FAAB Supplemental: May 4, 2008

American League
Nick Adenhart: I don't know of anyone who doubts that Adenhart will eventually be a major league starter. Where the difference of opinion rests is in how good he'll be. His detractors look at his pedestrian K/IP and K/BB and say that Adenhart could be a solid #3 or #4, while his backers point out that he was 20 years old last year and putting up the numbers he put up as a 20-year-old are impressive. I'm closer to his supporters, though for Roto purposes I'd be wary of taking a stab at him because he's probably only up for a few starts and definitely might get torched again. I'd bid $5. Bid a little more in keeper leagues, but not much more: I still think Adenhart needs at least another year in the minors if not two.

Wladimir Balentien: I wrote a little bit about Balentien and Jeff Clement in an earlier post. It looks like Balentien is the better short-term bet for success in Seattle. He has the potential to hit 20 HR, and his decreasing K/AB means that he might actually hit for a neutral or better batting average. With Brad Wilkerson out of the fold entirely, I suspect Balentien will get a full year to succeed or fail. Bid $14.

Jeff Clement: Clement is a player who gets knocked quite a bit by the touts as not being all that. I'm inclined to agree that he has some flaws in his game, but all that means is that he won't be an elite player. He's still got an incredible power stroke that in the long run could lead to some big time HR seasons, even if the batting average isn't there. My only problem is with playing time. The Mariners have used Clement twice at catcher and twice at DH. Jose Vidro is the guy who should lose out, but I suspect Clement might wind up shifting between catcher, first, and DH. I'd only bid $11 because I'm not sure the Mariners will end their inexplicable love affair with Vidro any time soon.

Aaron Laffey: Laffey's nice outing against the Royals yesterday might fool some weaker owners into thinking that he's a FAAB find, but I wouldn't be fooled. He's a guy who doesn't throw hard, and the drill with this types of guys is always the same: when everything is in sync, they're capable of pitching well, but even the slightest adjustment in mechanics doesn't bode well. Think Ian Kennedy, who dominated last year and was pummeled this year. Bid $6. I'm not saying Laffey will pitch like Kennedy; I'm saying that setting expectations for pitchers like this is nearly impossible to do.

Brandon Wood: It's all about the playing time at this point for Wood, as the Angels continue to call him up to serve as a back-up. My long-term concerns about Wood continue to grow. He had a whopping 29 whiffs in 88 AAA AB, which leaves him with 612 strikeouts in his minor league career. Unlike some, I'm not concerned about strikeouts in and of themselves, but combined with his pedestrian OBP last year, I'm concerned that Wood could turn into a Russ Branyan type who looks great when he connects, but is basically just a guess hitter in the majors. Bid $5, but bid at least $12 in keeper leagues.

National League
Sean Gallagher: Like Laffey, Gallagher is a pitcher who doesn't throw hard stuff, but uses the stuff he has very well. The good news is that Gallagher's very young (22) and has plenty of time to get better. The bad news is that he's in the bullpen right now, and I don't anticipate him spending time in the rotation in the short-term. Bid $2. Only bid more in leagues where his FAAB price is his freeze price next year.

Jo-Jo Reyes: I like Gallagher long-term better than Reyes, but Reyes is the guy who has more of an opportunity to win a role if John Smoltz is indeed headed back to the pen. Reyes throws a little harder than Gallagher, but has issues with his command, leading to higher pitch counts and shorter outings. You're still going to have to bid at least $9 if you want him, but I think that there are some out there who like Reyes more than I do, which means you might want to bid a tick or two higher if you really want him.

Max Scherzer: See my post from earlier this week for a write-up about Scherzer. My bid is $35, which I'm sure won't get him based on some of the craziness that's already surrounding this kid (the most recent trade over at CBS Sportsline had him traded for Alfonso Soriano straight up).