Gonzalez, Banks: 1-hit wonders?

Everyone is always looking for the hot rookie, even though as fantasy purists, we know deep down only one of every 3.5 or so actually work out.

And maybe 1 in 10 live up to the hype.

But for those of you who missed out on Jay Bruce and Clayton Kershaw or Edinson Volquez or Evan Longoria, keep your chin up.

There's more goodies coming.

Oakland OF Carlos Gonzalez (above) and San Diego SP Josh Banks are two rookies who are hot off the press right now.

First, let's rap about Gonzalez, who was probably the most critical piece of the Dan Haren deal. Ranked by at least one publication as the top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, Gonzalez is a five-tool guy, although the speed probably won't translate to double digit swipes.

The center fielder of the future for the A's hit .287 in five years of minor league ball and posted 23 and 17 HRs the past two years. Much like Jay Bruce (whose batting average in five games is still over .500), Gonzalez opened eyes in his debut, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.

The biggest unknown is how much playing time little Gonzo will get in a crowded Oakland outfield, once the Travis Bucks and the Ryan Sweeneys of the world get healthy, assuming that happens. Teams usually don't call up their top-tiered prospects to sit on the bench, so expect 4-5 starts a week and if he performs, he'll play every day.

Oakland's a tough park to jack HRs, so don't expect a Mark McGwire-esque rookie season, but 15 the rest of the way is not a pipe dream. Gonzalez hit 8th last night, so unless he gets moved up in the order, his run and RBI production may be only borderline mixed-league worthy.

Quickly, I'll give you the 411 on Banks. Just a moderate prospect with the Blue Jays, he's finally getting a grande cup of coffee with the Padres and he couldn't be pitching in a better ballpark than Petco.

The pedigree is average at best: a former 34th round pick who has career minor league numbers of 4.34 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 7.3 K/9 innings over 761 IP.

But Banks threw 8 scoreless innings out of the bullpen (including 6 in the 18-inning marathon on Sunday) and this afternoon, he stretched that scoreless streak to 16 before the Giants scored a single run in the 9th inning.

Opportunity could be an issue once Jake Peavy and Chris Young come back to the rotation, but Young is having trouble smelling and tasting food right now, so a quick return is dicey at best. And with Shawn Estes as some of Banks' rotation competition, he doesn't have to be lights out to keep his spot.

Still, even in today's complete game gem, Banks only fanned 5 Giants, which is like only taking a couple circus peanuts and some hard candy from a baby.

He's a good NL-only or a deep mixed-league add, or if you're streaming a spot, looking for a guy with upside who could stick.

Sosa: From Gastonia to retirement?

Sammy Sosa was back in the news this week, announcing his retirement.

In 2009.

Yeah, it's not quite as bad as NBC announcing Leno's retirement five years in advance, but it still rings just as hollow.

Sosa will represent the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic next spring, then officially call it quits.

For those of you who have ever had Sosa on any of your teams, specifically around the late 90s and early zeros, there should be a fond memory or two in there somewhere.

But the inventor of the "Hop" - who will retire with 609 MLB home runs - actually got his career started right down I-85 with the Gastonia Rangers in 1987. That season, a skinny Sosa hit .279 with 11 HR and struck out 123 times in 131 single-A games.

His rookie card, pictured above, actually went for $610 on eBay in 2000. A quick check today had the only sale of that Gastonia Sosa card at $20, although there were several listed in the $150-$200 range.

My, how the mighty have fallen. Even on eBay.

HOME RUN FEST AT WRIGLEY: One afternoon game on the docket had the Rockies and Cubs slugging it out in 15-mph winds (toward Waveland). The Rockies chased Ted Lilly after 3 innings and 3 HR. Down 9-1, the Cubs took Derek Lee and Geovany Soto out, but then roared back behind HR from Kosuke Fukudome, Jim Edmonds (yes, Jim Edmonds, who had 3 hits), Henry Blanco and Mark DeRosa. Todd Helton, Chris Iannetta and Ryan Spilborghs went long for Colorado in a 10-9 Cubs win/fantasy slugfest.

