Matt Maloney (SP – Reds)
With Edinson Volquez hitting the 15-day DL once again, Matt Maloney appears to be the favorite to receive the start on Saturday. The Reds could turn once again to Homer Bailey, but I feel that Maloney deserves the next crack. Maloney may not have the uber-prospect pedigree and high ceiling of Bailey, but I envision him having more immediate success in the majors than Bailey due to his superior control. Maloney has been magnificent in Triple-A this season with a 2.01 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9. Maloney is unlikely to stick around for more than 2-3 starts, but he could be of use in NL-only leagues for said duration.
Zach Duke (SP – Pirates)
Zach Duke out-dueled Johan Santana last night in what was a tremendous sports night in Pittsburgh. Duke lasted 7 innings, allowed 1 ER, 1 walk, and produced 0 strike outs. Despite the lack of punch-outs, Duke was able to dominate the Mets by producing 13 GB outs. As I’ve stated before, Duke’s ERA and WHIP are due for some correction once his BABIP (.268) and HR/FB (5.3) normalize. However, he will still hold mixed league value thanks in large part to the Pirates improved defense this year. The difference between the Pirates current outfield of Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, and Brandon Moss versus outfields of years past is quite significant (recall, Jeromy Burnitz once roamed the luscious grass of PNC Park). The good news is that the defense looks like it is about to get even better in the near future upon Andrew McCutchen’s arrival. Defensive range is critical to the success of a pitch-to-contact guy like Duke. An outfield of Morgan, McLouth, and McCutchen (all 3 are natural centerfielders) sure could go a long way in enhancing Duke’s numbers all season long.
Gregor Blanco (OF – Braves)
Gregor Blanco was called up to replace Jordan Schafer on Tuesday. It is certainly a dubious decision to replace Jordan Schafer’s ‘09 major league OPS of .600 with Gregor Blanco’s ’09 Triple-A OPS of .635, and .676 OPS in the majors last year. Although, I do agree that something had to be done with Schafer, as he was progressively getting worse. While Schafer sorts things out at Triple-A, Blanco will take over as the everyday CF. Gregor hit in Schafer’s customary 8 spot in the order, but I would not be surprised to see him move into the lead-off spot due to his 0.75 EYE and .366 OBP last season in the majors. Blanco has great patience at the plate and essentially zero power, which can be seen by his career minor league OBP (.371) almost outpacing his career minor league slugging (.373). It is important to note that his solid OBP can largely be attributed to a high walk rate, which means that he will not be of much help in the BA category. Unless he moves into the lead-off spot, the only category in which he will be a contributor in is SB (13 last year in 430 AB).
Antonio Bastardo (SP – Phillies)
Antonio Bastardo was impressive in his major league debut on Tuesday night as he allowed just 1 ER over 6 IP while striking out 5 and walking just 1 batter. I feel it is noteworthy to mention that the lone walk was issued to Adrian Gonzalez, and the lone earned run came via a Gonzalez home run. Bastardo has always had significant control problems in the minors, but he has looked quite sharp in ’09 by walking just 1.9 per 9 innings between Double and Triple-A. The strike outs have always been there, and continue to be there this year (9.7 K/9). Bastardo is without question a high-quality prospect, and the injury to Brett Myers gives him the potential to remain in the rotation all season if he pitches adequately. The 1 walk allowed was definitely the most encouraging sign from his first start. I recommend adding him in NL-only leagues.
Adrian Gonzalez (1B – Padres)
Adrian Gonzalez launched his 22nd HR of the season on Tuesday night along with drawing 3 walks. He is simply on fire right now and even Petco Park can’t hold his fly balls. If you are wondering how good he truly is, simply take a look at his slash stats in road games this year (.313 / .421 / .802). Just incredible. At this time I would like to recommend the commencement of a grassroots movement aimed at having Adrian Gonzalez traded out of San Diego, so we can marvel at the statistics of one of the best hitters in the league (and easily the most underrated).
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