Friday, May 20, 2011
AL Waiver Wire: Week 7
Posted by Josh Shepardson at 4:36amDallas McPherson | Chicago (American League) | 0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: .250/.250/.250
Oliver ROS: No projection
No, this is not a joke in the literal sense, and yes, Dallas McPherson is seeing regular playing time for a major league squad. At 30 years of age, McPherson looks more like organizational depth for the White Sox than a legitimate option at third, but as long as he's being trotted out to start at the hot corner he bears mentioning. He has no shortage of power, a trait that will be played up at U.S. Cellular Field when he's able to make contact. Of course there lies the caveat for the man with just 399 plate appearances in the majors coming into the season: making contact. McPherson's strikeout rates, even in the minors, are Mark Reynolds-esque.
Brent Morel has struggled mightily with the bat, and has an isolated slugging percentage (ISO) of .083 through 98 plate appearances. Someone may wish to check and make sure he's actually taking lumber to the plate, and not a whiffle ball bat. Beyond Morel, the Pale Hose may eventually look to Dayan Viciedo to man third, but he's spent the bulk of his time in the minors playing right field this season, making that less than certain. While none of this means McPherson is guaranteed full time at-bats, it does leave open the possibility he could play himself into a somewhat regular role. Owners in exceptionally deep mixed leagues that use a corner infield position, and those in AL-only formats that need some power, should monitor the situation, but not race to the wire.
Recommendation: Should be monitored in deep mixed leagues and AL-only leagues.
Eric Thames | Toronto | OF | 0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: .333/.500/.333
Oliver ROS: .258/.326/.461
An injury to Adam Lind did not prompt a recall of Travis Snider to the Jays active roster, but instead the promotion of Eric Thames. A left-handed power hitter nabbed in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, Thames made his pro debut in 2009 and has represented himself well in the minors. Like most young power hitters, Thames does strike out a bit, but not at an alarming rate. Breaking down his splits, it's apparent he is much better at hitting right-handed pitchers than southpaws, not unusual for a left-handed batter. While he hits righties better than lefties, he isn't entirely lost against them, as he has showcased solid power.
Lind is eligible to return from the disabled list Monday, so it remains to be seen how long Thames will be up. In addition to the return of Lind, Snider could muddy the situation further once the coaching staff deems he has made the necessary corrections to his swing. Regardless, Thames has shown enough in the high minors to get a test drive in some AL-only leagues and deep mixed formats as well.
Recommendation: Should be owned in some deep mixed leagues and some AL-only leagues.
Lonnie Chisenhall | Cleveland | 3B | 1 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: .282/.376/.430 (Triple-A)
Oliver ROS: No projection
The clock finally appears to have struck midnight on Jack Hannahan as he's regaining his pumpkin form right before our eyes. With June 1 right around the corner, the American Central leaders are likely going to be enticed to call upon their top prospect, Chisenhall, for help sometime shortly thereafter. He's not a finished product: He he struggled last year against lefties, hitting a lot of ground balls, and has carried his struggles over to this season. He's not entirely overwhelmed and flailing hopelessly against them, as he's struck out just six times in 46 at-bats this season, lending hope to him making headway. Offsetting the bad, he absolutely crushes righties, and has slashed .323/.420/.490 against them in 96 at-bats this season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Hannahan, who is left-handed like Chisenhall, has a reverse platoon for his career and this season, setting up a potential platoon between the two at third base. As the end of May approaches, the temptation to stash Chisenhall is likely to grow for owners, making now the time to nab him if you're an owner with bench space and a need at third base or the corner infield position. Chisenhall's dominance of righties makes him a potential option to use in medium sized mixed leagues, where he can be benched against left-handed starters.
Recommendation: Should be monitored in all but the shallowest of leagues, should be stashed in deep leagues and AL-only leagues by owners with bench flexibility.
Danny Duffy | Kansas City | SP | 0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 4.50 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 13.50 BB/9, 50.0 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 4.73 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9
While it wasn't a legendary debut, Danny Duffy did display some positives in a start in which his command failed him and he issued six walks. Duffy is a left-handed starter with good stuff that includes an explosive fastball, all of which supports his strong strikeout rates in the minors. The six walks he issued were surprising when looking at his record of limiting free passes in the minors. Expect to see him settle down going forward. The most interesting part of Duffy's skill set to monitor this year will be his ability to induce ground balls. His 2010 time spent in Double-A saw him compile more groundball outs than flyball outs, but his 2011 has seen the opposite play out in Triple-A.
Duffy is a talented hurler who is capable of helping owners in leagues of all sizes should he prove himself a quick learner and make the necessary adjustments to major league hitters. Not all rookies are able to make those adjustments in short order, so those in shallow leagues, and even those in medium sized leagues that are redraft formats, should hold off on putting him in your lineup, or adding him at all if you're in the former.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues, and monitored in shallow leagues.
Jake Arrieta | Baltimore | SP | 26 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 4.03 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.06 K/9, 3.68 BB/9, 42.1 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 4.63 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9
Year two in the majors has been a great deal more welcoming to Jake Arrieta than a rookie season that saw him stumble to the finish line posting a 4.66 ERA and walk nearly as many batters as he struck out (48:52). Early returns show a pitcher who has made strides across the board. The most notable changes are his leap in strikeout rate and his drop in walk rate. The improvement in strikeouts can largely be attributed to hitters making less contact against him this year, an increase in his swinging strike rate, and more first pitch strikes. His swinging strike rate still sits below league average, meaning his current strikeout rate is likely to come down some, but being able to throw four quality pitches and get ahead of hitters should keep the bottom from falling out on it entirely.
Pitching in the tough American League East, as well as a hitter-friendly home ballpark, limit Arrieta's upside this year a bit. Owned in more than a quarter of Yahoo! leagues, it's likely he's been gobbled up in deep mixed leagues and AL-only formats. He is now, however, playing his way onto the radar of shallower leagues. Those in medium sized leagues that are able to play the match-up game with their arms should strongly consider rostering Arrieta, as he profiles as a bit better than a pitch-and-ditch type starter.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all deep mixed leagues, some medium sized mixed leagues, and all AL-only leagues.
Feel free to reach me at my e-mail, JoshShep50 AT Yahoo DOT com with any questions, feedback, or any other general inquiries.
. Indians fans hate me
There are some intriguing players available I’m looking at for depth (to replace Javier Vazquez) in my 14-team, non-keeper, HTH points league. Any thoughts on the following would be appreciated:
Chris Narveson
James McDonald
Charlie Morton
Jon Garland
Thanks.