N.L. Gearing Up: June 4-10

Rising Up

Yasmani Grandal (7% owned last week; 15% this week)

With Nick Hundley absolutely stinking up the joint, the Padres decided to call up Grandal and see what he can do. Rotoworld keeps repeating that Grandal isn't up to sit, but I suspect that Hundley and Grandal will split time initially, which doesn't make Grandal an ideal FAAB target. The other problem I see with Grandal is that he's a better baseball player than a Roto player. His OBP is terrific, and his plate discipline will make him plenty valuable for the Padres, but he's not a big power guy and Petco is going to suppress what little power Grandal has. If you're in an OBP league Grandal's a must get, but otherwise I'd be conservative with a FAAB bid...particularly since I'm not sure Grandal's going to play more than 3-4 times a week.

Michael Fiers (0% owned last week; 4% this week)

By now, you probably know what I'm going to say about Fiers before I say it. He has never been considered much of a prospect because his fastball is below average, but he knows how to pitch. He throws every pitch in his arsenal well, changes speeds, and has put up very good numbers at every step on the minor league ladder. If he makes it past his turn tomorrow he has a nice match-up against the Padres after that. Fiers is worth a spec play in N.L.-only leagues.

Andrelton Simmons (3% owned last week; 6% this week)

The Tyler Pastornicky experiment has failed; now it's time for Andrelton Simmons. A top-flight prospect, Simmons is cut from the same cloth that Grandal is: a better real life prospect than Roto prospect. Simmons should provide enough defense right away to provide value to the Braves, but even if he hits .280 he doesn't have enough power or speed yet to be a big earner in Roto. I suspect he'll go for a big number in Tout Wars this weekend, but I'll be bidding conservatively.

Alex Castellanos (1% owned last week; 4% this week)

Yep, those sick numbers that Castellanos has put up so far this year were in the PCL. And, yes, Castellanos isn't a 21-year-old pup but rather a 25-year-old organizational soldier. But those numbers are pretty damn great and can't be discounted entirely. Even better for us fantasy owners, the Dodgers have a few gaping holes in their line-up and need offense badly. Castellanos should get a shot to play/produce and does have a solid power/speed combo going for him. I'd bid for him in N.L.-only and monitor in mixed leagues. Long term, though, I see Castellanos as more of a fourth OF type.