Brett Wallace:
While the Oswalt trade got all the headlines, spinning Anthony Gose into Brett Wallace might be the move the Astros end up celebrating in the end. Wallace was drafted by the Cardinals in the 1st Rd of the 2008 draft and has quickly made his way up to the AAA level where he’s hit .301/.359/.509 this season in Las Vegas. He’s now been involved in the Matt Holliday, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and now Roy Oswalt trades, which suggests he’s not a prospect without faults and that’s accurate. Wallace is a poor defender and long-term in the NL will be relegated to 1B. In addition to weak defense he’s posted just a 7% BB Rate throughout his minor league career and while the Slugging % is nice (.487) its not “elite” for spending much of his time in hitters parks in the PCL. He has a really low floor as a prospect as he’ll likely be an above average bat at the major league level, but I’m not sure the ceiling is as high as most make it out to be. He’s 24 and posting an .870 OPS in a friendly hitters park in Las Vegas. While he can likely hold his own (and may get his shot if the Astros can deal Lance Berkman), I’m not sure he’ll be a “star” right away. He kind of reminds me of Lyle Overbay, which during his cost-controlled years would be a nice bargain for the Astros but certainly not a superstar. For fantasy leaguers NL Only keeper formats should obviously pursue and NL Only redraft might want to make a FA bid given he’s likely to get some AB’s at some point this year in Houston. For mixed redraft leagues I think it’s a wait and see approach. If called up he’s got some mild upside, but the 1B position is deep and I probably wouldn’t waste a waiver claim. I’d prefer to reserve him until I see how the bat plays at the major league level.
Andres Torres:
It’s rather unusual for a 32 year old journeyman to turn into a fantasy star but that’s exactly what has happened with Andres Torres. His game has never really fit his body as the 5-10/190 lb OF has largely been a power hitter throughout his minor league career. He’s flashed potential at AAA posting OPS above .850 in 2007 and 2008 but couldn’t catch the eyes of the Tigers or Cubs. After coming over to the Giants in 2009 he posted the same .850+ OPS in limited time (170 PA’s) once again spurred on by the big pop. This year he’s wrestled away a starting OF role and just kept on hitting. His big swing does lead to a lot of K’s (23%) but he’s bumped up his BB Rate to a solid 11.8% and coupled with the great pop (.224 ISO) and above average speed (76% SB Success Rate in minors) has made him a legitimate 5-category contributor in fantasy. While the path is unusual, as is the skill-set, Torres’ production is legitimate. He’s crushed it at AAA and the majors for the last 3 years and he’s added skills at each level, improving his BB Rate and LD Rate along the way. Sure his major league career won’t be a long fabeled one, but he’s an elite fantasy player at age 32.
Ubaldo Jimenez:
I spent a good part of late Thursday afternoon cursing Jim Tracy’s name as Tracy left Jimenez in to pitch the 7th inning of an 8-1 game after Jimenez had already racked up 108 pitches. I’m generally not one to obsess over pitch counts and abuse but we saw a pretty clear pattern of abuse earlier in the season with Jimenez (7 of 11 starts with 115+ pitches) and it was immediately followed by a jump in Jimenez’s BB Rate and a lack of command (often signs of fatigue). Even though the results were strong on Thursday (7 IP, 1 ER, 7 base-runners, 6 K’s) signs for concern were there. Jimenez walked 3 Pirates over the 7 innings and has now walked 3 or more in 5 of his last 6 starts. In addition Thursday marked the 8th time he’s crossed the 115 pitch plateau and the 5th time he’s surpassed 120 pitches in an outing. We’ve already seen some evidence the earlier abuse has effected his command and I’m concerned we may see more. As a result, I’d still consider shopping Jimenez for a similarly skilled pitcher who hasn’t experienced as much wear and tear this season.
Drew Storen:
When the Matt Capps news broke last night I was immediately tweeting to go get Drew Storen as he looks like the most likley fill-in for the closer’s role in Washington. Tyler Clippard has imploded over the last month giving up 18 base-runners and 10 ER’s in his last 11 2/3 innings, while Storen has steadily improved his K:BB Rate (11:4 in last 11 innings). Throw in the fact that Storen is considered the closer of the future and he looks like the most appropriate add. Looking at Storen’s skill-set a 4.25 BB/9 coupled with a 39% GB Rate suggests there will be some struggles ahead, but with good stuff (33% outside swing rate, 94.5 mph fastball) he should be able to hold the job through the inevitable ups and downs. He’ll slide in as a RP3 option and probably hold value similar to a Chris Perez type.
R.A. Dickey:
You got to give credit to our resident Mets expert Richard Gross as he nailed Dickey’s improvements way back in Mid-June, noting his value was on the rise due to an increased GB Rate. I followed up that note a week later indicating Richard had made me take a closer look and the peripherals supported the improvements. Here we are two months later and Dickey sits with a 2.32 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. The peripherals still remain very strong as Dickey’s generating a 56% GB Rate and really limiting the BB’s (2.34 BB/9). He was magnificent again on Thursday limiting the Cardinals to just 4 hits and 2 BB’s over 8 1/3 shutout innings; inducing an incredible 17 ground balls along the way. The extreme GB Rate coupled with great command and an adequate K Rate, makes R.A. Dickey a Joel-Pineiro type clone with more K’s. While there is some room for negative regression going forward, its just modest as Dickey’s FIP is a phenomenal 3.24. He should be owned in all formats.
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