Supplemental FAAB Log 5/7/07

As always, here is my weekly review of rookies worth bidding in if your league has no pre-season farm/reserve list and these guys are somehow available.

Tim Lincecum. Yeah, it was only one start. But Lincecum didn't look good at all. And the numbers bothered me less than what I saw. Lincecum's fastball looked like his only plus pitch. At its best, it had a nasty bite (Joe Morgan called it "hop") that made it very difficult to hit. However, his other offerings looked average at best, and you're not going to get by in the majors throwing just heat; even Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax needed quality curveballs to succeed.

What concerned me more, though, was the look on Lincecum's face as the game wore on. He simply looked lost out there, lacking composure and almost asking wordlessly "what am I doing here?"

The Catch-22 here is that you're going to have to bid big to get him. $28 is in the ballpark, and still might not be enough. I'd worry about overpaying just because Lincecum won't have an unlimited amount of rope to hang himself with. That's good in that he won't kill your ERA/WHIP, but bad in that a $25-30 bid on a guy who might start three major league games this year will kill your FAAB.

Andy LaRoche. LaRoche is the real deal: a 23-year old 3B who hits for power. Even though he put up a lot of his gaudy numbers last year in the bandbox in Triple-A Las Vegas, LaRoche still looks like someone who could hit .250-.260 for the L.A. with 15-20 HR if he gets an extended look. I'd bid $21. It looks like LaRoche is going to get an honest chance to win the job from Wilson Betemit, and I don't think he'll disappoint.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He's probably only up as a fill in while Brian McCann and Brayan Pena recover from their minor injuries. Long term, I like Saltalamacchia, but he just turned 22 and has all of 394 AB at Double A. I'd only bid $4, because I'm not even sure Saltalamacchia will be up next year. With Brian McCann standing in his way, a trade might be in order.

Eric Reed. Even with Cody Ross out, I don't see Reed getting AB. No bid.