The White Sox boast a legitimate MVP candidate in Alex Rios (3.4 WAR) and the mammoth production of Paul Konerko (.417 wOBA), but their offense as a whole has largely underperformed. They have a .322 team wOBA, which tends to happen when you have seven players with sub-.320 OBP’s in the lineup as Chicago did yesterday.

Kenny Williams shook things up a little bit following last night’s win over Pittsburgh, replacing Jayson Nix and his .227 wOBA with hot shot third base prospect Dayan Viciedo. The Cuban defector signed a $10M big league deal before the 2009 season, though his performance last year was generally underwhelming (.280/.317/.391 in 540 Double-A plate appearances). Baseball America noted that Viciedo “can drive the ball to all fields and possesses tremendous opposite-field power” before the season, and he started to deliver on that promise with a .290/.329/.525 performance at Triple-A this season.

He’s a third baseman in name only, but he already has fantasy eligibility at that position in Yahoo! leagues and we couldn’t care less about how many balls he misplays. CHONE projected a .243/.273/.367 batting line with 11 HR and 59 RBI in 431 PA this year, which accurately reflects his unwillingness to work the count (just 26 unintentional walks in 795 pro plate appearances). Baseball America also noted that Viciedo “sits on fastballs to the point where he often looks helpless against offspeed pitches,” which will be his undoing in the bigs if he can’t adjust.

Regardless, Viciedo will run into one occasionally and hit the ball into the people even without the plate discipline, especially at U.S. Cellular Field (which has inflated homerun output by about 25% over the last three years). Homers impact four fantasy categories, so there’s definite value here. The White Sox aren’t likely to put many men on base in front of him, so the RBI total will likely lag a bit, but you should be in the clear as long as you’re not targeting him as an every day third base solution. Chances are Viciedo will pick up first base eligibility at some point, and a little extra flexibility is always appreciated.

Part of me gets the Jeff Francoeur vibe here, meaning that Viciedo will tear things up for a few weeks, then fall back to Earth once the book gets out how to pitch him. Again, I have no evidence of this, but it always seems like these extreme plate indiscipline guys initially perform well before dropping off. Perhaps it’s confirmation bias, I don’t know. Either way, Viciedo can provide a little pop at a bench spot or as an injury fill in, but not much more beyond that.

With Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg, Mike Stanton, Buster Posey, Neftali Feliz, and Carlos Santana now in the big leagues, just four of Marc’s preseason top ten prospects are left in the minors leagues. In all likelihood, the next mega-prospect to get the call will be Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates, and there are indications that he will join the team as soon as tomorrow.

If you’re reading this site, you’re no doubt familiar with Mr. Alvarez and what he can bring to the table. Baseball America describes him as having “tremendous raw power to all fields” with “good pitch-recognition skills,” but notes “can be caught off balance by breaking balls from lefthanders.” That last part is the biggest concern, because he’ll be playing in a division with Jaime Garcia, Ted Lilly, Manny Parra, Chris Narveson, Wandy Rodriguez, and Randy Wolf. Not exactly an awe-inspiring collection of southpaws, but enough that you’ll need a decent platoon partner.

Alvarez is hitting .280 with a stout .260 ISO in Triple-A this year, which are right in line with his career totals of .286 and .251, respectively. MinorLeagueSplits.com indicates a reverse split in a limited sample this year (1.073 OPS vs. LHP, .869 vs. RHB), but his career totals (.810 OPS vs. LHP, .971 vs. RHP) reflect Baseball America’s scouting report. Alvarez can swing and miss with the best of them, striking out in close to 28% of his minor league plate appearances.

CHONE projected a .231/.299/.400 batting line with 16 HR and 54 RBI in 403 plate appearances before the season, and that seems very reasonable if the Bucs are going to run him out there every day, lefthander or otherwise. If they platoon him, I’d expect something more along the lines of .250/.330/.450, though that’s nothing more than a hunch. I am concerned about all the strikeouts, because bush league strikeout totals do have some predictive value; Chris Davis struck out in close to 27% of his minor league at-bats, for example.

