We are getting to the time of year where “Gearing Up” might rightfully be called “Gearing Down.” With a month to go in the season, I hope you are in contention in your league(s). For this week, I am going to focus on some players available on our waiver wire, and then take a look at newly activated/called up players who could make some fantasy impact. I will also make sure to take a look at some players who are of value to non-contenders as well.
Ankiel is available on waivers this week in our league. I think the best description for his season thus far is: disappointing. A .238/8/30/10 line is certainly not what the Nationals or fantasy players envisioned at the start of the season. He does play more than anyone on our waiver wire this week, so if you are in need of someone who will move the chains, you could certainly look here in NL-only leagues. There may, however, be better options available in your league.
Saunders is putting up a decent year for the Diamondbacks. He did have a rough outing last time out, and he gets the Rockies this week (against my darling Kevin Millwood). Since Saunders is neither a good wins play nor a good peripherals play, you should let him go if he is available.
I wrote about Gee recently; he, of course, paid no attention to my concerns about his workload. Attention non-contenders: Gee should be on your target list in NL-only leagues (assuming he is available in your league – he was waived in ours), depending on your rules regarding free agent acquisitions.
Wells has spun two very nice outings against the Braves and Giants in his last two starts. It is premature to think he has recaptured some of his former success, but he is worth keeping an eye on as the month progresses. He gets the Mets in New York next Friday…that is certainly a match-up worth taking.
Dotel gets a mention here because he has been nothing short of tremendous for the Cardinals. His K/9 is well over 12, and, at a time of year where relievers are important, he is worth owning, certainly in place of a mediocre starter.
Logan Schafer.
Schafer put up a nice year at AAA, though he did it at the age of 24. Nonetheless, .315/5/43/16 is nothing to sneeze at. He will likely see a spot start now and again as the Brewers coast to the finish line, and he is of significant speed impact for your fantasy team, though his opportunities are hard to predict right now.
Josh Satin.
Satin is beyond prospect at this point, but deserved a call-up based on his season at AAA (.323/12/76). He may see some time down the stretch, as he plays first, second and third (none very well unfortunately), but I think his time will be mostly limited to pinch hitting.
Non-contender alert! Maldonado is up and available for your bidding. Well, maybe we should not get too excited just yet. While Maldonado hit 11 home runs this year, 8 of them were this past month. He is a great defender, but it appears he is a low-average, moderate power profile for the majors.
LaHair finally won an MVP award … after 653 games in AAA. He absolutely ripped up AAA this year. If he plays any significant amount of time down the stretch, he could certainly add to your fantasy team’s power profile. Of course, there is a reason he has 653 games at AAA.
Maloney was a John Sickels C+ prospect, and that is certainly what he looks like right now. He missed a good part of the season with a strained oblique (of course, who did not miss time with a strained oblique this season), but has been stellar in relief in AAA. I think Maloney is still in the plans as a future starter, so his September role bears watching. For now, he and Travis Wood will be teamed up in the bullpen.
I mention these two players not because they are good but because they are fast. If you need a speed flier, you could look here. Just do not expect too much.
A former B prospect, Lindblom fell on hard times as a starter. He has been significantly better as a reliever, but for those of you who remember his prospect bloom, you can ignore that now.
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