Monday, April 27, 2009

A.L. FAAB Supplemental: Brandon Wood

I could simply direct you to last year's FAAB Supplemental on Brandon Wood and it would tell you many of the same things I'd tell you today. One big difference is that Wood was tearing the ball off of the cover of the ball at AAA this time around, knocking 4 HR in 26 AB (yeah, I know, small sample sizes) before his promotion. The good news was that Wood had only struck out six times in 30 PAs. The knock on Wood had always been the ridiculously high whiff rates, but if he only strikes out 100-120 times, his power would make him a more than acceptable major league player.

The rub lies in the fact that the Angels promoted him but he's only started once since that promotion last Wednesday. He could eventually land himself a starting role at DH, but it's hard to recommending blowing a lot of your FAAB on a guy who might eventually play. This was the same rationale that Erick Aybar backers had in 2007 when the Angels called him up and Aybar spent most of the year on the Angels bench. Wood isn't Aybar, the Angels bench is thinner this year, and Wood probably has a better chance to hit his way into a starting role than Aybar did. That being said, the Angels don't have a good history managing these kinds of situations. Bid $6 if you're in a non-keeper league. Go as high as
$14 in a keeper league, since Chone Figgins is a free agent after this season and, like Aybar, Wood will eventually get some of kind chance to play for the Angels.

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