Waiver Wire: August 2nd
Here are three players with low ownership rates who could pay immediate dividends in fantasy leagues:
Barry Enright – Arizona Diamondbacks (owned in 4% of Yahoo! leagues)
He began this year repeating Double-A, which is generally not something you want a 24-year old to be doing. However, Enright dominated in his second go-round in Mobile, as he regained his strikeout rate (8.0 K/9) and did even better limiting walks (1.4 BB/9). But instead of going to Triple-A, Arizona called him up to replace Dontrelle Willis in the rotation. Enright has been solid, with 2 W and a 6.31 K/9 in six starts. His ERA is a nifty 2.78 but both his FIP (3.90) and xFIP (4.68) paint a different picture. The past three seasons in the minors, Enright has a 0.9 HR/9 ratio and this year he has a 0.76 major league rate, so perhaps his talent level is closer to his FIP, which would make him worthwhile. Enright is not a star but he has a chance to give fantasy owners a league average ERA, something not many starters hanging around the waiver wire in August can do.
Logan Morrison – Florida Marlins (owned in 2% of Yahoo! leagues)
With Chris Coghlan going on the DL, the Marlins called up Morrison to become their starting left fielder. With the trade of Jorge Cantu, Morrison has a good chance to stick around even when Coghlan returns, as Coghlan is a former infielder. Morrison has gotten off to a poor start but he is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is unlikely to continue with a .214 AVG. Morrison will not offer much in SB and he does not have typical power for a 1B. But he is a pure hitter and those in leagues that count OBP should definitely pick up Morrison for the remainder of the season.
Brett Wallace – Houston Astros (owned in 3% of Yahoo! leagues)
The 13th player selected in the 2008 Draft, Wallace is now with his fourth organization. Normally that is not a very good sign, as teams generally do not trade top prospects. But at least some of the concern surrounding Wallace was his defensive position and now he is primed to take over as the Astros first baseman. Wallace brings power potential and anyone on the wire who can produce HRs is always a welcome sight. He hit 18 HR in Triple-A this season. Wallace is not the overall hitter that Morrison is but if you are in search of power, he is the better choice for 2010.
Is it worth dumping Derrek Lee to pick up morrison or wallace in an NL keeper league? If yes, which projects as a better long term keeper?
Wallace’s prospect status has dropped precipitously in the past year, and his team’s propensity to ship him off tends to reinforce that evaluation. But Morrison might have trouble holding down regular at-bats in the immediate future, since once Coghlan returns he has Gaby Sanchez to contend with. Joura prefers Morrison long-term, but really, who’s to say how they adjust. But I’d say either way, in a keeper league, you’d be better off with one of them than a declining 34 yr old who could find himself on an AL team come winter.