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Ready to Pounce :: 8/20/08
by Andrew G.
Published: August 20, 2008, 10:12 pm
Victor Martinez, C/Travis Hafner, DH, CLE – Aside from Cliff Lee's run at the Cy Young, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Indians. Their season was derailed early with the injuries of Hafner and Martinez, who were both slumping terribly before landing on the DL. Hafner was hitting .217 before being sidelined by a right shoulder strain, and Martinez still has not hit a home run this year. That's the last time I'll make an exception to my rule and draft a top catcher after thinking he'd be a value pick in the fifth round. I'll also never take a second DH because a power hitter like Hafner was too good for a steal in the sixth round. Pronk and V-Mart likely weren't dropped in deeper leagues, but in the standard 10 or 12 team mixed league it is possible to see one of them on the waiver wire. Either would be worth taking a chance on in most cases.
Jensen Lewis, RP, CLE – With Hafner and Martinez coming back, the Indians, who have actually won 7 of their past 10 games, could play spoiler to contending teams. Lewis picked up the last three saves for the Indians, and he is looking sharp in his new role. The young reliever saw his stats sore up after a July he'll surely want to forget, but he hasn't given up a run in his last eight outings. Lewis put up a 2.15 ERA in 2007, striking out 34 batters in 29 innings, so he certainly does have potential to improve on his subpar stats this season. Grab him now if he's still available.
Ian Snell, SP, PIT – It's a miracle! Ian Snell had a good outing! A potential break-out pitcher coming into this season, Snell has been a colossal disappointment. However, on Tuesday night he tossed seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals, striking out eight batters in the process. Last September, Snell bounced back from a terrible July and August to post a 1.64 ERA. When Snell catches fire, he is capable of being a dominant pitcher worth owning in all leagues, but I would probably wait at least one more start before taking a chance on him. Look at Ubaldo Jimenez, another live young arm who was bad in the first half and unhittable in August.
Max Scherzer, SP, ARI - For all the attention surrounding Scherzer's debut earlier in the year, his return to the majors will likely go a bit more unnoticed. Doug Davis has been shaky, and while Yusmeiro Petit has been solid, the Diamondbacks don't seem very committed to keeping him in the rotation as of now. Everyone fell in love with Scherzer when he was called up, and he put his nasty up on display by fanning 33 batters in 31 innings. If the Diamondbacks decide to give the young flame-thrower a chance in the stretch run, he has the potential to make an immediate impact, especially for those in their own playoff hunts in head-to-head leagues.
Justin Upton, OF, ARI – Rehabbing along with Max Scherzer for the D-Backs is another future star in Upton, who had a mammoth April only to slump the rest of the way before missing some time from an oblique strain. It's hard to expect too much from a 19-year-old coming off an injury, and his playing time is in question after the addition of slugger Adam Dunn. However, a huge talent like Upton could make a splash in September just as he did in April, so he can't be ignored. If the Diamondbacks didn't think that, they would have just let him sit out the season.
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