Even if it doesn’t happen tomorrow, the Pirates will inevitably call Alvarez up at some point this month. Pittsburgh has a dreadful offense (team .297 wOBA), so he won’t get much help and the RBI opportunities will be few are far between. The homerun potential alone makes him a worthy fantasy add, even moreso in deeper leagues. You’ll take a bit of a hit in AVG, so make sure you can mitigate at some other spots. Chances are Alvarez will have better trade value than true worth later in the summer based on hype and name recognition alone.

Eduardo Nunez, SS, New York (AL): After six seasons in the minors, Nunez broke out in 2009 at double-A. The right-hand hitting shortstop has followed that up with another solid performance in triple-A. Nunez, 23, is currently hitting .323/.364/.413 in 254 at-bats. He doesn’t have much power (.091 ISO) but he’s improved his base running and can now take full advantage of his above-average speed; he’s swiped 14 bases in 17 tries. Nunez lacks patience at the plate, as witnessed by his 5.2 BB%, but he also does not strike out much (12.9 K%). A good defensive player with a strong arm, the Dominican native could be a big league shortstop but it probably won’t come with the Yankees as he’s a solid commodity that could help bring in some veteran talent at the trade deadline.

Miguel Velazquez, OF, Texas: Off-the-field problems have slowed Velazquez’ ascent through the Rangers’ depth chart but he’s starting to make some real noise now. Currently playing in low-A ball, the outfielder is hitting .280/.353/.477 in 239 at-bats. He’s shown the ability to hit for a solid average and also possesses good power (.196 ISO) and slightly-above-average speed that has helped him nab 11 bases in 15 tries. Velazquez, 22, also has a strong arm and could eventually move from center field to right field as he fills out and slows down. It would be nice to see him challenged with a move to high-A ball.

Jarred Cosart, RHP, Philadelphia: Cosart won’t be a sleeper for long. A 2008 38th round draft pick out of a Texas high school as a two-way player, the right-hander slid in the draft due to signability concerns, but the organization made a smart move and gave him more than $500,000 to steal him away from the University of Missouri. Currently playing in low-A ball, the 20-year-old hurler has a 3.25 ERA and has given up just 48 hits and 15 walks in 63.2 innings of work. He has the desirable combination of a high strikeout total (73) and a high ground-ball rate (59%). His repertoire includes a mid-90s fastball, a good curveball and a change-up.

Pittsburgh Pirates recalled OF Jose Tabata from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Tabata, 21, is a polarizing prospect. His backers see a precocious talent who makes score of contact and possesses more athleticism than one would expect from his compact frame. Those more skeptical of Tabata’s upside point out uncertainty about his age and limited power potential.

Signed by the Yankees out of Venezuela for $550,000 in 2004, Tabata burst on to the prospect scene by showing an exciting blend of hitting skills and speed in A-Ball over the 2006 and 2007 seasons. As a 17-year-old in the Low-A South Atlantic League, he hit .298/.377/.420 in 363 plate appearances. He had decent strike zone control (8.3 BB%, 20.7 K%) and a pinch of power (.122 ISO), while swiping 15 bases in 20 attempts. In the High-A Florida State League in ’07, Tabata had a .307/.371/.392 triple-slash in 456 PA. He walked 7.3%, punched out 16.9% and had a .086 ISO, going 15-for-22 on the base paths.

Those numbers don’t stand out at first glance, but are more impressive when the context is considered. Tabata was (apparently) the same age as high school sophomore in ’06 and a junior in ’07, and the FSL is a pitcher-friendly circuit. Baseball America rated Tabata as the 27th best talent in the minors prior to 2007 and the 37th-rated prospect leading up to 2008.

