The Dodgers gave up too soon on young prospect Andy LaRoche.

As with every season, the later in the year the injury and the further away from a play off berth the team, the lesser the chance that the player actually comes back to play this season.  I would add to this that the quality of the player concerned plays a part as well.  The better the player, or the more valuable the player is to the team, the less chance there is that the team pushes him to come back early from an injury.  This is why I think Ian Kinsler may not be back this year.  Just as I’m sure there are many fantasy teams who are in the hunt or winning their leagues because of Kinsler’s bust out season, I’m also sure the recent injury news has deflated a few of you.  If you’re in a keeper league, the blow is softened, but just like those of you who lost Carlos Lee a couple of weeks back, the pain can linger.  How do you replace an upper tier player’s all around production at this point in the season?  The trade deadline is long gone, the waiver wire list is depleted and the season is almost over.  If you play an AL only or NL only league there is a small chance somebody comes over before the August 31 deadline.  However, the best thing you can do is start looking at prospects teams are bringing up for the September 1^st roster expansion.

            One of the best things you can do in any keeper league when prospecting is to keep a close eye on the top young players that were dropped earlier because of a lack of production or a demotion.  I’ve discussed this in my previous Grumbles.  There is hidden gold out there for buying low but most don’t exercise the patience to find it.  I’m sure even as I discuss this you can think of a handful of players that have been tossed out that may have been high draft picks in your deeper and keeper leagues this season.  J.R. Towles, Adam Lind and Billy Butler are players that have been shuttled between the Majors and their Triple A affiliates, who were also on the top of many prospect lists this spring.  I can almost bet that one of these guys was on your waiver wire at some point this season and that Towles is currently.  As I did a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to highlight a few players that you can pick up now at essentially the cheapest investment you can make.  My hope is some of these guys become a bit of a fantasy force in 2008 for those looking for replacements for Lee and Kinsler.  However, most of these guys are likely to impact more in 2009.

J.R. Towles C Astros

He was offensively deplorable on his first couple of call ups, but all the potential is still there.  Just remember that Chris Iannetta, a super catching prospect who also struggled upon his first promotion last year, exploded this season. In other words, you have to be fairly patient with prospects, catching ones in particular.  It takes them a little longer to learn the defensive game and pitcher management that is involved with the ‘Big Leagues’.  This is why I’m suggesting take a flier on Towles. Grab him cheaply now and this could pay off nicely in 2009.  He should be called up again in September when the rosters expand.

Andy LaRoche 3B Pirates

A couple of years ago LaRoche was a ‘can’t miss’ prospect.  Even as early as this season he was projected to be brought along slowly with the intent of him replacing Nomar Garciaparra at 3^rd.  Then LaRoche injured his wrist sliding on a play in the preseason.  Blake DeWitt came up to play 3^rd and suddenly the Dodgers had a log jam at the position.  Showing their lack of confidence in LaRoche, they later traded for Casey Blake.  Finally, Los Angeles dealt LaRoche to the Pirates in the mega-deal, which netted them Manny Ramirez. All right, so why LaRoche, right?  Well with everything that’s happened above you would figure LaRoche wasn’t as good a talent as the Dodgers originally thought.  This may be the case, but I think the Dodgers gave up on him before he had a real chance to show what he could do.  His career minor league OBP ( .380) and batting average (.294 ) lead me to believe he will eventually be a very productive hitter.  His opportunity is now in Pittsburgh, where he should get plenty of playing time.  A fantastic value pick as he should cost relatively little to acquire as a lot of fantasy players have written him off.  This move could pay off not only down the stretch, but well into next year if he can avoid the injury bug that seems to plague him.

Brett Gardner OF Yankees

A lot has to go right for Gardner to see some serious playing time but this guy is a burner.  He consistently stole 35 or more bases every season in the minors and has a respectable career minor league batting average and batting eye.  Again we’re looking for value.  This guy is young and it looks like the Yankees are going to go through a bit of a ‘re-tool’ this off-season.  Who am I kidding; they’ll just buy their ‘tools’ in the off-season like they do every year.  Still, Gardner figures to make an interesting fantasy pick up if only for his speed and run potential on the Yankees.

Let’s take a quick look at some of last night’s action.

Carlos Quentin continues to hum along with .550 batting average, 1.779 OPS and 3 home runs in the last week.  He stole another base on Tuesday night adding to his fantasy legend status.  If it were up to me, he’s my vote for American League MVP

Ian Stewart has had a great week with a home run last night and a .318 batting average with 3 HR overall.  Good luck trying to acquire him in deeper leagues now.  His 2^nd base eligibility and age (23) make him a great keeper.

Injury notes:

Travis Hafner has begun a rehab assignment at Triple A Buffalo and seems to have his confidence back.  Confidence wasn’t the issue though, his shoulder was.  He is not a given to repeat his pace from two years ago.  Acquire with caution and be prepared to put him on your bench.  Shoulder injuries and power hitters don’t mix.

Like Hafner, Hank Blalock was a popular sleeper coming into this season and was slated to come off the disabled list sometime later this week.  His history of hitting for decent average and plus 30 home run power was the reason most were hoping for a low investment and high return with Blalock.  Right now like fellow 3^rd sacker Eric Chavez, even though the talent is there, he can’t seem to shake nagging injuries.  What really hurts is Blalock is in the prime of his career and he hits in one of the best ballparks for power.  All that being said, he still has the potential to produce in the last 6 weeks of the season.  Again, acquire with caution.

Well looks like that’s all I’ve got for this week.  Check out Hockey Grumblings for my take on player movement in the NHL this offseason.