Should you take a chance on David Murphy?

AL-Only Options

David Murphy, Outfield, Texas Rangers – While Josh Hamilton garners all the attention in the Rangers outfield; David Murphy has very quietly put together some solid hitting, and forced his way into the everyday lineup. Murphy has four two-hit games among the first seven he has played, and is batting .385 with a home run and two stolen bases. During his audition with Texas last September, after coming over from the Red Sox in the trade for Eric Gagne, Murphy batted .343 over 105 at-bats, with two home runs and 14 RBI. This spring he batted .400 with four home runs, and has carried that torrid hitting into the regular season. The Rangers sent prospect Nelson Cruz back to the minors and are giving Murphy a chance to play every day, so he will continue to get at-bats as long as he is hot. Pick him up in AL-only formats and ride the streak for what it’s worth.

Zack Greinke, Starting Pitcher, Kansas City Royals – Greinke has started this season much like he ended last season when he discovered confidence in his pitches and finally pitched the way he was expected to by holding opponents to three runs or less in his last seven outings. His ERA during those starts was 2.54. More importantly, he cut down the home runs allowed and increased his strikeout rate to around seven per nine innings. In his first outing this season, a homerun by Brandon Inge was the only negative in a great effort in which he struck out three and held the Tigers to just six hits. He has incredible stuff and has a better chance of getting some wins this season with the stronger offensive lineup. Expect him to keep his ERA down below 4.00 and continue to rack up strikeouts.

NL-Only Options

Tadahito Iguchi, Second Base, San Diego Padres – Iguchi signed with the Padres as a free agent after splitting 2007 with the White Sox and Phillies. The Phillies acquired Iguchi to replace Chase Utley when he broke his arm last season, and Iguchi rose to the occasion by batting .304 with three home runs and six stolen bases in his 138 at-bats for them. He is now the starting second baseman for the Padres, and is off to a strong start for them, hitting .316. Iguchi is capable of maintaining that high average, and has plenty of speed that he will almost certainly put to use hitting second in the Padres lineup. He should be a good source for runs and stolen bases, and he will not hurt your batting average, so if he is available in your NL-only league, he is a strong MI option for your lineup.

Wandy Rodriguez, Starting Pitcher, Houston Astros – Rodriguez has been one of the better pitchers for the Astros the last two seasons, with the only knock on him being a lack of consistency at times. This season, he is off to a great start, after a strong Spring Training. In his two starts, he has totaled 12 innings of strong pitching, with an ERA of just 2.92, and 12 strikeouts. He does not have any wins yet due to the Houston bullpen, which has blown both of his efforts. WayRod has the stuff to continue his current strikeout rate, and if he can keep from giving up the long ball, should continue to post decent ERA and WHIP ratios. If you need a spot starter for your NL-only team, Rodriguez is a nice option for you. Consider grabbing him off the waiver wire, and starting him whenever the match up looks right.