Todd Frazier - Frazier hasn't exactly grabbed the 3B job and run with it, going 1-11 with 6 K's since Scott Rolen made his latest trip to the DL, but there's some potential here (particularly if Dusty stays out of the way with his impending Cairo fetish). Frazier is still just 26 and has an intriguing power/speed combo (21 HR and 18 SB last year), with the requisite contact-related issues that often prevent him from breaking out fully. His LD rates are normally rather high, allowing him to post higher AVG numbers than you'd expect given his penchant for the swing-and-miss. The Reds are playing well enough that hopefully Frazier has a bit of leash here, as I do think that he could surprise if he can hold onto enough PT. He is a solid gamble as an injury fill-in for the next few weeks at a minimum, and from the sound of Rolen's interview last week I'm not so sure he will be back quickly....his shoulder is really bothering him although there isn't a specific acute injury to be blamed this time.
Ryan Vogelsong - Vogelsong tossed another quality start yesterday despite another five walks, but the Giants couldn't offer enough support for him until he left the game so he remains at 1-2 on the year. Much of the time that talk about trying to sell a player high we're sort of hoping that you can find someone that doesn't pay enough attention to the underlying stats to get an accurate picture of the player's real value, but with Vogelsong I think you might be able to really sell him at a higher value than you'd expect due to the length of time that he's outperformed his peripherals. The 34 year old did make great strides last year, and he is still a better pitcher now than he was a few years back, but there are so many areas in which he is regressing or has been fortunate here in 2012 that I can't help but think that he's going to struggle significantly at some point this year. I don't expect him to perform at more than a back-end starter's value the rest of the way, but I do expect that if you shop him around you can find someone willing to pay more than that, and that's definitely something that I would advise all of his owners to explore immediately.
Jesus Flores - I highlighted Flores back in the spring as someone that could emerge if more playing time arose, and lo and behold it has come to pass. Wilson Ramos is out for the year, and the Nationals decided to bring up Sandy Leon from AA to start the next day. Leon lasted four innings before spraining his ankle, and now he's headed for the DL, so Flores is definitely going to get some time now. It's tough to get a handle on what he might become, as his development time has been wrecked by a combination of the Rule V draft, injuries, and lack of playing time over the past 5 years. He's 27 now, and he's only played over 110 games once in his career: 6 years ago in High-A where he slugged 20 homers and posted a .216 ISO. That's impressive for a 21 year old catcher, and he's had flashes at the big league level as well, causing me to think that he might be a sneaky little reserve to throw on your roster in many formats to see what transpires. I've already put him into my lineup in two deeper leagues that I'm in as I think he'll provide better than average 2nd catcher value over the next few weeks at a minimum, despite the persistent contact issues that will likely weigh on his AVG.
Joe Blanton - Blanton had another excellent outing last night, although this one did come against the Astros. Blanton held them to six hits and a run over seven-plus innings, walking one and fanning seven. He's struck out at least six in four straight outings now, which is an area that is generally a weakness of his. His control has been fantastic, and he's sporting the 2nd-best velocity of his entire career. Some severe regression is still expected due to an HR/FB rate that is completely unsustainable, and the BABIP has been a bit fortunate as well, but the addition of some K's to his stat line is enough to bump Blanton up to a bit more than a spot starter. If he is able to maintain this sort of control along with a few additional K's, an ERA in the mid-to-high 3.00's would not be out of the question. I'm cautiously optimistic here after flogging Blanton for years as an overvalued arm.
Gregor Blanco - I don't have a clue as to what the Giants are doing, but it looks like Gregor Blanco has emerged as their starting RF for the time being. Blanco is 5-13 with 5 R and a SB (and a HR) in the last three games for the Giants, effectively relegating Nate Schierholtz and Brandon Belt to bench roles, which is pretty much preposterous any way you slice it. Blanco is a solid contact hitter with speed, and could be expected to post a decent AVG and above average SB and R if he continues to play every day, making him a worthwhile add in NL-only leagues and possibly some deeper mixed leagues right now, but in SF there is so much competition (much of it mediocre, but still) for playing time that everyone's job status seems to be temporary, so I wouldn't forego a backup plan if you do go after Blanco.
Bryce Harper - Harper finally hit that first MLB homer yesterday in his 15th game, and he has managed a .161 ISO thus far despite an awful chase% and some poor fortune on balls in play. I feel like people were surprised when I came on the Sirius broadcast a month ago and said I didn't think Harper would be all that valuable this year, but let's look back at the last can't miss prospect in his 19-year old season: 232/264/408 in 149 PA's for Alex Rodriguez back in 1995. He was immediately one of the best players in baseball the following season, but there has to be an acclimation period....particularly for a player that really struggled a bit above A-ball as Harper did. I think he will be adequate, and certainly he's one of the top values in keeper formats, but for this season I think there will be quite a few growing pains, and I remain unconvinced that he will stay up with Washington once Werth and Morse return.