That ’08 season wouldn’t be a banner one for him, though. Bumped up to Double-A, Tabata posted feeble numbers at the plate, angered the Yankees by leaving the park during an April game and tweaked his hamstring. He was shipped to Pittsburgh (along with Ross Ohlendorf, Daniel McCutchen and Jeff Karstens) that July for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Tabata picked up the pace in the Eastern League after the trade, finishing the season with a .277/.345/.388 line in 442 PA. He walked 8.1%, struck out 17% and had a .111 ISO, with 18 SB and two CS. BA knocked him down its list somewhat, but Tabata still cracked the top 100 (#75).

Last year, the 5-11, 210 pound righty batter began the year back at Altoona. Though he was caught red-handed on the bases often (7 SB, 6 CS), Tabata hit .303/.370/.404 in 254 PA. His secondary skills were again mild (7.9 BB%, .111 ISO), but he punched out just 11% of the time.

Tabata was promoted to the Triple-A International League later that summer, and that’s where he opened 2010 as well. In 400 combined PA at the level, he owns a .296/.358/.419 line, with an 8.3% rate of free passes taken, a 14.8% K rate and a .123 ISO. Happily for fantasy folks, Tabata has recovered his base stealing prowess (29 SB, 8 CS, a 78.4% success rate).

Assuming the right hamstring cramp he suffered last night isn’t serious, Tabata figures to see a lot of playing time — Jeff Clement has been banished to Triple-A, and Garrett Jones will man first base more frequently.

His long-term value is hard to gauge, however. Is Tabata 21? Not even the Pirates seem to know for sure. Will he ever hit more than the occasional double? He doesn’t have a projectable frame, as he’s under six feet and has already filled out physically. Will his stolen base totals translate to the highest level? Tabata’s not a speed demon, with tick-above-average wheels. There are a wide range of possibilities here.

Tabata’s someone to watch in NL-only leagues, and he has some value in keeper formats. But keep in mind that there are a plethora of potential outcomes — he could be anything from a 21-year-old with room to develop offensively to a maxed-out 24-year-old who needs to play plus defense to be worthy of an everyday spot in the lineup.

A night after getting mauled by cyborg..er Stephen Strasburg, the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted RHP Brad Lincoln to start Wednesday night against the Nationals. Two roster spots were opened up yesterday — 1B Jeff Clement was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis and LHP Jack Taschner was DFA’d — and the other spot is expected to go to OF Jose Tabata. If that move becomes official, look for a post on Tabata tomorrow.

Lincoln, 25, was the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft. The University of Houston product starred on the mound and in the batter’s box for the Cougars, but a power pitching arsenal assured that he’d leave the bat behind as a pro. Here was Baseball America’s scouting report of Lincoln at the time:

He sits at 91-93 mph with good life on his fastball, touches 95-96 most games and has peaked at 98. He holds that velocity throughout games. His curveball is equally as impressive, and he can throw it for strikes or break it out of the zone as a chase pitch. He also shows feel for a changeup that’s close to an average pitch already. Lincoln is close to big league ready and his competitive makeup means he’ll get everything out of his considerable ability.

Unfortunately, the 6-foot righty would toss just 23.2 innings as a Pirates farmhand in 2006 before succumbing to Tommy John surgery the following April. After missing the entire 2007 season, Lincoln returned in 2008 and split his season between the Low-A South Atlantic League and the High-A Carolina League. At the lower level, he had 6.68 K/9, 0.87 B/9 and a 3.78 FIP in 62 IP. In the Carolina League, Lincoln logged 41.2 innings and had rates of 6.26 K/9, 2.38 BB/9 and a 4.23 FIP. Though he didn’t strike out a ton of batters, Lincoln was stingy with the walks and kept the ball down (a combined 50.9 GB% between the two levels, according to Minor League Splits).

