Orlando Cabrera, Oakland

Normally, this column features five players. 

 

For reasons related to column-length and lack of quality adds out there, this week’s installment will only include five.  If you are really needing a fifth name, I thought about going with Mat Latos for the second straight week but would like to see a little more (and his BABIP allowed is .215 in his very limited 9.2 IP, which is a small sample size to be sure but is nevertheless not encouraging for sustained success) before hopping out on that limb. 

 

Also, in my keeper league, I have personally added Shaun Marcum in the past two weeks to stash on my DL.  Up until his necessitated Tommy John Surgery last season, Marcum had played his way into arguable keeper status.  Fellow Grumbler Jamie Lance already covered him a couple of days ago, so I’ll leave it at that. 

 

Seeing as though many of you loyal readers take my word as gospel and get tattooed accordingly, I will refrain from delivering a fifth name that would simply be filler anyway.

 

Instead here are the four gentle fellows who I am touting this week. 

 

Come get some.

 

Orlando Cabrera, SS – Oakland Athletics (36% Y! Plus)

After his Age-28 2003 season, I got a little excited about Orlando Cabrera and drafted him a little high.  In 2004, he put up an OPS+ of 74 between Montréal and Boston, effectively burning me and cementing his place near the top of my $#!+ List. 

 

It is not without trepidation that I put him in my column.  His inclusion is not without possession of the knowledge that he is as capable of sucking for long stretches as he is of being even remotely useful in the realm of fantasy baseball.  That being said, the early-season concerns about his evaporated speed were probably a bit premature as his seven steals in the last month are testament to.  It also doesn’t hurt that since June 17^th, he is hitting at a .362/.373/.500/.873 clip.  The obvious problem in that line is the fact that he has walked only twice in that 33 game stretch.  Someone as averse to walking is going to be much more prone to a drop in stats such as runs and stolen bases.  In an offense as inept as Oakland’s, the drop in runs scored will not be as pronounced as it would be if he was leading off for the Yankees, but for someone who struggles to get on base in ways that are not determined by how the ball drops the potential for issues arising is just around the corner. 

 

That being said, if you have a hole at short, it won’t kill you to try to ride the hot streak while it lasts.  If you have concerns about the speed, there is this to consider:  In the past two seasons—as Oakland has struggled to put man on base—the A’s have turned to the stolen base more and more to produce runs.  Last season was the first since 1999 that the A’s attempted more than 100 steals, and they have attempted more steals as a team this year than in any season from 2000 – 2007.

 

 

Jorge de la Rosa SP, RP – Colorado Rockies (54% Y! Plus)

Pitching in Colorado makes this a dicey addition, as de la Rosa has allowed five or more earned runs in four different starts this season.  If your team’s ERA and WHIP are already shaky, this may not be the add for you.  De la Rosa’s issues are often tied to his inability to throw strikes. 

 

In his past six outings (five starts and one relief appearance before the All-Star break), he has thrown 65% strikes on his way to a 30:11 K:BB.  His ERA in those six games was a respectable 2.52, and he went 5 – 0 along the way.  He also had two separate starts in which he struck out more than 10 batters back in May, so there is the chance that you could cash in on one of those starts as well.  Unfortunately, more tenuous fantasy pitching staffs probably cannot afford to take the chance on this Rocky pitcher, especially since his performance cannot entirely be boiled down to home/road splits, since his last six games have all taken place at home. 

 

 

Ryan Garko 1B, LF – Cleveland Indians (16% Y! Plus)

Garko was once touted as one of the top prospects in a fairly loaded farm system.  At 28 years of age, it would be fair to say that his slow development has been disappointing to both the fantasy owners and the City of Cleveland.  2008 was not kind to the young first baseman.  In his Age-27 season, the power did not arrive; the ratios dipped; the ISO dropped off precipitously.

 

Despite his rocky third year, Garko has torn it up in his last 45 games, giving Clevelanders hope that perhaps his power has arrived.  Over that stretch of time, he has hit .319/.382/.558/.940 while clubbing nine homers, scoring 23 runs, and plating another 24.  This has raised his season-long line to .286/.362/.470/.832 over roughly half a season of games played.  Those figures are very much in line with his numbers from 2007, a season in which he posted a 117 OPS+.  Whether or not he shows actual growth or simply keeps pace to revisit his 2007 figures, Garko has utility in deeper leagues at the very least.  If he can keep this pace up, he is a worthy add in nearly any league.

 

 

Luke Hochevar SP – Kansas City Royals (29% Y! Plus)  

As a Royals fan, it can sometimes be difficult to separate my fandom from my duties as the author of this column.  In the past, I rashly advocated the addition of Mike Jacobs (he had a couple of weeks of utility, so it could have been much worse), begrudgingly included Miguel Olivo’s name amongst advised pick-ups (he was actually good for a few weeks at a very shallow position), and touted Coco Crisp’s newfound ability to draw a walk as a signal for better things to come (I’ll blame the torn labrum for that one…).  The even more significant problem is that the Royals are awful, which makes for a dearth of available players from my favorite team, allowing for homerism to play a larger part in this column than if I were, say, a fan of a real baseball team, as there are simply too many Royals out there to choose from.

 

With that knowledge, I am telling you to rush out and pick up Luke Hochevar.  In the years since he was drafted first overall, ahead of Tim Lincecum and Evan Longoria—in all fairness, the Royals had taken Alex Gordon in the first round the year before, theoretically negating their need for a third baseman that close to the Majors, but I digress—Hochevar has struggled at the Major League level.  Despite his sterling college career in which he struck out a school record 154 batters in his final season at Tennessee and won the Roger Clemens Award, he has generally failed to reach a level of dominance in line with his college career (the exception being his first stop at Double-A in 2007).

 

In his past three starts, Hochevar has struck out 27 in 19.1 IP while walking only one.  Against Texas on Saturday, his slider was absolutely dominant and complemented both his two-seamer and his four-seam fastball that was touching on 96 MPH.  He has also added a cutter to his repertoire, giving him yet another pitch in his arsenal  In his past two starts, he has sent down nine and 13 hitters via the K.  Over his past nine starts, he has maintained an ERA of 3.66 on the way to a 6 – 1 record despite having one of the worst offenses, bullpens, and defenses (see: the Royals record of 10 – 10 in Zack Greinke starts) in baseball supporting him.   If these past few starts and increased reliance upon his slider are signs of things to come, you are going to want the first overall pick of the 2006 on your team.

 

So, there you have it.

 

 

Josh Duggan welcomes your comments at mister.josh.duggan@gmail.com.  If you are going to heave insults in his direction, at least be funny and creative.  He is also the author of a Kansas City Royals blog, Royalscentricity (which is also syndicated at Bleacher Report, where he is a featured Royals columnist), and a pop culture blog, Inconsiderate Prick.