He might not make a lot of contact, or get many chances, but when he does get chances and does make contact, Miguel Olivo makes the ball go very, very far away...

AL-Only Options

Lyle Overbay – First Baseman – Toronto Blue Jays – Overbay broke his hand in June of 2007, which ruined his season, and sapped his power when he returned in the second half. It has taken until this first week of May for him to finally hit his first home run of the 2008 season. There are several good signs among Overbay’s stats that lead me to believe he is getting ready to take off. First, he is exhibiting excellent patience at the plate, as shown in his walk rate and OPB, which is currently at .373. He’s been striking out a bit much, but tends to go through short periods like this. I expect that will come around shortly. He is hitting the ball in the air, but getting long fly balls instead of line drives at the moment. I also expect that to correct itself. Despite these issues, he is still batting .267. It takes about 12 months for hand injuries to fully heal, a milestone he is approaching in about three weeks. Any day now, I expect to see Overbay start to put it together, raise his average (he hit .312 in 2006) and start to drive the ball more and hit for power (22 home runs in 2006). He hits in a strong lineup, and should get plenty of RBI chances courtesy of the hitters in front of him. Once he starts hitting, everybody and his uncle will be after him. So stash him on your bench now, while you can, and reap the benefit of his breakout when it hits.

Miguel Olivo – Catcher – Kansas City Royals – Olivo is primarily the back up to the Royals starting catcher, John Buck. However, he is making the most of limited playing time and manager Trey Hillman has been trying to get him more at-bats of late. He has hit double-digit home runs in three of the last four seasons, and typically maintains his batting average in its current range of .273 when he is hitting well. He is a good catcher for AL only formats that use two catchers, and should continue to hit for power as his peripheral stats point out with nine of his 15 hits being for extra bases. Olivo will continue to get regular at bats both as a catcher, and occasionally as the DH.

NL Only Options

Blake DeWitt – Third Baseman – Los Angeles Dodgers – DeWitt was not in the Dodgers plans, as they had a logjam at third base with Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche competing for the starting job in Spring Training. Both players were injured at the end of camp and DeWitt was given the job. Andy LaRoche recently finished his rehab, and instead of promoting him back to the Dodgers, they sent him to Triple-A. Meanwhile, Garciaparra is in the middle of his second stint on the DL, with no timetable for his return. The team has decided to stick with the rookie, who is having himself a fine season thus far. DeWitt is batting .317 with two home runs, 18 RBI, and 15 runs scored, hitting in the eighth spot in the lineup. DeWitt’s BB/K ratios look outstanding, and he is hitting for better power than he has exhibited in the past. In other words, he is making the most of his opportunity, and it’s time the fantasy community took advantage of it. DeWitt is worth a flier in NL only leagues, and a little more power hitting will make him worth a look in deep mixed formats.

Chris Iannetta – Catcher – Colorado Rockies – Touts have been talking breakout for Chris Iannetta for two seasons now. Each year, he seems to take a long time to hit his stride, if he hits it at all, and ends up losing playing time to Yorvit Torrealba. This season, Iannetta has already hit his stride, and the breakout is underway. He has started the last three consecutive games for the Snakes, and they appear to be poised to hand him the majority of the starts behind the plate. Iannetta is currently batting .362, with three home runs in his last eight games. He should be on rosters in all NL only leagues, and mixed leagues that use two catchers. The average will come down a bit but the power is real, and should continue, if not increase.