The NL Fantasy Wire – A Look Into Some Worthy Roster Additions

TheFantasyFix.comJul 29, 2010

If you’re scouring the waiver wire in your NL-only league, there may be a few hidden gems that some of the other owners have not stumbled upon, or reacted quickly enough to add to their squads. The following is an eclectic mix of top-rated prospects and some others who snuck in the back door to earn enough playing time to be relevant.

Domonic Brown (OF) – PHI – Owned in 33% of CBS leagues

The Phillies’ No. 1 rated prospect will finally get a chance to show his wares at the Major League level after tearing it up for Triple-A Lehigh. At 23 years of age, Brown was hitting at a .392 clip in 51 at-bats, with a gaudy 1.101 OPS. Prior to that, Brown hit .317 in 236 at-bats for Double-A Reading, with a slightly more modest OPS of .993. In addition, he has 14 stolen bases combined this year and has posted double-digit steals in every season of his minor league career.

Brown will get the opportunity to play every day since Shane Victorino was placed on the disabled list with an abdominal strain. If Brown hits like he is capable of hitting, it will be difficult for the Phillies to remove him from the lineup even when Victorino returns.

His promotion and impending success also makes the trade of Jayson Werth an inevitability. With a suddenly aging Raul Ibanez hitting a paltry .259, with eight home runs, and 48 RBI on the season (.754 OPS good for 45th amongst all NL outfielders, according to MLB.com), the Phillies' best chance to make the playoffs may be with Brown in the starting lineup regardless.

Josh Thole (C) – NYM - Owned in 2% of CBS leagues

Thole has shown enough in capably handling the Mets staff thus far. In addition, he has provided decent offense as a starter and late inning pinch-hitter (.455 BA as a PH).

With his performance to date, Thole was able to convince Jerry Manuel to fight to keep him on the roster, even though the Mets already had Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco active. Now with the injury to Barajas, Thole has been thrust into almost full-time starting duty for the Metropolitans. He will handle receiving duties for every pitcher not named Johan Santana or Mike Pelfrey.

Thole has never been known to swing a mighty stick, but has posted a .351 BA in 37 at-bats so far this season, and an OPS of .975. In his five-year minor league career, Thole’s batting average has progressively increased to a high of .328 last year (.817 OPS). His power numbers, or lack thereof, leave a little to be desired, but the Mets will surely accept a .300 BA in the bottom third of the lineup.

With a lack of any other suitable options, it looks like Thole will get a decent chance to prove that he belongs on regular basis. He may not have to do all that much considering Barajas’s average has dipped to a cool .227 on the season (.186 in July and .150 since the All-Star break).

Logan Morrison (1B/OF) – FLA – Owned in 11% of CBS leagues

Morrison was called up after the shaving cream pie incident gone wrong involving Chris Coghlan. He will immediately step into the LF starting role for the Fish and bat second, according to CBS Sportsline.

Morrison posted very nice numbers in Triple-A New Orleans this season—.324 BA and .945 OPS—and has shown excellent plate discipline with a 36:27 BB:K ratio (minors career—226:280). This sort of control seems to be his calling card, since he’s only tallied 52 home runs in 1,581 minor league at-bats (1 HR/30 AB’s).

Due to Coghlan’s injury, Morrison will get a nice long look from the club. Also, with Cody Ross likely to be moved at the trade deadline, Florida will be left short on capable OFs.

Honorable Mention:

Neil Walker (2B) – PIT - Owned in 18% of CBS leagues
.310 BA/.812 OPS—Everyday second baseman for Pittsburgh showing he can handle the bat and the glove (four errors/.980 fielding % according to MLB.com).

Tyler Colvin (OF) – CHC – Owned in 26% of CBS leagues
.265 BA/.867 OPS/16 HR’s in only 230 AB’s—playing every day now that Kosuke Fukudome has been phased out and readied for a trade.

Chris Johnson (3B) – HOU – Owned in 11% of CBS leagues
.327 BA/.843 OPS/.347 BA in July, and .432 since the All-Star break with an 11-game hitting streak.

Joel Hanrahan (RP) – PIT – Owned in 5% of CBS leagues
3.50 ERA/1.03 WHIP/59:14 K:BB ratio in 43.7 IP—1.64 ERA in July, with six straight scoreless appearances (6 IP/0 ER/7 K)—PIT’s closer-in-waiting once Octavio Dotel is traded at the deadline.

Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com . You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter @TheSportsFariah