Tom Shearn $2
When Tom Shearn came up to the bigs, I'm sure there were some owners frantically scrambling through their old Baseball America's, wondering who the hell this guy is. Fear not. He's not a prospect, having logged 1,133 1/3 minor league innings and finally getting his taste of the bigs at the age of 30. And yet Shearn has pitched well, tossing up three quality starts in four tries. The limited amount I've been able to glean from frantically searching the Internet for the last half hour is that Shearn throws an 85-87 MPH fastball with no movement. His bread-and-butter pitch is a 12-to-6 curve that looks a little bit like Barry Zito's but isn't as good. The long and short of it is that Shearn is probably luckier than good, but luck like this can sometimes lead to a career, even if that career is in the pen. I wouldn't take this ride, but I can see why a desperate team on the periphery of the race might at this time of year.
Cliff Floyd $1
I'm sure the owner who released Floyd last week is sorry, but I'm shocked that no one else bid for a guy who homered in three consecutive games. Floyd obviously isn't a great bet to continue this production (or stay healthy, for that matter), but he will play as long as he wields the hot bat. As bad as he's been this year, he was worse last year but he can contribute.
Jonathan Sanchez $1
Sanchez shot up through the minors for the Giants, mostly due to killer strikeout rates, but has mostly been in a swingman role thus far in the majors. He's back in the rotation for the Giants, but has some tough match-ups this week against the Diamondbacks and the Reds. Long term, Sanchez still has a shot (anyone who can strike out close to a batter an inning or better does), but he needs to avoid the injury bug. He'll be 25 years old next year, and will start getting passed if he doesn't perform. His future is likely in the pen.
Yorvit Torrealba $1
Torrealba is still getting the bulk of the AB behind the plate for the Rockies, but has been next to worthless outside of a torrid July. A 691 OPS while playing half your games at Coors is unacceptable, even for a catcher. Still, Torrealba's not a horrible option behind the dish for our purposes; the odd HR helps, and his batting average isn't a .220 sinkhole.
Nate Schierholtz $1
Schierholtz kind of sort of broke through this year at AAA, and should get some AB this week with Barry Bonds scheduled to miss 5-7 days. Schierholtz doesn't walk enough, and doesn't have enough power to justify this. He'd need to hit .320 to be a productive major league corner outfielder, and it's more likely he'll hit .280-.290 with 10 HR and not enough speed. He's Mark Kotsay without the hype and the big bonus. Some Giants backers think he deserves a chance, but I'm not impressed.
Mike Rivera $1
Rivera already has two home runs in the limited amount of time he's been in the majors, but he's not going to earn additional playing time due to the odd pop. He's a 31-year old minor league journeyman, and his 19 HR in the minors this year also came with a .215 batting average. He'll caddy Johnny Estrada.
Russ Springer $1. Other bid $1
Springer is having a lights out year for the Cardinals, and has seven wins to go along with his great ERA and WHIP. His splits in the past against lefties and righties was pretty even, but this year he's sporting a sick .146 BAA and .427 OPS against versus righties. He's a good vulture, but it doesn't help that the Cardinals are falling apart right now.
Troy Percival $1
Percival probably isn't going to get another chance to close next year at the age of 37, but he's put up great numbers in a middle relief role for the Cardinals. He is a "proven closer", so maybe someone would pick him up on the cheap. Anyway, hats off to the Cardinals for adding him this year.
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