Fantasy Baseball Week 5| In the Eyes of The Optiongirl

Imagine what was going though ex Met Philip Humber mind on April 21^st 2012, a perfect game possible. Mind over matter, a winning mindset is what he needed and he did it!  Could you imagine what he was feeling at that moment? This is rare, now there are 21 perfect games since 1904.

What a thrill to able to watch, my heart pounded as I was able to see the perfect game. Winning is a good feeling, but a perfect game is amazing! What also is very exciting is both Mike Trout (see prospects and rookies)

of the Angels and outfielder Bryce Harper of Nationals’ have been called up from the minors on

the same day ready to begin their major league baseball careers. (pick them up if they are available) The best part is they are on my team, perfect timing with 3 players on my disabled list. Injuries continue to happen daily, Some players are out for a few weeks, and others are out for the year.  The waiver wire can help you. This week I share with you part of the article Parker Can’t Lose from D.J. Short of Rotoworld.com, my favorite fantasy baseball site.  Take a chance and pick one of them up.  Good luck!

Here are some waiver wire possibilities.

Alcides Escobar SS, Royals

Escobar entered this season with a lowly .252/.294/.339 batting line over his first 350 games in the big leagues, but he’s hitting .303 (20-for-66) over his first 18 games. Just another case of small sample size gone wild? Perhaps. But he’s hitting line drives at a career-high rate and .339 his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) isn’t outrageous for a player with his speed. The 25-year-old doesn’t hit for much power and his plate discipline is still a mess, but he could be pretty valuable out of a MI (middle infielder) spot if he can maintain a decent batting average and swipe 30 bags.

Jarrod Parker SP, Athletics  

Acquired from the D-Backs in December as part of the Trevor Cahill deal, Parker made his A’s debut Wednesday and limited the White Sox to one run on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. The 2007 first-round pick made a successful return from Tommy John surgery last year by posting a 3.79 ERA and 112/55 K/BB ratio over 130 2/3 innings with Double-A Mobile and made his major league debut as a September call-up. Parker has struggled with his command at times, so there may be some bumps in the road (see: upcoming road start against the Red Sox), but he possesses solid strikeout potential and will make half of his starts in one of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the game. He’s worth a look in most formats.

Alex Presley OF, Pirates

The Pirates’ offense is pretty depressing to watch right now, but Presley is a minor bright spot. The 26-year-old outfielder has followed up on his surprising 2011 campaign by hitting .284 (19-for-67) with a homer, three stolen bases and seven runs scored over his first 17 games. This includes his current 10-game hitting streak. His plate discipline isn’t ideal for a leadoff man (16 walks in 237 plate appearances in the big leagues), but Jose Tabata isn’t exactly threatening for the gig with his slow start. I could see Presley reaching double-digits in homers and 20-plus stolen bases over a full season, which makes him worth considering in deeper mixed leagues.

Stephen Drew SS, Diamondbacks

There’s no formal timeline for Drew’s return from ankle surgery, but he continues to make encouraging progress. The 29-year-old shortstop took ground balls during a workout Monday at Chase Field and also ran the bases at full speed for the first time. If all goes well in extended spring training games this week, it’s fair to say an official minor league rehab assignment shouldn’t be far off. Drew has frustrated the heck out of fantasy owners since he appeared on the brink of superstardom in 2008, but he makes for a wise stash if you have a DL spot open.

R.A. Dickey SP, Mets

Dickey had his worst start in four years last week against the Braves, but he bounced back quite nicely on Wednesday night by tossing seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Marlins. The veteran knuckleballer isn’t a great source for strikeouts, despite fanning 22 batters over 24 1/3 innings this season, but he keeps the ball on the ground for the most part and owns a solid 3.16 ERA since joining the Mets in 2010. He’s a fine anchor for any mixed league staff.

Jason Hammel SP/RP, Orioles

Through his first four starts, Hammel is 3-0 with an outstanding 1.73 ERA and 25/8 K/BB ratio over 26 innings. Where the heck did this come from? It’s still a pretty small sample, but the 29-year-old right-hander seems to have reinvented himself a bit. Not only is he throwing harder than he has in the past (93.5 mph average on his fastball compared to 92.6 mph career average), he is also mixing in his slider 10 percent more often than his career average. His ground ball rate has also shot up to 61.8 percent, up from his career average of 45.5 percent. Who knows if any of this is sustainable (keep in mind, he also has a .254 BABIP and 85.4 percent strand rate), but there’s room to speculate in deeper mixed leagues. It will be pretty painless to drop him if this all turns out to be an early season mirage. His next start is against the Yankees, so be careful.

Allen Craig 2B/OF, Cardinals:  NOTE: Optiongirl Favorite Grab Him Now

Craig was feeling so good following offseason knee surgery that the Cardinals were considering putting him on the Opening Day roster as a bench player. However, the Cards ultimately decided to scale things back after he experienced some swelling in the knee toward the end of spring training. The good news is that he hasn’t had any issues during his recent rehab assignment and is expected to move to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. He won’t have a clear role upon his return, but with some injury-prone veterans on the club (Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran), he should get chances to contribute. His second base-eligibility makes him an extra sneaky stash in deeper formats.

Gerardo Parra OF, Diamondbacks

Parra won a Gold Glove award last year for his defense in left field, but he also flew under the radar as a pretty decent contributor on offense. The 24-year-old batted .292/.357/.427 with eight homers, 46 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a .784 OPS. Not bad. Chris Young is expected to miss more than 15 days with a slight ligament tear in his right shoulder, so Parra should get most of the starts in center field for now. He isn’t going to blow you away in any one category, but he does enough to be useful in five-outfield mixed formats.

