N.L. FAAB Log: August 31, 2009

Vicente Padilla $5. Other bids $1, $1, $1.
Padilla survived his start at Colorado and now has a favorable two-start week coming up at home against the Diamondbacks and Padres. I still can't recommend him, but if there's a week where Padilla's worth picking up as a wins play, this is the week.

Juan Gutierrez $4.
Is Gutierrez the new Diamondbacks closer? With Jon Rauch shipped off to Minnesota and Chad Qualls out with what may be a significant knee injury, the answer might be yes. Gutierrez goes from being a below average play for this year to a play you're probably going to have to make until he proves he can't do the job. Don't overbid; Arizona could go with a committee. But if Arizona does have to shut Qualls down though, I'd put a modest bid on Gutierrez.

Kevin Gregg $3.
Carlos Marmol has both Cubs saves since Lou Pinella yanked Gregg from the closer role, so there's a good chance that Gregg won't close for the rest of the year. Since his "demotion", though, Gregg hasn't allowed a run in four appearances. His overall numbers are solid and he does have nearly a strikeout an inning. As a result, Gregg's worth owning as a middle reliever but I wouldn't hold my breath that he'll close again in 2009.

John Hester $1.
It's always exciting when a player homers in his first MLB AB like Hester did on Friday, and it's particularly exciting when it's a pinch-hit HR. Hester's up to caddy Miguel Montero, though, so he should mostly be seen as an emergency N.L.-only option only or if you have an absolute dead spot to fill.

Yorvit Torrealba $1.
With Chris Ianetta slumping, Torrealba has quietly worked his way into a job split behind the dish for Colorado. However, that doesn't mean you should own him. Torrealba typically is a low BA catcher who offers slight power and his year the power isn't even there. He's a slightly better option than Hester, and should slot in as a #2 catcher in N.L.-only leagues, but don't expect much here.

Willie Harris $1. Other bid $1.
Harris is getting a good chunk of the PT in center field for the Nationals, but he's having a poor August and - worse yet for our purposes - isn't running. He's a better than passable play in leagues that use OBP instead of BA, but in more traditionally minded BA leagues Harris is borderline at this point even as a starter.

Ronald Belisario $1.
Belisario was knocked out with an injury for about a month, but has gone back to dealing in August. He should be owned in all deep 4x4 leagues and will almost definitely be one of the top middle relief earners this season. Even in 5x5, his good whiff rate means that he should be at the back of your staff somewhere - or stashed on a reserve list if your league permits.

Jeff Keppinger $1.
Keppinger's a player you're better off with in Strat-O-Matic than Roto. His numbers have been great against lefties and poor against righties and when pressed into full-time duty (as he has been as of late) his overall numbers dwindle. He does have 8-10 HR pop so he should be owned when he's playing regularly. But he probably will hurt your batting average if he faces enough right-handed pitchers.

Wil Nieves $1.
Nieves and Josh Bard seem to be splitting the time pretty evenly behind the plate for the Nats. Neither one is worth owning unless playing 5-6 times a week; Nieves has virtually no power and is only OK if you're trying to get the drip, drip, drip of his RBI and (in 5x5) runs.

Tim Stauffer $1.
The last time I wrote about Stauffer, I speculated cautiously that he could turn into something decent. He started off strong but has struggled in August. The good news is that he's actually had a stronger whiff rate in August than in July, but the bad news is that he's got a high strand rate and the damage that's been done to him this year actually could have been worse. He's a two start pitcher this week versus Washington and at the Dodgers, so is worth gambling on from a wins/strikeouts perspective but isn't a highly recommended play.