A.L. FAAB Log: May 21, 2012

Yan Gomes $13. Other bids $11, $10, $9, $8, $3

I wrote about Gomes on Friday. I'm wondering how many owners in this league weren't aware Gomes was catcher eligible (the stat service had him listed as 3B only). Know your league's rules and do what one of the aggressive bidders did if you're not sure - ask your Commissioner. 

Drew Hutchison $2

It has been a month since I wrote about Hutchison, so an update is in order. His numbers in his last two starts make it appear that he's turning a corner but don't be fooled; Hutchison benefited greatly from an 85% or so strand rate in those two starts. His numbers put him in the serviceable category, but pitching in the tough A.L. East and a subpar K/BB rate make me nervous. He gets the Rays in Tampa this week. You can start him in A.L.-only but it's not a no-brainer. In mixed leagues he belongs on the bench or your waiver wire.

Steven Tolleson $1

With Mark Reynolds on the shelf, Tolleson was called up from AAA as depth. He might see 1-2 starts a week, but is a weak play. He's shown some speed in the minors so maybe he'll nab a bag or two out of your third MI slot but then again he might just kill your batting average by dribs and drabs. He's a career minor leaguer and isn't a prospect.

Rich Thompson $1

Thompson is a wonderful human-interest story but on most Major League teams I'd tell you to pass him by. These are the Rays, though, so there's a possibility that he might be spotted correctly and steal more than a few bases. Think Sam Fuld with less defense and more speed. Thompson should be grabbed in A.L. formats, particularly if you need to gamble on SB.

Daric Barton $1

Barton has done very little with the bat this year, but Kila Ka'aihue is slumping, so Barton might see a fair amount of starts at first for the A's. He's a below average Roto option unless he's starting every day though, so he's only an upgrade if you have an injury and aren't generating any stats.

Joe Smith $1

Joe Smith is about as vanilla a middle reliever as there is. He's also worthy of an A.L.-own (perhaps barely) because he puts up above average peripherals and survives occasionally high walk rates by inducing plenty of double play grounders. I like my middle relievers with higher K/9, but Smith is all right if you want him.

Jayson Nix $1

Barring a rash of injuries Nix won't start, but with the Yankees geriatric line-up he might get a few more AB a week than he would as bench depth on a younger team. Nix has some sneaky pop, and while the batting average will never be anything to write home about, he could knock 8-10 HR if he gets 250-300 AB. He's decent in A.L.-only in other words.

Ramon Santiago. Claimed by 9th and 2nd place teams.

Santiago would probably be stealing more time from perpetually slumping Ryan Raburn if Santiago also wasn't doing so badly. He needs to hit for a decent batting average to provide any value, since Santiago doesn't run or hit for power. 

Tom Wilhelmsen. Clamed by 8th, 4th and 2nd place teams.

There was some excitement about Wilhelmsen being a possible CIW early in the year, but it's apparent that his role is middle relief. His K/9 profile has been great this year so he's worth an A.L.-only add, but don't count on saves here.

Brayan Pena. Claimed by 7th and 6th place teams.

Pena continues to split time with Humberto Quintero. He's OK as a second catcher for the runs/RBI but not very useful for much else.

Koji Uehara. Claimed by 6th and 5th place teams.

Uehara continues to be a dynamite middle reliever for the Rangers. He'll continue to be a steady source of Ks in middle relief.

Darren O'Day. Claimed by 5th place team.

Casper Wells. Claimed by 4th and 2nd place teams.

Wells is Object Lesson number 4,274 as to why you shouldn't get excited by Spring Training or Early Season Manager Proclamations. Everyone was gushing about Wells this spring, and he was everyone's favorite deep league sleeper. But as we all know now, it didn't work out that way and Wells has mostly been on the bench. Wells is an intriguing power play if he gets a little more playing time, but it's hard to see where that playing time is coming from at the moment.

Kosuke Fukudome. Claimed by 2nd place team.

At the beginning of the season, Fukudome looked like he might be decent insurance for Alejandro De Aza, Alex Rios, Adam Dunn and/or Dayan Viciedo. But with these hitters all performing capably or better, Fukudome has been little more than a spare part. He'll get the odd start now and again but is a borderline play even in A.L.-only.