Waiver Wire: National League

Here’s the National League Waiver Wire for the week.

Manny Corpas | COL | CL – I talked about Corpas earlier in the week, but if he is still on your Waiver Wire he might be good for a couple more saves before Brian Fuentes resumes closing games. Fuentes is missing the All-Star game due to a pulled muscle. Doesn’t sound serious, though, and he should take his job back within a week or two. Fuentes might end up being traded, so keep Corpas on your radar.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Mark Hendrickson | LAD | SP – Randy Wolf is expected to come off the DL on July 19, but until then Hendrickson should make a few starts. While this is his first year with a K/BB north of 2.00, it is also his first full year in the NL. He’s split time between the rotation and the bullpen, but in his nine starts this year he has this line: 6.00 K/9 | 2.62 BB/9 | 2.29 K/BB | 47% GB. Not bad. Might be worth a pickup for a couple of weeks.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Wandy Rodriguez | HOU | SP – Rodriguez is showing much improved control this year, and his K/BB sits at a great 3.46. He’s striking out nearly eight batters per game, so he has plenty of value in all leagues. He might regress, but seeing as this is his third year in the league and he’s just 28 years old, this could just as easily be for real.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all but the shallowest leagues.

Chris Duncan | STL | 1B/OF – 11 HRs past 399 true feet and a 42% Fly ball rate mean Duncan should be hitting more HRs than he is… and he’s got 16. His batting average should drop into the .270s, but his OBP will remain at a nice level. He still isn’t playing every game, but when he does he has been batting fourth. That means plenty of RBIs and a decent number of runs. Should be owned in more than the 25% of ESPN leagues he’s owned in. Just make sure you have someone who can play for your team on days when the Cards face a lefty.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all but the shallowest leagues.

Jo-Jo Reyes | ATL | SP – Put up nice numbers in Single-A last year, but his 4.63 BB/9 in Double-A this year makes success at the major league level unlikely. For this year, I’d stay away from Reyes, although he might not be completely useless with strikeouts. If he pitches well he could claim a rotation spot, but I don’t see this happening.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 14-team NL-only leagues.

Dave Williams | NYM | SP – Will get the start tomorrow and will have a chance to take a regular turn in the rotation if he pitches well. With low strikeout and ground ball rates, though, this doesn’t seem likely. Like Reyes, should be considered only in deep NL-only leagues.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 14-team NL-only leagues.

Adam LaRoche | PIT | 1B – Drafted and dropped in many fantasy leagues, LaRoche appears to be turning it on. He rocked a lot of balls out of the park last year, although this year his power has been a bit tamer. It’s not bad, and a 43% fly ball rate will help him out. His 74% contact rate isn’t very good, although his 10% walk and 20% line drive rates are pretty good. He’s better than a .238 hitter. Might hit .270 and pick up a decent number of RBIs hitting in the middle of the order.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Yovani Gallardo | MIL | RP – After being moved to the bullpen, Gallardo was dropped in many leagues. With Claudio Vargas pitching poorly lately (or at least seemingly so), Gallardo could be in line for a rotation spot in the second half. He’s worth stashing in a lot of leagues.
Recommendation – Should be owned in deep 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but shallow NL-only leagues.

Khalil Greene | SD | SS – I picked him up in one league a few weeks ago (right before he went on his HR tangent), but he’s still owned in less than 15% of ESPN leagues. Power is for real, and his career low .260 BABIP should increase. Good, cheap option at shortstop.
Recommendation – Should be strongly considered in deep 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all NL-only leagues.

Ryan Theriot | CHC | 2B/SS – I wish the Cubs would just let this guy play. His walk rate has only been 5% since the middle of June after hovering above 10% most of the year. Perhaps he’s feeling a sense of urgency to start producing results for Lou Piniella and is rushing things a bit. His contact rate in that span is 95% and his line drive rate is 24.5%, so Theriot’s .271 batting average just doesn’t seem high enough. He is capable of hitting over .290 and stealing a bunch of bases, so he is a good guy to play when he gets in the game. He normally bats second, so he’ll also get a lot of runs, especially if his patience returns.
Recommendation – Should be strongly considered in deep 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all NL-only leagues.

Matt Kemp | LAD | OF – Doesn’t play every game, but he’s got some value when he does. .354 batting average and .456 BABIP are much too high. His 73% contact rate (65% in 2006) isn’t very good, and his walk rate is just 7%. Last year his 24% line drive rate was nice, but it has dropped to 18% this year. Despite his need for improvement in his contact numbers, Kemp has nice power. Hit six of his seven HRs past 400 true feet last year and has put two of three that far this year. One went 440 true feet. His fly ball rate is only 35%, but the potential for some nice power numbers are there. He could also grab a handful of steals
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.