N.L. FAAB Log: July 1, 2007

Joe Smith $4
Writing about middle relievers all year long makes me feel like Sisyphus, pushing the same bleeping rock up and down the hill week in and week out for the rest of my life. On the other hand, Tim Dierkes at Rotoworld never writes about these guys in his weekly Rotoworld column
Waiver Wired, which is too bad, since every 4x4 Roto roster has one or two of these guys floating around. Moreover, the better middle relievers in 4x4 are as valuable as a Top 15 or Top 20 starting pitcher, so they're well worth owning.

Anyway, Smith is still an asset in Roto, his stats marred by one horrible outing against the Tigers on June 10. If there's a drawback to Smith, it's that he's clearly a middle man who won't get any save opportunities and only has two wins to date. If there's another negative about Smith, it's that he barely has any kind of minor league track record. He attended a lower profile college (Wright State) and, while his numbers there were great, it's hard to say he won't struggle a little bit in the second half as hitters grow accustomed to his stuff. I'd still say he has to be owned right now in 4x4 leagues and is worth a $1-2 bid if he's available and you need a pitcher.

Rajai Davis $2. Other bids $1, $1, $1
Rotoworld doesn't like Davis ("not likely to offer any fantasy value"), but I say that's B.S. Davis is fast, fast, fast, and his great SB/CS rates will likely translate well to the majors. The key, as for a lot of guys like this who can run, is his on-base percentage. Davis looks like he projects out to a .250-.260 hitter right now, and his BB/AB rate in the minors puts him on the fringe of being a useful major leaguer. He's worth a decent sized bid with Chris Duffy on the D.L., and already has five SB in 30 AB. The problem is that he's hitting an empty .200 and probably isn't going to get an extended chance to prove himself. Davis is 26 years old, and has a better chance to stick as a backup OF/pinch runner than a starting centerfielder. But he's worth a stab for teams in dire need of speed.

Paul Maholm $1. Other bid $1
Maholm's on a nice little run the last three weeks (2.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP in his last three starts before today), but I don't expect it to last for very long. His peripherals remind me of Paul Byrd's in the American League, which means that Maholm's going to have days where his assortment works and other days where it, um, doesn't. He's also a Pirate, so this isn't a great wins play. Maholm's best used as a matchup pitcher in leagues where you can reserve active players.

Rodrigo Lopez $1
I've never been a Lopez fan, and thought he was a fraud even after his great 2002 season and his bounceback year in 2004. He started out well for the Rockies in April, hit the D.L., but continued to throw up some solid innings when he returned in late May. The wheels were starting to come off in June with some good ERA/poor WHIP outings against the Devil Rays and the Yankees, and then fell off entirely as he got slammed by the Cubs and then the Astros earlier today. Lopez's stuff is pedestrian and National League hitters are figuring that out. Avoid Lopez. Please. For your own safety. A match-up Saturday against the Phillies in Colorado is not what the doctor ordered.

Pedro Feliciano $1
I got to see Feliciano on Saturday at the Phillies game and he's a fun, fun pitcher to watch. His motion is very difficult to pick up, and he's not just throwing slop up there at the hitters like some sidewinders. Like Smith, he won't get a lot of wins or saves in the Mets pen, but he should have a little more value now that Jorge Sosa is on the D.L. and the Mets rotation just got a little thinner.