Waiver Wire: National League

I’ve just torn myself away from the newest Harry Potter book, so we’ll get started right away.

Yovani Gallardo | MIL | SP – Discussed many times before, including earlier this week.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Buddy Carlyle | ATL | SP – LIPS ERA and DIPS WHIP aren’t far off from his actual counterparts. His strikeouts have been average and his control has been good. Despite being 29, he’s had very little previous major league experience. Hasn’t pitched more than 65 innings in a year since 2004 (including in the minors), so it’s difficult to tell if his numbers this year are legit. I’d have to think his control will worsen as he makes more starts, but he might be worth the risk in some NL-only leagues.
Recommendation – Should only be owned deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues, for now.

Mark Reynolds | ARZ | 3B – Has hit 5 HRs past 400 feet — one went 459 — and should continue to contribute with HRs and RBIs. He’s picking up regular at-bats about 5 times per week, so he is worth owning in certain leagues. 9% Walk and 19% Line Drive rates are nice, but his sub-70% Contact rate and .346 BABIP indicate that his batting average should drop.
Recommendation – Should only be owned deep 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues.

Jason Kendall | CHC | C – Talked about him the other day, should get regular at-bats. Not worth owning in most single catcher leagues. Could provide a batting average around .290 with a handful of steals, but he has limited power and even batting seventh will have difficult getting RBIs.
Recommendation – Should not be owned in single-catcher mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team single-catcher NL-only leagues. Should be owned in 2-catcher 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all 2-catcher NL-only leagues.

Manny Corpas | COL | CL – Still owned in just 44% of ESPN leagues. As a closer — and having good skills — he needs to be owned in all leagues.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Brett Myers | PHI | CL – Should be back next week and hopefully won’t show any lingering effects of his injury. Should resume the closer’s role very soon after his return, so if he was dropped in your league, now is the time to pick him up.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Ryan Dempster | CHC | CL – Soon to be activated, Dempster should take over the closer’s role again. Might move to the rotation in a few weeks, but it seems late in the season for a move like that. Plus, already suffering injuries this year would make it a poor choice. Own him for the saves.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Cesar Izturis | PIT | SS/3B – Talked about this week.
Recommendation – Should only be owned in the deepest of deep leagues.

Jon Rauch | WAS | RP – If Cordero is traded, Rauch would probably take over as closer. His numbers don’t look bad this year. Can be stashed if you are speculating on saves.
Recommendation – Should be owned in very deep mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team NL-only leagues, for now.

Moises Alou | NYM | OF – When he’s healthy, he’s a good hitter. Great contact, okay power, good lineup. You could do much worse. Just be aware that another trip to the DL is not out of the question for this guy.
Recommendation – Should be owned in all leagues.

Noah Lowry | SF | SP – Add Lowry to the list of overrated Giants pitchers. 5.07 LIPS ERA and 1.53 DIPS WHIP are not good, despite decent surface numbers. Strikeouts are up from last year, but they are still down from his 2004-2005 stretch and remain below-average. His high BB/9 should improve, but it was never great to begin with. Pass in shallower leagues.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in 14-team NL-only leagues.


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