I've been busy on the waiver wire yet again, as a couple solid players became available.
My current roster:
C - Yadier Molina, STL
C - Russell Martin, PIT
1B - Chris Davis, BAL
2B - Brandon Phillips, CIN
3B - David Wright, NYM
SS - Andrelton Simmons, ATL
MI - JJ Hardy, BAL
CI - Chase Headley, SD
OF - Justin Upton, ATL
OF - Austin Jackson, DET
OF - Michael Bourn, CLE
OF - Nelson Cruz, TEX
OF - Juan Pierre, MIA
UT - Adam LaRoche, WSH
P - David Price, TB
P - Gio Gonzalez, WSH
P - Jeff Samardzija, CHC
P - Lance Lynn, STL
P - Yovani Gallardo, MIL
P - Wade Miley, ARI
P - Scott Kazmir, CLE
P - Edward Mujica, STL
P - Kevin Gregg, CHC
Bench - Giancarlo Stanton, MIA
Bench - Marcell Ozuna, MIA
Bench - Johnny Cueto, CIN
Bench - Kyle Lohse, MIL
Bench - Dan Straily, OAK
Bench - David Hernandez, ARI
Adds/Drops
-I dropped Brandon League (RP - LAD) for Scott Kazmir (SP - CLE).
Let's face it, League has been a disaster at closer for the Dodgers. And, admittedly, I knew he would be. That's why I drafted and rostered Kenley Jansen (RP - LAD) up until a couple weeks ago, when I picked up Edward Mujica (RP - STL). I was then able to pick him back up out of the free agent when League heated up there for a short stretch and looked like he might hang on to the role, but dropped him once again for Kevin Gregg (RP - CHC) when he emerged as the closer for the Cubs. And now it looks like I've lost Kenley for good. Would I rather have him over Gregg right now? Of course. But Gregg has served me well up to this point, and when I comes to saves, I like to live in the moment.
And speaking of living in the moment, how bout that Scott Kazmir? Here we have a guy who most everyone had written off just a year ago. A series of devastating injuries had seemingly destroyed what had looked like a very promising career in the majors. When he was going, his stuff was just plain nasty, and in his only full season in 2007, he racked up 239 Ks in 206.2 innings, to give you an idea of just how filthy it was. But, he had a tendency to get a little wild with his pitches at times (most times), and always ended up walking far more batters than he should've. His last semi-complete season in 2010 with the Angels was beyond terrible (he posted a 5.94 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, with a 93/79 K/BB ratio over 150 IPs). And when he only lasted 1.2 innings on the mound the following year, in 2011, most people (scouts included) assumed his playing days were over. So, when the Indians invited him to spring training this season, no one thought it much more than a novelty -- a nice, but worthless gesture. And then, when he won a spot in the starting rotation to start the season, everyone (fantasy owners included) scoffed at the idea. And then when landed on the DL before his debut, and imploded when he returned, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that he was finished. But then he bounced back with a decent outing, and then he followed that up with a good one (2 ER over 6 IPs with a 7/1 K/BB ratio), and then a great one (1 ER over 6 IPs with a 10/0 K/BB ratio), and then people (fantasy owners included) started to take notice. Not only did he hit 95 mph on the gun yesterday, his control was impeccable. He didn't walk a single batter (which is unheard of for Kaz). Could it have been a fluke? Sure. But there's a lot more upside here than there is with Brandon League, so I figured I'd take a chance. He could be the steal of the season. Or he could get dropped after his next start. Only time will tell. But, it's a cool story in any case.
-I dropped Justin Ruggiano (OF - MIA) for David Hernandez (RP - ARI).
