This article is part of our In Some Depth series.
Sometimes you'll watch a commercial for something called, like, Crazy Eddie's Electronics, and Crazy Eddie tells you that he's so crazy because of the deals he's willing to give you.
What follows is basically the fantasy-analysis version of that. In this edition of In Some Depth, we return to Ordinary Time, as it were, following last week's look at potentially useful participants in the Futures Game. To bring everyone up to speed, however, I've included not the usual 10, but 25 (!!!), notes on depth-chart situations around the majors.
Seriously, this edition of In Some Depth is IN-SA-A-A-A-A-ANE!
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: First Base
Players:Brandon Allen, Juan Miranda, Xavier Nady
Notes:Brandon Allen has been freed... but will likely still platoon with Nady at first. Meanwhile, Miranda was demoted to Triple-A.
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: Third Base
Players:Geoff Blum, Sean Burroughs, Ryan Roberts
Notes: Rather than hand the third-base job directly to Ryan Roberts after Melvin Mora's departure, manager Kirk Gibson seems to have created a platoon between Burroughs and Roberts. Also, he gave Geoff Blum -- manifestly not a good baseball player -- a start at third, as well.
Team: Atlanta Braves
Position: Third Base, Left Field
Players:Chipper Jones, Nate McLouth, Martin Prado
Notes: With Jones on the DL, Prado has moved from left field to third, with McLouth taking over in left. Jones, however, is expected to return on his target date of July 25th, likely
Sometimes you'll watch a commercial for something called, like, Crazy Eddie's Electronics, and Crazy Eddie tells you that he's so crazy because of the deals he's willing to give you.
What follows is basically the fantasy-analysis version of that. In this edition of In Some Depth, we return to Ordinary Time, as it were, following last week's look at potentially useful participants in the Futures Game. To bring everyone up to speed, however, I've included not the usual 10, but 25 (!!!), notes on depth-chart situations around the majors.
Seriously, this edition of In Some Depth is IN-SA-A-A-A-A-ANE!
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: First Base
Players:Brandon Allen, Juan Miranda, Xavier Nady
Notes:Brandon Allen has been freed... but will likely still platoon with Nady at first. Meanwhile, Miranda was demoted to Triple-A.
Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: Third Base
Players:Geoff Blum, Sean Burroughs, Ryan Roberts
Notes: Rather than hand the third-base job directly to Ryan Roberts after Melvin Mora's departure, manager Kirk Gibson seems to have created a platoon between Burroughs and Roberts. Also, he gave Geoff Blum -- manifestly not a good baseball player -- a start at third, as well.
Team: Atlanta Braves
Position: Third Base, Left Field
Players:Chipper Jones, Nate McLouth, Martin Prado
Notes: With Jones on the DL, Prado has moved from left field to third, with McLouth taking over in left. Jones, however, is expected to return on his target date of July 25th, likely sending Prado back to left and McLouth to the bench.
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Third Base?
Players:Josh Bell
Notes: Bell is being promoted on Monday. He was considered a prize in a trade that sent George Sherrill to the Dodgers, but his plate discipline remains prohibitively weak.
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Left Field
Players:Matt Angle, Felix Pie, Nolan Reimold, Luke Scott
Notes: With Vladimir Guerrero going to the DL, Angle was promoted this weekend and started in left. He was 20-for-22 on stolen-base attempts, but is a poor hitter. Also, Luke Scott's imminent return will confuse the left-field situation.
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Left Field
Players:Carl Crawford, Josh Reddick
Notes: The Red Sox will activate Crawford from the DL on Monday, meaning that Reddick -- despite his impressive line of .352/.402/.634 (.386 BABIP) -- will likely find his way back to the minors.
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Position: Shortstop
Players:Zach Cozart, Paul Janish, Edgar Renteria
Notes: In the eight games since Thursday July 7th, Cozart has made five starts at shortstop, and his .400/.400/.520 (.429 BABIP) line in limited at-bats will keep him in the lineup for the time being.
Team: Colorado Rockies
Position: Second Base
Players:Mark Ellis, Jon Herrera
Notes: Before sitting on Sunday, Ellis had made 13 consecutive starts for the Rockies at second base, batting .302/.351/.566 (.326 BABIP) and adding some stability to what has been a weak sport for the Rockies this season.
Team: Colorado Rockies
Position: Third Base
Players:Ian Stewart, Ty Wigginton
Notes: Including Sunday, Stewart has now made 10 consecutive starts at third base, now in his third major-league stint of the season. The results are better, if not amazing: .290/.371/.452 (.375 BABIP) since the promotion. Meanwhile, Wigginton has become nomadic, playing here and there at different positions.
