Who picked up Braves’ phenom Julio Teheran over the weekend before he got sent back to the minors after 24 hours? Oh, well. He’ll be back soon enough.
And now, without further ado, below are 10 free agents owned in less than 75 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, starting with the first player that falls below the threshold. Please note that no players will be repeated within any four-week period.
Miguel Montero, C, Arizona (74.7 percent owned)
Montero’s fantasy stats are pretty good. He has a .280 batting average, four home runs, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored. He also has an .835 OPS. You know how many other catchers have an OPS that high? One – the freakishly resurgent Russell Martin. Montero shouldn’t be in your league’s free-agent pool.
Mike Aviles, 2B/3B, Kansas City (59.9 percent owned)
I came into this year hating Aviles. Didn’t want him, didn’t recommend him, and thought he’d lose his job because he’s such a hacker. Aviles is still a hacker with a paltry four walks in 104 plate appearances. He also has five home runs, 25 RBI and eight stolen bases. When blue-chip third-base prospect Mike Moustakas is ready, do you really think the Royals are going to sit Aviles so Chris Getz can play? They might not play Getz ahead of me, let alone Aviles, who’s a better fantasy player than real player.
Delmon Young, OF, Minnesota (51.7 percent owned)
Young will probably come off the DL within a week, and even though the depleted Twins’ lineup looks like Swiss cheese right now, let’s not forget how good he was last season. Young batted .298 with 21 homers, 112 RBI, 77 runs and 46 doubles (!!!) in 2010. He still doesn’t walk much, and probably never will, but he seems to be one of those guys with a ridiculous ability to hit the ball hard no matter where it is. Even in 10-team standard leagues, Young is worth a pickup.
Colby Lewis, SP, Texas (26.7 percent owned)
Raise your hand if you quit on Lewis after his four horrible starts to open the season. In his last two, Lewis has struck out 17 batters, walked just two and allowed five earned runs in 16 innings. Who is Lewis – the first-four guy or the last-two guy? Since the latter is someone we recognize from 2010, let’s go with him.
Daniel Hudson, SP, Arizona (24.5 percent owned)
Hudson’s K/BB ratio – 43 whiffs against 13 walks in 44 1/3 innings – is better than it was last season when he had a 2.45 ERA in 14 big-league starts. His seven shutout innings on Saturday were a sign of things to come, 4.47 ERA be damned. This is a pretty good young starter, folks. Buy now while you still can.
Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago White Sox (20.7 percent owned)
On Wednesday, the Sox will welcome Peavy back to the mound for the first time since a July 6 injury that required surgery to repair a torn lat muscle. Peavy wasn’t as bad as his 4.63 ERA from last season indicated, but he won’t put up the great numbers he had as a Cy Young Award winner in San Diego. You know why? Because PETCO Park is extremely favorable toward pitchers while US Cellular Field is a homer haven. Sometimes, it’s just that simple.
If healthy, Peavy might be the same pitcher as always, but the stats will say he’s a third or fourth starter for standard leaguers. You can live with that for free, right?
Mitch Moreland, 1B/OF, Texas (17.5 percent owned)
I had a hunch about this guy, but I ranked him six spots behind the horrible James Loney, so what do I know? Moreland is batting close to .300, and hit his fifth homer of the season on Monday. With an OPS of .932, he’s arguably been the Rangers’ best hitter, and that’s saying something, Moreland won’t turn into Ryan Howard anytime soon, but his track record suggests a .300, 20-homer kind of guy, and The Ballpark at Arlington won’t hurt him in the power department.
Frank Francisco, RP, Toronto (8.2 percent owned)
I included this weekend excerpt from the Jays’ website in my Monday blog entry, but it’s worth a rerun:
"While (manager John) Farrell stopped short of naming Francisco his full-time closer, it appears the 31-year-old right-hander will be getting the majority of the work in the ninth inning while (Jon) Rauch is used only for certain matchups."
You need a closer? Grab Frankie Frank while he’s still healthy. He’s always a threat to go on the DL, but when he pitches he’s really good.
J.J. Hardy, SS, Baltimore (3.8 percent owned)
A lot of people had Hardy pegged for a bounceback season, but he’s been sidelined since the first week of April with an oblique injury. He’s scheduled to be reactivated before Tuesday’s game, and is absolutely worth a shot if you need a shortstop.
Hardy was horrible last year, but he was apparently bothered by a wrist injury for most of it, and he hit 50 homers in 2007-08. The guy is 28 years old, for crying out loud. The five shortstops above him on the FOXSports.com ownership list are Paul Janish, Clint Barmes, Cliff Pennington, Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Wilson Valdez - yuck. They’ll still be available later if Hardy falls on his face again.
Jason Pridie, OF, New York Mets (0.4 percent owned)
With Angel Pagan apparently out for the rest of the month after suffering a setback in his injury rehab, Pridie will be the main man in center field for the Mets for a few more weeks. Pridie is a career minor leaguer who has little chance of becoming a major-league regular, but his modest power/speed skills could be helpful for NL-only owners in the near term. Besides, don’t we need to give the Mets some love once in a while?
