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September 14, 2012

Value Picks

Outfielders for 9/14/12

by Paul Singman

No new arrivals this week, but plenty of returning names and lots of speculation in the “Edge of the Radar” section to keep you busy.

Hanging Around
With Chris Young’s quad injury lingering, Adam Eaton (Yahoo! 2%, ESPN 1%, CBS 12%) drew all the starts in center the past week and, for the most part, played well, leaving his batting average at .323 after his first seven major league games. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, that average is mostly an empty one; Eaton scored six runs and stole a base but has otherwise left the roto categories untouched.  As long as Young remains out, it’s easy to endorse Eaton as a fringe three-category contributor (runs, steals, average), but how the playing time is divvied once Young returns is still a mystery only time will solve, so keep an eye on the PT distribution in the D’Backs outfield if you invest in Eaton.

Last week’s VP star, Chris Parmelee (Yahoo! 3%, ESPN 3%, CBS 8%), has lamentably been out for most of this week with a strained groin. I’m not one to forget past production so quickly, so Parmelee can continue to hang around these parts. Expect him to miss a few more games but pick up his hot-hitting ways when he returns.

Nate McLouth (Yahoo! 3%, ESPN 3%, CBS 7%) had himself a fruitful week, batting over .400 and contributing two steals to the cause. The rejuvenated outfielder’s ownership rates are still depressingly low, don’t be afraid to give McLouth the ole’ pick up.

Chug-a-chug-a-chug. That’s the sound of Andy Dirks (Yahoo! 7%, ESPN 6%, CBS 26%) continuing to chug-a-long, his .319 batting average in tow. The undervalued Tigers left fielder had another solid week, offering a home run, a couple runs and RBIs, and a near-.300 average to his owners. Inexplicably, Dirks has sat in favor of Ryan Raburn (he of the sub-.300 OBP and SLG) against the last two lefties. The next test in this regard will come next Thursday and Friday when the Tigers face lefties Tommy Milone and Brett Anderson; we can only hope Jim Leyland passes those tests. If Dirks were to be platooned, his value would be limited mostly to AL-only leagues, but as an everyday player, he should be owned in all 14-team mixers and deeper.

Departing
It was an uneventful week for John Mayberry (Yahoo! 13%, ESPN 28%, CBS 32%), who picked up a few hits and a couple of runs and RBI but not much else. Considering his ownership rates also jumped some, the combination of falling production and rising ownership is a simple formula for the “Departures” section. In 15-team mixers and deeper, Mayberry is still a serviceable fourth or fifth outfielder.