The Cubs are now 34-21, the best record in baseball. Folks at Wrigley are still stunned and are hanging around their seats, talking to strangers trying to make sense of what they just saw. Destiny? Who knows. But it's getting harder and harder to rule it out.

Braves' Campillo muy bueno

Those outside the Peachtree State have probably not heard of Jorge Campillo.

Actually, most of Mexico is very familiar with Campillo, who played in the Mexican League nearly a decade before coming back to Major League Baseball in 2005 via the Seattle Mariners.

But now, Campillo 29, is turning heads around every corner. After 5 strong innings this afternoon in Milwaukee (1 ER, 4 hits, 0 BB, 6 Ks), Campillo's ERA actually rose to 0.99. The converted reliever was making his third start and now has 36 1/3 innings and has a WHIP lower than his ERA.

The question now most of the fantasy world is asking: Should I pick Campillo up?

If you're pitching has been skidding and you find yourself looking up in most pitching categories, then the risk is definitely worth it.

We don't exactly know how Campillo's Mexican League success will translate to Enlgish since he was used as both a starter and a reliever. In 2004, his ERA through 14 starts was 2.04, pitching in extremely thing air - some 7,000 miles above sea level.

But Campillo comes with risks. He made a total of 8 starts in three years in Seattle, missing most of 2006 after undergoing "Tommy John" surgery.

The upside is Campillo is a much-needed starter on an injury-plagued Braves pitching staff where John Smoltz is moving to the bullpen. His strikeout rate is nearly 1 per inning and Atlanta will provide above-average run support, making a dozen wins the rest of the season possible.

Durability over a 162-game schedule will be an issue as Campillo's career high over a season is 119 IP.

It's still not a bad idea to ride Campillo as far as you can.

Waiver Wire: Add Kouzmanoff, Laffey

NATIONAL LEAGUE

KEVIN KOUZMANOFF, 3B, PADRES

If you were a Kouz believer last year, you probably suffered through the first month with him, only to pull the parachute after his average dropped to .108 on May 7. Funny, how it's hard to get that taste out of your mouth.

But all Kouzmanoff did after the All-Star break was hit .317 with 11 HR and 37 RBI, hitting mostly in the 6th and 7th positions in the lineup.

And when you check out his last 162 games, the Padres 3B is not only hitting over .300, but has impressive totals of 25 HR, 88 RBI and 77 runs, which make him ownable in just about any format.

Last week's NL Player of the Week has 5 home runs and 8 RBI while hitting .380 in his past 7 games.

Even though he plays in spacious Petco Park, it's time to click on this post-hype breakout candidate into the hot days of summer.



AMERICAN LEAGUE

AARON LAFFEY, SP, INDIANS

The numbers are so good, they're almost laughable. Over 6 starts, Laffey has a 1.59 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 39.2 IP.

Primarily two things have kept Laffey's ownership lower a Hawaiian limbo contest: 1). His strikeout rate is about .5 per IP and 2). Jake Westbrook's imminent return.

But something happened on Laffey's way back to AAA. Fausto Carmona injured his hip over the weekend and will reportedly be out a month. This gives Laffey extra time to prove he belongs in the rotation to stay. And if he can't win his way into the rotation, another injury to an Indians starter would keep him afloat in the bigs.

It's not a lot to go on, but 4-6 more starts from Laffey is worth the risk of cutting your weakest link. Especially in all 4x4 leagues.

And deep down, we all want to get the last Laffey.

Reds call up Jay Bruce

The Jay Bruce Era has arrived.

I always laugh when somebody gets their own era. As if we know this player is going to be an automatic smash hit. There's usually a reason, after all, why someone is still in the minors.

But Bruce's numbers through 49 games with AAA Louisville suggest an era may be starting.

