A.L. FAAB Log - June 29, 2008

Esteban German $7.
The only reason I can think of that you might add German to your roster is if you need the positional flexibility...really, really badly. He got into the game in left field today because David DeJesus got hurt, but DeJesus is expected to be back in a few days. German's offered virtually nothing to the Royals and offers worse than nothing to Roto owners.

Eric Hurley $6.
A nice game against the Phillies tonight probably earned him this lone bid. Hurley put up some solid numbers at AAA this year, but was quite hittable before tonight. Long term, I don't think he'll live up to the hype he once generated, but could be an OK #3 or #4. Short term, he's a 22 year old starter who probably should have spent the full year at AAA. He's a match-ups play at the moment, and I give him a thumbs down at home run friendly Camden Yards.

Jamey Carroll. Claimed by 9th place team.
Boy, Carroll will sure be sorry to see June go...he's hit .380 with a 980 OPS. He has no power, though, so unless you're in an OPS league all he does is offer some speed. The runs won't come easy in a poorly performing Indians line-up, either. Worth owning right now in A.L.-only leagues, but don't be surprised if things even out and he hits .230 next month.

Edwar Ramirez. Claimed by 8th place team.
His overall numbers still look good, but he was clobbered in June and has lost his moderate leverage role in the Yanks bullpen as a result. Hold off on FAABing or claiming him until he rights the ship.

Andrew Brown. Claimed by 6th place team.
Brown got knocked around by the Giants today. He had eight shutout innings with only one hit allowed in June, and his overall numbers still look pretty nice. The downside is that he's got a lot of superior arms ahead of him in the pecking order should something happen to Huston Street. Brown's for very deep leagues only.

Ryan Rowland-Smith. Claimed by 1st place team.
I thought Rowland-Smith might get some save chances when J.J. Putz went down, but Brandon Morrow is pitching lights out and Rowland-Smith seems to be the long man in the pen. Like Brown, Rowland-Smith's numbers are great, but it's hard to recommend a long reliever even in deep formats.