Late Fantasy Picks up the 2006 MLB Season
June 5, 2008
We are approaching the home stretch in the fantasy baseball season, and it’s time to evaluate your team and figure out where you can find those late NL pickups to gain more points! The rosters of the MLB teams expand to 40 players on Sept. 1, and many of these players added to the roster can help make the difference on your team. Here are a couple of players for each team in the NL who should see playing time and/or will play an expanded role.
Arizona - With the trade of Shawn Green to the Mets, an outfield spot has opened up, and the players who will fill that hole are Carlos Quentin and Chris Young. Both are top prospects and will get plenty of at-bats the rest of the season as the D’Backs have five teams to pass to get the wild-card spot, which is highly unlikely. Jose Valverde has also been called back up from the minors and has seemed to regain his past dominance. There’s a shot he might be put back in the closer’s role, as Jorge Julio has started to falter.
Atlanta - Matt Diaz has taken over the full-time LF role in Atlanta and has been hitting well over .300 all season in a part-time role. He had good numbers in the minors, so this isn’t a fluke. Snap him up if you need help in batting average. Kyle Davies returns to the starting rotation after being out all year with an injury. Davies is talented, so keep an eye on him.
Chicago Cubs - The Cubs have had a horrible season and will try to salvage something out of it in September. This week they will activate 1B Derrek Lee off the DL, so if someone dropped him earlier in the year, go get him now. By all reports he’s fully healthy and ready to re-establish himself as one of the great hitters in the game. Also this week, the Cubs likely will call up top OF prospect Felix Pie and give him a shot at proving he’s MLB-ready. Angel Guzman has had a couple of good starts recently and bears watching if you need starting pitching help.
Cincinnati - The Reds are another team in the wild-card and division battle, so Cincy will not stick rookies in the lineup. Recent acquisition Kyle Lohse has helped solidify the Reds’ starting rotation with a bunch of good starts in a row (he did get bombed Sunday, though). Also, closer Eddie Guardado has been injured for a couple of weeks, and three different guys have come in to save games: Bill Bray, Scott Schoeneweis, and Dave Weathers. If any of those guys can grab the job permanently, they can help you in saves.
Colorado - The Rockies just brought up their top catching prospect, Chris Iannetta. Iannetta has shown good power and average in the minors and has shot through their system. It remains to be seen how often he will play, but if the Rocks fall out of contention for the wild card, look for Iannetta to get the bulk of time behind the dish.
Florida - Much to everyone’s surprise, the Marlins are right in the thick of the NL wild-card hunt and won’t mess with what’s got them to this point. They are a remarkably young team and are full of the type of players who usually get a September call-up, not play in the majors all year. Don’t look for anyone new to come in and make a fantasy impact.
Houston - No team has gone through more lineup changes this year than the Astros. You never know who is going to play from one day to the next, which as a fantasy manager drives you insane. Morgan Ensberg, who hit 36 HRs last year, currently rides the pine and young OFs Luke Scott, Chris Burke and Willy Taveras are all seeing full-time play. With this team anything can happen, so you’re making a risky play by picking up an Astro.
L.A. Dodgers - The Dodgers have been the best team in baseball since the All-Star break and definitely won’t mess with success as they battle the Padres in the N.L. West. They have a ton of good prospects, but until they clinch the playoffs I wouldn’t look for any of them to play. If/when that happens, look for OF Matt Kemp, 1B James Loney and 3B Andy LaRoche to get some playing time.
Milwaukee - The Brew Crew have already made most of their moves for the end of the year. They acquired OFs Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix from Texas in the Carlos Lee deal, and Nix has played most days in the last week. He’s not someone to go crazy over, but he could help if he gets hot. OFs Gabe Gross and Corey Hart have seen mostly full-time duty the last couple of weeks also, and both have power potential. The Brewers are still only 4-5 games back in the wild-card, so they will try and stay in it as long as they can.
N.Y. Mets - The Mets are the one team with the luxury of a huge lead, and will take the opportunity to rest their top players in September. Be cautious if you own Carlos Beltran, David Wright Jose Reyes, etc., because they will not be playing every day near the end of the year. Look for the Mets to give top OF Lastings Milledge a ton of playing time
Philadelphia - The Phillies are deep in the hunt for the NL wild card, and with the recent loss of OF Aaron Rowand to a broken ankle, look for Shane Victorino to get full-time duty the rest of the way. Victorino can give you some help in all categories and is the kind of player who can make a difference for you. Look for OF David Dellucci to get a lot more playing time as well. With the injury to closer Tom Gordon, the Phils have used a trio of Ryan Madson, Geoff Geary and Arthur Rhodes to close games out recently. Gordon is due back soon, but if he takes a turn for the worse, I’d pick up Madson, who has the last two saves.
Pittsburgh - The Pirates are kind of like the Marlins, in that they’ve been playing their top prospects and probably won’t have many newcomers who are ready to play. Look for utility-man Jose Bautista to get an extended look all over the field and OF Chris Duffy picking up some more playing time to see if he is their center fielder of the future.
San Diego - The Padres are only two games behind the Dodgers in the N.L. West but, to be honest, I don’t see how they can stay with them. The Dodgers simply have a lot more talent, and the Pads have done well to make it this far. They are definitely still in the hunt and for the wild card as well, so they will stick with what they have and try and pull off what I see as a minor miracle.
San Francisco - The Giants are really starting to play well after under-performing most of the season. It seems Barry Bonds has got a second wind and has been hitting very well lately. The Giants are just an old team, and as long as they stay in the hunt in the N.L. West and the wild card, they will remain so. For the most part the Giants have used the same core group of players, so the only guy who might see any time (and this is only in case of injury) is OF Todd Linden. With the advancing age of Bonds, Steve Finley and Moises Alou, Linden could have a chance.
St. Louis - If the Cardinals aren’t careful, they might just end up getting knocked off their N.L. Central perch. For whatever reason, they sent down the starter who has been their second-best all season, rookie Anthony Reyes, when Mark Mulder came back from injury. Mulder has been horrible all season, so if the Cards finally pull the plug, snap up Reyes right away. Rookie OF Chris Duncan has really been hitting the ball since becoming a regular, and if he isn’t taken, grab him if you need the help. Closer Jason Isringhausen has been pitching with a sore arm, so if you need saves, I’d grab Braden Looper and stick him on the bench just in case.
Washington - With the season-ending injury to OF Alex Escobar, that opens up a full-time slot for Ryan Church. The Nats really want Church to be their center fielder on a regular basis due to his good power potential, but so far he hasn’t been able to seize the opportunity. The Nats have been hit hard by injury, but SP Billy Traber has looked good in his recent chances. He’s a good speculative pick but be wary that he’s a journeyman, not a top prospect.
Tomorrow I will give you the stretch run targets in the AL.