Blake Tekotte $12. Other bids: $10, $5, $4.
Tekotte came into the season as John Sickels’ 19th best Padres prospect. He projects to a 4th outfielder, but he comes with a rare combination of power, speed and strike-zone judgment. It is unknown how long he will be up with the major league club, but he should see some at-bats and could eventually become a platoon outfielder. If you need some pop or some speed, this is a good investment at this stage.
Juan Nicasio $11. Other bids: $7.
Nicasio slid right under the radar in our National League this week. Sickels rated him as the 6th best prospect (B rating) coming into 2011, and he did not disappoint in the minors. The scouts love his variety of pitches, the increase in his fastball velocity, and his K/BB rate. He projects to a number 3 starter eventually, but he has very few innings at the higher levels of the minors. This is a very good speculation play, particular in keeper formats.
Brandon Crawford $10. Other bids: $9, $8, $6, $1.
I wrote about Crawford on Friday. Known for his glove, he is hitting a little bit so far (with a career at-bat number three grand slam), and, hence, the 5 bids.
Mike MacDougal $6.
MacDougal got a save about 10 days ago, and everyone got excited. Well, we can tuck his 10 walks in 18 innings back into our pockets and move on…he clearly is not the guy in that bullpen. And if he is not the guy in that bullpen, there are better relievers to go get.
Eli Whiteside $5. Other bids: $2.
Whiteside is the sudden beneficiary in playing time due to the Buster Posey injury. He is not a complete zero: he does bring some pop in his bat. The average will not be pretty, but it is hard to find an even half-decent catcher in the free agent pool.
Javy Guerra $4. Other bids: $3.
I wrote about Guerra on Friday. I am surprised there were only two bids on him; I expected more action.
Sean Burroughs $4.
Burroughs cannot hit major league pitching. There, I said it. He hit one home run for Reno in the PCL; his .368 average still leaves an unimpressive MLE when adjusted for the PCL. You can likely just pass here.
Joe Saunders $3. Other bids: $1.
Saunders really stunk up the joint to start the season. His last three starts, however, have been significantly better. This week, Saunders is at home against the Marlins and the Nationals. This could be a good week for Saunders, and while I find it hard to recommend him, I think it is a decent gamble.
Luis Montanez $2. Other bids: $1.
Montanez could not hit the American League; I have little confidence that he will hit in the National League. He raked in the PCL, but that power never translated in Baltimore, and with little speed, he has little to offer fantasy owners.
Chris Nelson $2.
Nelson got the call during the great Rockies roster and line-up shakeup of May 2011. He deserved it, hitting 315/.346/.503 with five homers and 40 RBI at Triple-A. He will get the occasional start and come off the bench to pinch hit and pinch run. In a tough spot, Nelson is a decent fill-in in NL-only leagues.
Edward Mujica $1. Other bids $1, $1.
Mujica is always a popular “get” in NL-only leagues. He has been a bit unlucky so far this year with the ERA. His K/BB remains stellar along with his 1.03 WHIP. Mujica is never a bad addition in NL-only leagues.
Tony Cruz $1.
Cruz is up to take Gerald Laird’s spot on the roster. He will be a true back-up catcher. Very limited at-bats; limited power; poor average…bid only in desperation.
Nick Evans $1.
I thought it was funny that Mike wrote about Nick Evans around Memorial Day…2008. I touched on Evans briefly a week ago; he was mired in an awful slump in the minors (though he did pick it up in May), and he has not hit consistently at this level. He will be back to the minors when Ike Davis returns which, for the Mets, cannot be soon enough.
Logan Ondrusek $1.
Ondrusek is a useful reliever with a rubber arm and a decent amount of strikeouts. I think better options were available in our league this week, but Ondrusek should be helpful if you need a relatively safe reliever.
Wilson Valdez $1.
Valdez will be headed back to the bench this week with Utley playing more regularly. He will continue to see at-bats while spelling Utley, Rollins and Polanco from time to time.
Brooks Conrad. Claimed by the 13th place team.
I wrote about Brooks Conrad here. Conrad is hitting .154, so it is difficult to find a reason to own him. This was this owner’s only move for the week – hard to believe there were no bids on Crawford, Burroughs, Valdez, or other better players.
John Lannan. Claimed by the 6th place team.
Lannan is maddening to fantasy owners. His former owner watched him drop his best start in two years right after he waived him. Lannan has been decent since a rough start, but he gets the Phillies this week, and that is a matchup I might steer clear of, now that the Phillies are beginning to hit a little.
Kameron Loe. Claimed by the 9th and 8th place team.
I wrote about Loe on Friday. He is pitching fairly well, and will get an occasional save when John Axford needs a break.
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