Fantasy Baseball Waiver Candy - June 14th

June 14th, 2009  JunkyardJake.Com

Sean Rodriguez, LA Angels, 2B  
- Oh my, well it's now clear that Angels manager Mike Scioscia was hardly bluffing when he threatened to 'shake things up' after Thursday's 11-1 thumping by the Tampa Bay Rays. The complete details of Scioscia's shake-up plan have not been disclosed as of yet, but John Lackey's post-game ritual of kicking it 'Old School' with his turntable and DJ Scratch Mixer is probably out, as are the dugout drinking games, one would imagine.

Assuming the role of most immediate scapegoat in the shakeup plan was 2nd baseman Howie Kendrick, who was summarily demoted to AAA. The good news is that while Kendrick is attempting to expel his .231 batting average demons down in the junior circuit, we should get a look at prospect Sean Rodriquez. Rodriguez, who was called up to replace Kendrick this weekend, was tearing up the Pacific Coast League with 21 HRs in 57 games in 2009. In fact, he has shown very consistent power at the AAA level the past two seasons, as he finished his 2008 campaign with 21 HRs in 66 games.
Available in 87% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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Mike MacDougal, Washington Nationals, RP  
- Given the debacle known as the Washington Nationals bullpen, Mike MacDougal almost can't help to represent an improvement as the newest closer of last resort. In fact, after enduring two stints of Joel Hanrahan late inning shenanigans, mixed in with a couple games of Joe Abysmal, the Nationals will probably grant MacDougal a fair margin of error, maybe even a couple misdemeanors, before considering another change.

It certainly doesn't hurt that MacDougal throws some pretty nasty stuff, featuring a fastball that can reach 95-97 MPH. He also offers a good amount of closer experience, with a total 48 saves on his resume serving as the Kansas City Royals closer during the 2003 and 2005 seasons.
Available in 83% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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Scott Podsednik, Chicago White Sox, OF  
- Wow, this guy hasn't been fantasy-relevant since back when tribal tattoos were moderately fashionable and Don Imus had a broadcasting career. After an inconspicuous past 2 years of playing sporadically and batting around .250, Podsednik resigned with the White Sox in April this year, right after they had just released him.

His subsequent revival has been fairly impressive - after a solid May where he hit .307 with 3 stolen bases, Podsednik has regularly been batting leadoff in June, and hitting .310 with 5 stolen bases for the month so far.
Available in 82% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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Sean West, Florida Marlins, SP  
- A first round pick in 2005, 6 foot-8 lefty Sean West has been occasionally compared to pitching legend Randy Johnson. Of course West has a really long way to go before he will be even considered worthy to clean the gutters on Johnson's 300 Win Commemorative Museum. However, like Johnson, Sean West can consistently deliver a mid-90's power fastball, and also throws some nasty breaking stuff.

Unfortunately, also like Randy Johnson, who struggled with mechanics early in his career, West has been susceptible to his share of erratic outings and control lapses. Nonetheless, the Marlins rookie is someone to watch, and may have offered a glimpse of his fantasy potential when he beat Johnson and Giants with an 8 inning 2 hit effort last week.
Available in 77% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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Vin Mazzaro, Oakland A's, SP  
- With Vin Mazzaro recently joining an Oakland rotation that currently includes Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, and Josh Outman, the average age of the A's starting pitcher staff is now just slightly higher than that of the Milwaukee chapter of the Jonas Brothers unofficial fan club.

While Mazzaro probably does not have the upside of higher potential prospects Cahill and Outman, he has improved his command over the past year or so, getting his walks per 9 innings down to around 2.5 from over 4 in 2007. He mostly relies on a sinking fastball typically in the 90-93 MPH range, and complements this pitch with a decent changeup, and a developing slider. Mazzaro almost certainly will not maintain his current 1.37 ERA and 0.97 Whip, but could turn out to be another pleasant surprise from the Oakland pitcher farm.
Available in 65% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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Other Players To Consider:


Chris Coghlan,Florida Marlins,3B,OF  
Available in 89% of all CBSSportsline leagues.


Aaron Cook,Colorado Rockies,SP  
Available in 62% of all CBSSportsline leagues.


Juan Rivera,LA Angels,OF  
Available in 78% of all CBSSportsline leagues.


Colby Rasmus,St. Louis Cardinals,OF  
Available in 64% of all CBSSportsline leagues.


Antonio Bastardo,Philadelphia Phillies,SP  
Available in 62% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

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