I had a chance to add Heath Bell (RP - ARI) instead (before he was named closer), but I opted for Hernandez instead. I expect, much like Brandon League (RP - LAD), Bell will be out of the job sooner than later, and with Putz out for the next several months, I have little doubt Hernandez will rack up the saves by season's end. Could Bell recapture his former glory? It's possible, but not likely. In the three save chances he's got since Putz went down, he's given up big hits and put runners on base in each of them. So, at the rate he's going, it's only a matter of time before he starts coughing up runs. Granted, Hernandez hasn't been much better, but he's an infinitely better pitcher, and should start to heat up as the season progresses, whereas Bell should only wear down.
Waiver Claims
-I dropped Hector Santiago (SP - CWS) for and claimed JJ Hardy (SS - BAL).
Don't get me wrong. I really like Santiago. And, it may seem crazy to keep Kazmir over him, but he's in all likelihood headed back to the bullpen when John Danks (SP - CWS) returns from the DL. It may seem crazy for the White Sox to give Dylan Axelrod (SP - CWS) a spot in the rotation over him, but they have much more faith in Santiago pitching out of the pen in pressure situations than they do Axelrod. But, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Santiago does keep his spot. And he'll definitely finish in the rotation by season's end. And, by season's end, I think he'll post similar numbers to Dan Straily (SP - OAK). But Straily's spot in the rotation looks to be safer for the moment than Santiago's. So, that's why I didn't drop the former. But, regardless of which pitcher I dropped, I had to find a replacement for Erick Aybar (SS - LAA) given his lackluster production and sudden fragility. He's already hit the DL once this season, and when he hurt his hamstring last night, I wasn't going to take anymore chances, especially with JJ Hardy hitting the waiver wire. He's been really hot lately too, hitting 3 HRs and driving in 6 RBIs over his last 5 games, so I'm not entirely sure why he was dropped. But, when I was awarded the claim, that freed me up to make my next move.
Trades
-I traded Erick Aybar (SS - LAA) for Adam LaRoche (1B - WSH).
With Aybar becoming expendable, I decided to target a buy-low candidate, and LaRoche fit the bill perfectly. He's a notoriously slow-starter, and is just now starting to heat up. And once he gets going, he's one of the most consistent power-hitters in the game. So, when you figure I started the season with Lance Berkman (1B - TEX) hitting in my UT spot, and now have LaRoche instead, I'd call that a pretty major upgrade. It may not look like one at the moment, if you guy by the numbers, but unlike saves, I don't like to live in the moment when it comes to batting stats. You've got to take a much longer view. And I have no doubt that LaRoche will be more productive than Berkman, or Ruggiano, or Marcell Ozuna (OF - MIA), or any of the other players I've tried to plug in at UT over the last few weeks.
My Watch List
C
1. Francisco Cervelli, NYY
2. John Jaso, OAK
3. Nick Hundley, SD
4. Mike Zunino, SEA
5. Chris Ianetta, LAA
