Jason Marquis (SP – Rockies)
As has been his style this year, Jason Marquis wiggled his way through 6 effective innings on Tuesday night. As Paul pointed out yesterday, Marquis’ .274 BABIP and 7.7% HR/FB rate are ripe for some regression, but I still do see plenty of value here as a situational starter in fantasy leagues. Quite predictably, Marquis performs significantly better on the road (3.23 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) than at home (3.79 ERA, 1.41 WHIP). The split should actually be even more severe, but Marquis has been extremely lucky with the home run ball at home this year with only 3 allowed. I would start Marquis with confidence on the road in any league.
Everth Cabrera (SS – Padres)
The Padres pint-sized SS smacked 2 doubles and swiped 2 bags last night. He now has 4 extra base hits in his last 2 games, and 6 SB in his last 6 games. At just 22 years old and with just 27 AB above Single-A, Cabrera is adjusting very well to the major leagues. He currently has an EYE of 0.59, which is quite impressive given his age and experience, along with a 9% extra base hit rate (not bad for SS). As other analysts have previously covered with Cabrera, he is an instant game-changer in the SB category in NL-only leagues. Additionally, with his quicker than expected adjustment to the majors, he now appears as though he might not drag down NL-only leaguers in the remaining categories. Needs to be owned in all NL-only leagues.
Seth Smith (OF – Rockies)
Seth Smith hit 2nd in the Rockies lineup on Tuesday night. Statistically speaking, Smith should be finding himself in this spot on a nightly basis, but in actually, he still can’t even find the field on a nightly basis. Smith is currently sporting a .291 / .396 / .484 line along with a fantastic EYE of 0.97. Carlos Gonzalez has a very bright future, but with the Rockies contending for a playoff spot, he and his .225 / .288 / .373 has no business keeping Seth Smith’s bat on the pine. Gonzalez has now had 100 AB, and has not responded, which leads me to believe that we will be seeing more and more Smith down the stretch. Finally, recall that Smith’s current season has not been a fluke, as he has a .924 OPS in 200 games at Triple-A in his career. He should be owned in all NL-only leagues.
Sean Gallagher (SP – Padres)
Sean Gallagher was officially named as the final piece in the Scott Hairston trade. Gallagher is currently on the Triple-A disabled list, where he will remain for the next 7 days. Recall that Gallagher was the centerpiece in the Rich Harden deal last season. He could make it up to the big leagues in ’09 if he is immediately effective upon returning from the DL. He is obviously in a great situation by pitching half of his games at Petco. Gallagher is someone to keep an eye on if he gets the call-up this season, and is clearly someone to target next year.
Mitchell Boggs (SP – Cardinals)
Mitchell Boggs will get the first crack at replacing Todd Wellemeyer in the Cardinals rotation. Boggs has quite the underwhelming minor league track record, which includes a 4.29 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 in Triple-A this season. Additionally, I am still having trouble washing that awful taste out of my mouth that was left by his 3.44 K/9 and 5.82 BB/9 in 34 major league innings last season. As you can probably tell, I am not very optimistic that Boggs will have much success in this spot. However, on the positive side, he could be a nice source of wins pitching for the Cardinals if he can remain in the rotation (a big if).
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