Preston Wilson signs with Cards

August 18, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Ryan Dodson

Disappointed with a lack of power, the Houston Astros designated outfielder Preston Wilson for assignment Saturday, Aug. 12. The team tried to trade him during the next few days but couldn't find any suitors for him, so they put him on waivers Tuesday, Aug. 15. Wilson hit just .269 this season with nine home runs and 55 RBI. The right-handed hitter should give the Cardinals some cover in the outfield, with Jim Edmonds (concussion) out indefinitely. Wilson's best season came in 2003, when he hit .282 with 141 RBI, 36 home runs and had 14 steals for the Colorado Rockies. He has not demonstrated much speed on the basepaths recently, but he does have three seasons of 20-plus steals, including 36 in the 2000 season. One thing to keep in mind is that his numbers in 2003 were while playing in Coors Field, which is notorious for inflating batting stats.

This was his first season in Houston, who signed him hoping he would provide some power in left field. Last season, he played 71 games in Colorado and hit 15 home runs. He also played 68 games for the Washington Nationals last season, hitting .261 and 10 home runs for them. Wilson's most comfortable position is left field however, the Cardinals already have outfielder Chris Duncan filling that spot, and he has been a pleasant surprise over the past couple months. Don't expect Wilson to replace Duncan completely in left field, as Duncan is currently hitting .338 and has been valuable in the second spot in the lineup, but they could form a platoon. Duncan is only hitting .222 against left-handed batters in 22 at-bats, while Wilson is hitting .312 against southpaws. Wilson could also provide cover in the other two outfield spots with outfielders Juan Encarnacion and So Taguchi until the return of Edmonds. When he is in the lineup, expect him to be put into the fifth or sixth spot in the lineup. He has been an RBI machine in the past, and with third baseman Scott Rolen and first baseman Albert Pujols hitting ahead of him, he should have the opportunity to drive in a lot of runs. He is also hitting .301 with runners in scoring position this, meaning he can get the job done when called upon to do so. One caveat, Busch Stadium in St. Louis has been much more friendly to pitchers this season than Minute Maid Park in Houston has been so his numbers could suffer in that respect

This trade gives the Cardinals some depth in the outfield and off the bench, especially with Edmonds out indefinitely. His fantasy value should increase, while Duncan's takes a hit, however both are still only average outfield starters. Watch this situation closely as Wilson could hit better playing in a stronger offense, which would lower Duncan's value significantly (the Astros rank last in the National League in batting average, the Cardinals rank second). At the very least, he will provide a spark against left-handed pitchers, which the Cardinals have had trouble with all season. The move provides good protection for superstars Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, which they haven't had much of all season. Their value increases.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

Pneumonia sidelines Texas Rangers CL Frank Francisco (07/20)
Cincinnati Reds OF Jay Bruce suffers fractured wrist (07/11)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lose OFs Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero to DL (07/10)
Chicago Cubs to lose C Geovany Soto to DL (07/10)
St. Louis Cardinals 3B Mark DeRosa goes on DL (07/07)
Minnesota Twins SP Kevin Slowey has wrist strain (07/04)
St. Louis Cardinals acquire IF Mark DeRosa (06/27)
Florida Marlins send maligned CL Matt Lindstrom to DL (06/24)
New York Mets OF Carlos Beltran hits the DL (06/22)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim SP Ervin Santana returns to DL (06/22)