Miguel Montero - Montero hit in his eighth straight, dragging his AVG up 20 points during that stretch to .273. The 26 year old backstop isn't showing as much power growth as I would have expected this year, but his strike zone management has gotten consistently better the past few seasons, to the point where I think he is a solid second catcher in all formats. There may be a bit more upside here as well, as Montero did hit 26 homers in the minors in 2005. I would definitely be a buyer, particularly in keeper leagues.
Tim Stauffer - Tim Stauffer has been gone an awfully long time (almost two years), but if he pitches some more games like he did Saturday he won't be leaving again anytime soon. Stauffer limited the Giants to four hits and an intentional walk over seven innings last night, fanning seven and showing 88-90 mph velocity most of the way. He threw 70% of his pitches for strikes and generally looked in control of the game throughout. Unfortunately, he has to do it against a real offense before I'll get too excited, and he should get his chance against Colorado sometime next week. I'd certainly take a flyer on him in deeper leagues, but in most formats I would want one more start worth of data at least.
Gerardo Parra - Parra extended his modest hitting streak to seven games with a single Saturday, and the 22 year old is hitting .500 over the past week and has moved back up into the middle of the order. Parra should develop quite a bit more value over time, as some more power will likely develop to go along with his already excellent speed. He has only stolen two bases so far with Arizona, but he stole between 24 and 28 in each of three minor league seasons, and he already has seven triples in just 51 games this year. He is probably slightly below average as an OF for present production, but he certainly has loads of upside. A great keeper league choice, but quite a bit less so for 2009 alone.
Everth Cabrera - The Pads are in full punt mode in 2009, which means guys like Cabrera are going to play as often as possible. Cabrera is a very patient hitter without much pop, but he does have enough speed to interest any fantasy player, as Drew mentioned last week. The 22 year old did manage 37 XBH in A-ball last year, so he isn't completetly punchless, but I doubt power will ever be a strength of his. He's swiping a couple of bags a week right now, and once he learns a bit more about the pitchers at this level he could easily be a 50+ SB guy....if he hits enough. A good high-risk, high-return choice in deeper formats.
Jake Fox - The young slugger might get another bump up in value Sunday as the Cubs play a doubleheader against St. Louis without their first-string catcher, a situation that might allow Fox a catcher start in one of the contests. If you're in a deeper league with one-start positional eligibility, Fox is a solid pickup. His bat is not really in question, but his playing time certainly is. If the Cubs played their best nine they could be the best team in baseball potentially, but they're still sorting through exactly who that might be. Fox should be monitored closely in all formats for his power potential, and likely is worth a flyer in deeper leagues.
