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July 9, 2012

Value Picks

Second, Short, and Catcher for 7/9/12

by Josh Shepardson

Departures
Rockies backstop Wilin Rosario (Yahoo! 29%, ESPN 21%, CBS 60%) has been tremendous, and his strong play has finally lifted his ownership to a level that warrants a feature in the departures section. He continues to hit for power, smacking another home run in the last week. Ramon Hernandez began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Colorado Springs on July 4, and he should return shortly after the All-Star break. He'll likely cut into Rosario's time more than Wil Nieves did, but the Rockies are terrible, and Rosario is the future at the position. There is also the possibility that Hernandez is traded. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported that the Mets have interest in acquiring the veteran catcher. Such a deal would be great news for Rosario owners.

It's hard to imagine a player performing better after activation from the disabled list than Royals catcher Salvador Perez (Yahoo! 29%, ESPN 36%, CBS 52%). Perez has played in 13 games since returning, and he has recorded a hit in 12 of those games; his slash is a sizzling .383/.383/.702. He hit his fourth home run in the Royals final game before the All-Star break, and it's a shame for Perez that the break falls in the middle of his torrid stretch at the dish.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the “Departures” section this week is here for a positive reason. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons (Yahoo! 8%, ESPN 18%, CBS 33%) has a fractured fifth metacarpal, pinkie finger and will be forced to miss time. He'll see a hand specialist Monday and could potentially miss up to six weeks, maybe longer if surgery is required, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Unless you’re in a league that has a lot of DL spots, it is safe to cut Simmons.

Last Call
His ownership crept up a bit this week, but Erick Aybar (Yahoo! 37%, ESPN 40%, CBS 49%) remains available in enough leagues to stick around here one more week. Since the calendar flipped to July, Aybar has tallied at least one hit in six-of-eight games with multiple hits in four of them. He's making a ton of contact, and while Sunday's home run was his first since June 13 and only his second of the season, he has scalded four doubles this month. He hasn't stolen a base in over a month, but don't be fooled; Aybar has the type of speed to swipe his share if given the green light.

Sticking Around
A bit of rust was to be expected for Stephen Drew (Yahoo! 22%, ESPN 17%, CBS 40%) to need to shake off. The important thing is that Drew has been healthy enough to start in eight of 12 games since rejoining the Diamondbacks, and he has appeared as a pinch hitter in two other games. His line isn't pretty, but his plate discipline rates and batted ball data are roughly in line with his previous norms. Drew has enough raw talent to invest in and hope for the best.

Like the weather throughout much of the United States, Ryan Doumit (Yahoo! 29%, ESPN 8%, CBS 59%) remains hot. Being able to serve as the Twins’ primary designated hitter has helped Doumit stay healthy, and a healthy Doumit is a productive catching option. In the last 30 days, Doumit is riding an unsustainable .439 BABIP to a .342 average. He is locked in, though, and using the latest cool tool developed by Dan Brooks and Harry Pavlidis, you can see he's swinging often in June and July to take advantage of his hot streak. Eventually this approach will catch up to him, but as it does, he'll likely revert back to his standard approach, which has helped him to a career line of .273/.335/.444. If he stays healthy, Doumit should reach the teens in home runs for the first time since 2010 and for just the third time in his career.