Fantasy Pickups

Here are a few more guys worthy of noting, and a possible add for your fantasy team.

Ricky Romero- started the season off very nicely but hit the DL. An 8th overall pick in 2005, Romero has put together two nice starts his last time out. He is currently 3-3 with a 3.71 ERA.



Chris Young- Was mass dropped after an absolutely terrible start to the season, and is only owned in 35% of yahoo leagues. He's finally starting to heat up; he has cracked a few HR in his past couple of games and has actually been walking. If hes available, snag him right now.

Potential Buy Low Trade Target-

JJ Hardy- Hardy has had a terrible start to the season and is currently in an 0 for 28 slump. But, his splits suggest his best is yet to come as he is much better in the last few months of the season. If you can get him for a reduced asking price, i say pull the trigger.

DL Diamonds in the Rough

Here are a couple of players that have come off disabled list or will soon be coming off the disabled list that are worth looking into.
Pitchers:

Rich Hill: A starting pitcher who has yet to live up to the hype of Ace, Hill has recently come off the DL for Baltimore. In his first outing back Hill allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks through 5.2 innings against the Royals on Saturday. Hill threw a good amount of strikes and showed glimpses of his signature curveball while facing the minimum amount of batters in 3 of his 5.2 innings. Although he has only had one start from being back, Hill has shown many good signs that hint he could be back to his former self quite soon.


Chris Carpenter: There are still many questions concerning Chris Carpenter this year, one of them being to what capacity will the former ace be able to perform at when he comes back to pitch on May 20th. Prior to going on the DL in April, Carpenter had one win in two starts with an ERA of 0.00 along with 9 K's. Although there is no guarantee he will ever regain his form that won him a Cy Young a four years ago, the risk-reward ratio for picking up a guy like this is too high to pass up in a competitive league.

Call Ups Galore

Many of baseball's top prospects got the call this week as struggling teams are looking for a spark to get their team on track. Here's what they'll mean to your fantasy team.

Batters

Gerardo Parra- Through 2 major league games, he already has a triple, a HR, and 2 RBI. He posted 3 HR 12 RBI and a .361 AVG on Arizona's AA minor league squad. His playing time may be limited. Definately worth the add in keeper leagues and deeper NL only leagues. Nothing more than a watch list player for now in 12 team mixed leagues.

Mat Gamel- Absolutely stroking it at AAA this year putting up a .336/.428/.647 line while knocking out 8 longballs and driving in 31 runs. The second coming of Ryan Braun, the kid can hit but is lost on defense. Must be owned for the Brewers series against the Twins where he will DH, but after that hes basically useless. I see him probably getting sent down to the minors until Bill Hall either gets hurt or loses his job due to poor performance. Must be owned in keeper leagues and NL only leagues. If he is still available in mixed leagues, worth the shot no doubt.

Nolan Reimold- Has been getting regular playing time with both Adam Jones and Luke Scott dealing with injury, but has yet to capitalize on the opportunity. Best option of the three because of the playing time.

Pitchers

Kris Medlen- Jo Jo Reyes has pitched his way out of the Atlanta rotation and made way for Medlen who has been sailing smoothly through minor league batters. He went 5-0 with a .96 ERA and a .98 WHIP. Give him one start before rostering him. Could have success at the major league level. If he doesnt work out, Hanson will get the call (Hanson should be owned in all leagues.)

The Free Agent Closer Market

Just because you didn't draft the big guns such as Francisco Rodriguez or Mariano Rivera doesn't mean you're out of luck. There are many quality names lurking within the free agent pool that could earn you some saves.


Andrew Bailey (48% owned in Yahoo Leagues) -

The New Jersey native, Bailey was selected by the Oakland A's in the 2006 draft. Bailey was never really viewed as a top prospect in the organization, however managed to find his way onto the major league roster, despite a disappointing showing last season in the minors. However, once he was called up Bailey hit the ground running. Since Opening Day, Bailey has produced an impressive 3-0 record and a 1.27 earned run average. That along with current Oakland closer Brad Ziegler's struggles should warrant him a pick up as he is in line to rack up a number of saves as the season progresses.

Juan Cruz (27% owned in Yahoo Leagues) -

This off season the future wasn't very bright for Juan Cruz. Despite coming off a very solid year with the Arizona Diamondbacks no team had much interest due to his Type A status. After a rare sign-and-trade deal was worked out Cruz ended up with the Royals where he was to setup for superstar closer, Joakim Soria. However, with Soria going on the DL for at least two weeks, Cruz will have an opportunity to close for the red hot Royals and should collect a half of a dozen saves or so, depending on how long Soria is out.

