If your AL-only roto league compiles equivalent stats for everyone on the roster, you know how important those $1 players can be. I've compiled a list of players that might still be available in some leagues, who could provide a little spark to your team. Here then, are those major-league bench players, middle relievers and spot starters...
American League
Justin Speier, RP, Angels
- A very good setup man for Scot Shields who sets up K-Rod. Man, what a 'pen.
Chad Durbin, SP, Tigers
- He looks like the Tigers' fifth starter until Kenny Rogers comes back in July from a blood clot. That's plenty of time to prove that he belongs in the rotation permanently.
Reggie Willits, OF, Angels
- He stole 4 bases in 28 games for the Halos last year.
Chad Gaudin, SP, A's
- While Esteban Loaiza is out, Gaudin will make a few starts. Then he will go back to the pen until needed as a starter again. You could definitely do worse for your 5th starter.
George Sherrill, RP, Mariners
- After a terrible spring, the reliable lefty reclaims his spot in the Seattle bullpen.
Chad Bradford, RP, Orioles
- He had a great year with the Mets last year. The sidearmer will give you 50+ innings of low ERA and WHIP.
Marco Scutaro, SS, A's
- Bobby Crosby's recurring injuries lead to plenty of playing time for the A's "Mr. Clutch".
Victor Zambrano, RP, Blue Jays
- A starter turned reliever, Zambrano has too much stuff to remain in the Jays' bullpen for long. Expect him to be starting before June.
Wily Mo Pena, OF, Red Sox
- He hardly plays, but when he does, he hits Home Runs.
Jamie Shields, SP, Devil Rays
- Only 25 years old, Shields had a sub-5.00 ERA and a pretty nice strikeout-to-walk ratio last year. He should get better with experience.
Fausto Carmona, SP, Indians
- Carmona has put up some pretty good minor-league numbers. He starts while Cliff Lee is rehabbing.
Robinson Tejada, SP, Rangers
- He shut down the Red Sox today. He shouldn't be available in deep mixed leagues, but if he is...grab him.
Jesse Crain, RP, Twins
- A hard throwing righty. Joe Nathan is a Free Agent after 2008, so Crain may close for the Twinkies after that.
Boof Bonser, SP, Twins
- Once a hot prospect, Bonser is just trying to settle into the Twins rotation. He's better than Carlos Silva, so his job should be safe for now.
Tony Pena, SS, Royals
- The son of the former Pirates catcher, Pena culd win the Royals shortstop job outright if Berroa doesn't work out (he won't).
Ryan Garko, 1B, Indians
- Tons of power make Garko a sleeper. He just needs more playing time.
Kelly Shoppach, C, Indians
- Of the backup catchers in the AL, Shoppach probably has the most potential.
Jeremy Accardo, RP, Blue Jays
- He had a decent WHIP last year, but his ERA was 5+. He should be better this year.
Bobby Kielty, OF, A's
- Kielty mashes lefties, and is usually the first bat off the bench when the A's need an OF.
Jason Tyner, OF, Twins
- In three AB this year, the speedy Tyner has two SB's already. Not a bad ratio.
2 comments:
Hey Scott, I realize this is an old thread but I just had Joe Saunders get sent down in my A.L. league, and there's only the usual turds floating at the top of the free agent bowl -- Odalis Perez, Steve Trachsel, Tomo Ohka and worse.
In fact, there's just three starters in the free agent pool with ERAs under 5.00: Chad Gaudin, Josh Towers and Brandon Duckworth.
Seeing Gaudin I remembered you had him on your list of $1 end-of-draft guys. Boof Bonser, Jamie Shields and Robinson Tejada are gone, but Gaudin, Fausto Carmona and Chad Durbin are there. So is John Danks, another guy who could be on that $1 list.
Danks, Carmona and Durbin have sucked so far; Gaudin almost looks too good, like he's due for a couple Brandon McCarthy-style beat-downs to correct his ERA to league average.
If it came down to one of those three, or Towers or Duckworth for that matter, which one would you grab? (It's early enough in the season I don't need any particular category, just wins and Ks without blowing out my ERA. Also, it's a keeper league, but we only keep five, so that isn't much of a consideration unless one of these guys turns out to be Justin Verlander.)
Or would you avoid starters altogether and go for a safe middle reliever? They won't give me much but at least they won't kill my ERA. All the relievers on your list are available, except for Justin Speier.
Just curious as to your thoughts. Hopefully you'll see this comment way down here.
Thanks, Butch
Butch,
Great question. I do like Gaudin for as long as he's in the rotation, and even stashing him as a middle reliever. With Harden, Loaiza, etc... injuries, he should see plenty of innings this year.
Don't write off Ohka yet. He has looked bad early, but I just picked him up in my very deep AL-league. Try to grab him before June. The Jays' June and July schedules look pretty good with respect to the offenses they face. Also to consider, Ohka's career ERA by month is around 4.00 or lower except in July, when it's over six.
When I saw Duckworth in the AAA all star game a few years ago, I thought he was going to be great, but he hasn't shown it in the bigs so far.
I've never been high on Towers, and I think he may be on the downside of his young career.
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