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Sports Grumblings -
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/baseball/articles
Waiver Wire Roundup: Aug. 31
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/baseball/articles/articles/1287/1/Waiver-Wire-Roundup-Aug-31/Page1.html
Josh Duggan
 Utterly
unemployable as a English major, Josh had nowhere to turn but the
not-so-fantasy-world of fantasy sports. Putting down the
books that damned him to a lifetime of menial jobs, he set forth on a
voyage that would take him through the crests and troughs--the
surprises and letdowns--the failures and successes that at once madden
and excite us all. So obsessed did he become that he decided
to shun the fickle mistress fantasy football for the games
which allowed for his drive and determination to beat his opponents
into bloody pulps. For him there were more successes than
failures, though, and that is where you and he shall meet. By Josh Duggan
Published on 08/31/2009 |
 Bronson Arroyo, Reds |
Clearly,
then, these players are not going to help you simply chase steals or saves
while giving you little else. As with
any pick up, there is risk involved, but these three men are the best widely
available players out there right now.
Bronson Arroyo – SP – Cincinnati
Reds (49% Y! Plus, 26% Y!, 24.0% ESPN)
It’s
no secret that Arroyo has seen better days.
Then Dusty Baker rode him like he was an immortal pack mule. Since that 2006 season in which Arroyo put up
an ERA+ of 142 in 240.2 IP, he has been insanely average, sporting ERA+ of 110
and 95 in 2007 and 2008.
Until
July 10th of this season, Arroyo wasn’t even average. His ERA was a dismal 5.85. In those 103 IP, he was allowing opponents to
hit .299/.367/.511/.878 with 21 HR, striking out just 54 to the 41 walks he had
allowed.
From
July 10th on, Arroyo has started nine games. In those games, he has maintained a 2.19 ERA
with a 1.05 WHIP while sporting a much more palatable 40:14 K:BB. He has also cut down on the HR/9—1.83 prior
to July 10th, 0.69 since July 10th. Yes, he still doesn’t strike guys out, but he
never really has. That didn’t stop him
from enjoying success in 2006, and he is currently riding a nine-game stretch
of solid starts including two complete game shut-outs and now has six straight
quality starts. He’s not a sexy add, but
he could provide you with some ERA and WHIP help while giving you a shot at a
win.
Matt Diaz – LF, RF – Atlanta
Braves (36% Y! Plus, 13% Y!, 10.1% ESPN)
It
seems like in each of the past four years, Matt Diaz has managed to make
himself valuable to fantasy owners for a few weeks. At first look, it would appear that much of
his production has come at the expense of left-handed pitching, making his
immediate addition a dicey proposition given that at least three of the next
four Braves games have them facing right-handed pitching. If one were to make a claim that Matt Diaz’
value was directly dependent upon his facing southpaws, they’d have his platoon
splits to back them up (career .284/.332/.398/.730 split and a 79 tOPS+ against
righties compared to his .343/.378/.531/.909 split with a 121 tOPS+ versus
lefties).
To
say his value is only as a lefty-mashing platoon splitter would be a little
short-sighted. Obviously, there is a
significant platoon split here, but over his career he has also profiled as a
player who thrives on actually receiving playing time. Roughly half of his nearly 1300 career plate
appearances have come against righties.
In over 200 PAs off the bench, his tOPS+ is 73 and his ratio split is
.293/.311/.399/.710. Obviously, off the
bench Diaz is going to be utilized to face LHP, yet his success in that
scenario is not at all in line with his platoon splits.
Since
the departure of Jeff Francoeur,
Diaz has gotten the lion’s share of playing time in right field, getting the
start in 23 games in August alone. The
result: a split of .416/.464/.708/1.172
with 17 R, 6 HR, 18 RBI, and 3 SB. Sure,
his BABIP has been .456, but the man has been red hot. With a week to go before H2H playoffs begin
in most formats, such a hot streak is hard to scoff at.
Andy Marte – 1B, 3B – Cleveland
Indians (11% Y! Plus, 3% Y!, 0.9% ESPN)
To
say Andy Marte was a highly-touted prospect would be an understatement. In 2005, Marte was ranked ninth on Baseball
Having
made his ML-debut at the ripe age of 21 in 2005, it can be easy to forget that
someone who has been on the scene for parts of five seasons is still only 25
years old. That being said, his
five-year career can largely be characterized as an abject failure. His 162-game average over his young career is
.221/.277/.353/.630 with 49 R, 10 HR, 55 RBI, and 1 SB. It should be said, however, that in five
seasons he has only amassed 196 games played and 647 plate appearances. As Nelson
Cruz proved last year, sometimes all a player needs to shed that Quad-A
label is actual playing time at the big league level. Now that both Ryan Garko and Victor
Martinez are out of the picture in
Perhaps
having sensed that this stint with the Indians could be his last chance, Marte
has seen fit to step up his game. In his
past 10 games, he has hit .417/.425/.750/1.175 with three dingers, six runs,
and 12 driven in. That has raised his
season split to .289/.349/.461/.809.
Keeper leaguers may want to look even harder at the former prospect, as
there could be some serious long-term yields here.
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
| Stop the moaning, stop the grumbling and try something new; try bingo or online casinos, alternatively if you live in the UK try bingo online. |
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