Fantasy Baseball Tonight 5/6; Whitesell, Niese and more

It's going to be a quick one tonight folks. Sorry about that, but got a real late start.

J.J. Hardy to me is one of the more underrated shortstops. I think it is because he had a real hot start in 2007 before fading down the stretch, but let's look at his last two seasons. His batting average has been .280, averaged 25 homers and 80 RBI. How many shortstops do you get that production from? Don't sleep on Hardy. He had two more hits on Wednesday, including his fourth homer, and now has eight RBI in the last three days.

With Tony Clark going on the DL, the Arizona Diamondbacks have called up one of their top prospects, Josh Whitesell. Last year at AAA, Whitesell hit .328 with 26 homers and 110 RBI. I'm not sure exactly how long they expect him to stay up, but considering the state of the Arizona offense, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he was here to stay. He is 0-2 in his first game with two walks and a strikeout. There is something to be said that his manager put him 5th in the lineup in his major league debut. This will be overshadowed by the fact that Justin Upton has hit two more homers. When that kid gets hot, he scorching.

Chan Ho Park was dominating against the Mets, but please don't read too much into this. Park has been awful ever since he got that big contract from the Rangers. This isn't for real. But tonight, Park allowed just one hit over six innings and struck out five. Even the sun shines on a dog's behind from time to time.

Kevin Gregg got another save tonight, while Carlos Marmol also pitched well and got a hold. I really don't like this situation, and I really don't see Gregg holding on to this job forever. If Marmol can remain consistent and stop with the walks, he should take it over before too long. Really hard to get a read on what Pinella is doing, but you have to hold on to both guys until the roles are a little more clear.

Ubaldo Jimenez had a great outing finally for the Rockies, one that we have been waiting for since the season started. Baldy went seven innings, allowed just one run and whiffed six. This guy has plenty of talent, it is just a matter of IF or WHEN he will put it together. It might be tough from time to time, but I think you have to remain patient with the kid. If he is on your waiver wire, wait to see how his next start is before making the move.

The Mets have put that OP guy on the DL that I said I wouldn't talk about anymore. So why bring him up? Well, with that move they called up one of their promising young arms, Johanthan Niese to start on Friday. Niese almost won the job out of Spring, so keep an eye on his start. I don't think he is the kind of prospect you pick up before he starts, but if you have a rotating spot that you just pitch and ditch, I would consider Niese against the Pirates.

Don't look now, but Carl Pavano has been good in three of his last four starts. Today Pavano lasted six innings, allowed two runs and struck out four. He isn't a world beater, but could be worthwhile at the end of your rotation. He was a fairly successful pitcher in Florida before his disaster in New York.

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