Empty the Bench

The second blitz of young prospects getting a shot in the majors is upon us. Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence and Phil Hughes made some big waves in a short span of time last month, and this week Kevin Slowey, Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun jumped into the fantasy player pool. Here’s the Lincecum analysis: he’s really good. With that out of the way, ETB checks in with Pence and and Hughes and takes a look at Braun, Gallardo and Slowey with an eye toward their fantasy futures.

Ryan Braun, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers

THE add of the week has to be Ryan Braun, the new Milwaukee Brewers starting third baseman. He has some serious potential and versatility to go along with an everyday job and should be picked up in nearly every league. Braun is a player who could eventually hit 30+ home runs and steal 20+ bags, and it’s pretty hard to find that kind of production anywhere- let alone on the waiver wire. He was he 5th overall pick in the 2005 draft, and he should be able to hit for average and power right away.

The only real question about Braun is his defense, something you’re unlikely to care about as a fantasy owner. Last season Braun did earn a reputation as a big strikeout guy with 140 Ks and only 55 BBs on the year, but so far this season there has been marked improvement (a 11/15 K/BB in the minors). He was hitting .353 with 10 home runs before the promotion, and has looked pretty good thus far. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Braun hover at or around .300 for the remanined of the season with a ceiling of 20 homers and 10 steals. He got one of each Saturday, displaying a taste of things to come. The fact that the duo of Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino were just brutal before Braun took over also means that he’ll be allowed to work through any stuggles and should finish the year as the starter.

Oh, and don’t pick up the other Ryan Z. Braun, the Royals reliever. I just don’t think he has the same home run and stolen base potential.

Kevin Slowey, SP, Minnesota Twins

Hot news off the wire: today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that struggling starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz will be replaced in the rotation by uber-prospect Kevin Slowey. Those sneaky devils over at Yahoo! snuck him onto the waiver wire last week, so he’s probably a free agent in your league- especially since he’s extremely underrated by most pundits. While Ortiz is likely headed toward middle relief to help out an injury plagued bullpen, Slowey will make his first career start this Friday. It’s high time for the move. While Ortiz came out hot to start the season, he’s sporting a bloated 10.97 ERA this month and, well, he’s not that good of a pitcher anymore. Slowey is worth an add in all AL-only leagues and 12-team+ mixed leagues. He’s a control freak who features a fastball, slider and changeup trio of pitches that has a high probability of translating. The best thing about this kid, though, is that all he does is throw strikes. With just five walks in 64.1 innings (for a 57/5 K/BB ratio this season, and a 235/30 K/BB ratio in 220.2 career innings), the Brad Radke comparisons are apt, but I think Slowey has a lot more upside. his control is amazing, but those 57 Ks along with a 1.54 ERA and .200 BAA show this kid is the complete package.

Now if we can just get Matt Garza up here, the Minnesota rotation will become one of the youngest and most talent-laden out there. The 2008 rotation could look something like this: Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, BOOF! Bonser, Matt Garza and Kevin Slowey. That’s exciting. Unfortunately, Twins GM Terry Ryan, while excellent at his job, has a long history of favoring veteran mediocrity over youthful upside or flashy moves. At this point though, it makes a ton of sense for the Twins to call up Garza and move Scott Baker and/or Glen Perkins for offensive help at third base and left field. Wily Mo Pena and Morgan Ensberg perhaps?

Most casual fans at this point have to be wondering how Matt Garza has now been passed up for two straight jobs, with Scott Baker getting the call two weeks ago. Garza entered the year as one of the top 10 prospects in baseball, and he’s still right up there, but he’s been running his mouth. He took offense to the Baker call up and started publicly complaining about the way the Twins organization has been treating him. He also bristled at the suggestion that he needs to work more on his offspeed stuff before joining the rotation. Garza has a 3.21 ERA and 53 Ks in his 56 innings so far, so despite the belly aching it may still not be too long before we see him with the big league team if Carlos Silva blows up like we all expect him to.

