Before you run out to pick up Blue Jays 1B/OF Chris Colabello, you should probably know that his BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) is a ridiculous .682. Not a good .350. Not a head-shaking .400. Not even an eye-popping .450. SIX-EIGHTY-TWO! That is possibly the most guaranteed "he'll slow down" number in the history of baseball.
With that out of the way ... here's this season's fifth edition of Free Agent Frenzy. Please note that, as in past seasons, no player will be mentioned in this space more than once in a four-week span, because we don't want to beat you over the head all year long about the same players. Also, we'll limit our discussions to players owned in fewer than 50 percent of FOXSports.com leagues. Let's get going!
Catcher: Martin Maldonado, Brewers (owned in 0.8 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Good? Not especially, but not a bad power source, with 18 home runs in 604 career at bats. Maldonado will play just about every day until Jonathan Lucroy returns in a couple of weeks.
Digging deeper: Jordan Pacheco'a (0.1 percent owned) .279 career BA was padded by years in Coors Field, but he's playing a couple of days each week as Tuffy Gosewisch's backup. NL-only owners can probably find worse second catchers (if Pacheco is still available in their leagues, anyway).
First base: Billy Butler, A's (owned in 29.1 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
"Country Breakfast" is a slow guy who beats balls into the ground, but he's batting cleanup for the A's and is on pace for about 80 RBI and runs scored. Not bad, right?
Digging deeper: Nick Swisher (0.4 percent owned) isn't hitting much yet, but he's DHing most days for the Indians. It might be time to stick a fork in Swisher, but if you need modest power in a deep mixed league, he's probably worth a shot.
Second base: Jace Peterson, Braves (1 percent owned)
After a slow start, Peterson's bat is perking up, as he's slashing .342/.419/.368 this month. The rookie has no power, but projects to hit for a decent BA with about 10-15 steals.
Digging deeper: Carlos Sanchez (0.1 percent owned) is now the regular White Sox second baseman in the wake of Micah Johnson's demotion. Sanchez was hitting .344 with two homers and five stolen bases at Triple A. Hurry, AL-only owners!
Third base: Jimmy Paredes, Orioles (owned in 30.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Paredes was terrific during spring training, and has five homers with a 1.050 OPS in 92 plate appearances during the regular season. If you haven't missed this boat yet, it's worth getting on. Paredes might gain 2B eligibility soon, too.
Digging deeper: Maikel Franco (0.8 percent owned) has been called up by the Phillies and will be their regular third baseman. The prospect has power, but he'll swing at everything between State College and Atlantic City. NL-only owners should grab Franco ASAP, and deep-mixed leaguers can consider him if they've got injury or performance issues at the hot corner.
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Giants (owned in 29.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Crawford will never be a star hitter, but in real life he doesn't need to be, as he's an excellent fielder. He's no slouch at the plate, though. Crawford's on-base and slugging percentages have risen each season since 2011, and his current OPS of .823 is third among shortstops. He might be on his way to a .260-.270, 15-homer kind of season, which is nice in all formats.
Digging deeper: Luis Sardinas (0.1 percent owned) has been called up by the Brewers to help fill the void created by Jean Segura's broken pinky. Sardinas might not play every day, but when he does, he'll flash better-than-average speed for his position. NL-only owners looking to replace Segura might want to try Sardinas. Honestly, this is close to a "he has a pulse, to take a look" recommendation.
Outfield: Avisail Garcia, White Sox (owned in 9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Garcia's numbers don't jump off the page at you, and I'll admit that I wasn't as high on him during the offseason as a lot of others were. However, he plays home games in a hitter's park, has power that should result in 15-20 home runs, and is currently batting .322 with a .796 OPS. As I say here often, maybe I wouldn't have drafted this guy, but if I can get him for free? Sure!
Digging deeper: Peter Bourjos (0.7 percent owned) figures to get most of the Cardinals' center-field time while Jon Jay (wrist) is on the DL. Bourjos is just an OK hitter, but he might steal a base per week while he plays.
Starting pitcher: Chris Heston, Giants (owned in 27.1 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Heston tossed a two-hitter against the Astros on Tuesday, striking out 10. At that point, it was easy to think we all missed the boat on him. Looking at his ownership percentage, maybe we didn't. Grab Heston if you still can - with an average K rate and all those ground balls, he should be solid.
Digging deeper: No, I don't know how Wandy Rodriguez (6 percent owned) is doing it, but after two strong starts in a row, take a shot in your AL-only league if you still can. Wandy has benefited from some luck, but it's not like his 3.91 FIP is terrible.
Relief pitcher: A.J. Ramos, Marlins (owned in 8.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues)
Steve Cishek might get his job back if he figures things out. Rafael Soriano might be brought in to help the Marlins' bullpen woes. But if one of the team's current closer committee members claims the job, it'll probably be Ramos, who has whiffed 195 batters in 171 1/3 innings during his career. Now that Ramos is throwing a more acceptable percentage of strikes than ever before, he's not quite a longshot to get and keep the role.
Digging deeper: Since joining the Orioles prior to the 2012 season, Darren O' Day (2.4 percent owned) has posted a 1.92 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP, and struck out 216 batters in 210 1/3 innings. Even if your deep mixed league doesn't reward holds, O'Day is close to a lock to help your ERA and WHIP.
