Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Randall Delgado

September 13, 2011 @ 01:06:29

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)

 

Pitchers

Randall Delgado, Atlanta Braves

No, Julio. It's Randall's turn

Fredi Gonzalez is going with Delgado instead of Julio Teheran as the second stand-in in this rotation. Delgado made a convincing case with his Friday start at the St. Louis Cardinals, going five innings and allowing three hits, one run and three walks while striking out three. He's pitched fairly well in the bigs thus far (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP in 20 innings), although roto players would prefer to see him improve on his 5.85 K/9 and 4.05 BB/9.

Delgado, 21, spent most of his 2011 campaign (117 1/3 stanzas) at Double-A Mississippi, and the rest at Class AAA Gwinnett. In 139 total frames on the farm, the right-hander was 7-7 with a 3.88 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, an 8.74 K/9 and a 3.69 BB/9. His tendency to serve up the long ball and his trouble with walks flash the caution light to fantasy players who are trolling the wire for pitching.

Delgado has faults, but he has an extremely tantalizing tool set that includes a low- to mid-90s fastball, a good breaking pitch and a reasonably good changeup, per Baseball America. If he struggles, however, he'll leave the ball up in the zone; he's already served up three bombs in his 20 innings.

The Braves' skipper, Gonzalez, seems to have let results determine his choice, which is understandable. Although Teheran has at least an equally intriguing bag of tricks and a better minor league track record, he's been shaky in the majors. Thus, it's Delgado who has displayed composure and who'll get to face the carefree-swinging Florida Marlins at Turner Field on Wednesday. Although roto players will be aware of the potential pitfalls, Delgado is an interesting play, and the matchup is somewhat enticing. The talented pitcher will probably stick around for a bit, too, as long as he keeps Atlanta in games when he's on the hill.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Consider

NL-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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