SCOTT OLSEN, SP, MARLINS
If you're not concerned with having role models on your team - and this goes for everyone who's ever owned Barry Bonds, at any point - then Florida Marlins lefty Scott Olsen is your man.
Our crack research team here at Fantasy Baseblog came up with the following offenses against Olsen, and this with one simple Google search.
- Drunken driving charge and getting tasered while arrested last July.
- A two-game suspension without pay for getting into a fight with teammate Sergio Mitre, also last July.
- Fined for making an obscene gesture toward fans in Milwaukee last June.
- An off-the-field confrontation with teammate Randy Messenger along with dugout disputes with teammate Miguel Cabrera and then-manager Joe Girardi in 2006.
But I bring these up not to make Olsen owners feel guilty or to make you think twice about picking up someone with questionable moral character. Our teams may be half-empty if we subscribed to that rule.
Rather, all the off-field problems may have factored into Olsen's awful 2007, when he finished 10-15 with a 5.81 ERA and 1.76 WHIP.
But when you look at his bloated July stats (7.53 ERA/2.09 WHIP), it all starts to make sense.
Now, I can't guarantee you a return of Olsen's 2006 form: 4.04/1.30/166 Ks in 180 2/3 IP. But after a 3-0 start, a 2.60 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, those of you looking for mixed league pitching depth should take notice even if two of those starts came against Washington.
Olsen's next start is Friday at home against Milwaukee. The Marlins' offense has been less than offensive, as they're currently in first place at 12-8.
Grab Olsen quick, before his next altercation.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Matt Stairs, OF/DH, BLUE JAYS
Sure, he looks like the cleanup guy on your softball team, a guy you expect to see at the local watering hole after the game pounding a few down, but don't let the stout Stairs' build fool you.
The guy can rake. But his irregular playing time usually keeps him from most mixed league rosters. That all may be changing.
Thanks to the sudden and rare release of Frank Thomas (after only 60 at-bats), Stairs, already in a left field platoon with Shannon Stewart, will be the proud recipient of many DH at-bats and goes from an average AL-only play to respectable in most mixed-league formats.
A career .268 hitter, Stairs may drain your average like lights on during a long-winded church service. But he packs 20-25-HR power (242 career HRs) and will be hitting 5th most days in a potent Toronto lineup, behind fantasy studs Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. A run at 90 RBI is possible, as 400 at-bats for the rest of the season may be on the horizon, depending on how hot Stairs' bat stays (he's currently on a 10-game hitting streak).
And if you don't want to take my word for it, check out this high-tech clip of Stairs and decide for yourself if he's too good to be true.
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