It's the not-so hyped Pirate that I'm looking at right now for the second half
We’re starting to see it all happening, and maybe even a little quicker than in previous years. MLB teams are bringing up some outstanding rookies and are quickly tiring of unproductive veterans. Your free agent waiver wire is probably just a hotbed of action right now and you don’t want to be left out in the cold. Staying on top of MLB transactions is extrememly important and you never know where you’re going to find your next fantasy gem to help carry you through the dog days of summer and the second half of the season. So without further ado, let’s get to the action…
3 Up
Dayan Viciedo, 3B CHW — With incumbent third baseman, Mark Teahen, still atleast a month away from returning and current fill-in Jayson Nix, not getting the job done with his bat, the White Sox have finally called up the highly touted Cuban prospect. Viciedo still needs plenty of work with the glove, but with Omar Vizquel around, it is more than likely that Viciedo will start glomming at bats at the DH slot as well. In 238 at bats for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, Viciedo is hitting .290 with 14 HR and 34 RBI. He still strikes out a little too often, but he’s definitely worth a flier in AL -only leagues and should be a viable mixed league option if he comes out of the gate hot.
Jose Tabata, OF PIT — While most eyes in Pittsburgh are on prospect Pedro Alvarez, you should be keeping a close watch on Tabata. He’s not off to the most amazing start just yet, but in the 6 games he has played since his call-up, he’s hitting .259 with a home run and two stolen bases. He’ll definitely bring that average up and he will, more than likely, remain in the leadoff spot to give Andrew McCutchen better RBI opportunities further down in the order. Tabata has great speed and sound base-running skills, so he could certainly give you a boost in the stolen base department moving forward.
Mark Trumbo, 1B LAA – This one’s a little more speculative than anything else, but it’s alwyas good to stay a step ahead of your competition. While Mike Napoli seems to have entrenched himself at first since the Kendry Morales injury and while there’s still a buzz that the Angels coul dmake a move for Chicago’s Paul Konerko (if they’re willin gto pay, that is), the Halos are not in a hurry to call up Trumbo just yet. However, Trumbo is currently hitting .285 with 16 HR and 55 RBI in 62 games for Triple-A Las Vegas and is hitting .350 with 4 HR over hi slast 10 games. If Napoli goes cold, or back into Mike Scioscia’s doghouse, we could see Trumbo sooner rather than later. Just keep him on your radar.
Honorable Mention: Edinson Volquez, SP CIN — Looking very sharp in his rehab outings and could be a huge boost for your rotation in the second half of the season. Might be worth stashing now while you can.
3 Down
Kosuke Fukudome, OF CHC – With the way Tyler Colvin has been playing, it was no surprise that Lou Pinella wanted to get the kid more playing time. However, that time is now coming at the expens of Fukudome, rather than Xavier Nady. As Derrek Lee starts to heat up a little, Nady is gettin gwork in the outfield while Fukudome is getting bench duty in favor of Colvin. He’s always been streaky, always gets off to a hot start, but then starts sitting against lefties and then eventually everyone else. The only way he’s going to get full time ABs is if the Cubbies start trading away outfielders, which is a high probability.
Reid Brignac, SS TB — When the Rays lost Jason Bartlett to the DL, it looked like a golden opportunity for Brignac and fellow infielder Sean Rodriguez. But S-Rod is the only one that really stepped up his game with a 15 game hit streak, and it looks like Brignac will go back to his utility role. Figure Ben Zobrist will continue to hang out in right field while Rodriguez and his hot bat continue getting the starts at second base. Brignac could get a few looks here and there, but his value is certainly not what it was 2 weeks ago.
John Ely, SP LAD — It wasn’t too long ago that I was hyping the former White Sox prospect who seemed to take a hold on a rotation spot for the Dodgers with some outstanding pitching performances. But easy come, easy go, and Ely has been hit real hard in his last three outings. With Vicente Padilla on his way back, there’s a good chance that Ely could get bumped from the rotation if he continues to struggle. His next outing comes against the Angels who smacked him around two starts ago, so this coul dbe the beginning of the end for his 2010 campaign.
Dishonorable Mention: Cameron Maybin, OF FLA — The former highly touted, 5 tool prospect continues to struggle in the majors and has just been shipped down to Triple-A while propsect Michael Stanton gets allthe playing time. So long, Cam….we hardly knew ya!
And for the Buzz Personal Attention of the Week…..
Nick –
Your pitching looks great and I wouldn’t do a thing to change it right now. As for your offense, I would definitely grab Adrian Beltre in lieu of Ty Wigginton, put Kelly Johnson back at second, drop Ryan Theriot in favor of adding Ryan Ludwick and probably swap Raul Ibanez for Jason Bay. In a league that size, it’s probably very difficult to pull off any trades, but if you must, I’d consider dealing one of your three aces (Tim Lincecum, Ubaldo Jimenez or Josh Johsnon and see if you can acquire a premium, power hitting 1B/OF; someone who could conceivably pop you 15-20 HR in the second half.
Thanks for writing in! Good luck and keep me posted!
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts regarding potential free agent waiver wire pick ups, if you’re looking for some good second half sleepers, or if you’re just looking for some high quality, free fantasy baseball advice, you can put something in the comments section here or email me at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
Good luck and I’ll see you all in the money this year!
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