As each day goes by, we are getting closer and closer to the rosters expanding and baseball teams calling up players from the minor leagues. August is a crucial month in that teams begin to call up guys with much more potential than their lesser teammates. Josh Hamilton was called up as a member of the Cincinnati Reds and played a big role not only for their team, but for some lucky fantasy owners across the country. Other than guys that I have previously mentioned ( Francisco Liriano and David Price), here are 2 guys who should be called up within the month and have a positive fantasy impact.
Gio Gonzalez SP OAK- WIth Oakland seemingly refusing to try and contend this year by trading Joe Blanton and possibly Huston Street, watch Billy Beane call up Gio within the next week or so. In 115 IP, Gio has racked up 119 K's. While his ERA is a bit high, he struggled at the beginning of the year and has been on a tear lately. His biggest issue are control problems but he has nasty stuff and has been tough to get hits off of. Look for Gio to start against weaker teams as well, even as early as this week against the Royals.
Matthew Laporta CLE OF- The crown jewel of the C.C. Sabathia trade, Laporta will be called up to show GM Mark Shapiro exactly what he got for his hefty lefty. In AA ball with Milwaukee, Laporta was batting .288, with 20 HR and 66 RBI. He has gotten off to a slow start with the Cleveland minor league team, but expect that to change quickly. A key stat about this guy is that he takes walks. With Milwaukee's AA team, he had an On Base Percentage of .402, very impressive considering his Batting Average was below .300. Laporta can help your fantasy team across the board besides for steals and should make an impact as soon as he is called up.
There are other options, rather than banking on prospects, that one can take in making their fantasy baseball team better. It is at the point where certain categories should be disregarded. For instance, in a rotisserie league, if you are already near the bottom in ERA and around the middle of the pack in strikeouts, load up on strikeout pitchers. Look at pitchers such as Jonathan Sanchez or Ian Snell, guys who have struggled this year but have above average strikeout numbers. Snell has really struggled this year after a solid 2007, but expect a resurgence from him towards the end of the year as 2 of his last 3 starts have been solid.
The waiver wire is a great place to find these category fillers. Pitchers such as Braden Looper, Kenny Rogers, and Kyle Kendrick are available in many leagues and can help you pile on wins because they play for above .500 teams. Also, keep tabs on teams set-up men and team decisions to make changes in the bullpen. The Detroit Tigers just named Fernando Rodney their new closer, which skyrockets his value, and drops Todd Jones's down like the Dow Jones. Check on Jon Rauch in Arizona, and see if Brandon Lyon can hold on to his closer role, or choke with a talent like Rauch waiting in the wings.
On the hitting side, there are plenty of solid options on the waiver wire to shore up some holes that your team may have. Denard Span of the Minnesota Twins has been very good since becoming the leadoff guy. While he won't get you any power numbers, Spam will get on base, steal a couple, and score some runs for your ball club. With Joe Crede on the DL, look out for Josh Fields. He was called up on Friday and will play both 3B and OF. Fields was projected to start at some point this season, but Crede has been so good that he hasn't seen the majors until friday. Fields is a power guy and can grab you some HR and RBI very quickly.
Gio Gonzalez SP OAK- WIth Oakland seemingly refusing to try and contend this year by trading Joe Blanton and possibly Huston Street, watch Billy Beane call up Gio within the next week or so. In 115 IP, Gio has racked up 119 K's. While his ERA is a bit high, he struggled at the beginning of the year and has been on a tear lately. His biggest issue are control problems but he has nasty stuff and has been tough to get hits off of. Look for Gio to start against weaker teams as well, even as early as this week against the Royals.
Matthew Laporta CLE OF- The crown jewel of the C.C. Sabathia trade, Laporta will be called up to show GM Mark Shapiro exactly what he got for his hefty lefty. In AA ball with Milwaukee, Laporta was batting .288, with 20 HR and 66 RBI. He has gotten off to a slow start with the Cleveland minor league team, but expect that to change quickly. A key stat about this guy is that he takes walks. With Milwaukee's AA team, he had an On Base Percentage of .402, very impressive considering his Batting Average was below .300. Laporta can help your fantasy team across the board besides for steals and should make an impact as soon as he is called up.
There are other options, rather than banking on prospects, that one can take in making their fantasy baseball team better. It is at the point where certain categories should be disregarded. For instance, in a rotisserie league, if you are already near the bottom in ERA and around the middle of the pack in strikeouts, load up on strikeout pitchers. Look at pitchers such as Jonathan Sanchez or Ian Snell, guys who have struggled this year but have above average strikeout numbers. Snell has really struggled this year after a solid 2007, but expect a resurgence from him towards the end of the year as 2 of his last 3 starts have been solid.
The waiver wire is a great place to find these category fillers. Pitchers such as Braden Looper, Kenny Rogers, and Kyle Kendrick are available in many leagues and can help you pile on wins because they play for above .500 teams. Also, keep tabs on teams set-up men and team decisions to make changes in the bullpen. The Detroit Tigers just named Fernando Rodney their new closer, which skyrockets his value, and drops Todd Jones's down like the Dow Jones. Check on Jon Rauch in Arizona, and see if Brandon Lyon can hold on to his closer role, or choke with a talent like Rauch waiting in the wings.
On the hitting side, there are plenty of solid options on the waiver wire to shore up some holes that your team may have. Denard Span of the Minnesota Twins has been very good since becoming the leadoff guy. While he won't get you any power numbers, Spam will get on base, steal a couple, and score some runs for your ball club. With Joe Crede on the DL, look out for Josh Fields. He was called up on Friday and will play both 3B and OF. Fields was projected to start at some point this season, but Crede has been so good that he hasn't seen the majors until friday. Fields is a power guy and can grab you some HR and RBI very quickly.
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