6. Jason Castro, HOU
7. AJ Ellis, LAD
8. Yasmani Grandal, SD
9. Welington Castillo, CHC
10. Devin Mesoraco, CIN
11. Travis d'Arnaud, NYM
12. Tyler Flowers, CWS
13. Hank Conger, LAA
1B
1. Brandon Moss, OAK
2. Yonder Alonso, SD
3. Chris Carter, HOU
4. Brandon Belt, SF
5. James Loney, TB
6. Michael Young, PHI
7. Matt Adams, STL
8. Adam Dunn, CWS
9. Logan Morrison, MIA
10. Mike Olt, TEX
11. Jonathan Singleton, HOU
2B
1. Neil Walker, PIT
2. Dustin Ackley, SEA
3. Jurickson Profar, TEX
4. Ryan Raburn, CLE
5. Mark Ellis, LAD
6. Gordon Beckham, CWS
7. Donovan Solano, MIA
8. Nick Punto, LAD
9. Brian Roberts, BAL
10. Kolten Wong, STL
11. Chris Getz, KC
12. Jemile Weeks, OAK
3B
1. Mike Moustakas, KC
2. Kevin Youkilis, NYY
3. Juan Francisco, ATL
4. Trevor Plouffe, MIN
5. Luis Valbuena, CHC
6. Chris Johnson, ATL
7. Alex Rodriguez, NYY
8. Alberto Callaspo, LAA
9. Miguel Sano, MIN
10. Jeff Keppinger, CWS
11. Anthony Rendon, WSH
12. Nick Castellanos, DET
13. Josh Vitters, CHC
SS
1. Jhonny Peralta, DET
2. Zack Cozart, CIN
3. Brandon Crawford, SF
4. Billy Hamilton, CIN
5. Xavier Bogaerts, BOS
6. Marwin Gonzalez, HOU
7. Derek Jeter, NYY
8. Stephen Drew, BOS
OF
1. Justin Ruggiano, MIA
2. Oscar Taveras, STL
3. Oswaldo Arcia, MIN
4. AJ Pollock, ARI
5. Drew Stubbs, CLE
6. Rajai Davis, TOR
7. Yasiel Puig, LAD
8. Chris Young, OAK
9. Dayan Viciedo, CWS
10. Adam Eaton, ARI
11. Nate Schierholtz, CHC
12. Denard Span, WSH
13. Jordany Valdespin, NYM
14. Cameron Maybin, SD
15. Emilio Bonifacio, TOR
16. Michael Brantley, CLE
17. Jorge Soler, CHC
18. Jon Jay, STL
19. Colby Rasmus, TOR
20. Will Venable, SD
21. Leonys Martin, TEX
22. Eric Young Jr., COL
23. Delmon Young, PHI
24. Cody Ross, ARI
25. David Murphy, TEX
26. Aaron Hicks, MIN
27. Tyler Moore, WSH
28. Jarrod Dyson, KC
29. Fernando Martinez, HOU
30. Seth Smith, OAK
31. Jeff Francoeur, KC
SP
1. Hector Santiago, CWS
2. Brett Anderson, OAK
3. Brandon Beachy, ATL
4. Chris Tillman, BAL
5. Jonathon Niese, NYM
6. Andy Pettitte, NYY
7. Wandy Rodriguez, PIT
8. Jason Hammel, BAL
9. Carlos Villanueva, CHC
10. Gerrit Cole, PIT
11. Michael Pineda, NYY
12. Scott Feldman, CHC
13. Bud Norris, HOU
14. Tyler Skaggs, ARI
15. Justin Grimm, TEX
16. Shaun Marcum, NYM
17. Gavin Floyd, CWS
18. Edwin Jackson, CHC
19. Daniel Hudson, ARI
20. Jorge De La Rosa, COL
21. Jason Vargas, LAA
22. Ross Detwiler, WSH
23. Dylan Bundy, BAL
24. Kevin Correia, MIN
25. Brandon McCarthy, ARI
26. Ricky Nolasco, MIA
27. John Danks, CWS
28. Ryan Vogelsong, SF
29. Bartolo Colon, OAK
30. Chris Archer, TB
31. Scott Diamond, MIN
32. Roy Oswalt, COL
33. Nick Tepesch, TEX
34. Jeff Locke, PIT
35. Tommy Hanson, LAA
36. Danny Hultzen, SEA
37. Jordan Lyles, HOU
38. Chris Capuano, LAD
39. Jarrod Parker, OAK
40. Bronson Arroyo, CIN
41. Ivan Nova, NYY
RP
1. Aaron Crow, KC
2. Luke Gregerson, SD
3. Christian Martinez, STL
4. Drew Smyly, DET
5. Jerry Blevins, OAK
6. Josh Fields, HOU
7. Brandon League, LAD
8. Carlos Marmol, CHC
9. Joel Peralta, TB
10. Vinnie Pestano, CLE
11. Ryan Cook, OAK
12. John Axford, MIL
13. Drew Storen, WSH
14. Trevor Rosenthal, STL
15. Jonathan Broxton, CIN
+MLB
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