N.L. FAAB Review 4/15/07

For the 20 or so people left still reading, let me know if you need this earlier or when it would be better to include this.

These bids are from the last N.L. league I used to participate in.

Matt Belisle $4. Other bids: $1, $1, $1, $1.
Rotoworld seems to think little of him, but I think he's a solid back-of-the-rotation option in N.L. only leagues. The former Braves farmhand has battled back issues (surgery on bulging disc) for years. He definitely has downside, but if he's finally completely healthy, he could contribute $5-10 of value this year. At worst, I think the Reds will move him back to the pen if he blows up.

Chris Snelling $2. Other bids: $2, $1
The bloom is definitely off the rose for Snelling; everyone knows that he's an injury waiting to happen, and the spacious dimensions at RFK mean that he's more of a singles hitter than we'd like. He should get a lot of AB with Nook Logan on the shelf, though, and is certainly worth a cheap flier.

Wilson Valdez $2
Don't even bid $1 on him. Even if Furcal gets hurt again, Valdez is just going to put up a bunch of empty AB. He might steal the odd base, but he's not worth it.

Jason Marquis $1. Other bids $1, $1
He's off to a nice start, but he's still an innings eater more than anything else. His 9/10 K/BB in 17 IP tells me that this is an early fluke, not something to count on. Marquis should only be used in an emergency.

Nate McLouth $1
A fundamentally bad player on a bad team, McLouth is only interesting to me because the starter, Chris Duffy, isn't really that good either. The Pirates seem committed to Duffy, which is all that matters to me, and Duffy is getting on base right now. $1 is OK for McLouth, but don't expect much barring an injury.

Kevin Gregg $1
Who knows? Not a terrible flier for saves in Florida at this point, though his outing yesterday hurt him. Gregg is more of a bullpen filler than a closer judging by his so-so career numbers, but it's not like anyone else is stepping forward. I'd bet (timidly) on Henry Owens right now, though.

Jayson Werth $1
Phillies back-up. Victorino's slow start might give you hope, but I don't see the Phils abandoning Victorino easily, given the hype he had as "as good as Abreu, if not in terms of generating OPS that will lead to wins and all that good stuff, then at least grittier and with more hustle!"

Kyle Lohse $1. Other bid $1
Honestly, I'm surprised that someone didn't push Lohse higher. His ERA/WHIP were certainly ugly last year, but his peripherals had the whiff of a breakout. No, that doesn't mean someone should have broken the bank in the auction for him, but it tells me that he was at least worth a $2-3 flier. I like this pick up, and I could see Lohse breaking through this year.

Ramon Martinez $1
Really? I'd rather have a dead spot.

Heath Bell $1
As a Mets fan, I've always liked Bell, and thought that the Mets screwed up by never giving him a real chance. Yeah, his numbers sucked in New York, but this is a kid who kept getting yanked back and forth between AAA and the majors. Sure enough, he's off to a great start at Petco. He won't supplant Linebrink as the top set-up guy to Hoffman, but he should put up some nice numbers and scarf a few wins as well.

Rob Bowen $1
He'll play while Josh Bard recovers from a groin injury, but I'm not sold on Bowen doing all that much. In general, I recommend not replacing catchers and middle infielders in the short-term unless you're certain you're going to get some decent stats from these guys.

Wandy Rodriguez $1
He's off to a good start, but I agree with Rotoworld that I can't recommend him based on his awful last two seasons and the poor park he pitches in. Very high risk, so you might take a stab if you have a weak team and have little to lose.