Armando Galarraga has been everything to the Tigers that Dontrelle Willis has not.

NL Only Options

Josh Banks – Pitcher – San Diego Padres – When the Padres and Reds played an 18 inning marathon game back in May, the depleted Padres called upon relief pitcher Banks in the 12 inning to come in and pitch for as long as he possibly could. All he did was give them 6 innings of shutout pitching, keeping them in the game long enough to snatch the win from the Reds and the ace of their staff, Ednison Volquez, who came on in the 16^th inning. Banks was then rewarded with a start when several key members of the Padres pitching staff went down with injuries. In that start, Banks needed just 101 pitches to shut down the Giants, hurling a complete game gem in which he scattered six hits, struck out 5, walked none, and allowed only a single unearned run. Overall, he’s allowed just one run in 23 innings of work for a 0.43 ERA. He is not much of a strikeout pitcher (14 in 23 innings), and he won’t keep his ERA this low forever, but he is definitely worth a flier in NL only leagues, as he is practically guaranteed a rotation spot until the Padres starters get healthy, and perhaps beyond if he keeps it up.

Chris Duncan – Outfielder/First Baseman – St. Louis Cardinals – In 2006, Duncan came out of nowhere to mash 22 home runs in 280 at bats, with an average of .293. This led me to pick Duncan as a major sleeper to break out in 2007. For that he rewarded me with 21 home runs in 375 at bats, with just a .259 average; not exactly break out stats and certainly not in line with his accomplishments in 2006. What is worse, his second half last season was just awful; as he batted just .209 with 5 homers after the All Star game. This season started off pretty well as Duncan batted .288 in April, with 5 extra base hits, including two homers, plus he had as many walks as strikeouts and an OBP of .415. In all, the signs were very positive, if unspectacular. Then in May the wheels came off, his average fell through the floor, the power was virtually non-existent, and he had three times as many strikeouts as walks. The Cardinals shipped him to the minors to find his power stroke. After just six games in the minors, Duncan is back because of the loss of Albert Pujols. He will be playing first base full-time for at least the next 4-6 weeks. I’m thinking he is going to be highly motivated to hit well this time around, making him worth a gamble in NL only leagues. If your team is hurting for power, and you need a guy who is capable of hitting home runs in bunches, then Duncan is your man.        

Ian Stewart – Third Baseman – Colorado Rockies – Stewart worked out at second base all winter and had a legitimate shot at winning the position out of spring training. The team decided to go with Jayson Nix instead, and shipped Stewart back to the minors. Now, the Nix experiment is over, and his replacement, Clint Barmes, was injured opening the door for Stewart’s return to the big club. He is being given the second base job full time, and while his defense is somewhat suspect, his hitting skills are thought to be among the elite. In the minors he was batting .281 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 171 at bats. His skills should carry over to the majors, so he is an excellent target for NL only leagues, and especially keeper leagues. If he catches fire, a distinct possibility, he could end up having value in mixed leagues as well.

AL Only Options

Shin-Soo Choo – Outfielder – Cleveland Indians – At one time Choo showed a great deal of promise as a multi-tooled player who could h   it for power and steal bases in bunches, along with playing excellent defense in the corner outfield positions. Of course, the last time he showed that kind of ability was back in 2006 when he was in the Seattle organization. Two years, and several injuries and rehab assignments later, Choo still has the skills, he just needs a chance to show it. Now that he is finally fully healthy, the Tribe is giving him that chance. The Indians corner outfield spots are up for grabs to whichever players between Choo, Franklin Gutierrez, and David Dellucci steps up their game and seizes the opportunity. Choo is certainly off to a good start; after his first 10 games, he is batting .297 with a home run, 5 RBI, 5 Runs, and an OBP of .394. He is worth grabbing in AL only leagues just because of all that potential. If he lives up to it, he has the makings of a nice #3 outfielder in any lineup.

Armando Galarraga – Starting Pitcher – Detroit Tigers – When the Tigers pulled off the big trade that brought Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera into the fold, elevating the Tigers payroll to second largest in baseball, they were instantly anointed the team to beat in the AL Central. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Willis has turned out to be more like Rick Ankiel than team savior. Armando Galarraga, called upon to step into the breach when Willis flopped, has been the silver lining for Detroit, as he has performed even better than the team hoped Willis would. He is currently 5-2 with an ERA of 3.70 and a WHIP of 1.06. He has an acceptable, though not spectacular strikeout rate, and has given the team 6 or more strong innings in 7 of 10 starts. The only complaint is a tendency to walk too many batters, but he makes up for it by limiting hits, as his WHIP shows. Galarraga, as Detroit’s most consistent starter this season, has assured himself a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season, and would be a great asset to AL only teams going forward. He could easily win 15 games, especially if the Tigers bullpen is restocked with the return of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya.

Carlos Gonzales – Outfielder – Oakland Athletics – The A’s acquired Gonzales in the deal that sent Dan Haren over to the Diamondbacks this past winter. Called up due to several injuries to the team, Gonzales has opened eyes in the 12 games he’s played thus far. He is batting .261, with 12 hits in 46 at bats, but 8 of his 12 hits have been doubles, and he has already amassed 9 RBI. He has yet to show the kind of plate patience that Billy Beane prefers from his players, but regardless of that, there is every reason to believe that Gonzales will soon be one of the better hitting players in the game, and that he will hit for power at the major league level. The A’s have struggled with injuries all season, so I expect that Gonzales will have to struggle mightily to get sent back to the minors. He is certainly worth a flier in AL only formats, especially for those in need of RBI.