• 10 home runs


• 37 RBI


• .364 average


• 9 doubles


• 5 triples


• 8 stole base

Of course, the one number folks don't talk about much is the 45 strikeouts in 184 at-bats. Typical of power hitters, Bruce's K rate is the biggest reason it's taken this long for him to get the call, but as a fantasy owner, the Ks don't pull down a player's value.

Just look at Ryan Howard.

The biggest question surrounding Bruce, who just turned 21, is will he play everyday. The Reds GM Walt Jocketty has been quoted as saying Bruce will not be called up to sit the bench. After all, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball American and The Sporting News.

I picked up Bruce on Friday, letting Eric Byrnes go. And while Bruce may not make sense for everyone, his upside is likely worth a spot on 8 out of 10 mixed league rosters. And he will certainly be scooped up in every NL-only league.

The Reds may be trading away Ken Griffey Jr. soon after he hits No. 600 (he's sitting at 598 right now), which would open up a corner OF spot for Bruce, who can also play center. Cincinnati cutting Scott Hatteberg today makes a Griffey trade seem even more likely.

Either way, Bruce should play at least 5 times a week and if he performs, you'll see him out there every day.

Go grab him now.

Memorial Day = Inventory Time

Happy Memorial Day to all you baseball fans.

And really, does it get any better than Memorial Day and baseball?

Maybe it does. Probably a picnic with some pie and maybe some fresh fruit. 

Or a juicy burger.

Anyway, my post today is to tell you a little secret: It's time to take inventory of your team.

The season is almost 1/3 over and each year I use Memorial Day as a mental reminder to address the weaknesses that are probably now apparent.

If your HR and RBI are lacking and you're rockin' and rollin' in wins and K's, it might be time to cash out a Santana or Haren for a Howard or a Teixeira. 

Steals and saves are the categories you can make up the most ground the quickest, so you might wanna target some good buy-low speed like Michael Bourn (horrible avg., but quietly improving) or Todd Jones (Tigers won't keep underachieving all season, right?)

Try not to overreact or overpay, just because you're tanking it somewhere. The best thing about taking inventory is to not just focus on your league standings, but to really analyze who on your team is underproducing or over, for that matter, to get a realistic picture.

And if you've been thinking of punting a category, now is the time. Say Carlos Gomez is your only speedster and you're still sitting in last place ... see who could really use a steal burst and maybe you can fetch a Jason Bay or a Carlos Quentin.

The key is to discover the needs of another owner and start a dialogue. In most cases, you'll have a deal hammered out within 48 hours.

At minimum, you have new guys to follow. And just maybe it'll help the clubhouse chemistry.

Kershaw impressive in debut

Clayton Kershaw didn't look 20 today.

"The Golden Child has arrived," Dodgers radio announcer Charlie Steiner said.

There may be just a hint of hometown bias coming through, but if you went online and grabbed Kershaw earlier today when Yahoo! made him available, you couldn't help but agree with Steiner, just a little.

Yeah, there were the first-inning jitters, the 32 pitches it took him to get those first three outs. 

But Kershaw made a name for himself early, striking out Skip Shumaker, Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus, the Cardinals No. 1, 4 and 5 hitters, in the first inning.

Besides Albert Pujols predictably getting 2 hits off the Dodgers lefty, Kershaw gave up just 3 other hits and 1 BB in 6 innings. He struck out 7 and gave up 2 earned runs in 102 pitches.

And outside the first and sixth innings where he combined to throw 59 pitches, Kershaw made it look very easy, throwing just 43 pitches in four innings.  Check out this pitch report.

Don't get too wrapped up in Kershaw's debut. After all, it was only one start and two years ago he was wearing a high school graduation cap. And the Dodgers are going to put him on a strick 25 IP count per month, which will knock his value down a bit.

But the Dodgers play offensively challenged San Francisco and San Diego a combined 24 times the rest of the season. 

Just a sidenote, Kershaw's debut happened to come on the same exact day as WillieMays came into the league 57 years ago.

If Kershaw becomes even a fraction of the player Mays was, you'll be happy you took the chance on him. And you'll be saying 'hey' quite a bit.