Monday, June 01, 2009

N.L. FAAB Log: June 1, 2009

Jeff Keppinger $11. Other bid $1.
Geoff Blum is out with a bum hamstring, so Keppinger is getting the call to play third. Keppinger has lived up to his m.o. as a solid contact hitter who doesn't have a lot of power (though he does have two HR to date) and will provide value in Roto leagues as long as Blum is out. Don't hold your breath if you're a Blum owner; Keppinger could hang on to the job - or at least a piece of the job - after Blum returns.

Ryan Roberts $9. Other bids $6, $2, $1, $1.
Roberts is a 28-year-old journeyman second baseman who has been pressed into regular duty for the Diamondbacks due to Felipe Lopez's sore hamstring. Roberts has a little speed, but is barely worth owning unless he's playing every day. A six-game hitting streak means that A.J. Hinch might put Roberts in there a little more often, but once Roberts cools off his playing time should evaporate.

Jake Fox $7. Other bids $7, $2, $1, $1.
Fox is one of those hitters who wasn't considered a prospect due to his age (26) and the fact that he missed a fair chunk of time early in his professional career due to injuries. The Cubs moved him out from behind the dish before the start of the 2007 season, put him in Double-A and all Fox has done since then is hit. Since the start of the 2008 season, Fox has 48 minor league HR, including 17 in a mere 149 AB this year at AAA Iowa. At this point in his career, the best case scenario for Fox would be a Jack Cust-type career as a Three True Outcomes masher. His problem is that he's in the wrong league, isn't going to push Derrek Lee aside at 1B, and has better hit like he did in Iowa in order to permit the Cubs to play him regularly at 3B. He's definitely worth a stab, but don't be surprised if Fox is mostly used as a PH until the next round of interleague play comes along.

Edwin Maysonet $3. Other bids $2, $1.
Doesn't Maysonet sounds like some kind of healthy substitute for mayonnaise that doesn't taste that good? "I'm watching my cholesterol honey...would you pass the Maysonet?" Um, anyway, Maysonet had a decent year in the Sally League way back in 2004 that put him on a few sleeper lists, but a poor 2005 (including a 542 OPS at High-A ball that year) pretty much knocked him off the prospect lists for good. Of course, he's raking so far in Kaz Matsui's stead, and probably should be owned in N.L.-only leagues at the moment, until he inevitably cools off. He hasn't hit for power in the minors, and hasn't stolen in double digits since 2006, so don't count on this current hot streak lasting.

Tony Gwynn Jr $1. Other bids $1, $1.
Gwynn's acquisition by the Padres moved him from AAA into a quasi-platoon in CF with Scott Hairston. That's bad news for Hairston owners, and not really great news for Gwynn owners. Gwynn's always worth tracking in the hopes that the speed he consistently shows in the minors someday shows up in the majors, but I agree with Baseball Prospectus that if his name was Tony Smith, we wouldn't really care all that much.

Eric Milton $1. Other bid $1.
Milton was never really as good as advertised by the Yankees when they peddled him to the Twins as the key component of the Chuck Knoblauch deal way back when, but was probably never quite as bad as he looked for the Phillies and Reds...shame on the Reds for paying big bucks for a flyball pitcher in that bandbox they call a stadium. Milton could be a serviceable option for the Dodgers, as Dodger Stadium should suppress his flyball tendencies. I mostly view Milton as a match-up guy though, and would prefer starting him only at home for now if possible.

Livan Hernandez $1. Other bids $1, $1.
Despite the fact that he has a regular gig, Hernandez will probably float on and off the waiver wire based on a combination of owners' need/desperation. He's been quietly effective recently - with the exception of a bad start against the Giants - and is not a bad play this week at Pittsburgh and at Washington.

Ross Gload $1.
Gload is in the same boat since I wrote about him on 4/20; he's a part-timer at 1B/OF who hasn't started since May 24. He's best left on the bench in Ultra leagues or on the FAAB wires otherwise.

Koyie Hill $1.
Ah, small sample sizes! Hill has put up some strong numbers in Chicago as Geovany Soto's caddy, but still profiles as a bad Roto bet, even as your #2 catcher.

Jeff Fulchino $1.
Fulchino has been lights out since his call-up from AAA Round Rock on 5/14, but he's only pitched five times since then and is only a long reliever for the Astros. He could keep pitching this well, but could also be Cecil Cooper's latest victim if the score is 14-2 and the rest of the pen is hiding behind the concession stands.

Clay Condrey $1. Other bid $1.
See May 18. Condrey's been white hot, though he finally gave up a run against the Nats yesterday.

Bobby Parnell $1.
Parnell has been a solid option for the Mets thus far, but needs a secondary pitch if he's going to succeed long-term; so far it's been fastball, fastball, fastball. That's all well and good when you throw heat in the mid-90s, but sooner or later the league is going to catch up. Some longshot rumors had Parnell going to the Nationals for Nick Johnson, which could put him in the closer mix there. Until then, he's a middle reliever with slight vulture win potential.

Sergio Romo $1.
Romo was manhandled by the Cardinals in his first game off the DL this weekend. He put up nice numbers last year in his debut out of the bullpen, but is someone I'd only watch right now and not pick up.

Juan Uribe $1.
With Pablo Sandoval dealing with an elbow strain, Sandoval has been playing 1B while Uribe has picked up a significant number of starts at 3B. He's hitting over .300, but poor BB/AB rates combined with a ludicrous BABIP of 375 tell me that nothing has changed in Uribe's approach but that he's been lucky at the plate. His value usually comes from his 15-20 HR power, but Uribe has no HR to date. I imagine he'll cool off and have some value if he keeps playing, but will still be a BA liability.

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