Tom Szczerbowski/US Presswire
Before Tuesday, Travis Snider's most recent homer in the majors came on April 13.
Apparently the Blue Jays are no longer worried about Travis Snider's "super two" arbitration status. He was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, one week to the day after he was passed up in favor of Randy Ruiz for the roster spot vacated when Alex Rios was shipped to the White Sox via a waiver claim.
As the Toronto Star reported Tuesday, Snider needs about 50 more days in the majors to qualify for "super two" status, but remember, those estimates are always approximate. Counting Tuesday, Snider would spend 48 days in the majors if he's up to stay, so it'll be close. Nevertheless, it's a gamble the Blue Jays needed to take, as the slugging outfielder was hitting .354 (51-for-144) with 14 home runs, 38 RBIs and 31 runs scored in 40 games since July 1.
Snider immediately rewarded the Blue Jays for taking another chance on him in spite of the financial risk, belting a home run off Josh Beckett and going 2-for-3 with a walk Tuesday. He was the No. 9 hitter and the starting right fielder, but with a few more performances like that, it might not take long before he's a No. 6 or 7 hitter. After all, while Snider did kick off this season as the team's No. 9 hitter, the Opening Day lineup still featured Rios (hitting third) and Scott Rolen (sixth). There's now less competition for prime lineup spots with both veterans gone.
AL-only owners should scoop up Snider, who has legitimate 30-homer, 100-RBI potential (given a full season of course), and those in mixed leagues should take a look at him, too. But he's a bit of a free swinger, averaging one strikeout per 3.6 at-bats for his big league career and one per 3.7 with Las Vegas this season. That might make him streaky and a liability in terms of batting average.
One thing Snider did improve upon during his stint in the minors: his walk rate. He drew 26 walks in 144 plate appearances since July 1, an average of one per 5.5 trips to the plate. That compares favorably to his 13 walks in 192 career plate appearances in the majors, an average of one per 14.8 PAs. Might that be a sign the 21-year-old is ready to shine? We shall soon find out.
Previous editions: Aug. 18: Huff dealt to Tigers | Aug. 17: Wright goes on DL
• Following up on Eric Karabell's report Tuesday that Kevin Gregg's closer job is in jeopardy, manager Lou Piniella indeed has stripped Gregg of his closer role. According to the Chicago Tribune, Carlos Marmol has been named the Cubs' new closer. "I told you they believe in me, and I believe in myself too," he said. "That's the reason why I think he made a good decision." Marmol does have an alarmingly high walk rate, 52 in 56 1/3 innings, but he has seemed to settle down a bit since July 1, with a 2.70 ERA, .149 batting average allowed and 28 K's in 20 innings in 21 appearances. He has the makeup to close and, if his command issues are indeed behind him, has top-10 closer potential from this point forward.
• The Rangers, who placed starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the disabled list Saturday, worked quickly to land his replacement, acquiring Ivan Rodriguez from the Astros in exchange for Class A reliever Matt Nevarez and two players to be named later. "Pudge," who began his career with Texas in 1991 and played there until 2002, won't have nearly the glamour in fantasy in this stint with his original team. He'll serve as Taylor Teagarden's backup, getting two or three starts a week, and only be an AL-only matchups type on the very rare occasion. More importantly, this probably thrusts Chris Coste into the starting role behind the plate in Houston, which is of note to NL-only owners.
• In his first relief appearance since June 24, 2004, Jamie Moyer tossed six shutout innings of two-hit baseball to defeat the Diamondbacks, coming on in relief of Pedro Martinez after a 66-minute rain delay. Moyer's bullpen status shows just how deep this staff is, and while the Phillies don't really need him to start, should an unexpected injury open a spot for him, he might again have NL-only value.
• Going back to another player potentially affected by service time issues, the Royals surprisingly demoted onetime mega-prospect Alex Gordon to make room for the returning Kyle Farnsworth. Gordon heads to Triple-A Omaha, significant because if he's there for 20 days, until the completion of that team's season Sept. 7, it'll delay his free agency by a year, and if he's in the minors the rest of the year it might cause him to fall short of "super-two" arbitration status. Gordon might not have done much since returning from hip surgery, batting .227 with a .643 OPS, but this at least will make his fantasy owners feel more confident about cutting him.
• Why does Josh Beckett have such trouble pitching against the Blue Jays? He was pounded for seven runs on nine hits, three of them home runs, in 5 1/3 innings at Toronto, and now has a 6.44 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 11 career starts against them, all with the Red Sox. Things like this are sometimes inexplicable, but make no mistake, they're relevant to fantasy owners with innings/starts caps.
• Derek Lowe's Tuesday was an odd and eventful one. He began his start at Citi Field tossing three shutout frames of two-hit baseball, then was hit in the pinkie of his glove hand on an Angel Pagan infield single to begin the fourth. He was able to remain in the game, but surrendered hits to eight of the next nine Mets to come to the plate, resulting in a grisly eight-run, 11-hit, 3 2/3-inning stat line for the night. Lowe's finger isn't supposed to be an issue, but one must wonder whether it was a factor in his unraveling. Grant him a mulligan for this one.
• The Rockies have seemingly turned into a gold mine for wins since Jim Tracy took over as manager. Ubaldo Jimenez won his fourth consecutive start, tossing eight innings of two-run, seven-hit baseball. While the matchup was an easy one against the Nationals, the right-hander does deserve a lot of credit for the eight wins he has in his past 15 starts, as he has a 2.87 ERA and 1.11 WHIP during that span. Jimenez might be the best raw talent of a red-hot rotation that includes Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Marquis.
