N.L. FAAB Log: July 11, 2011

Cole Garner $5.  Other bids: $3, $2.

Garner is an after-thought as a prospect, but put together a decent year at AAA (7/29/3/.340).  The holes are obvious: 1) he has a lot of speed, but is not a very good base-stealer; 2) he strikes out way too much to be successful at the major league level.  As the free agent pool thins out, however, he is worth a pick-up in NL-only leagues.  He is not, at this point, a mixed league option.

Eugenio Velez $5.
Velez once again put up good numbers at AAA this year (he has hit below .300 in the minor leagues once in his career), this time with the Dodgers rather than the Giants.  It is telling that a number of other players have been given a shot in the Dodgers line-up while Velez sat in the minors, so I do not think we can expect too much from Velez.  If you are desperate for a speedy middle infielder, then Velez is a flier worth taking, as he should not kill your batting average.

Mike Cameron $4.  Other bids: $3, $1.

Speaking of fliers, here is one.  At $4, it is hard to argue; go higher, and, well, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  He looks like a retired player already, and the season is only half over.  The speed is gone.  The bat speed is gone.  The line-drive stroke is gone.  He is a mere shell of himself at this point, and I find it hard to believe he will be productive in the National League.

Dontrelle Willis $2.
Willis seemed to like Louisville, putting up a 2.63 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.  More important, he put up a 67/20 K/BB in 75 innings.  Unfortunately, the walks returned in his first 2011 major league start, walking four in six innings.  I did not bid on Willis, so it is hard for me to back this following statement up, but I like Willis going forward as an experiment.  He is likely not a keep going in to next year, but if you put him on a short leash, he could pay dividends in the win column without killing your peripherals.

Matt Pagnozzi $1.

Pagnozzi is not hurting your average...yet.  He has struck out eight times in 25 plate appearances, and if he sees anything resembling part-time play, he will hurt that average.  He just appears over-matched, his 2010 cup of coffee aside.

Brandon Hicks $1.
This is what I wrote about Hicks almost exactly one year ago:  Aaron Hicks might deserve a $9 bid.  Brandon Hicks does not.  While Hicks brings some speed to the table (the power he showed in the minors in 2008 just doesn't seem to be there anymore), he barely plays and is a poor option even in the deepest NL-only league.   A couple of things are still true - Hicks does not play much and he does not hit for much power.  Whether Aaron Hicks is still deserving of a $9 bid is an open question.

Wilkin Ramirez $1.
Ramirez does one thing very well...he likes to strike out.  He does have a bit of pop in his bat, so if you are desperate to fill a hole, then you could look here.  There really is no upside, however, so it would be better to look elsewhere.

Matt Downs.  Claimed by the 6^th and 1^st place teams.
Downs is having a nice year so far: 6/22/0/.270 is beyond expectations.  He did not see an at-bat for six days, however, and the Astros are getting healthier.  With such a crowded line-up (not that any of these players we are talking about are world-beaters), it will be tough for him to get at-bats.  Nonetheless, he seems to be hot this season, and if you want to get him and his position flexibility, it is hard to argue with a small bid or waiver claim.

Matt Lindstrom.  Claimed by the 2^nd place team.
Lindstrom continues to pitch well, but is in no danger of taking Huston Street's job any time soon.