Weakly pickup samples (2016)
Week ending
July 31 ~~
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Dellin Betances, New
York Yankees – He will be the closer
with Andrew Miller traded to be the closer in Cleveland.
Raul Mondesi Kansas City Royals – Mondesi, 21, is a good prospect but missed time
after serving a 50-game PED suspension. He is batting .268-7-30-24 at three
minor league stops this year but still need work on his plate discipline (60/17
k/bb ratio). He plays mostly shortstop, but has played some second base, which
is where he will likely play in KC for now.
He is worth a pickup for the speed but beware low batting average. But
GM Dayton Moore disagrees on the batting average, maintaining that Mondesi will hit better in the majors than he did in the
minors. "He's ready," Ned Yost said. "Dayton has always said
about him that he plays 'up.'" Playing up means playing
up to the level of competition.
Grade B for the
steals.
Melvin Upton, Toronto Blue Jays – Upton, 31, was acquired to add depth to the
outfield but will play a lot. He is batting .256 with 16 home runs and 20
steals in a comeback season after three down years. He is not a high average
hitter but should be grabbed for his power/speed combo. Grade B
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Aaron Altherr, Philadelphia Phillies – Altherr, 25, was
finally activated and should be considered if still available. He tore a tendon
in his left wrist in March, which required surgery, and missed the first half.
"I just want to see him play," Pete Mackanin
said. "I'm going to keep running him out there. He is potentially an
important part, so we want to see what he does." He batted .247-6-24-6 in
146 at bats after a recall last year. Grade B-
Aroldis Chapman, Chicago Cubs – Chapman,
28, was obtained from the Yankees for four minor leaguers and will likely close
moving Hector Rondon to a setup role. Grade A
Alex Dickerson, San Diego Padres –
Dickerson, 26, has four home runs this week and should be picked up as long as
he stays hot. He batted .382-10-51 at AAA El Paso earlier in the year but
that’s in a hitter’s park in a hitter’s league. He had a nice k/bb ratio
though. He will get regular playing time with Upton gone. Grade B
Eduardo Nunez, San Francisco –
Nunez, 29, was acquired from the Twins and will play third base until Matt
Duffy returns. He is batting .296 with 12 home runs and 26 steals and is well
worth a pickup. Grade B
Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates –
Watson becomes the closer with Mark Melancon traded.
He has a 2.08 ERA and 0.97 WHIP since
2013.
Week ending
July 24 ~~
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Alex Bregman, Houston Astros – Bregman, 22, is a top prospect and will be called up on Monday. He has played
SS-3B-LF in the minors and is hitting.306 with 20 homers and seven steals at AA
and AAA. "We're rolling along pretty well and he doesn't have to come up
here and be anything but himself and contribute at a couple of different
positions," AJ Hinch said. He should be picked
up in all formats. Grade A
NATIONAL LEAGUE
David Dahl, Colorado Rockies – Dahl,
22, will be recalled from AAA Albuquerque on Monday. The team gets to use
the DH in Baltimore this week, so they'll get a brief look at him. If Carlos
Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon are traded, he could stay with the team. Dahl is
hitting a combined .314 with 18 homers and 17 stolen bases at AA Hartford and
Albuquerque. But he already has a 96/45 k/bb ratio. He can play all three
outfield positions. “He’s hitting the ball with authority and power,” farm
director Zach Wilson said. “He has the potential to impact both sides of the
ball multiple times in a nine-inning game.” He should be considered in most formats. Grade B+
Week ending
July 17 ~~
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Yulieski Gurriel,
Houston Astros – Gurriel, 32, was signed and was sent to the team’s
spring training facility in Florida. GM Jeff Luhnow
expects him to be ready in about three weeks. He was an impact power hitter in
Cuba but we’re not sure where he will play in the majors. He is worth a pickup
in most formats though. Grade B
Ryon Healy, Oakland Athletics – Healy, 24, was batting .326-14-64 with a
75/31 k/bb ratio at AA Midland and AAA Nashville and will get regular playing
time at the corners. Deeper leagues might want to take a flier but he is not on
our top prospect list. He was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft. If Danny
Valencia were traded, Healy would step in at third base. Grade B
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Jim Johnson, Atlanta Braves – Johnson
could take over as the closer with Arodys Vizcaino on
the disabled list.
~~ Week
ending July 10 ~~
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals – Wade
Davis (forearm) was placed on the disabled list so Herrera will likely take over as closer.
Joakim Soria would also be in the mix.
Aaron Hill, Boston Red Sox – Hill
was acquired to play third base vs. lefties. He is batting .283-8-29-4 in 254 at-bats but won’t play as much for the
Sox. Grade C+
Koji Uehara, Brad Ziegler, Boston Red Sox – Ziegler was acquired from Arizona and will
help close with Craig Kimbrel on the DL. The sidearmer
is better suited to setup work but has had success as a closer as well. Koji
Uehara will get most ot the
save chances. "Koji's our
closer," John Farrell said. "On days when he isn't available, we've
got Brad to turn to."
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates – Bell,
23, was called from AAA Indianapolis. The switch-hitter was batting
.324/.407/.535 with 13 home runs as the power is finally developing. Now they
want to see if that translates to the big leagues (it should with 20-30 HR
potential eventually). He had solid strike-zone judgment and should become an
average defensive player if he watches his weight. [Bell
could be sent back down this week unless Gregory Polanco is placed on the DL
with a nagging left leg injury.}
Jose Reyes, New York Mets – Reyes,
33, is expected to bat leadoff while playing multiple positions. He batted just
.176 (6-for-34) in 11 rehab games, but hit .274 and stole 24 bases for Colorado
last year. Grade B for the steals.
Trea Turner, Washington Nationals – Turner, 23, will be recalled again and
could see time at 2B-SS-CF. Dusty Baker says he wants more depth on the bench
and doesn’t like playing prospects. He is batting .302-6-33-25 at AAA Syracuse.
“He’s getting on base and creating havoc and stealing bases and puts a lot of
pressure on the defense. It gives us a lot of energy, and we feed off that,”
manager Billy Gardner said. “He’s really worked hard defensively. He’s really
gotten better in his angles, his reads off the bag at shortstop, accuracy with
his throws.” Grade B+ for the future.