• Though the Blue Jays promoted Snider from the minors, don't assume that means Ruiz's playing time is now in jeopardy. The team demoted Joe Inglett, who had started four of six games in right field since Rios' departure, meaning Ruiz's role as the team's designated hitter is unaffected. Ruiz belted another home run Tuesday, his third in six games, and he has hit safely in all of them. He's well worth a look in AL-only and deep mixed formats.
• Chad Billingsley bounced back nicely from his hamstring injury, tossing six innings of two-run, three-hit baseball to defeat the Cardinals. That he struck out only one batter is a bit of a worry, but it's at least a step in the right direction. If Billingsley can just stay healthy he should be in for a decent finish.
Joe Mauer, Twins
Here's how impressive his power spurt has been: He belted his 24th and 25th home runs in his 94th game Tuesday; by comparison he had 25 home runs in his previous 354 games heading into 2009. Mauer was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, putting him on pace for a .383-36-112 season. Only five players in the history of baseball have had at least those numbers in all three categories: Ted Williams in 1941 (.406-37-120), Rogers Hornsby in 1922 (.401-42-152) and 1925 (.403-39-143), Babe Ruth in 1923 (.393-41-131) and Chuck Klein in 1930 (.386-40-170).
Ricky Nolasco, Marlins
So much for the theories that either he's wearing down or that the Astros have his number. He tossed a complete-game, 6-2 victory at Houston, including 10 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Since his brief demotion to the minors, Nolasco is 7-3 with a 3.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 99 K's in 92 2/3 innings in 14 starts.
While Mauer has been on a tear offensively, the Twins' pitching has been their ultimate undoing since the All-Star break. Scott Baker, Wednesday's scheduled starter, is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 0.94 WHIP during that span. By comparison, the rest of the Minnesota rotation is 8-18 with 6.73/1.66 numbers, reports ESPN Stats & Information.
• In order to clear room on their roster for Tuesday starter Freddy Garcia (who pitched poorly), the White Sox placed DeWayne Wise, famous for "the catch" during Mark Buehrle's perfect game last month, on the 15-day DL with a shoulder injury. Wise's playing time had already been diminished by the recent acquisition of Alex Rios, and AL-only owners can feel free to cut him.
• In news that won't shock anyone, the Astros placed Mike Hampton on the 15-day DL with a strained shoulder he suffered Aug. 13. It's unclear how much time he'll miss, as he left his Aug. 8 start early with what was later diagnosed as a torn lateral meniscus in his knee. With Hampton sidelined, Yorman Bazardo will start in his place Wednesday, but Felipe Paulino, recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to replace Hampton on the active roster, might be a candidate to assume that rotation spot in future turns.
• The Marlins promoted Gaby Sanchez from Triple-A New Orleans, where he was batting .345 with five home runs in 16 games in August. It's unclear how he fits into the team's plans, as it might make sense for him to get some time at first base with Jorge Cantu manning the hot corner, but Cantu played third base with Ross Gload at first Tuesday. Sanchez might be relegated to a reserve role, in which case he's not worth your time. Rick VandenHurk was returned to New Orleans to clear room on the roster, a sure sign that Anibal Sanchez should be ready to reclaim the fifth spot in the rotation Saturday.
Click here for all of the latest MLB transactions.
Brendan Roberts: He is, and I've had to eat some crow to come to that conclusion. I worried about injury and a lack of raw power, but have realized I'm wrong. First of all, he plays a fairly "low-maintenance" defense, in that he takes good care of his body and avoids reckless plays. Seems to even avoid runners sliding into second pretty well. I realize now his past injuries were freakish, and seem to have healed appropriately. Also, he has filled out and can really turn on the ball better than I thought, so the power is for real too. Keeper? Depends upon how many keepers you have and who you have, but if it's, say, 4 or more keepers, then probably.
-- Full chat transcript
Wednesday's fantasy chat schedule:
Tristan H. Cockcroft, 11 a.m. ET
Eric Karabell, 3 p.m. ET
• Jake Peavy made his second rehabilitation start as a member of the White Sox's organization, allowing four runs (three earned) in four innings for Triple-A Charlotte, and afterwards didn't sound like a pitcher who was ready to be activated. "I'm a long way from where I'm used to being," Peavy told the Chicago Tribune. "Think about it from where I am; my body feels like it's January." Peavy might need at least one more rehab start, making it likely that if he's able to pitch for the White Sox in 2009, it won't happen until after the September roster expansion.
• Peavy's opponent, Wade Davis, went 7 2/3 innings and scattered two runs on three hits for the win for Triple-A Durham, his 10th of the season. He has a 3.34 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 25 starts for Durham this season, and while he might not earn more than a bullpen role with the team if he's promoted at all after the rosters expand, he'll probably be a top contender for a rotation spot sometime in 2010.
• Lee-Haren isn't Wednesday's only premier pitchers' duel; the game in Los Angeles pits Adam Wainwright, he of the 1.21 ERA in his past nine starts, against Clayton Kershaw, he of the 1.86 ERA in 13 home starts. Both of these pitchers tossed eight shutout innings against the other's team during their late-July series at St. Louis, so while the win might be a toss-up, both pitchers are must-starts.
• Roy Halladay gets what might seem like a test versus the Red Sox, but he's a talent who rises above the matchups, as evidenced by his 4-2 record, 2.27 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in his past six starts against Boston. Three were complete games.
• Don't fear the Scott Baker-at-Texas matchup, either. He tossed eight innings of one-run, six-hit baseball to win at Rangers Ballpark on July 18, and he's 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in six starts since the All-Star break.
• For more on Wednesday's games, check Daily Notes.