Roto Chronicles: National League–August 4

The players here aren’t your run-of-the-mill dominant players, but they could be in for a very special season.
The trade deadline brought players success they didn’t find with their old team. Some players just need a change of scenery to find that comfort zone. This week’s players aren’t household names, but if you pay close attention to their progress they could be in that role next season and seasons to come. Legends had to start somewhere. The players in my royalty section are no different.

Royalty:

Emilio Bonaficio: He is a player who found a new start with a new team. Previously with Arizona, Bonaficio saw little playing time. Currently, Bonaficio is batting .280, with three RBIs. He is now the regular starter in right field, but like Mark DeRosa, he can play the outfield, second base, and third base. His diversity should serve you well especially if you have other players who only play one position.

Brandon Moss: Moss was a player in the trade with Manny Ramirez. While in Boston, Moss was constantly with Boston and their Triple A affiliate seeing very little playing time; however, now he will be taking the permanent outfield position with the Pirates. Moss is hitting .291 with three homeruns and 12 RBIs. Look for his numbers to grow significantly. It looks as though Moss has found a happy home in Pittsburgh. I recommend snatching him up quickly. He was a top prospect with the Red Sox before trading him so use that to your advantage.

Jay Bruce: Bruce’s numbers slipped significantly in June, but in July and the early parts of August, he has shown more patience at the plate, thus raising his average. Though .270 isn’t an impressive average, he has grown in every aspect of his game in that span. Bruce very well could end the season over .300, but right now, if you have him, keep playing him. Rookies are bound to find rough spots and June seemed to be that rough spot. He’s breaking out of it, albeit slowly, but he is nonetheless.

Ubaldo Jimenez: Jimenez has an 8-9 record, which may not be that great, but you have to look at his game performances of late. Against the Marlins on August 1, Jimenez pitched a two hitter in seven innings of work. On July 27th against Cincinnati he gave up five hits over six innings and didn’t give up a run. Over the last month, Jimenez’s ERA has gone down .80 points putting him at a .3.61 ERA. He also hasn’t given up more than four runs in a game in over a month. He is still young and his control is still a bit of an issue, but keep riding his hot streak because Jimenez cold very well be a sleeper pitcher for the second half of the season.

Josh Willingham: He is batting .350 over his past six games, driving in four runs, and coming across the plate four times. He wasn’t the every day player for the Marlins until the end of July. If your concern was Willingham not playing on a daily basis, those fears should be put to rest. The Marlins are shifting around the lineup and he’s played well enough to warrant the permanent position in left field. He doesn’t have homerun hitting power, as evidenced with his eight on the season. What is good is that his OBP is .389. If you’re looking to mix-match your lineup, he’s a good one to throw in the fray. He is currently on a seven game hitting streak.

Jeff Samardzija: Jeff is adjusting to the big leagues very quickly. He has pitched in five games this season and has struck out nine. His WHIP is a fantastic .84 and his ERA is 2.16. The only concern with Samardzija is Lou Pinella has stated that Kerry Wood could come back as soon as this weekend. Samardzija could find himself back to Iowa as soon as this weekend.

Ruts:

Manny Parra: It is a bit unfair to put him in this section because his ERA is below four and he has a 9-4 record, but what put him here is the fact that he hasn’t put his team in a position to win. He’s lost his last two starts, and has given up 17 hits over his last 13 innings. That isn’t going to win games. He will be going against the Reds who rocked him earlier in the season shelling him giving up five runs in six innings. Place Parra on the bench until he can get his WHIP down and start winning some games. The two are many times synonymous with each other.

Andy LaRoche: LaRoche was a player that was involved in the three team trade between the Pirates, Red Sox, and the Dodgers. Since joining the Pirates, LaRoche is batting .200 and has two RBIs. With his brother, Adam, on the DL, Andy has been asked to take a larger role. It is a bad idea to pick him up if he is still on the waiver list. He has never been a dominant hitter and it looks like he won’t be this season. He’s young and has time to turn it around, but he has some mechanics that he needs to work on.

Jeff Bowker: Bowker is a mediocre player who has bounced back from minors to the majors. He finally has his shot at being a regular player, and so far he has yet to stand out to be that player that can be a dominant, every day first baseman. Bowker has good defensive skills, but his offense needs a little help. At this point in the season he is batting .257, which isn’t bad, but he still has room for improvement. He could come out and be an offensive force before season’s end. One thing’s for sure, he will have plenty of opportunity.

Jamie Moyer: Moyer certainly isn’t a player that will intimidate you with every appearance, but he can still get batters out. He may be 10-6, with a 3.79 ERA, but his last start against the Nationals he gave up six hits in six innings, but he gave up three runs. Three runs aren’t bad for a player pitching six innings, but all three runs were given up with two outs. What’s worse, he had three walks and all three walks came around to score. He will face Florida, which is battling for the NL East; he could be in for a bad day.

Troy Glaus: He is batting .250 over his last seven games, but it could be fatigue that is taking its toll. He has played in 106 games this season. That shouldn’t be that big of a factor, but he is certainly losing his concentration at the plate. His strikeout totals have risen this week as well striking out seven times in seven games. Glaus will turn it around, but you may want to put him on the bench until he can break out of this minor slump.

Players to watch:

Tim Redding: Tim Redding gets the underrated pitcher award for the season. He has a 7-6 record with a 4.43 ERA. But to his credit the Nationals don’t give him run support. When he takes the mound, the Nationals give him two runs. His fortunes are changing as the Nationals are getting more support offensively. That should calculate into more wins. A stat that isn’t glaring to a lot of fans is his walk totals. He has excellent command of the strike zone and he uses that to his advantage; Redding has issued 42 walks on the season.

Jeff Bowker: I have him in my ruts section, only because he didn’t perform very well in the week; but as I stated before Bowker will be given more opportunities to show his abilities. He has tremendous upside and his potential is abundant. He is batting .257 with nine homeruns and 39 RBIs. That’s in limited action. Give him time and he could develop into a well rounded first baseman for the Giants, something they desperately need.

DL Watch:

John Maine: This one will hurt the Mets more than they think. He is 9-7, but he can strikeout plenty of players. He has 109 K’s on the season. Fortunately for the Mets, he will only be on the 15-day DL.