N.L. FAAB Log 5/7/07

Damion Easley $17. Other bids: $6, $5.
This is probably an overpay, but starting middle infielders - even temporary ones - are difficult to find in N.L. or A.L. only leagues. His 457, 419 and 418 SLG percentages indicate that Easley can have some value as a fill in for the next couple of weeks. Ruben Gotay, the other alternative at 2B for the Mets, started and went 0-4 today, so Easley should continue getting most of the starts.

Wes Obermueller $8
He'll fill in for Anibal Sanchez for the time being. Obermueller is off to a great start out of the pen thus far, but there's nothing in his career numbers to indicate short-term success. He has a .290 BA against in his career. I'd avoid.

Jorge Sosa $8. Other bids: $3, $1
Jorge Sosa is such a tease. He had that one passably good year for Atlanta in 2005 and suddenly everyone thought that he had turned the corner. However, he's an extreme flyball pitcher who doesn't strike too many batters out, and that's a terrible combination for lasting success. He's allowed a whopping 89 HR in 586 IP in his career, and I don't think that even Shea Stadium will help him all that much. He'll get some starts while El Duque is out, and the Mets offense might give him some wins, but there will be some ugly nights in Sosa's future.

Ryan Langerhans $5
I wrote about Langerhans last week. He still looks like a 4th OF, even for the lowly Nationals. He got his first two hits for Washington today, but it looks to me like a long road before Langerhans gets more than the odd start.

Carlos Villanueva $1
Villanueva's been in the right place at the right time, scarfing two relief wins for the Brewers. But his walk rate is way up (he's already walked 12 in 19 1/3, or one more than he walked in 53 2/3 last year) and his low HR rate won't keep up with a 0.75 G/F. I can't say avoid. I like Villanueva long term, and still think he could get a crack at the rotation. But Yovani Gallardo might very well get the next shot, not Villanueva. Major league managers love having guys like this in the pen.

Jason Bergmann $1
The good news about Bergmann is that he strikes out a lot of guys. The bad news is that, like Villanueva, he's an extreme flyball pitcher who is bound to get flattened eventually. He's only allowed 3 HR in 35 innings but with an 0.67 G/F, that will change quickly. I often hear pundits say to "sell high" on obvious players, but Bergmann is an example of a less obvious sell-high candidate you might be able to get a little something for if you move now.

Oscar Villarreal $1. Other bid $1
Despite an eye-popping 20 Ks in 13 2/3 IP, Villarreal is still getting hit, with nothing more than a 4.61 ERA to show for his efforts. He's buried behind Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez right now anyway, so pass.

Tony Pena $1
This is the Tony Pena who pitches in relief for the Diamondbacks. He's off to a good start, but this is yet another pitcher whose peripheral numbers tell me he won't be able to keep it up. Some think that Pena has a good chance to supplant Jose Valverde, but I don't see that happening this year.

Brad Thompson $1
In the short-term, Thompson will replace Chris Carpenter in the rotation. He could get the job long-term, but he's not as highly regarded as some of the other Cardinals candidates. I like Thompson because he has a wickedly positive G/F ratio the last two years and thus keeps the ball in the park. I'm not sure he'll hold up as a starter, but watch him and what role he fills when he goes back to relief.

Doug Davis $1
Davis shouldn't be available in your league's free agent pool. If he is, though, it's probably because he's back on track to walk over 100, which isn't a good sign for any pitcher, but is a double whammy on Davis pitching in Arizona now. I think the 4.91 ERA Davis put up last year is a little harsh of an estimate, but I could see Davis between a 4.3 and a 4.5 ERA if he continues to walk the park.

Ryan Ludwick $1
This is probably the pick of the week. Ludwick was called up today for the injured Preston Wilson, and I could see him getting most of the RF AB over Ship Schumaker, Scott Spiezio and So Taguchi in the OF. Be wary of the high bid, though, as Tony LaRussa loves Taguchi for some reason. Anyway, Ludwick is an ex-prospect who is now a minor league masher, with a .340/8/36 line already for Triple-A Memphis. Ludwick might hurt your average, but he also could hit 3-5 HR in a short time period.

Ruben Gotay $1
This guy probably would not be seeing the light of day in the majors this year if not for his early cuppa joe in 2004 for the Royals. Gotay came over to the Mets last summer for the immortal Jeff Keppinger. His numbers in the minors the last two years stink; he hasn't been able to clear a 730 OPS at Triple A. Gotay got two starts at 2B for the Mets this week, but I don't see him doing much from a Roto standpoint; even his speed stinks, as he's 38 for 67 as a minor league baserunner.