A.L. FAAB Log 5/14/07

Matt DeSalvo $11. Other bid $3
I'm going out on a narrow branch and saying that DeSalvo could actually be a useful bottom-of-the-rotation starter for a major league team. Additionally, it helps that the team in question is the Yankees and not the Orioles, as DeSalvo should theortically have a lot of run support. The thing I like about DeSalvo is that he won't be up long if he starts tanking; the Yankees have little patience at this point for failure. $11 is too much of a bid, and the lack of league interest tells me that a number of teams were swayed by Rotoworld's concerns that DeSalvo has a below average fastball and the league will eventually figure him out.

Keep in mind that I'm calling DeSalvo a "bottom-of-the-rotation" starter. 5th starters sometimes get by, sometimes have a solid outing, and sometimes get tagged. Don't come crying if the last thing happens, because it very well might.

Jeremy Guthrie $6. Other bid $2
I'm extremely cynical that the 28-year old Guthrie suddenly learned something this winter about how to succeed with extremely low K/IP ratios, but I can also see why a team might suck along with Guthrie for a couple of weeks and see what happens. His starts have all been strong this year, and he's like DeSalvo in that his ceiling might be as a 5th starter. He's got the Nationals this week, so it's a nice match-up for his owners in the short-term.

Chris Gomez $3
I've written about Gomez already this year, and we all know that he's a 25th man with zero pop who the Orioles seem to like having around the clubhouse. Yippee.

Aaron Fultz $3. Other bid $1.
He's off to a great start, including three inexplicable vulture wins, but the only year he maintained such a lights out BA against was 2005 for the Phillies. That was a fluke, and I doubt lightning will strike twice. Nor do I think Fultz is going to vulture his way into 10 wins this year, though the Indians look good enough that Fultzie might finish with 5-7.

Shaun Marcum $1. Other bids $1, $1
I thought there'd be someone bidding slightly more for Marcum based on his two-thirds of a no-hitter yesterday, but I thought wrong. I am intrigued by the fact that his numbers as a starter are somewhat better than his numbers out of the pen. You often hear the opposite about how someone's stuff is better suited for running through the line-up once rather than two or three times, but I wonder if there are pitchers who are the opposite: guys who are more fired up about starting and pitch better because their heads are more in the game when they're pitching six innings as opposed to one. Anyway, Marcum still strikes me as a work in progress. His raw stuff is very good, but he's still getting tagged by lefties and still gives up a lot of HRs. I think he might be a solid contributor down the road but will have his ups and downs this year. He might have more upside than DeSalvo or Guthrie, but that upside won't necessarily come to fruition in 2007.

Jay Witasick $1
He's quietly putting together a solid season thus far, and I could see him moving up in the pecking order in the Oakland pen if the Duke and Calero struggle. He could also just keep providing yeoman work in the 5th and 6th innings. You might get some good ERA/WHIP, but don't count on him for saves.

Pablo Ozuna Claimed by 12th place, 5th place and 4th place teams.
I've also written about Ozuna already this year. He stole two bases this week, and that's the upside of Ozuna. The downside is that he'll go 2 for 20 while Pods is out, not steal any bases, hit for no power, and kill your average.

George Sherrill - Claimed by 10th place team
I still like Morrow for saves if something happens to Putz.

Lenny DiNardo - Claimed by 2nd place team
Same as Witasick, except DiNardo's experience starting makes him more of a long reliever.