Author: TJ Streett

Carlos Ruiz To The Rescue?

With Joe Mauer on the 15 day disabled list with “bilateral weakness” in his legs it’s time to find a replacement.

Analysis: Obviously if JP Arencibia is available he is the premier power option on the wire. With Arencibia you’re looking at a guy that has hit 53 bombs in just 220 Triple A games. He seems to be a lock to hit 20 plus jacks this year and he’s available in about half of fantasy leagues. After Arencibia you’ve got the steady Carlos Ruiz. He may not be the best for batting average but he produces. The .263 lifetime hitter is coming off of a 53 RBI year on just 433 plate appearances. He’s not going to light the league on fire but he will get the job done, get his at-bats and put up some numbers that shouldn’t hurt you. He puts the ball in play a ton and that’s all you can ask from a lower tier catcher at this point in the season. The big concern has to be with Mauer though. Does this injury last more than the fifteen days or will he be fine? Will the injury come back and linger all year or will he win another batting title? Regardless, by this time next year JP Arencibia will be a top eight catcher so act now if he is available, if not Ruiz will keep trucking along.

Deep League Help- Alberto Callaspo

With Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15 day disabled list with an abdominal strain it’s time to look for his fantasy replacment, Alberto Callaspo.

Analysis: Alberto Callaspo has been one of the most underrated fantasy infielders over the last two years. Callaspo is a career .280 hitter just now entering his power prime and chip in second base eligibility in some fantasy leagues and you have a winner. Callaspo strikes out less than ten percent of the time for his career and he only swings and misses at strikes at a 3.7% clip. Thus far this year Callaspo is hitting .324 with two bombs and five runs batted in. He’s a fine replacement for Ryan Zimmerman for the time being and if this is his breakout power year then you have some trade bait down the road. Callaspo is a very underrated third basmean especially in roto leagues where his batting average is consistently good and yet he still puts up the counting stats hitting in the middle of that Angels order. Callaspo does have the potential to hit well over .300 this year as he sports a career .290 BABIP which is bound to come up.

Projection: Expect at least a .290 batting average with 14 home runs and 70 RBI. This isn’t a guy who should be available on the wire yet he’s available in over sixty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide. This just may be the year Callaspo breaks out but even if he doesn’t he will quietly produce.

Furcal To DL With Broken Thumb

The Dodgers have placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the 15 day disabled list with a broken left thumb. He may be on the 15 day disabled list now but I would expect him to be out two months with this kind of injury. The injury shouldn’t shock anyone, Furcal has only played in more than 100 games just one of his last three seasons.

Analysis: There’s a big injury risk when you draft Furcal and it didn’t take him long to get banged up this year. He’s still a solid top twelve option at shortstop when healthy but there are plenty of options on the wire. Asdrubal Cabrera is still not yet owned in all fantasy leagues and he is red hot. He isn’t a twenty home run hitter although he is mashing like one. Cabrera is perfect to pick up off the wire and package in a trade. The real choice is Yunel Escobar if he is still available. With Escobar you’re talking about a career .291 hitter in a great lineup and a player that hasn’t reached his full potential yet. Yunel Escobar should end up being a better fantasy shortstop than Furcal this year. The buy low option is Atlanta’s Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez has just one homer and two runs batted in this year but he’s hit over twenty homers twice in his career so you have to love that potential from the veteran shortstop.

Alexi Ogando Now 2-0

Texas right hander Alexi Ogando pitched seven innings of shutout ball today against the Tigers in his second start of the season.

Analysis: Alexi Ogando is now 2-0 for the season and has pitched 13 innings allowing zero earned runs, striking out eight batters while only walking three. Ogando is primarily a two pitch pitcher with a plus mid nineties fastball and a slider/slurve. He really does have command of the strike zone right now but you just cannot ignore that he is a two pitch starting pitcher in a ball park that is a hitter’s park with sloppy mechanics. The run support will be there for Ogando as the Rangers have a stellar lineup top to bottom. However, the smart play here is picking Ogando up off the wire and packaging him in a trade. Ogando will not have a higher fantasy value then right now and it’s time to act. At some point he’s going to have to get command of his changeup to put up some consistent fantasy numbers and right now I don’t believe he has it in him. Don’t let the Rangers hot start or the first two outings fool you, Ogando will hurt you in end.

Projection: If you watch his mechanics… he’s all over the place, you can’t trust him. By the all-star break you can expect Ogando’s ERA to be around four so act now and package the flavor of the week.

Is Jose Tabata The Next Big Thing?

Jose Tabata is just ten games into the new season but he’s picking up where he left off in 2010…on fire, but is he the next power/speed fantasy stud.

Analysis: Last year was Drew Stubbs’ coming out party with 22 homers and 30 stolen bases and it just may be Jose Tabata’s this year. Tabata already has 2 bombs and 5 swipes while hitting well over .300 in ten games thus far this year. In fact if you average Tabata’s two year big league career over 162 games you get a .302 hitter who averages 9 home runs and 34 stolen bases. Tabata will easily get to the double digit home run mark this year and with how aggressive he is on the base paths he could hit 40 stolen bases. Tabata may not look like a burner but Rickey Henderson didn’t have the prototypical “burners” body either. Last year only BJ Upton and Carl Crawford hit double digit homers and stole 40 bags, that’s pretty good fantasy company and when you couple the power/speed threat with his ability to consistently make contact…you have a stud in the making. Tabata only K’s 13.9% of the time in the majors and his minor league K rates are in line with his big league numbers, you have to love this guy.

Projection: 10-13 home runs, 40 stolen bases and a batting average in the .290-.300 range is what Tabata is capable of this year and the fact that he isn’t owned in every fantasy league is criminal.