John Ely $16: Mike and I just wrote about Ely here and here. This $16 bid is from Mike, coincidentally, who saw exactly what I did: a thin free agent pitcher market and two decent match-ups this week with Houston and Detroit. $16 is aggressive, but Ely should be a good play this week.
Bud Norris $11: Norris has turned in one quality start so far this year, and it happened to be this past week. Norris gets the "Ethier-less" Dodgers early in the week, but has the Rays at the end of the week, making this a less than stellar play. One thing to point out about Norris' interiors, though: his BABIP is almost .400 (with a 26% LD rate), and his xFIP is 4.15. When you strike out as many hitters as Norris does, there is a good chance he will get better, not worse, as the year goes on. It is all about control for Norris (and pitch counts), and when he finds it, you should see more starts like this past week.
Chris C. Carter $7: Carter has logged over 400 games at AAA. There is some life in that bat, but Carter struggles against left handed pitching, particularly with the power numbers. He also should not hurt you too much in average, and with as much as he gets on base, Carter should produce something for you when he plays. Query, however, when and where he will play once Daniel Murphy is back in the fold, and once you answer that question in your mind, bid accordingly.
Brooks Conrad $2: Another guy with a little pop in his bat, Conrad also brings a little speed to the table. Conrad likely won't see enough ABs to make a big contribution, but with the number of injuries hitting fantasy outfields recently, the potential for the HR or SB from Conrad if you are hurting for an outfielder is worth a small bid.
Jason Giambi $1: Just a true pinch hitter at this point, Giambi does not see enough ABs to contribute to your fantasy team. He isn't a bad guy to have on your reserve list, however, in the event Helton's back were to act up again; Giambi is capable of having one of those hot weeks that can help you if a spot opens up for him to play.
Garrett Anderson $1: Andre Ethier's status is up in the air at the moment, and with Xavier Paul getting hurt when plunked this past weekend, Anderson and Johnson are again back on the radar screen. I wouldn't get too excited about that .136 average quite yet.
Kyle Kendrick $1: Being in Philadelphia, I get to see Kendrick pitch more than I would like. I see nothing in Kendrick's numbers to suggest he is going to get any better, and for as good as the Phillies' offense is, Kendrick still only has one win to show for his efforts. Kendrick has the Pirates in CBP tonight, and gets the Red Sox on Saturday. I like the win chance on Monday, but it is hard to recommend him this week with that Sox start staring him in the face, unless you have a huge ERA/WHIP lead, or you are already dead in those categories.
Willie Harris $1/Mike Morse $0: I might as well talk about these two together. Harris failed in his OF role with the Nationals and has begun to fall out of favor. Morse just came off the disabled list, and he'll now get a crack in the Nationals outfield. It is just a matter of time before the Nationals look to upgrade that position (particularly if they are still hovering around their current win percentage), so Morse is also just a short term play who will knock in a few runs here and there.
Chad Durbin $0: It is hard to go wrong bidding $0 for a guy pitching as well as Durbin. His interiors look very similar to the nice 2008 he had for the Phillies, and as long as he stays in his role, he should be fine. I think it is unlikely he will pick up anything other than the stray save now and again, even as the Phillies piecemeal the closer position.
Kyle McClellan $0: Not much has changed for McClellan; his K rate makes him attractive, but his interiors suggest that the low ERA is not sustainable. If you really need to rack up some Ks from a reliever, this is not a bad low end option.
Kevin Cash $0: Cash strikes out a lot, doesn't hit for much power, and doesn't play very much...I'm not sure what else to say other than desperate times call for desperate measures.
1 comment:
Is it too early to dump wins? I'm in a 10-team keeper NL-only 4x4, currently 7/10, 26.5 out of first with 38.5 points. I'm middling in all categories except saves (9/10 with 6; #2 team has 18) and wins (10/10 with 12; tie for first with 27). My starters are good, but they aren't getting Ws: Carpenter, Gallardo, J.O. Sanchez, Myers, and Medlen (temporarily). My "closers" are Qualls (blech!) and Contreras (temporarily).
So should I flip my starters for offense and closers? I'd backfill my staff with good middle relievers and lock in a middle-of-the-road 3.86 ERA and 1.317 WHIP. Or should I hold out and hope my starters start notching Wins and improving my ERA and WHIP, while my offense is mired in mediocrity? Thanks.
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