In its 2009 Prospect Handbook, BA said that Lincoln’s post-Tommy John velocity returned to the 90-93 MPH range, and his hammer curve regained its bite. His changeup was said to need work, though, and he also “caught too much of the strike zone at times, making him susceptible to home runs.” (Lincoln surrendered about 1.1 HR/9 in ’08)

In ’09, Lincoln again divided his season between two levels. In the Double-A Eastern League, he whiffed 7.8 per nine, walked 2.16 and had a 2.96 FIP in 75 innings. A low homer rate (0.48 per nine) contributed to that sub-three FIP, however, and his ground ball rate dipped to 43.8%. Promoted to the Triple-A International League, Lincoln threw 61.1 innings with rates of 6.16 K/9, 1.47 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9 and a 3.85 FIP. He was an extreme fly ball pitcher for the Indians, getting grounders just 34 percent.

Sent back to Indy to begin the 2010 season, Lincoln improved his K rate (7.2 per nine), kept the walks low (1.8 BB/9) and had a more neutral GB/FB profile (42.6 GB%), posting a 3.67 FIP in 68.1 IP.

While no premier prospect, Lincoln has the look of a quality mid-rotation arm. He controls his low-90’s fastball well, has an above-average curve and while his change doesn’t draw much praise, he hasn’t shown much a platoon split in the minors (3.88 FIP versus lefties, 3.78 FIP against right-handers). According to Minor League Splits, Lincoln’s ’09 pitching translated to a major league line of 5.64 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, 1.06 HR/9 and a 4.57 FIP. His 2010 season equates to 6.09 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, 1.32 HR/9 and a 4.85 FIP. Before the season began, CHONE projected 6.22 K/9, 2.87 BB/9, 1.34 HR/9 and a 4.70 FIP, while ZiPS forecasted 5.58 K/9, 2.35 BB/9, 1.32 HR/9 and a 4.65 FIP.

Lincoln’s worth an add in NL-only formats, given his adequate punch out rates and low walk rate. He’s probably not a prime target in keeper leagues, but he’s someone to monitor there, too. Watch his ground ball rate, though — as BA indicated, home runs could become a problem.

With the MLB amateur draft set to kick off its three-day celebration on June 7, I though it would be a fun time to take a look back at some interesting names to remember from the ’09 draft.

Kyle Heckathorn | RHP | Milwaukee: The knock on Heckathorn coming out of college was that he had never dominated despite very good stuff. That has changed in pro ball. The right-hander has a power-pitcher’s frame at 6’6” and 225 lbs. He has a fastball that can reach the mid-90s, as well as a slider that can be plus at times, and a good change-up. He also has pretty good control for a power pitcher and gets a good number of ground balls. In college, he wasn’t very good at pitch selection but he’s been helped by working with pro catchers and coaches, who have really sharpened his understanding of his craft. One caution, though: He is succeeding in low-A ball, so it will be nice to see him at higher levels, perhaps later this year.

Ryan Wheeler | 1B | Arizona: How is this for debut numbers from 2009: .361/.462/.540 in 263 at-bats. Sure, Wheeler was an advanced college hitter beating up on younger pitchers, but he’s at it again in 2010… this time in high-A ball. The left-handed hitter is batting .310/.364/.434 in 226 at-bats in the powerful California League. Wheeler isn’t showing a ton of over-the-fence power right now, but he has good raw pop and he has 17 doubles on the year. A report by Baseball America likened his potential to that of the Reds’ Joey Votto.

Brad Boxberger | RHP | Cincinnati: I’m fairly certain you’re familiar with the Reds’ first draft pick from 2009… a guy by the name of Mike Leake? Well, Boxberger didn’t zoom right from college to the Majors, but he is already is double-A and is one of the fastest-moving draftees not named after a bodily function. The right-hander has given up 47 hits and just 17 walks in 49.1 innings of work. He’s also recorded 57 strikeouts and has a solid ground-ball rate, which has helped him give up just two homers this season. He has a little bit of work to do to improve against left-handed hitters but an improved curveball could give Boxberger the edge that he needs. He repertoire also features a low-90s fastball, plus slider, and a change-up.