Hunter Pence, OF, Houston Astros

I hope Hunter Pence is gone in your league, but if not you need to go grab him right now. The kid just looks like a natural at the plate and he’s produced from everywhere in the lineup that Astros manager Phil Garner has tried him. In 27 games (104 at-bats) to start his career, Pence is hitting .365 with 4 home runs, 18 RBIs, 7 doubles and 3 triples. That’s good for a sizzling 1.006 OPS (.400 OBP, .606 SLG). Oh, and he’s sprinkled in 3 steals for good measure. Over the last month he’s been one of the most productive players in baseball, and he’s proving the value of using waiver priority on highly-touted rookies. It’s looking more and more like a two-man race between Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence for the NL ROY award. What I’m trying to say is: this kid is for real, so try to get him if you can, or hold on if you’ve already got him.

Yovani Gallardo, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

The news here is that Gallardo has been added to the Yahoo! fantasy baseball player pool, and he’s been a popular add thus far. We mentioned Gallardo earlier this season in a prospect profile, and he’s done nothing to diminish my excitement since then. Last Tuesday Yovani gave up just one run in six innings while striking out 10 batters for AAA Nashville. There was some talk that he could get the call if Ben Sheets was unable to go tonight due to lingering blister problems, but Sheets is pitching.

It will likely take a combination of one or two Brewer’s starters suffering injuries or falling apart in the near future before we see Gallardo, but the kid is going to force himself onto the big league roster sometime this season. Even if injuries/implosions don’t happen, I just don’t see how the Brewers can’t call this guy up by the All-Star break. He’s certainly worth a speculative add in all deeper mixed and NL-only leagues, and every keeper league that he’s available in. Yovani has Tim Lincecum-esque potential. The 21-year-old is now 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA, a .177 opponent’s batting average and a 76/18 K/BB in 54.2 innings pitched. With a fastball that hits 93 MPH, paired well with a hard-breaking curve in the mid-to-high 70s, I firmly believe his skills will translate to the MLB level immediately.

Phil Hughes, SP, New York Yankees

At this point, most people know about Phil Hughes. The 2004 first-rounder by the Yankees was fantastic in the minors prior to a call up last month. He had a rough first start versus the Blue Jays, but followed it up with an impressive outing against the Rangers in Arlington. He was in the 7th inning of a no-hit bid when he heard a pop in his hamstring that was supposed to keep him out four-to-six weeks, causing thousands of fantasy owners to drop the young stud. As a pitcher though, the leg injury should have little long-term impact on his promising career. When he returns he’ll still have that deceptive delivery, a mid-to-high 90s power fastball, two types of curve balls that clock in the low 80s, and a hard slider. This was the guy who posted a 168/34 K/BB last year in just 146 between Single-A and Double-A ball and was 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA and 17/4 K/BB in the minors this season.

Unfortunately, he rolled his ankle while throwing off a mound this week, but the early reports are that it should be a minor setback, and that he was already throwing off a mound was a good sign. “I haven’t been told anything other than it may be a little more than a couple days,” Tankees Manager Joe Torre said. “It’s just bad luck for him and bad luck for us.” The MRI came back negative, so for those of you who waited this long: don’t panic, hold onto the kid. He’s still on pace to return in mid-to-late June and should post valuable win and strikeout totals to go along with strong peripheral numbers (he had a 1.03 WHIP before the hammy strain) when he does. If he’s been dropped by an impatient owner in your league, now is the time to scoop him up.

UPDATE: After the Yankees came out and said they had received the MRI results and the ankle sprain to Phil Hughes was no big deal earlier this week, GM Brian Cachman recanted today and said that the MRI results actually revealed a Grade 3 sprain and he will need at least 4-6 more weeks before he can take the mound again. According to the Yankees beat writer Peter Abraham, “Given that will take Hughes an additional four weeks to get his arm ready to pitch, we’re looking at 8-10 weeks before he is back on the mound. And that’s assuming everything goes well.”At this point, dropping him makes a lot of sense if you have another guy you need to get on the DL. If not though, just keep him stashed in that DL spot until there’s a move that makes sense.