David Aardsma (RP—Mariners)—OK, let’s get real here for a second. Prior to this season, David Aardsma had a career ERA of 5.29, had a BB/9 of 5.6, an H/9 of 9.3, a WHIP of 1.65 and never had saved a game. Ever! So what visionary in the Mariner’s front office looked at these numbers and said, “Boys, I think we’ve found our closer.”? Whoever, it was, give him credit and a raise, because out of nowhere, Aardsma has done an outstanding job converting 14 of 15 save opportunities this season. Aardsma polished off the Diamondbacks on Saturday with a 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2 and lowering his ERA to 1.62. His K/9 stands at over 11 and while I don’t love the number of walks he gives up per 9 innings, 5.6, he has a terrific CT% of 70% that can absorb those wild times. And one of the best things is that he has only given up one home run this season which I love in a closer. His BHIP is only .250, so we might see a slight increase in ERA and some missteps, but with such a low CT%, Aardsma should continue to get the job done. So, if you were a visionary and had Aardsma on your team from the start of the season, give yourself a pat on the back. He is a must start in all fantasy formats and he is proving to be a solid closing option this season.
Curtis Granderson (OF—Tigers)—I would love to do a survey of fantasy owners and find out in what round Curtis Granderson went in their draft this year. Because I am telling you now, I have a feeling in 2010, Granderson will be going somewhere in the first two rounds and will be considered an elite outfielder. Yes, you can start using Granderson’s name in the same sentence along with Beltran, Braun and Sizemore. As a matter of fact, I’ll start right now: I think Granderson’s combination of power and speed is comparable to that of Beltran and Sizemore. How was that? So let’s look at his numbers. With his 17th home run on Friday, Granderson is on a pace to hit 40 HR and steal 27 bases. While the home run pace may be lofty, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if we see Granderson in the 30-30 club. What’s also been a nice plus in Granderson’s game is that his EYE had improved greatly in 2008 making the jump from .37 to .64 last year and he is in similar range this year as well. Even better is that his CT% is at 80% this year which is the highest of his career so far. With a CT% of 80+% and a BHIP that’s at .273, I think we are going to see a rise in average and continued power. If there is any way that you are able to trade for Granderson before his full potential is realized by his current fantasy owner, you better do it right away, because pretty soon, I suspect, he will be un-tradeable and could be on his way to a year where he garners a number of MVP votes.
Derek Holland (SP-Rangers)--Derek Holland is one of the top pitching prospects in the Rangers farm system that has a couple of really good arms that are making their way to the majors. Holland has been with the team for the better part of the season and after starting out in a relief role, he has been moved into the starting rotation. However, he has yet to live up to his potential as a starter as he has 0-3 won/loss record with an ERA of 7.08 as a starter and has not been able to put together a quality start prior to Saturday. Opponents are batting .317 (ouch!) against him as starter, so with Saturday's start against the Giants, the Rangers were hoping for some improvement even though he had a tough matchup going against Matt Cain. And Holland came through with a terrific performance, pitching 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1ER and striking out 5. It was the kind of start the Rangers have been hoping to see out of Holland. Holland's two largest problems seem to be that he is consistently working behind in the count as he has only jumped ahead of 53% of the batters he has faced. Which leads to Holland's other issue: when you are working behind the count all the time, a good hitter will be waiting for the fastball and in Holland's case he has given up 8 home runs in just 36 innings. That's about 2 home runs a game. Combine that with 11.3 hits per 9 innings, well, that is not going to get the pitcher or their team a lot of wins. While, these numbers don't exude confidence in any fantasy owner to go out and grab him off the waiver wire and insert him into their lineup, the long term projection of Holland is favorable. Hopefully, Saturday’s start will be a turning of the tide for Holland. Despite the impressive performance I would only grab Holland if you are in a long-term keeper league, but otherwise he is just too risky to start unless he is able to drastically turn things around down the road and show the consistency he did on Saturday against the Giants.
Brad Bergesen (SP-Orioles)--It's really easy to overlook players that could help your fantasy team when they play for poor to average teams. Especially pitchers, where the better teams convert more wins for their pitchers, which obviously helps your fantasy team more. But Brad Bergesen is one of those pitchers that, while he doesn't play for a real contender, he seems to be pitching some very nice games. Bergesen had put together four out of five quality starts during which time he has gone 3-0 with an ERA of 2.34 and has held opponents to a .211 average. Over the five games, he has also lowered his ERA from 5.49 to a very respectable 3.94. However, he doesn't have blow-you-away stuff as he strikes out only 4.2 batters a game and his CT% is at 82%, so much of his success will rest on having a solid defense behind. With that kind of combination, we would expect to see a high DIPS that would be above Bergesen's ERA and sure enough, his DIPS stands at 4.67. Bergesen's BHIP sits at about .267, so we may see a little less effectiveness going forward, but keep on eye on him and if he continues to give quality starts and the matchups are right, he is a good option for a start or two in AL leagues and deeper mixed leagues.
Alberto Callaspo (SS—Royals)-- You know the scene: it’s late at night. You’re bleary-eyed and you’re scavenging the waiver wire looking for that player who can help you get through the next few days, weeks or perhaps the rest of the season. That one player who may be able to make a difference between a victory and a loss. And let’s face it, it’s hardly ever one, single move that makes the difference but it’s usually a combination of transactions that can push your team over the hill. Well, let’s be honest, Alberto Callaspo is probably not the player who will put you over the top but he is putting together an interesting season at an offensively sparse position. Callaspo is batting a solid .305 and what’s really impressive about that batting average is that he has maintained a .300+ average pretty much all season. He has an outstanding CT% of 89% and a very good EYE of 1.063. So despite an elevated BHIP of .317, he has the chance to maintain that solid average. But if you are looking for anything more than that, look elsewhere. He won’t hit very many home runs, he won’t steal a lot of bases and he won’t drive in many runs. But if you need a solid average guy, Callaspo is turning out to be a nice option. He’s a solid choice in AL only leagues and worthy of adding in deeper leagues. Hopefully, this little advice will save you a late night or two.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
