Monday, April 11, 2011

National League FAAB Log April 11, 2011

Once, again, it is time for our Sunday night/Monday morning National League FAAB log.  I will be using my 13 team National League-only league as the basis for our FAAB discussion.  As you will see below, I will list the player with the winning bid, and then include the losing bids for context.  If you have any questions about the league, or any of the players or losing bids, drop me an e-mail at tozrotothinktank@comcast.net or @TozRotoThink on Twitter.

Ryan Roberts $10 (other bids: $10, $7, $1). Stephen Drew is back in the line-up, so some at-bats just disappeared.  Since Roberts has more upside than Geoff Blum or Melvin Mora, it is likely that he will continue to see some at-bats even with Drew back.  His R/L and R/R splits are not outrageous in one direction or the other, so he is not a true platoon player.  If he continues to hit, however, he could generate quite a few at-bats between the infield and outfield.

Tyler Greene $6 (other bids: $1). Tyler Greene has seven at-bats, and Nick Punto is due back at the end of the month (or perhaps the beginning of May).  Greene is a short-term, and poor, solution to your middle-infield problems.

Jason Bourgeois $3 (other bids: $2, $2, $1, $1). Jason Bourgeois is an interesting speed play if you are in need of an outfielder this early in the season.  He can flat out run, and as a spot starter when other outfielders need a day off (or perhaps when Carlos Lee is at first base) and as a pinch runner, he could generate significant speed value.  I think I like him better than Jason Michaels.

Antonio Bastardo $3 (other bids: $1). Antonio Bastardo is quickly on his way to supplanting J.C. Romero as the Phillies’ lefty specialist out of the bullpen.  While he can strike out a lot of guys despite only throwing about 92-93, he walks a ton of guys as well and could disappear from the bullpen just as quickly as he became a factor.

Mitchell Boggs $3 (other bids: none). Mitchell Boggs’ velocity is down a bit this year, but he is striking out a few more hitters.  He is one of the possible replacements for Ryan Franklin should Tony LaRussa decide he has seen enough of late inning collapses.  Jason Motte’s velocity is also down a bit, and he has not yet struck out a batter.  This buy is a “wait and see and hope he doesn’t hurt me” play.

Esmil Rogers $3 (other bids: none). Esmil Rogers probably deserved a couple more bids here.  His home run rates and his strikeout rates show some promise.  He has a great differential between his fastball and his changeup, and he could do some damage in the Rockies’ rotation.  This is someone to watch if you have not bought him already.

Matt Lindstrom $2 (other bids: $1). Matt Lindstrom is sitting in the Rockies bullpen, but it does not appear that Huston Street is going anywhere.  Lindstrom has already given up six hits, and questions regarding his back continue to plague him.  This is just a filler pick in my opinion, and there are much better options.

Jason Giambi $2 (other bids: $1). Jason Giambi gets some bids this week due to Todd Helton’s back issues.  Giambi still has a little pop in the bat, but that bat is so slow that it is hard to imagine he will continue to produce on any consistent basis.

Taylor Buchholz $2 (other bids: none). Taylor Buchholz is now with the Mets and should be an important part of the bullpen.  His strikeout numbers are not overwhelming, but he is a relatively harmless reliever.

Jason Jaramillo $2 (other bids: none). Jason Jaramillo has contributed quite a bit to a relatively decent Pirates team so far this year.  Chris Snyder should be back this week, and Jaramillo will find himself back in the minor leagues.

Sam LeCure $2 (other bids: none). The owner that bought Sam LeCure lost Andrew Cashner, so this buy makes a little sense (I still like Rogers better).  LeCure will get a couple of more starts with Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto out, and then he will be back to the minors or the bullpen.

Mark Kotsay $1 (other bids: $1). Mark Kotsay has been playing a bit in the Brewers’ outfield, but Corey Hart will be back shortly.  He really has not done much this year, and he will do less once Hart is back full-time.

Chin-lung Hu $1 (other bids: none). Chin-lung Hu strikes out a lot and is essentially a failed prospect at this point.  He can play some defense and steal the stray base, but he is really filler that can hurt your batting average.

Juan Gutierrez $1 (other bids: none). Six strikeouts in three innings make Juan Gutierrez an attractive 5x5 target.  Eight baserunners in those same three innings makes you want to run in the other directions.  J.J. Putz, Sam Demel and others probably have a better chance of generating innings out of this bullpen.

Zach Braddock $1 (other bids: none). Zach Braddock has been a strikeout machine in the minor leagues, and, so far, he has solved some of his command problems.  He could very well disappear again from the bullpen if the command issues return, but, in the meantime, ride the strikeout machine.

No comments: