Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - NL

August 31, 2010 @ 15:00:00

By Nicholas Minnix
Edited by Tim Heaney

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - AL

Fantasy baseball waivers and the acquisition of fantasy baseball free agents can make or break your season. Your fantasy baseball cheat sheets won't help you after spring training. If your team remains the same after opening day, you will have trouble competing in your rotisserie baseball league.

Do you need to replace your fantasy baseball busts? Which fantasy baseball players can you ignore? KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market gives you fantasy baseball tips and insight to sort through the masses quickly.

Key

Acquire	Add player (in most circumstances)
Consider	Add for speculation or because of need
Watch	Track player, consider if trend continues
Pass	Do not add player (in most circumstances)

Corner infielders

Casey Blake, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Cincy bringing up a big gun

The 37-year-old hasn't been in high demand this season, but he's not dead. He has hit .295 with three homers and 16 RBIs this month; he's 16 for his last 45, with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Lately, Don Mattingly has been helping Blake refine his approach, helping him focus on driving the ball back through the box. After a large lull in the middle of Blake's 2010, perhaps he's ready to finish it relatively strong.

Shallow mixed: Consider

Deep mixed: Consider

NL-only: Acquire

Middle infielders

Melvin Mora, 2B/3B, Colorado Rockies

Mora will see most of the at-bats at the hot corner while Ian Stewart (oblique) is on the disabled list. Mora is hitting .268 with three dingers and 27 RBIs this season. He has struggled in August, although inconsistent playing time can easily contribute to such a problem.

Mora played a little more often, mostly while Troy Tulowitzki was out, not long ago. From June 28 through July 31, he was 23-for-70 (.329) with two home runs, 11 RBIs and 14 runs. The veteran's eligibility at the keystone is what makes him of interest. He can still supply the surging Rockies with production, although it's likelier to come at Coors Field.

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Consider

NL-only: Acquire

Pitchers

Aroldis Chapman, RP, Cincinnati Reds

The Reds recalled the laser-armed lefty today and planted him in the bullpen. It's not clear exactly what role Chapman will fill, but he was used for one inning or fewer in his six most recent outings. He recorded seven saves in August. He was used for more than an inning at Triple-A Louisville when he first moved to the bullpen and at times since.

It's unlikely that Chapman will have a chance to close. Francisco Cordero, despite a rough go of things earlier, seems to have settled down; Nick Masset has performed admirably in setup after a bad start to the year. Don't rule it out completely, though.

Chapman appears to have been reining in his BB/9 for about two months. He's 4-1 with 2.60 ERA in 26 games as a reliever. He was also reportedly throwing 105 a couple of nights ago, in case you didn't hear. It's clear that Chapman can be of assistance, regardless of his role.

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Acquire

NL-only: Acquire

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - AL

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Nicholas Minnix

KFFL's baseball editor plays in LABR and Tout Wars and won the FSWA Baseball Industry Insiders League in 2010.

The University of Delaware alum is a regular guest on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and Baltimore's WNST AM 1570. Follow him on Twitter.

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