Gaby Sanchez (1B – Marlins)
Gaby Sanchez was called up on Tuesday. Sanchez’s defensive skills are ideally suited for 1B, but he has shown the ability to handle the hot corner adequately in Triple-A this year. It is way, way past time for the Marlins to replace Emilio Bonifacio (.253 / .299 / .318) in the starting lineup, but I’m still not sure if it will happen or not. Gaby is not a tremendous talent, but he would easily help the Marlins win more games than Bonifacio, and the switch needs to be made since the Marlins are still at .500 on the season and reasonably in contention. Sanchez has a career .302 / .390 / .481 line in the minors, along with an EYE of .96. The EYE is the most important indicator, as it tells me that Gaby can be expected to get on base at a reasonable clip right out of the gate. I wouldn’t expect much power from Sanchez this year, but it goes without saying that he still trumps Bonifacio by a landslide in that department. I wouldn’t claim him just yet in NL-only leagues, but I would definitely keep an eye on the situation. Freddi Gonzalez’s illogical infatuation with Bonifacio has got to end at some point, right?
Ryan Sadowski (SP – Giants)
Ryan Sadowski returned to the majors on Tuesday night to occupy the 5th spot in the Giants rotation. Once again I want to remind everybody not to be fooled by his 1.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. While he has been good with the ground ball (58.5%), his deceivingly desirable numbers are accompanied by a 5.00 K/9, a 4.00 BB/9, a .227 BABIP, an 85.7% strand rate, and a 0.0% HR/FB rate. Making matters worse, Sadowski has quite the middling minor league track record (4.61 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9). The high GB rates will make him successful on some nights, but I would expect him to struggle the majority of the time. I don’t really see him as an option, even in NL-only leagues. After writing this blurb, Sadowski promptly received the comeuppance that he was due by being tagged for 8 ER against the Braves. Hopefully, you weren’t lured in by the misleading ERA, since it now stands at 4.15.
Matt Downs (2B – Giants)
Matt Downs was called up on Tuesday and got the start at 2B. Kevin Frandsen was sent down in the corresponding move, which leaves 2B wide open for Downs. Downs has a very productive .306 / .364 / .488 slash line in his minor league career, but it is important to note that he has been old for his level at each of his stops. What does give me some optimism, however, is his .294 / .339 / .476 line at Triple-A this season. He has also sprinkled in 8 HR and 7 SB in 8 attempts. Downs is not going to light the world on fire, but he does potentially offer some decent production across many categories for a middle infielder. Without any competition for at bats at the moment, Downs should be owned in NL-only leagues.
Nyjer Morgan (OF – Nationals)
It appears as though my “stock-down” prediction on Nyjer Morgan back on July 1st should have been a “stock-up” arrow. The Nationals appear much more willing to allow Nyjer free-reign on the base paths than did my beloved Buccos. In 17 games with the Nationals, he has already attempted 14 steals (an insanely high number). The cause of this increased stealing has not been a function of reaching base more often (OBP is just 17 points higher with the Nationals), which tells me that the steal bonanza should continue indefinitely for Nyjer. If things do not change in Washington from a player personnel standpoint, we are most likely looking at the NL stolen base king of ’09.
Joe Blanton (SP – Phillies)
Way back on May 27, I mentioned that I was skeptical of Joe Blanton’s massively improved K/BB ratio. Here we are, almost two months later, and Blanton is still cruising along with a K/9 of 7.85 that shatters his former career high of 5.48 K/9. Most impressively, even with the addition of the K’s, Blanton has retained his historically impressive command (2.70 BB/9). I cannot offer a definitive explanation for the increased K’s (which is why I was skeptical), but the switch to the NL, along with an adjusted pitch selection (much less reliance on the curveball) have to be the main contributors. I expect to see Blanton’s ERA and WHIP continue to improve as it begins to align more closely with his peripherals.
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