A.L. FAAB Log: June 8, 2009

Vin Mazzaro $19. Other bids: $14, $12, $12, $3.
Nineteen dollars might very well be too high for Mazzaro, but I don't understand why seven teams didn't bid at all on him. Two dominant performances - even against the weak-hitting White Sox and the slumping Orioles - still should have earned him at least the $3 bid you see here. Mazzaro wasn't considered a top prospect heading into this season, but some thought that he had more polish than fellow A's Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill and might see a call-up later this year. Mazzaro's primarily a fastball/slider pitcher, who worked hard to improve his slider and who has succeeded primarily when he's kept his fastball low and the ball on the ground. His G/F rate skewed more toward flyballs this year in the minors, which caused some mild concern. As I said above, $19 is an aggressive bid for Mazzaro but I was the $12 bidder and I might have bid $15 if I had a more pressing need for an arm.

Mark Kotsay $8. Other bid $2.
Kotsay's back off the DL for the Red Sox and is the short-term beneficiary of a little extra playing time as long as Jacoby Ellsbury is out with his strained right shoulder. He popped a HR today but isn't the 15-20 HR hitter he once was in his prime. He's a decent injury fill-in in A.L.-only leagues but not someone you want to rely on unless Ellsbury or another Red Sox OF goes down for a significant amount of time.

Oscar Salazar $5.
Salazar's a 30-year-old non-prospect who was once again crushing the ball at AAA Norfolk, mashing 10 HR and 27 XBH before his call-up yesterday to replace Cesar Izturis on the roster. I don't expect Salazar to get much playing time in Baltimore, but Dave Trembley is a pretty good manager when it comes to mixing and matching, so Salazar might get a start or two a week while he's on the roster. He hit a handful of dingers last September during a brief call-up so bears watching if some PT does open up.

Sean White $4.
White picked up the save yesterday against the Twins, but I wouldn't read too much into this despite Mariners fans recent pissing and moaning about David Aardsma's lack of control; Aardsma had gone on consecutive days and probably just needed a rest. White's done very well this year, and according to reports has picked up 3-5 MPH of velocity on his sinking fastball, jumping from 87-91 MPH on the gun to 93-95. He won't close unless there's an injury to Aardsma but with Brandon Morrow buried in the pen is likely in line for additional cheap saves should Aardsma need another break.

Jeremy Sowers $1.
Perhaps the reason seven owners passed on Mazzaro is because they remember Sowers, who was once a more highly regarded prospect than Mazzaro is now. Sowers is a finesse pitcher who failed on two separate occasions for the Indians and is back for a third go-round mostly out of desperation. He's quietly put together three solid starts against the Rays, Yankees and White Sox. A low K/IP rate and high flyball rate makes me reluctant to recommend him, though, since Sowers doesn't crack 90 MPH on the gun and needs to pitch to contact. He gets the Royals at home this week.

Josh Barfield $1.
The former hot prospect who once had a strong year for the Padres had a 505 OPS in AAA prior to his call-up and was only called up due to desperation on the part of the Indians. He got a start this week at 2B but Luis Valbuena and Jamey Carroll are likely above Barfield on the depth chart. Barfield's the last bat off the bench for Cleveland and it's highly unlikely he'll suddenly turn it around against major league pitching.

Chris Gimenez $1.
Gimenez is a 26-year-old non-prospect who garnered attention back in 2007 when he slammed 20 HR in 269 AB at High-A Carolina. Since he was very old for the level at 24, this wasn't extremely exciting but did get him noticed. Gimenez would have more value as a catcher, but is weak defensively for the position and doesn't hit enough to play 1B regularly in the majors. He was a three-true outcomes guy in the minors but with too many whiffs and not enough HR to be of any great interest. Of course, Gimenez hit 2 HR this week and probably earned himself a few more starts and a little more time up in the bigs as a result. He's catcher eligible in most leagues so is worth a stab to see if you can catch lightning in a bottle here. You probably won't.

Gregg Zaun. Claimed by 10th and 8th (tie) place teams.
Zaun lost a good deal of value with Matt Wieters' call-up. Unless Wieters completely tanks, Zaun should only start 1-3 times a week. Most of Zaun's value was as an everyday accumulator with a relatively safe BA, so even in deep leagues Zaun's a borderline play.