LaTroy Hawkins (39% owned in Yahoo Leagues) -

The former Yankees and Rockies reliever has found a new home in Houston. Coming into the season it looked as if Hawkins would have no chance to earn anything other than a couple of holds. This changed when the bullpen suffered injuries to both closer Jose Valverde and Doug Brocail. For the next few weeks Houston will rely on Hawkins to close out games. So far he is 4-for-6 in save opportunities. However, is an attractive option due to having a 61% availability.

Waiver Wire Gems

Entering another week of fantasy you may be looking for a boost at a couple positions. Here's a few guys that are hot as of late and may be worth the pickup.

Batters

Josh Willingham- Hes had some nice seasons in Florida, but was a fourth outfielder on Washington. With Milledge down in the minors, hes been been getting increased playing time. Hit 4 HR 5 RBI and a .286 AVG last week. RBI total should go up as he moves up in the lineup. He's red hot, but its too early to give him the add. Stash him on your watch list and give him some time.

Casey Kotchman- Another guy who had success at another location (Angels). He's been red hot as of late, but I wouldn't this production to stay. He's been unproductive since coming to Atlanta, and in my opinion, his hitting is coming as a direct result of his benching. Recently Bobby Cox started infielder Martin Prado over Kotchman, which light a fire under Casey's butt.

Pitchers

Brett Cecil- Add this guy as fast as you can. Pitching 8 scoreless in his last start on Sunday, he's got a lot of upside and is playing for a Toronto team that has been scoring runs by the bundles. This guy could be a very good 3rd pitcher for you fantasy team. Only 13% owned in yahoo leagues.

Kiko Calero- Relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins. He's got 5 holds on the season along with a great line, posting a 1.68 ERA, .90 WHIP, and 12.42 K/9. With undoubtedly help your ratios to help backup your rotation. Readily available in all yahoo leagues.

P.S.
Sorry about not posting all weekend, as I was afk all weekend.

Minor Moves = Possible Fantasy Value

With the suspension of Manny Ramirez and a few guys hitting the DL, there have been a few minor call ups from the minors throughout the majors. There are more than a few guys you might want to add to your watch list to see their performance and possible fantasy value.

Send Downs:
Vinnie Chulk: Looked pretty solid for a little bit. 3.75 ERA in 12.1 innings. There wasn't much fantasy value there, but i would have liked to see the guy stay on the major league squad for a little bit.

Jonathon Van Every: Provided a nice average in the few games he played; Another guy i would have liked to see have a little more playing time.

Call ups:
Rocco Baldelli: Former 6th overall pick and "Can't miss prospect." Hitting in a very good Boston lineup and hopefully healthy, he might be able to provide some value. Clearly he's not worth the add right now, but he's worth a spot on your watch list.

Jeremy Sowers: Also a 6th overall pick, the 26 year old posted a 2.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 4 starts at Triple-A. Had a rough first start against Boston, but still may provide some fantasy value. Put him on your watch list and keep an eye on him, he might be poised for a breakout year.

Xavier Paul: Called up after Manny was set to serve his suspension, posted a .344 AVG with 2 HR and 14 RBi so far at AAA. Without regular playing time he might not post serviceable numbers, but at only 24 years of age he may be one to watch.

Manny Being Manny

If you had drafted Manny in hopes that he would sign before the season started and just be Manny for the rest of the year, you looked like a genius up until today. You probably spent around a 3rd round pick on him, and now serving his 50 game suspension, you're undoubtedly in need of some production.

Guys to Consider:

Marlon Byrd: Although his production is already starting to tail off as of late, hes still posting a .319 avg with 16 RBIs. Hitting in a potent Rangers lineup is going to help this guy out a lot. I put him at a moderate buy if you're in dire need of an outfielder.

Scott Hairston: Currently ranked 131 in yahoo leagues, this guy is putting up a .344/.412/.672 line along with 4 HR and 15 RBIs. His career .252 avg scares me, and personally I'd rather have Byrd.

David Dejesus: Miraculously available in 92% of yahoo leagues, this guy has posted 3 HR and 14 RBI. Although he is only batting .248 at the moment, he is a career .286 hitter. Expect this guy to start crushing the ball soon in a surprisingly productive KC lineup.