Trevor Bauer SP, Diamondbacks: NOTE Optiongirl Favorite Grab Him Now

That’s right, I’m going there. Josh Collmenter has a miserable 9.82 ERA over his first four starts this season, so it shouldn’t be much longer before we see some changes in the D-Backs’ rotation. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Patrick Corbin gets the call first, as Arizona has service time considerations to think about, but he would merely be keeping the seat warm for Bauer. The 2011 first-round pick has allowed just one run over 22 2/3 innings with Double-A Mobile this season while fanning 28 and walking 14. The walk rate is a bit of a concern, but there’s little doubt that he has the potential to dominate right away. If you have an empty bench spot available in a mixed league that’s 12 teams or deeper, by all means stash away.

Chris Capuano SP, Dodgers 

Capuano has a 3.52 ERA and 20/11 K/BB ratio in 23 innings over his first four starts this season and has allowed two runs or less in each of his last three. The veteran southpaw is not someone I would rely on every time out, but similar to last year with the Mets, he makes for a fine streaming option when he pitches at home. Capuano will face the Nationals on Sunday and while they currently sit in first place in the National League East, they are in the bottom-third in the majors in runs scored.

Tony Campana OF, Cubs

Campana has only been with the Cubs for five games this season, but he has already made an impact by collecting five hits in 13 at-bats and stealing four bases. While Joe Mather and Reed Johnson will also play some center field now that Marlon Byrd is in Boston, Campana is the most appealing short-term bridge to top prospect Brett Jackson. The 26-year-old isn’t going to hit for any power, but he swiped 24 bases in 26 attempts with Chicago last year and has 152 stolen bases in 326 career minor league games. He’s an obvious pick up for anyone short on speed.

Andy Parrino 3B, Padres

Parrino has made his last two starts at shortstop, but if some recent speculation is to be believed, he could eventually take Orlando Hudson’s job at second base. The 26-year-old switch-hitter strikes out too much to hit for a high batting average, but he knows how to take a walk and has surprising pop in his bat. Parrino has already started three games at second base and four games at shortstop this season, so multi-position eligibility isn’t far away. While I see him as more of a utility infielder-type in the long-term, he could be a really savvy addition if Hudson is eventually shown the door.

Marco Estrada SP/RP, Brewers

Another easy call. Chris Narveson is expected to undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, so Estrada will get a chance at a rotation spot in the short-term. The 28-year-old right-hander was effective in a swingman role last year, posting a 4.08 ERA and 88/29 K/BB ratio over 92 2/3 innings, and he struck out a career-high nine while tossing five innings of one-run ball in his first start Saturday against the Rockies. Wily Peralta lingers as an alternative down the road, but Estrada is a must-own in NL-only leagues at the moment.

Pedro Strop RP, Orioles

O’s closer Jim Johnson has been in the hospital this week with what was originally believed to be flu-like symptoms, but manager Buck Showalter indicated Wednesday that the exact nature of his condition remains a mystery. Strop has notched saves in each of the past two games and should be owned in all AL-only leagues until there’s some clarity with the situation. The hard-throwing 26-year-old might even be worth a look for some mixed leaguers who have some flexibility on their roster over the next couple of days.

Luke Hughes 1B/2B/3B, Athletics

The Twins designated Hughes for assignment last week, but he actually landed in a pretty good situation with Oakland. Josh Donaldson was optioned to the minors earlier this week after getting off to a terrible start, so A’s manager Bob Melvin said Hughes will get “every opportunity” to challenge for the starting third base job. The 27-year-old Aussie strikes out too much to hit for a high batting average, but has some pop and is eligible at multiple positions. Eric Sogard also figures to get playing time at the hot corner, so Hughes is best utilized in daily leagues.

Hideki Matsui OF,

Nothing official yet, but the Rays are expected to sign Matsui to a minor league contract. The 37-year-old would function as depth with Triple-A Durham initially, but he could potentially serve as a left-handed bat off the bench or split designated hitter duties with Luke Scott. He hit just .251 with 12 homers and a career-low .696 OPS last year with the A’s, so his days of mixed league relevancy are behind him, but he’s well worth grabbing in AL-only leagues. 

Drew Hutchison SP, Blue Jays

Hutchison was pretty shaky in his major league debut Saturday against the Royals, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings, but he still walked away with the victory. While it was a bit of a surprise to see him get promoted from Double-A New Hampshire so soon, he’s actually pretty polished for a 21-year-old. Featuring a low-90s fastball to go along with a plus-changeup and a developing slider, he averaged just 2.2 BB/9 in the minors and has a knack for commanding the strike zone. Life in the AL East can be pretty tough, so expect some growing pains, but he has a chance to stick in the rotation all year.

As the 2012 season continues I will be discussing events of the week(tidbits), injury news, waiver wire possibilities, and sharing with you articles that I am reading that will help you achieve your goal of reaching the playoffs, and achieving the goal of being the 2012 Fantasy Baseball champion of your league!  Post your comments questions and feel free to e-mail me any time at Bonniegortler@gmail.com

Bonnie Gortler is a successful stock market guru who is passionate about teaching others about social media, weight loss and wealth. Bonnie is also a huge sports fan who successfully lost over 60 pounds by applying the many lessons learned through her commitment toward personal growth. Choose your very own FREE down-loadable gift from Bonnie by visiting bit.ly/bgoffers. You may also connect with Bonnie via Twitter & Facebook plus subscribe to BonnieGortler.com.

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