Team: Colorado Rockies
Position: Center Field
Players:Dexter Fowler
Notes: Fowler was promoted from Triple-A following Charlie Blackmon's injury. He (i.e. Fowler) has made three consecutive starts, although owners shouldn't expect anything much better than his career averages.
Team: Detroit Tigers
Position: Second Base
Players:Carlos Guillen, Ryan Raburn
Notes: Guillen made his season debut on Saturday and will likely play the majority of games (80%?) at second base for the Tigers, as long as he remains healthy.
Team: Detroit Tigers
Position: Third Base
Players:Brandon Inge, Don Kelly
Notes: With Inge batting just .180/.246/.246 (.242 BABIP), manager Jim Leyland has looked elsewhere, giving Kelly four of the last five starts at third. Note, of course, that Don Kelly isn't really the answer, either.
Team: Florida Marlins
Position: Center Field
Players:Mike Cameron, Chris Coghlan, Bryan Peterson
Notes: Cameron has started, and will likely continue to start, the majority of games until Chris Coghlan's return. Coghlan has recently started a rehab stint, so he could return as early as this week.
Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Near Los Angeles
Position: Center Field
Players:Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout
Notes: Bourjos was ultimately sent to the DL for a hamstring injury that had prompted the promotion of uberpropect Trout. Bourjos will actually be eligible for activation this Saturday, meaning Trout will likely return to the minors (although it's unclear whether it'll be Double- or Triple-A).
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Position: Shortstop
Players:Yuniesky Betancourt, Craig Counsell, Josh Wilson
Notes: As of Monday morning, Wilson has made two consecutive starts at short. Still, none of these guys is particularly good.
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Position: Left Field
Players:Ryan Braun
Notes: Braun left this past Saturday's game with tightness in his left hamstring and left calf. He made a pinch-hitting appearance on Sunday, but it's unclear whether he'll start Monday. The drop in talent from Braun to fill-in Mark Kotsay is substantial.
Team: Minnesota Twins
Position: Right Field
Players:Jason KubelTrevor Plouffe
Notes: Fans of Trevor Plouffe might be disappointed to learn that Kubel has begun a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester and could return to the Twins this week. They might also be disappointed to learn that they're fans of Trevor Plouffe.
Team: New York Mets
Position: Third Base
Players:Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, David Wright
Notes: The Mets are targeting Friday against the Marlins as the date for Wright's activation from the disabled list. The move will likely -- although not definitely -- send Murphy across the diamond to first and Lucas Duda to the minors.
Team: New York Mets
Position: Shortstop
Players:Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada
Notes: Reyes' owners will be glad to hear that the shortstop is likely to return on Tuesday. Reyes, recovering from a hamstring injury, said "felt great" after running the bases Sunday, so take that for what it's worth.
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Third Base
Players:Eduardo Nunez, Alex Rodriguez
Notes: With Rodriguez expected to return in mid-August at the earliest, the Yankees find themselves with a pretty significant drop in production at third with Eduardo Nunez. Nunez, however, both (a) qualifies at shortstop by almost all formats and (b) steals a bunch of bases, all of which is good for fantasy owners.
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Third Base
Players:Michael Martinez, Placido Polanco, Wilson Valdez
Notes: Polanco has been out since July 5th with a back injury and, though he's eligible to return Wednesday, experienced continued soreness this past weekend that might delay his return. Martinez and Valdez will split time at third for however long he's out.
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Center Field
Players:John Mayberry, Shane Victorino
Notes: Victorino will be activated from the disabled list Tuesday but says his sprained thumb is still not completely pain free, which could mean some days of rest here and there -- and some more starts in center for John Mayberry.
Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: Shortstop
Players:Chase d'Arnaud, Ronny Cedeno
Notes: Including Sunday, d'Arnaud has now started 12 consecutive games at shortstop in Ronny Cedeno's absence but has batted only .217/.244/.289 (.277 BABIP) in his limited major-league time. Meanwhile, Cedeno, returning from a concussion, made his first rehab appearance on Sunday and could earn back the starting job soon.
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Right Field
Players:Nate Schierholtz
Notes: Somehwat quietly, Schierholtz has taken over as the very-much-everyday right fielder for the Giants, having started there in 17 consecutive contests. He's also batting .288/.335/.446 (.310 BABIP) and profiles as a 15-15 or 20-15 guy given a full slate of games.
Team: Seattle Mariners
Position: Third Base
Players:Chone Figgins, Kyle Seager
Notes: The only thing Kyle Seagar has to be is better than Chone Figgins and Figgins' .183/.230/.243 (.209 BABIP) line this year. Though he (i.e. Seager) hasn't done that so far -- he's batting .111/.238/.111 (.154 BABIP) in 21 plate appearances -- his minor-league numbers (.312/.381/.459 in 299 PA at Double-A) suggest that he could actually be a decent play in a weak crop of third basemen.
