by John Halpin, FOXSports.com

Updated: August 21, 2008, 7:13 PM EST Comment

add this RSS blog email Print

They're starting to look toward 2009, and that means some new people will get plenty of playing time. Even though we're not yet into September callup territory, below are a handful of players who are reaping the benefits of their teams' failures. Grab some of them in deep leagues, and perhaps you'll reap some benefits yourself.

You'll notice the players are all hitters. I write about closer updates all the time in my blog, and I wouldn't subject you to a random starter pitching for a crummy team in August. What kind of jerk do you think I am?

Kelly Shoppach, C, Indians (10.7 percent owned)

Shoppach hit his 13th and 14th homers of the season on Wednesday, and there aren't a lot of catchers with that kind of pop. Victor Martinez is due back from the DL soon, and with the Tribe out of contention, they have no reason to put him through the wear and tear of catching. Look for Shoppach to catch a little, play first base and DH a lot. My brilliant scenario keeps him in the lineup on a near-daily basis, and someone should e-mail it to Eric Wedge.

Wladimir Balentien, OF, Mariners (1.4 percent owned)

The Mariners brought this guy up so he could play every day, and he hasn't disappointed them yet. Balentien has three home runs and eight RBI in 13 games since his promotion earlier this month, and he should keep clubbing longballs for the M's for years to come. Sure, he might hit .240 and whiff 150 times while he does it, but guys like that are fun to watch. It's not like I'm telling you to spend a first-round pick on him or anything.

Shin-Soo Choo won't blow you away with stats, but he may be good in a pinch these days. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Indians (0.4 percent owned)

Choo's been playing most days since the beginning of June, and unless the Indians bring up Matt LaPorta in September, he'll keep playing. He's never going to be a star, but if you're in an AL-only league, he's a solid fifth outfielder — he knocks in a decent number of runs, scores some as well and steals a base or hits a homer every couple of weeks. He's nice to have, like a lukewarm mug of South Korean cocoa.

Matt Joyce, OF, Tigers (0.3 percent owned)

Joyce has been slumping for most of August, but he might have gotten back on the horse with a pair of home runs against the Rangers on Tuesday. With Joyce occupying at least the letfhanded portion of a left field platoon with Marcus Thames, and Thames being a mediocre 31-year-old who isn't going to get any better, the Tigers have plenty of reasons to play a rookie with a .879 OPS every day. What the heck happened to this team, anyway?

Emilio Bonifacio, 2B, Nationals (0.3 percent owned)

I like saying "Emilio Bonifacio" almost as much as I hate typing "Justin Duchscherer." Bonifacio was installed as the Nats' second baseman and leadoff hitter on August 1, when they cut everyone they weren't able to trade. He has four stolen bases this month, so if you need some middle infield speed, he might be able to help you. He's not going to do ANYTHING else, though. Home runs, RBI, batting average ... nope, nope, nope. His picture is in the dictionary under "one-category fantasy player," right next to every closer who ever lived and the horrendous Michael Bourn.

Chris Dickerson, OF, Reds (0.1 percent owned)

We need to temper our expectations about Dickerson, since he's 26 years old and was ranked by Baseball America as the Reds' 27th-best prospect before the season. With that said, I'm intrigued based on the numbers alone. He had 11 home runs and 26 stolen bases with an .862 OPS in Triple-A before his promotion last week, and he racked up 14 homers and 30 steals in the minors last year. Now, with Jerry Hairston on the DL again, Dickerson's leading off and playing every day. The Reds are so depleted in the outfield that Jolbert Cabrera started in left field on Wednesday, so Dickerson ought to get Ripken-esque playing time between now and the end of September. As a bonus, his cousin is Hall of Fame NFL running back Eric Dickerson. If the Reds start a flag football team during the offseason, he'll be a monster.

Pablo Sandoval, C/1B, Giants (0.1 percent owned)

In three years at different levels of A-ball, the ambidextrous (!) Sandoval never hit better than just OK, and from 2003-07 he had 18 minor league home runs. So, he started a return engagement in the California League this season and — whammo! — He started hitting like Mike Piazza in his prime after that, with a .350 average, 20 home runs and 96 RBI between San Jose and Double-A Connecticut. This transformation is roughly equivalent to Hillary Swank getting fired from Beverly Hills, 90210 and winning an Oscar just over a year later. OK, maybe it isn't, but I've been dying to use that analogy all season and there are only five-and-a-half weeks left.

Maybe the 22-year-old Sandoval will prove too green for the majors, but when a catcher puts up those kinds of numbers, don't you have to ditch your second-string backstop to see if he's for real? Unless you're in a dogfight for first place in your league, I think you owe it to yourself to take a good-hitting catcher who can throw the ball back to Tim Lincecum with either hand. Live a little, will ya?