Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - NL

July 26, 2010 @ 13:15:00

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)
Watch	Track player, add if trend continues
Pass	Do not add player (in most circumstances)

 

Outfielders

Chris Denorfia, OF, San Diego Padres

Denorfia finally rounding into form?

Denorfia has hit .287 with six homers this year. He has spent some time shortening his stride, and the results are hard to ignore. He's 11 for his last 26 (since the All-Star break), with four of his six dingers and eight RBIs. Bud Black is finding it hard to sit him.

Denorfia profiled as a ground-ball hitter and never lived up to his second-tier prospect status with the Cincinnati Reds - injuries set him back - but lately he has been driving the ball. Maybe he's not, but maybe he's starting to put it together.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Watch

NL-only: Acquire

Pitchers

Joe Saunders, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

The most well-known piece of the Dan Haren deal? Saunders. The lefty's poor dominance rate, troubling control rate and (when you consider his new home ballpark) inflating fly-ball rate could present problems. Never mind that Arizona is Jekyll and Hyde on offense.

As a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Saunders derived most of his value from wins. He warrants an NL bid, but don't overrate him like the D-backs did.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Pass

NL-only: Acquire

Ross Detwiler, SP, Washington Nationals

The Nats recalled this lanky lefty from a lengthy minors stint spent rehabbing from a torn hip flexor. Detwiler hasn't regained his velocity yet but is pretty close to regaining his form. He posted a 2.48 ERA and 31 K's, with seven walks, in seven starts (32 2/3 frames) for Double-A Harrisburg.

Detwiler, 24, hasn't put it together in the bigs yet but has potential. He gave up five runs to the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday, his first outing of the year, but they were all unearned. He's likely in for more bumps, but if he can begin to limit hits, his K upside will be worth owning.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Watch

NL-only: Watch

Daniel McCutchen, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

This right-hander will take the place of the demoted Brad Lincoln. McCutchen offers less hope than the Bucs' top pitching prospect, though. He has yet to figure out how to avoid the gopher ball.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Pass

NL-only: Pass

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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