While it isn’t official quite yet, it looks like Mike Stanton is being called up by the Marlins and should join the team shortly. Stanton isn’t playing in Double-A today, and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says that he will be with the club on Tuesday.

Stanton, one of baseball’s top prospects, hit 21 homers in 240 plate appearances for Jacksonville. He posted a line of .313/.442/.729, with a wOBA of .449. Stanton had a career high walk rate (18.3%), and kept his strikeout rate around 22%. Stanton is only 20 years old, yet he should be able to step right in for the Marlins and at least hit for power.

For those of you who don’t like the fancy things we call numbers, Stanton is even built like a power hitter. Hitting right handed, Stanton is 6-5, weighing in around 235 pounds. While I’m not a professional scout, and I don’t evaluate hitters nearly as well as pitchers, Stanton just looks like a power hitter in the batters box. Our very own Marc Hulet said ” Stanton obviously has massive power potential as a future MLBer, but it will be his contact rate that dictates just how big of an impact he has.”

Before the season began, no one could figure out where Stanton would fit into Florida’s lineup. Now, with Cameron Maybin struggling, it looks like Cody Ross will move into CF and Stanton will man RF. The club wouldn’t call up Stanton to have him sit on the bench, so look for him to be in the lineup more times than not. He’s probably not worth a spot in standard re-draft leagues, but if he’s available in a keeper league, snatch him up.

Thanks to Michael Jong for the information about what the Marlins lineup will probably look like.

Minnesota Twins recalled 3B Danny Valencia from Triple-A Rochester.

Valencia, 25, might not be long for Minnesota — he’s replacing RF/reluctant 2B Michael Cuddyer (bereavement list) on the active roster. Then again, while Nick Punto has an outstanding glove at third base (career +19.5 UZR/150 in more than 2,000 innings), he’s hitting below even his modest standards. Plus, Brendan Harris‘ all-around poor play has resulted in a sub-replacement level performance. Minnesota has gotten a combined .257 wOBA from its third basemen, a mark of futility topped only by the Astros.

A 19th round pick out of the University of Miami back in 2006, Valencia entered the year ranked as a top 10 Twins prospect by Baseball America (number six), John Sickels (eight) and our own Marc Hulet (three).

Valencia hit well at the lower levels of the minors, batting .302/.374/.500 in 271 Low-A plate appearances and .313/.367/.469 at the High-A level in 501 PA. He continued to show power at Double-A in 2008 and 2009 (.287/.353/.483 in 539 PA), but extra-base hits have been rarer at the highest level of the minors. In 483 PA in the International League over the past two seasons, Valencia has a .289/.321/.421 triple-slash.

BA, Sickels and Marc all noted that Valencia’s plate discipline was rough, and the 6-2, 210 pound righty batter hasn’t done an especially good job of working the count over the years. That aggressiveness at least came with above-average pop in years past. But that hasn’t been the case with Rochester, and he’s hacking even more to boot:

Low-A (age 22): 10.3 BB%, 22.3 K%, .198 ISO
High-A (22-23): 8.6 BB%, 20.2 K%, .156 ISO
Double-A (23-24): 9.1 BB%, 22.7 K%, .196 ISO
Triple-A (24-25): 4.3 BB%, 15.6 K%, .132 ISO

According to Minor League Splits, Valencia’s work between Double-A and Triple-A in 2009 translated to a .248/.285/.389 line in the majors. His tepid 2010 works out to a .255/.302/.324 major league equivalent triple-slash. CHONE (.252/.295/.388 pre-season projection) and ZiPS (.251/.294/.377) forecast similarly mild lines for Valencia in the show.

As a mid-twenties farm talent who doesn’t work many deep counts and doesn’t possess mammoth power, Valencia has the look of a less-than-ideal option as an everyday player in the big leagues. Those in keeper leagues will probably want to look elsewhere, and owners would have to be pretty desperate for third base help to pick him up for the short term.

