Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Jose Lopez, more

June 16, 2011 @ 23:55:09

By Nicholas Minnix
Edited by Tim Heaney

Your fantasy baseball cheat sheets are no longer of use. KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market series gives you tips on fantasy baseball players available as free agents, on waivers or for your FAAB dollars in your rotisserie or head-to-head baseball league. It's time to replace your fantasy baseball busts.

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)

 

Middle infielders

Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners

Ackley not lacking intrigue

Ackley is no longer close to a call-up, because he's on his way. The 2009 No. 2 overall pick was hitting .303, with a .421 OBP, 17 doubles, nine home runs and seven stolen bases for Triple-A Tacoma in the PCL. After a slow April (.211/.336/.305), he was aflame in May (.355/.449/.605) and has been in June (.246/.500/.538).

The M's are pushing their youth on a team that's in contention, but the park and the lineup are still limitations. As pointed out here early last week, Ackley probably isn't going to be a difference-maker the way that some other position prospects appear to be. His position (the keystone) should make him valuable, at least in deep leagues. The 23-year-old has the potential to accrue double-digit homers and steals (the latter a much greater likelihood), and his BA will be solid, perhaps above-average.

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Acquire

AL-only: Acquire

Jose Lopez, Florida Marlins

The Fish called up Lopez, who's quite possibly eligible at the keystone in your fantasy baseball league, so that he could platoon with Greg Dobbs at the hot corner. The arrangement doesn't make the right-handed Lopez very appealing; Dobbs is a left-handed hitter.

For as much as Lopez has struggled in the past year and a half, he was showing some positive signs before the Colorado Rockies cut him loose. Dobbs is a career reserve, a prior pinch-hitter extraordinaire, so it's feasible that Lopez could eventually take the lead. If that happens, Lopez, 27, offers the possibility of double-digit homers and a .275-type BA. If he doesn't impress anyone in Miami, the pair may simply be keeping the seat warm for Matt Dominguez, although how much roto players should be excited about the prospect remains to be seen.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Watch

NL-only: Acquire

Pitchers

Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox will push Miller up from Triple-A Pawtucket and into the big-league rotation for a start against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on Monday. A clause in his deal stipulated that he could request his release if he wasn't on the major league roster by June 15. Boston has convinced him to stick around by promising him this shot.

The Red Sox aren't making the move simply to do the former Florida Marlins prospect a favor. In 13 games (12 starts), the southpaw has gone 3-3 with a 2.47 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a .181 batting average against in 65 2/3 frames with Triple-A Pawtucket this season. He has also walked 35.

And therein is the ongoing issue. Miller, 26, has long displayed tantalizing promise, but he hasn't reined in the control rate, which has been his downfall in the bigs and even, at times, on the farm. Two positive signs: (1) This year's 4.80 BB/9 is actually an improvement over his marks in that area for the past season-plus, and (2) in 18 1/3 June innings (three starts), Miller has walked only 1 hitter, while fanning 22.

He offers more upside, quite obviously, than Wakefield - for the BoSox and fantasy baseball players. He gets an endorsement for that. It's not a ringing one, despite the recommendation, though - don't sell off anything of value.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Watch

AL-only: Acquire

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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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