Rick Ankiel $7. Other bid $3.
Ankiel was picked up a couple of weeks ago, thrown back, and didn't generate a lot of interest this time around. It's possible that no one sees him as a $10 freeze next year, though I'd certainly take a flier. Since Verizon was screwing with my Internet connection two weeks ago, I didn't get to write about Ankiel the first time he was picked up. Since then, he's cooled off quite a bit, with only 1 HR in 32 AB. My larger concern would be his 4/17 K/BB ratio. Ankiel looks to me like he's more of a solid 4th OF/pinch hitter than a major league regular long-term, though he could have one of those years where he gets lucky, puts up 30 HR, and manages to have a 8-10 year major league career. Given all of the adversity he's gone through, that would be something to behold.
Jorge Cantu $2. Other bids $2, $1.
Can Cantu possibly be washed up at the age of 25? I wouldn't rule it out. His game was hitting 20-25 mistakes a year out of the park, and he's not showing any kind of power this year, not even in two venues at AAA. He's too young to completely write off, but there are only so many teams that are going to give Cantu a chance. He's already been shunted to 1B, so his offense is going to have to pick it up quite a bit if he doesn't want to be relegated to the role of AAA lifer.
Craig Stansberry $1
Without consulting my John Sickels book, I'd venture a guess that Stansberry is a C+ type prospect. He's got the tools, but he's never really translated them into skills. After a fast start at Portland this year, Stansberry reverted to the low average hitter he's always been in the minors. He's started walking more the last two years, but that's not going to be enough to earn him a a major league gig for any significant amount of time.
Manny Acosta $1
Acosta is probably more of a long-term pick-up. He's been solid so far, but I'd like to see if he can keep the walks down over the course of a full season. He was a vulture in the minors, amassing nine wins without the benefit of a start, but the Braves have a lot of options ahead of him for the later innings.
Jose Ascanio $1
Ascanio is even more of a long-term pick-up than Acosta, though he's probably further away in the grand scheme of things. The 22-year old is pretty polished for his age, though, and he's had a great year thus far for Double-A Mississippi and the Braves.
Craig Monroe $1
A surprisingly low bid for a guy who hit 28 HR last year, but Alfonso Soriano's probable return next week puts a significant crimp on Monroe's value the rest of the way. Monroe's K/AB rates by year show either regression on Monroe's part or (more likely) pitchers continuing to adjust to his free swinging ways. This is the kind of player who will be out of baseball in three years if he doesn't learn pitch selection. He might hit the odd pinch hit HR, but there is little value to be had here.
Jack Wilson $1
Jack Wilson is a dreadful baseball player in real life, but a guy in Roto that we count on to put up some counting stats without destroying our batting averages. Three of the last four years, he's done that. I'm not recommending buying Wilson next year in the hopes of getting a profit, but you could do worse with your free agent money than to pick up Wilson to fill a hole.
David Wells $1
Wells had a shaky outing against the Mets tonight, though if you didn't watch the game, closed your eyes and only listened to the ESPN announcers, you'd think that David Wells was the second coming of Big Train Johnson. Look, Wells being the oldest player to ever start a game for the Dodgers was a nice little story, but let's put this in perspective. He's a nearly washed up starting pitcher who will eat innings without completely taxing your bullpen. If you get lucky, he'll win you a game now and again like he did tonight. That's about it.
Mike Bacsik $1
With a K/IP under four per nine innings, Mike Bacsik has been very, very, very lucky thus far. I wouldn't take a chance on continued success, and a start against the Astros next week isn't necessarily a good recipe to continue said luck.
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