We already discussed Buster Posey’s arrival over the weekend, but here’s two more recent call ups that could help your team…

Andrew Cashner | Cubs | RP

The Cubs’ first round pick in 2008 made quick work of the minor leagues this year, posting a 59/15 K/BB ratio in 57 IP as a starter (~2.15 FIP) between Double- and Triple-A. The big league team needed some righthanded relief help with Carlos Zambrano moving back into the rotation, so for the second time this year the Cubbies called on their top minor league prospect to fill a hole. Cashner debuted yesterday, getting Ronny Cedeno to pop up to short on just one pitch (a 95 mph fastball inside) with two men on and two outs in the 8th inning with Chicago trailing by one. It was about as spectacular as a one-pitch big league debut could be.

Now Cashner’s not going unseat Carlos Marmol as closer as long as the latter continues to strike out basically half the men he faces, but he could quickly push his way into some 7th and 8th inning setup work. Close to a strikeout per inning with a sub-4.00 ERA is likely, so if your league counts holds, here’s a new candidate to consider.

Chris Tillman | Orioles | SP

If you’re going to pick up an Orioles’ starter, you have to go in expecting very little help in the win column. Kevin Millwood is having his best season in about four years (4.00 xFIP, 3.41 K/BB), but he’s got an 0-5 record to show for it. Tillman and Brian Matusz are the future of Baltimore’s rotation, but right now they’re just 6th or 7th starters on a fantasy roster. ZiPS RoS projection for Tillman isn’t good – 5.13 ERA, 4.67 FIP – but I think he can best those numbers. Maybe I’m just a blind optimist, but I think he can keep his walks around 3.5 BB/9 and his strikeouts around 7.5-8.0 K/9 (both in line with his career Triple-A performance), which should put his ERA in the low-to-mid 4.00’s assuming a somewhat normal homerun rate.

The AL East is an unforgiving place, especially when you play for a generally awful team, so Tillman only has value in deep mixed or AL-only leagues. His next two starts come at home against the Red Sox and Yankees, but after that he lines up for dates in San Francisco, in San Diego, at home against the Nats, and at home against the A’s. Not a bad stretch of matchups, so there’s a little bit of value to be had this month.

Everyone wanted it to happen except for the Giants, or at least it seemed that way. San Francisco finally called on top prospect Buster Posey today, and will start him at first base against the Diamondbacks tonight. He’s best known as a catcher and he’d provide the most value to the team from behind the plate, but for fantasy purposes, the more first base Posey plays, the better.

It’s Fantasy 101: he has catcher eligibility but will play at least part of the time at a less demanding position, which translates not only more at-bats in general, but (theoretically) better offensive production given the decreased wear and tear. It’s a win-win.

The Florida State product simply annihilated the minors during his season-plus stint there, racking up a .333/.427/.552 batting line in 750 plate appearances, almost all of them while squatting behind the plate. Baseball America ranked Posey as the 7th best prospect in the game coming into the season, calling him “a pure hitter with terrific strike-zone awareness, and his clean, unfettered swing allows him to drive pitches from pole to pole,” though they acknowledge that power isn’t his game. It’s not hyperbole to say he has the best plate approach of anyone in the organization, big leagues included.

CHONE projects a .329 wOBA in 2010, while ZiPS pegs him for .333. Both of those obliterate the .309 wOBA starting catcher Bengie Molina has put in 40 games this year, nevermind the .308 wOBA he fashioned last season. His homerun power might be minimal at the outset considering his home park and some of the parks in the NL West, but Posey should contribute solid AVG and OBP (if your league counts that) while surely chipping in a few RBI as well.

Posey is owned in just 15% of Yahoo! leagues, and right now he’s only eligible at catcher. He’ll pick up 1B eligibility in a week or so, and while it’s not terribly important, a little flexibility never hurt anyone. If your struggling to find production from the catcher’s spot – perhaps you’re stuck with an injury fill in like Francisco Cervelli – then there’s probably no better option on the waiver wire right now.