Projo Fantasy Sports Blog

By David Ferris

We take a break from the 24-hour coverage of Brett Favre to discuss a few National League baseball players. Your Favre Update will resume in five minutes. Please stand by.

Pitchers

BUY

Mike Gonzalez, RP, Braves: Given that Atlanta has 52 wins, it's downright comical that the entire staff has just 15 saves, lowest in the majors. Let me use another word: fluke. Gonzalez is the last man standing at the end of the bullpen (Rafael Soriano just hit the DL for the third time), and he's capable of dominating if his teammates can get him a lead now and then (2.65 ERA, .215 average against, three walks, 20 strikeouts over 17 innings). Even if Atlanta continues to win about 45 percent of its games down the stretch, Gonzalez has a decent shot at 8 to 10 saves.

Chris Perez, RP, Cardinals: He's back in the mix after a productive month in the minors, and he'll be needed for high-leverage situations because the Redbirds can't trust Jason Isringhausen and Ryan Franklin right now. Perez recorded a five-out save Wednesday, but don't be surprised if he's working the ninth inning fairly soon -- he's long been considered this team's closer-in-waiting, and his upside is far greater than anyone else's in this bullpen. You'll hear Adam Wainwright's name mentioned as a possible ninth-inning option, but if Perez works out the next few weeks, Wainwright will slot where the Cardinals really want him -- in the rotation.

SELL

Scott Olsen, SP, Marlins: He's striking out less than five batters per nine innings, and his 3.87 ERA is as real as the Easter Bunny -- his component numbers suggest an ERA over 5. Olsen had his best turn of the season last week against Colorado (six scoreless, one hit allowed), so now is the best time to sell. You've got two days to work with before the Mets knock him around Saturday (Olsen's beaten them just once in 10 starts, allowing a .280 batting average and a 1.45 WHIP).

Jeff Karstens, SP, Pirates: Two snappy starts in Pittsburgh, but it's not going to last -- he's a fly-baller with a fastball that stops short of 90. Eventually the league will get a good look at his off-speed stuff and the results won't be pretty -- Karstens can't consistently miss bats.

HOLD

Ricky Nolasco, SP, Marlins: You'd like to see more ground balls, but his strikeout rate (7.4/9) pays the bills, and he's improving his control all the time. Just what the Marlins need, another right-handed ace who projects, when healthy, to be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter.

Jorge Campillo, SP, Braves: He turns 30 on the weekend and he was unheralded before this season, so it's natural to be skeptical here. But opponents rave about his change-up and pitch sequencing, and heck, the guy's had just three bad starts out of 15. We'll keep running with the story; a 2.58 ERA and 1.05 WHIP this late in the season has to have some authenticity to it.

Batters

BUY

Rickie Weeks, 2B, Brewers: He needed to step up his game when Ray Durham hit town, and so far he's done just that (16 for 49, .510 slugging). Weeks remains a wild ride in the field, but the Brewers will live with that if his offensive game is clicking.

Emilio Bonifacio, 2B, Nationals: It's hard to say how much he'll hit right away, but the intriguing rookie is one of the fastest players in the majors, and the Nats will let him audition the leadoff spot the rest of the year. If you're set at power but could use a dash of speed, here's your guy -- he could easily swipe 10 to 15 bases the rest of the way.

SELL

Yunel Escobar, SS, Braves: He's batting .203 with no homers over the last month, a pretty good sign that the rotator cuff isn't all the way back. And forget him on the bases; he's just 2 of 7 on steal attempts this year. You need power or speed from every roster slot, unless we're talking about a batter well over .300. Escobar misses on all counts.

HOLD

Mike Cameron, OF, Brewers: It's easy to run away after you catch that puny .237 average, but Cameron has quietly been a plus-player in every other fantasy category of significance (17 homers, 10 steals, 42 runs, 47 RBIs over 77 games). And over the last month, he's tightened up his swing (.275/.373/.529). Whatever you paid in March, it looks like you made a profit on this perennially underrated vet.

 Tags  baseball Chris Perez David Ferris Emilio Bonifacio Jeff Karstens Jorge Campillo Mike Cameron Mike Gonzalez NL Stock Watch Rickie Weeks Ricky Nolasco Scott Olsen Yunel Escobar

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