Yesterday, I looked at some players who might be worth acquiring in N.L.-only leagues. Today, I'll do the same for the American League.
Orlando Cabrera 351 AB, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 7 SB, .262 BA
If Cabrera's owner is paying attention, then this recommendation may have come a couple of weeks too late; entering tonight, Cabrera had a 362/532/894 slash line along with 5 SB in July. He's always been a streaky hitter, but the good news is that those streaks often last for at least a month. He's getting to an age where you can't necessarily count on a good, long hot streak but if you need to roll the dice it's worth rolling on a guy who has stolen 19 or more bases the last four years.
Ben Francisco 265 AB, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 12 SB, .242 BA
I don't necessarily expect Francisco to get better, but I do think that the speed is for real, which means that he should hold on to much of his Pre All-Star value ($12). Francisco stole 25 and 22 bags in 2006 and 2007 at AAA and while it took him a year in the majors to find his legs, he looks like he could definitely come close to that this year. Meanwhile, with a BABIP that's a little lower than last year's, there's a decent possibility that Francisco can bump that .242 BA up by 15-20 points in the second half.
Jose Guillen 263 AB, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 1 SB, .243 BA
Unlike Francisco - who may deserve the bad BA - Guillen's seems to be a product of some bad luck, and is fairly atypical of the rest of his career. Guillen's earned $20, $3, $24, and $18 from 2005-2008. He's on pace to earn $9 this year. It's unlikely he's going to finish with a $20 season, but the law of averages makes me think that a $15 year this season isn't out of the question.
Scott Hairston 220 AB, 11 HR, 31 RBI, 9 SB, .296 BA
Hairston is also an Aaron Gleeman buy-low candidate and while I've normally taken experts to task for simplistic picks like this one (Hairston is on pace to earn $22), he is only starting in about a quarter of the CBS Sportsline A.L.-only leagues. Another thing to consider is that players who come over from the N.L. and are snapped up with a FAAB bid sometimes are considered rental properties and aren't valued as much as someone an owner auctioned. I'm not sure if Hairston is going to continue down the road toward a 20/20 season, but given some of the negative press I've seen about him, it's worth asking his owner if he'd consider dealing Hairston. Potential 20/20 players don't grow on trees.
Placido Polanco 316 AB, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 3 SB, .256 BA
Unless you believe that Polanco's paying for his .341 BA in 2007 with a low BA in 2009, he's a good bet to do better the rest of the way. His 263 BABIP is his lowest since his 1998 rookie campaign, and all of Polanco's rate stats are remarkably consistent from year to year. Nothing significant has changed in Polanco's approach; it wouldn't surprise me to see him hit .300 the rest of the way. If he can continue to benefit from the Tigers line-up, there's an outside chance he could finish with 90 RBI.
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