contact rate around 83-85% and a walk rate around 6-7%. Has some speed, so he could grab some steals, too. Recommendation - Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team AL-only leagues. Matt Garza | MIN | SP - 3.56 LIPS ERA so far might be too good for him. His GB% is higher than usual, and his BB/9 is better than it was in AAA this year. Last year's AAA numbers were better, so he might be able to keep it up. Regardless, he remains a risky, though possibly valuable, pickup.. Recommendation - Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team mixed leagues, for now. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues, for now. Huston Street | OAK | RP - Seems like forever that Street has been active and pitching before the ninth. He should be getting the closer's role back soon, probably this coming week. If he's been forgotten in your league, pick him up. Recommendation - Should be owned in all leagues. Akinori Otsuka | TEX | CL - He's aiming to be activated on September 1, with possibly a week before he gets the closer's role. That would leave three weeks worth of saves for Otsuka. Not great, but not terrible. Can be stashed by save speculators. Should be picked up in all leagues once he's activated. Recommendation - Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but shallow NL-only leagues. Derek Carty is a student in New Jersey who loves Fantasy Baseball. His articles can also be found at FOX Sports, and he was a contributor at Rotoworld this past season. He was the champion of the FOX Sports Experts Fantasy Baseball League this past year. He welcomes questions via e-mail. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
