N.L. FAAB Log: June 16, 2008

Corey Patterson $7. Other bids $6, $5.
At this price, Patterson is more of a long-shot play for 2009 than he is a useful chip in 2008. His best bet for this year would be if Ken Griffey Jr. gets shipped out of town. Until then, Patterson looks like a cheap steals play in deep N.L. leagues only.

Trot Nixon $7. Other bids $7, $4, $2, $1.
In a league where Jacques Jones went for $21, it's more than a little surprising to me that Nixon slipped to $7. He was tearing it up at AAA Tuscon before his trade to the Mets, and while you obviously can't get excited about a 34-year-old hitter destroying AAA pitching, it's a good sign that Nixon's lingering back problems that have sapped his power away the last few years might be a thing of the past. Nixon should get most of the AB against righties while Moises Alou is out, and could continue to see significant playing time in the Mets OF even after Alou comes back.

Jeff Bennett $3. Other bids $2, $1.
Bennett got a cheap save over the weekend, but Manny Acosta should still be ahead of him on the depth chart. Bennett's certainly worth a low bid due to the Braves unsettled bullpen situation, but he's a long shot for saves.

Doug Davis $1.
Generations from now, the greatest scientific minds will spend hours poring over the data, attempting to discover the mystery behind how Doug Davis could maintain such a solid ERA with such a poor WHIP. The usual caveats with Davis apply. He's acceptable as a back of the rotation N.L.-only pitcher, but he gives up a lot of baserunners, and there are going to be nights where he hurts your numbers. He's better for 5x5 because of the whiffs.

Edgar Gonzalez $1.
He's filling in quite nicely for Tad Iguchi in San Diego, but Gonzalez is a 30-year-old career minor leaguer whose ceiling is only so high. He should be owned right now in N.L.-only leagues, but he's not a prospect, and I don't expect much out of him in the short-term.

Justin Huber $1.
Huber isn't a bad match-ups play at this price. The Padres will see three lefties and three righties, and I'd expect Huber to get three starts this week (against Andy Pettitte, Nate Robertson, and Kenny Rogers). It's too bad Huber's a bad side of the platoon OF at the tender age of 25, but I guess there are far worse fates.

Charlie Morton $1.
The lack of bidders probably reflects the cynical viewpoint that Morton's 2008 numbers at Richmond are rather flukish. This is a guy who was very hittable in his minor league career, giving up well over a hit an inning until this year, when he suddenly dropped that rate to 5.92 H/IP. His curve is his bread-and-butter pitch, with a good change. His problem has been his fastball. It's typically clocks at 89-93 MPH, and Morton has had trouble with his command of that pitch. If he's made a breakthrough this year, I think you're looking at a solid #4. I'd avoid him this week at Texas, but he'll be picked up in most leagues, and this bid probably won't get him.

Taylor Buchholz $1.
Even if Buchholz won't get any saves this year, his ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts mean that you have to pick him up in N.L. only leagues, even if they're 5x5. As I wrote earlier, Buchholz could see some save ops down the road if Brian Fuentes gets traded and Manny Corpas is struggling.

Jolbert Cabrera $1.
Cabrera will provide depth for the Reds with Jerry Hairston on the shelf. The 35-year-old fringe player is a borderline N.L.-only play, at best.

Micah Hoffpauir $1. Other bid $1.
Hoffpauir is a better play in daily leagues. He'll probably DH against the Rays at the beginning of the week, but then the Cubs return home, and Hoffpauir will either hit the bench or get sent back down to AAA. He's got power, but he's a 28-year-old who isn't a prospect and is buried behind Derrek Lee on the Cubs.

Seth McClung $1. Other bid $1.
McClung's problem has always been control, control, control. I don't know if he'll ever permanently fix this problem, but he's been fine in his last three starts, allowing only one walk in his last three starts (with 13 whiffs in 18 IP). He's fine to use at home against the Orioles this week, and could be a good gamble going forward. If you need a starter and are a middle of the pack team, you should bid more than this.

Will Ohman $1. Other bid $1.
Ohman's riding a 16 inning scoreless streak. He's a LOOGY, so you'll be experiencing the drip, drip, drip here, but you can certainly feel free to ride the hot hand in deep leagues. Not a saves play.

Jason LaRue $1. Other bid $1.
LaRue could get most of the starts this week (and possibly longer) while Yadier Molina recovers from his concussion, but I'm not sure you want LaRue. He hasn't cracked the .200 mark since 2005, and doesn't offer enough power to make you feel better about the BA hit you'll be taking.

Jason Michaels $1. Other bid $1.
Ride the hot hand, particularly in daily leagues, where Michaels will likely DH against the White Sox at the beginning of the week. If Xavier Nady's injury turns out to be serious, Michaels' value will shoot up quite a bit. He's got some pop, may hurt your BA a little, and is OK as a fourth or fifth OF in deep N.L. leagues.

John Grabow $1.
A mysterious pick. Grabow's been getting hit pretty hard lately, and the overall ERA/WHIP seem to be correcting themselves. I'd avoid for now.