Pick-Up Lines: week of 8/18/05

by Brandon Wilson
August 18, 2005

Each week, we publish this article that highlights the players that are probably free agents in your league, but should be considered as pick-up targets. We try to offer some shallow league targets as well as some deep league targets so that different types of leagues will be covered. As always, feel free to e-mail questions to me and they will be addressed here or on the message boards.

Shallow Leagues (Mixed Leagues)
Duaner Sanchez, CL, LAD (4-4, 3.80 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 1 Save)
Yhency Brazoban had been struggling as the closer and was finally banished to middle relief by manager Jim Tracy. The Dodgers may use both Sanchez and Steve Schmoll to close games, but I would bet on Sanchez for a pick-up. Between the two, Sanchez has the better ability to strike out hitters and he has a 2.76 ERA since the All-Star Break (about half that of Schmoll’s). He converted his first save opportunity Tuesday night and has not allowed a run in 10 of his last 11 appearances.

Gary Matthews, Jr., OF, TEX (.283, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 6 SB)
Matthews has been the everyday starter in center field for the Rangers since Laynce Nix had season ending shoulder surgery. He has played very well during that stretch, hitting .333 with 7 HR and 4 SB since the All-Star Break. He has been even better in August, hitting .393/.469/.679 so far this month. There is no threat to his playing time in either the minors or on the Rangers bench so ride his hot streak as long as it lasts.

Deep Leagues (AL or NL Only)
Brian N. Anderson, OF, CHW (.286, 0 HR, 0 R)
The White Sox top prospect according to Baseball America, Anderson was called-up to play left field when Scott Podsednik went down with an injury. Now 23 years old, the former first rounder was hitting .295 with 15 HR at Triple-A Charlotte. He went 2-7 with a pair of strikeouts in his major league debut and strikeouts will be something to keep an eye on with Anderson. He struck out more than 100 times at Triple-A and major league pitchers are bound to find holes in his swing if they look. With the three starters in Chicago’s outfield all signed through next season, there is some question as to where Anderson will play, but he is ready for a chance in the big leagues. For this year, his value will probably be limited to the time that Podsednik is out.

Todd Linden, OF, SFG (.208, 3 HR, 9 RBI)
At Triple-A Fresno, Linden led the Pacific Coast League with 30 home runs. It was his second year at Triple-A, but he did show some improvement in his contact rate (K/AB) and batting eye (BB/K). He hit just .172 in a call-up earlier this season with the Giants, but is hitting .316 with a home run in the 19 AB since he was recalled last weekend. He has nothing left to prove at Triple-A and he should be a solid contributor with power at a corner outfield spot in the majors. If his minor league numbers are any indication, it may take him some time to adjust at the big league level, but his good start since his recall could sustain him through the end of this season.

Extreme Leagues (Ultra Leagues)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B/SS, BOS (currently with Triple-A Pawtucket)
Pedroia started out the season at Double-A and was promoted at the end of June after hitting .324/.409/.508, but perhaps the most exciting thing about Pedroia is his plate discipline. At every level in the minors, he has walked more that he has struck out. Rated by Baseball America as Boston’s sixth best prospect prior to the season, Pedroia has hit well since his promotion to Triple-A (.281/.367/.445) and is red hot since the end of July, hitting .350 with 4 HR. With Tony Graffanino and Alex Cora as the main competition at second base, Pedroia has a good chance at getting a September call-up despite the fact that Boston is in a pennant race.

Chuck James, SP, ATL (currently with Triple-A Richmond)
James has flown through three levels of the Braves system this season. Currently 1-0 with a 0.71 ERA through two starts at Triple-A, James has a combined 171 strikeouts in 140 plus innings at three levels. He allowed just one hit over eight innings in his most recent outing for Richmond. While he did not even rate among the Braves’ ten best prospects prior to this season, keep in mind that Atlanta’s farm system is loaded. He could get a chance in September, but if not, he looks like a possibility for their rotation next season.

Brandon Wilson is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and can be reached by e-mail at brandon@athomeplate.com. You can read more of Brandon’s work at his website www.baseballmuse.com