Friday, May 15, 2009

Reimold, Gamel are names to know now

The call has been made.

No, it's not David Price. Or Matt Wieters. Or even Tommy Hanson. But keep your eye on all three.

Two other minor league studs got the call to the bigs on Thursday, mostly to infuse some life into struggling offenses.

Nolan Reimold, Orioles, OF: Adam Jones' hammy and Luke Scott's shoulder are two reasons why Reimold was called up from Triple-A Norfolk, where he was hitting the stitches off the ball.

Check out these numbers: .394 avg., .485 obp., 9 HR, 27 RBI, 6 SB in 31 games.

There's no question Reimold can rake. The question is PT. But with former Cubs flameout Felix Pie still getting regular at-bats, you have to think that Reimold will find his way in the lineup once Jones and Scott are no the mend. All he has to do is perform, to a modest degree.

The future is, well, a year or two away in Baltimore. The O's are enjoying an OK start (15-20), but in the AL East, it's almost time to scrap 2009.

Add Reimold and expect semi-regular starts from here on out and 15-18 HR the rest of the way is very possible.

Mat Gamel, 3B, Brewers: Ranked as a slightly higher prospect than Reimold, the Brew Crew's hot hitter at the hot corner may not make near the fantasy impact as the O's rookie, as Milwaukee is very much alive and well in the playoff race.

The Brewers' problem is their bench has hit around .100 in pinch-hit at-bats and they're looking for a punch. Interleague at Minnesota is around the corner, so DHing that series is likely for the man with a one-T first name.

Word on the street is Gamel would be invited to the Ryan Braun fielding clinic as an guest teacher, committing a whopping 40 errors between this year and last. So, Bill Hall's job as the primary 3B is probably safe for now. But spot starts (ala Cleveland's Matt LaPorta) will trickle in and the more Gamel hits, the more you'll want him on your team.

If your league is one of those with bench spots (or is a keeper league), make the move now and your patience will be rewarded. With 8 HR, 19 extra-base hits, 31 ribbies and a .336 avg. in 119 AAA at-bats, there's a lot of life in Gamel's stick.

1 comments:

Charles Minor said...

I grabbed Gamel up in a few leagues but hadn't heard about Reimold. Appreciate the info in this blog.