"Issue Number 8"- Late Season Call-Ups

This week the FantasyMan asks, "What 2 or three call-ups/prospects do you feel are ready to help jolt your fantasy team RIGHT NOW to help you win a championship??? In other words, are there any call-ups/prospects that are good enough to unseat a regular for the remainder of the season??"

TP's Picks:

Every year I always look forward to the time when major league teams start calling up minor leaguers. In many cases these guys will struggle, but once in a while you can find a really good player that will help boost your fantasy team. This season, there are a few guys that I think could make an impact on your fantasy team. In this issue, I will focus on two of them.

First: Delmon Young......Here's a guy that has a ton of talent, and apparently a hot head too. He was suspended for 50 games this season in the minors for throwing a bat at an umpire. Now that he's served his suspension, he's picked up right where he left off, hitting the snot out of the ball. He is a very good hitter that can hit for average and power. I picked him up as soon as he was called up for Tampa Bay because, one, he's very talented and I think here to stay, and two, he will be in the lineup everyday for the rest of the season. He's worth a look, expecially if you are a little short in the outfield........For keeper leagues, you've got to get your hands on this guy. He has a very bright future if he can control his temper.....

Second: Howie Kendrick......I like this guy because he plays second base, which is a fantasy position that is a little short in talent. This guy is batting .293 in 188 at bats for the Angels since being called up. He doesn't hit for power much only accumulating 2 homers so far, but hits doubles, can steal a few bases, and can get you some RBI's......He's worth a look in deeper leagues, especially if you are short at talent at the second base position. He's also worth a hard look in keeper leagues.....

Thanks for reading! Feel free to post comments on the tagboard or email me at fantasyozone@yahoo.com

TP

Scott's Picks:

Well, obviously there are quite a few options to go with here. A lot of
great players were called up(Lester/Weaver/etc) at various points this
season, and there are quite a few guys that will help out a lot. I will
choose 1 pitcher and one position player, to try to mix things up:

1) John Maine, SP: NYM. First off, the stats tell you all you need to know
about this kid. 4-3, 3.50 ERA/48 K's in 61.2 IP/1.09 WHIP/only 18 BB. The
guy has great stuff, and plays on the best team in the NL by far!! Also,
with Pedro and Glavine coming back, but not quite where they need to be, he
becomes in my mind the most viable starter down the stretch. While Pedro
gets back in the rotation next week and Glavine tries to regain form for the
playoffs, he will be a great option for September. He will help your team
immensely if you're in need of real good pitching, and he could provide that
extra good starter to put you over the hump.

2)Andre Ethier, OF: LAD. Now, this guy has played in 100 games, and was
called up in June, but it is shocking to me that he's not on everyone's
fantasy roster as at least a very good backup(if not starter for the weak-OF
teams). The guy has only hit .335 with a .376 OBP with 11HR/55 RBI'S/47
RUNS/19 2B/7 3B for the 1st-place Dodgers. He has heated up even more
recently, with 12 hits in his last 10 games, including 3 multi-hitters. I
just picked him up and will start him for the rest of this week, and he will
help any fantasy managers that aren't completely loaded at OF(VERY few teams
really are, but some think so!!). He also has 5 SB, which isn't a lot, but
the OF is usually reserved for power guys, so a stellar AVG/2B/3B guy gives
you a multiple threat guy that pitchers are still trying to get used to.
His plate discipline early was his one weakness(23 BB/67 K's), but that is
improving as well. He gets that down, and watch out next year.

Both of these guys will help your teams right away, and although they are
call-ups and not mainstream yet, they will be.

Scott