August 31, 2012

Value Picks

Outfielders for 8/31/12

by Paul Singman

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Arrivals
Chris Parmelee (Yahoo! 0%, ESPN 0%, CBS 3%) is rising from Triple-A for the fourth time this season and hoping he can finally stick in the Twins’ lineup. With Denard Span hitting the 15-day DL yesterday, Parmelee has a small window to produce and prove himself for next season. The 24-year-old Parmelee destroyed Triple-A this year to the tune of .338/.457/.645 but has been tamed so far in the majors, batting just .207/.281/.319 in 128 trips to the plate. As a non-contending team, the Twins would be wise to play Parmelee every day and get a good look at him for next year. He should have that chance as long as Span is out, making him a nice two-week rental in deeper mixed and AL-only leagues.

With the flurry of trades and injuries in the Phillies outfield, John Mayberry (Yahoo! 6%, ESPN 7%, CBS 19%) has stepped up and become an everyday player. The Phillies are playing him every day mostly out of need; one could argue that Mayberry would fit best in a platoon due to his noticeable handedness split favoring lefties. Luckily, the Phillies face two lefties in their next three games, so he’s a clear go for the weekend. Mayberry is best suited for daily leagues where you can sit him against tougher righties and only reap the rewards when a lefty opposes him. Considering his ample at-bats and middle-of-the-order lineup spot though, he could be worth the add in deeper leagues even if you can’t rotate him in and out of your lineup.

While we’re on the subject of the Phillies outfield, it’s as good a time as any to mention Darin Ruf (Yahoo! 0%, ESPN 0%, CBS 0%), the player in Double-A Reading with 14 homers in his last 20 games. At 26 years old he may be more Brad Eldred than anything else, and Kevin Goldstein appropriately gave some starry-eyed gazers of his stats a needed reality check in his latest Monday Morning Ten Pack. Still, those in NL-only leagues would be wise to keep an eye on Ruf, though a promotion may be unlikely considering he’s somewhat of a defensive project in the outfield. It’s true that a hot hitter is not guaranteed to stay hot, but a player this hot could be a different story. If the Phillies give him a chance, I don’t have a problem with you doing so either.

I’m admittedly late to the Nate McLouth (Yahoo! 2%, ESPN 3%, CBS 4%) party after I made him a late scratch from the VP ranks two weeks ago. He was brought up in the comments though, so the moral is always read the comments section. Despite another productive week with a homer and two steals, McLouth remains (surprisingly) widely available. If you and your leaguemates have collectively avoided this comeback story so far, now is the time to believe with an upcoming series at Yankee Stadium (think lefty batter and short right field fence) and only one lefty on the schedule in the next seven games.

Normally when a struggling player gets send down to Triple-A, you like to see him tear it up for a few weeks, regain some confidence, and carry it back up to the bigs when recalled. Well, Lucas Duda (Yahoo! 23%, ESPN 27%, CBS 28%) actually hit slightly worse during his 25-game demotion to Triple-A, so I’m not sure exactly what feelings he’s bringing back up with him. Nevertheless, he’s back and playing nearly every day in the Mets outfield. If he was dropped in your league, consider adding Duda for his power and RBI potential batting fifth in the Mets lineup.

Hanging Around
Again, not a flashy week from Andy Dirks (Yahoo! 8%, ESPN 9%, CBS 29%), but the Tigers outfielder still managed six hits with four runs and three RBI. If you aren’t in desperate need of spending a spot on a speed-only outfielder, Dirks makes for a solid fourth or fifth outfield option.

The hits just keep coming for Scott Podsednik (Yahoo! 2%, ESPN 4%, CBS 5%), who collected eight of them this week (all singles) but somehow managed to not even attempt a steal. As long as the hits keep falling, Scotty Pods will soon get moving and rack up the stolen bases.

Departures
Dewayne Wise (Yahoo! 4%, ESPN 13%, CBS 7%) had a decent week for the White Sox, but Alejandro De Aza is starting a minor league rehab assignment and is expected back in the next few days. Feel free to start Wise over the weekend, but when setting your lineup on Sunday be sure to find a replacement since he’ll most likely be back in a fourth outfielder role by then.

Charlie Blackmon (Yahoo! 0%, ESPN 0%, CBS 1%) and former VP Andrew Brown are splitting time in right field, and the combination makes for two mediocre players that don’t add up to one player worth using in fantasy leagues.