By Ken Balderston
League 14
League 15
As the ‘08 season rolls on, 12 owners picking through the waiver wire on a regular basis leaves less and less to choose from. You need to make up points in the standings and can’t seem to find a difference maker. Well, it’s a perfect time to stop looking at what’s right in front of you and start looking at who could come up and save your team.
FBM Cugines is tracking the performance of the top prospects closest to the Majors - as well as the performance of the players blocking them.
First, a quick recap of players who were called up since the May 1st edition of Cugines was published.
In case you missed it, Clayton Kershaw had the second of his three guaranteed starts and is making a case to stay with the big club; Wladamir Balentien and Jeff Clement were called up in an unsuccessful attempt to spark the Mariners offense with Clement already being sent back to AAA Tacoma; Ian Stewart was recently called up due to Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes needing stints on the DL; and the Jay Bruce era is underway in Cincinnati after he hit .347 in 45 games at AAA with 12 HR and 8 SB.
Homer Bailey, RHP, Cincinnati Reds - 6′4″ 205lbs Born 5-3-86
Louisville (AAA PCL) - 66.2 IP, 4-4, 55 K, 3.92 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
May (‘08) 27.1 IP, 0-2, 22 K, 6.75 ERA, 1.94 WHIP
Blocked by Matt Belisle (’08) - 9 IP, 1-1, 5 K, 9.00 ERA, 2.11 WHIP
After his red-hot start in AAA, and Josh Fogg’s struggles, many thought Bailey would get another shot at the Big Leagues. Management initially thought otherwise, put Matt Belisle into the rotation, and Bailey struggled with Louisville. In 5 starts in May, Bailey failed to keep the opponent to less than 4 runs and has an 18/16 K/BB ratio.
Belisle has been unspectacular but has held opponents to 3 or fewer runs twice in his last four starts. He provides a veteran presence on a staff that also includes rookies Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez.
My first reaction was to say that, although he may still contribute this year, Bailey will have to string together 3-4 solid starts before being called up. As we all know, he recently made his first Major League start of ‘08. The jury is out - let’s see what happens.
Jeff Clement, C, Seattle Mariners - 6′1″ 215lbs Born 8-21-03
Tacoma (AAA PCL) - 122 AB, 30 R, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 0 SB, .365 AVG
May - AAA only (’08) - 78 AB, 9 R, 5 HR, 12 RBI, .295 AVG
Blocked by Jose Vidro (’08) - 157 AB, 17 R, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 1 SB, .236 AVG
Clement was with the Mariners in May for 15 games but was sent back down to Tacoma after hitting only .167 with no homers in 48 at bats. He picked up where he left off before the call-up, hitting .344 with 4 home runs in his first 8 games back at AAA. Jose Vidro still isn’t hitting for power (.396 SLG in June), so it’s only a matter of time before Clement gets another shot in Seattle. Make sure the catcher-eligible prospect is still on your radar when he does.
Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers - 6′3″ 230lbs Born 7-1-80
Oaklahoma (AAA PCL) - 179 AB, 46 R, 17 HR, 43 RBI, 14 SB, .335 AVG
May ‘08 - 96 AB, 19 R, 7 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB, .292 AVG
Blocked by Marlon Byrd (’08) - 65 AB, 7 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, .200 AVG
Long considered to be a Quad-A player, Cruz is pushing for one last shot in the Majors before he turns 28. Near the top of the Pacific Coast League in home runs, stolen bases, and batting average, Cruz could provide half his current production at the Major League level and still be a 20-20 player.
Marlon Byrd was on the DL, and judging by his recent production may have come back too fast. Brandon Boggs is currently acting as a “swing man” for Ron Washington and could still be next in line for at bats. In the event Cruz does get called up, his power/speed combo make for an interesting pickup as the temperature in Texas goes up and the ball starts flying out.
Chase Headley, 3B/OF, San Diego Padres - 6′2″ 230 lbs Born 5-9-84
Portland (AAA PCL) - 222 AB, 41 R, 10 HR, 30 RBI, 0 SB, .306 AVG
May (’08) - 126 AB, 28 R, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB, .357 AVG
Blocked by Scotty Hairston (’08) - 173 AB, 20 R, 7 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB, .220 AVG
After a slow start to the year at AAA Portland, Headley has turned his season around and could be days away from getting called up. The Padres are desperate for offense and have nothing to lose. Scott Hairston is playing well enough that Headley won’t be handed the job outright, so there might be a platoon situation to start out. If he can carry his hot May up to the big club, Chase might force his way out of the platoon quickly and into a run producing slot in the Padres lineup.
Francisco Liriano, SP, Minnisota Twins - 6′2″ 22lbs Born 10-26-83
Rochester (AAA INT) - 0-2, 47.1 IP, 33 K, 4.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
May (’08) - 0-1, 39 IP, 27 K, 3.46 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
Blocked by Boof Bonser (’08) - 66.1 IP, 2-6, 42 K, 5.97 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
After being sent down at the end of April because of poor control, and virtually no movement on his breaking ball, Liriano seems to have rebounded nicely. He walked 4 batters in 5 innings during his first start at Rochester, but has only walked 6 in his next 35 innings.
Boof Bonser might not lose his rotation spot tomorrow, but he does have a 9.59 ERA in May, and would likely be the first to go if Liriano continues to force management’s hand. Liriano’s not yet striking out batters like he did before surgery, and he may never match his ‘06 numbers, but he’s still worth picking up in Mafia leagues due to his upside.
Check back tomorrow for more!