I Take Requests

This is probably my last post before Monday night, so I'm trying to answer your specific questions about this weekend's likely FAAB buys.

Dr. Hibbert asks:

Michael Brantley? Tyler Flowers? Other September call-ups who may not be on reserve lists...

In the American League, that's pretty much it. Guys like Reid Brignac and Brandon Wood were already on farm systems or already FAABed during their first go 'round in the league. Wade Davis is an interesting play, but he's on a farm system in my A.L....and I suspect was picked as a reserve play in many leagues, too.

Brantley and Flowers are good examples of Grade B prospects who just missed in the cut in leagues with shallow to moderate farm systems/reserve lists who could actually provide an impact in 2010.

I like Brantley better, if only because he should play every day with Grady Sizemore shut down for the season. He runs like the wind (46 steals at AAA this year in 51 attempts) and could possibly steal 5-8 bases from here on out for the Tribe. The problem with Brantley is that his numbers haven't caught up with his tools yet; a 711 OPS in AAA is poor even for a 22-year-old and I suspect Brantley is going to need some refinement. If you bid on him as a next year play, chances are good you'll be tossing him back in March.

Flowers was part of the package of players the Braves shipped to the White Sox for Javier Vazquez. Like Brantley, Flowers might need more time at AAA in 2010, but unlike Brantley Flowers has actually shown some great potential in the minors. His backers like his great BB/AB rates in particular; Flowers walked almost 100 times at High A-Ball in 2008. His worst case projection would seem to be Mickey Tettleton, and that's not a bad floor. The biggest obstacle to Flowers is A.J. Pierzynski. A.J. is signed through 2010 and has a full no-trade clause, so it's unlikely that the White Sox will move him. My guess is that Flowers spends most of next year in AAA and maybe makes it up to the majors in July or August.