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Saturday, May 12, 2007

Waiver Wire - American League

I know this has been missing the past couple of weeks; I apologize. It shouldn't happen again now that I've got more free time on my hands. I'm thinking Saturday's will be American League day and Sunday's will be for the National League from now on, and maybe Wednesday will be reserved for Buy Low/Sell High day.

American League

Roger Clemens | NYY | SP - Should be owned in all leagues already, but if he's sitting out there still he should be a Top 5-7 SP once he starts throwing.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Jeremy Accardo
| TOR | RP - While Frasor looked like a good option when he got the Toronto closer's role, his BB rate skyrocketed and seems to have lost the trust of the team. They haven't provided a save opportunity in quite some time, but there is a good chance that it will go to Accardo the next time they do. No official announcement has been made.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Casey Janssen | TOR | RP - Janssen is another guy in the Toronto pen who could pick up some saves and could possibly take the job full-time. Only time will tell on this issue.
Recommendation: Should be watched in all leagues, and owned in deep 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Dan Johnson | OAK | 1B - Was mentioned here a few weeks ago, and would have been the past two weeks if I had time to write it. If he is not owned yet, he probably should be. His vision seems to be corrected now, and he has pretty good contact skills. His LD rate isn't premium, but he's got a good Contact Rate and great selectivity. Could push .300. Has maybe 25 HR power potential. Batting 5th in a pretty good lineup.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 10, 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be owned in all AL-only leagues.

Joe Blanton | OAK | SP - Still owned in just 35% of ESPN leagues, Blanton is showing what A's thought he was capable of when they drafted him. His K/9 is near 7 and his BB/9 is under 2, and a GB Percentage over 43% won't hurt him. Time to start owning Blanton.
Recommendation: Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be owned in all AL-only leagues.

Boof Bonser | MIN | SP - A guy I liked preseason, his BB rate is higher than it was last year. His K rate is also higher though, over 9 K/9, and his GB Percentage sits around 43%. He is usable right now, and if his BB rate drops below 4 he'd be a steal off the Waiver Wire.
Recommendation: Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be owned in all AL-only leagues.

John Danks | CHW | SP - Could be useful if he can keep his K and BB rates the same. Had decent ones in the minors last year. His GB rate isn't good, so if either his Ks or his BBs slip his overall numbers will.
Recommendation: Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team leagues. Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Jorge de la Rosa | KC | SP - While his BB rate is good, his K rate is too low to be of much use in most leagues. His GB percentage isn't high enough to make up for his low K rate.
Recommendation: Should be owned in deep 14-team leagues. Should be considered in 12 and owned in 14-team AL-only leagues.

Chad Gaudin | OAK | SP - Not sure where this 50+% GB Rate is coming from, but couple with 7.40 K/9 and 3.05 BB/9, Gaudin should be ridden until he falters - if he does.
Recommendation: Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be considered in 8 and owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Miguel Batista | SEA | SP - Still not putting up surface numbers, but a 1.49 HR/9 and a .318 BABIP should decrease. His GB Percentage is lower than most years and his K rate is below average, but his K/BB is over 2, making him usable in certain leagues.
Recommendation: Should be considered in deep 12 and 14-team leagues. Should be considered in 8 and 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Jarrod Washburn | SEA | SP - Has very little room for error. If his K rate drops or his BB rate increases even a little bit his K/BB will slip under 2. His GB rate has never been this high, and when it returns back under 40% Washburn will lose his value.
Recommendation: For now, should be considered in 14-team leagues. For now should be owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Fausto Carmona | CLE | SP - Low Ks keeps his value low in all 5x5 leagues, but his 61.3% GB rate helps him out a lot. Has a lot more value in 4x4 leagues (although his WHIP won't help you), but the recommendation below is based on 5x5 leagues.
Recommendation: Should be considered in 14-team leagues. Should be considered in 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Cliff Lee | CLE | SP - All of hype before last season was completely unfounded. Lee just doesn't have what it takes to be an good pitcher, much less an elite one. For this year, stay away from the low K and GB rates unless you're in a very deep league.
Recommendation: Should not be owned in mixed leagues. Should be owned in deep 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Milton Bradley | OAK | OF - Only owned in 0.8% of ESPN leagues, Bradley has a decent (though fluctuating) Contact Rate and great selectivity/BB rate. Has 10-15 HR power over a full season, and while on the A's stole 10 bases last year. Might get to that level again. Pretty good lineup. Worth owning in some leagues.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be strongly considered in 8 and owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues.

UPDATE:
Jack Cust | OAK | OF - Not a guy I would have plugged preseason, but the 3 HRs that Hit Tracker has tracked so far all had True Distances over 415 feet. He has hit two since then, so we'll see if they were legitimate or not. He's definitely got some serious power in that bat though and is hitting in the middle of the lineup. Don't expect much in the way of BA as his 36% K rate so far is absolutely horrendous, but his 17.4% BB rate is very good. The balls he does put in play should be pretty good ones.
Recommendation: Should be owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in all but shallow AL-only leagues.

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