The Hot 8: Week 13

There were so many players that were candidates for this weeks Hot 8, many of which have already been included in previous weeks. Among these players that I still recommend you take a chance on or at least keep an eye on are Homer Bailey, Kevin Frandsen, Drew Stubbs, Kyle Blanks, Marcus Thames and of course Neftali Feliz. Feliz in fact has been moved to the bullpen in Oklahoma City this week in order to get him ready to pitch in the Rangers pen down the stretch this season. He can make a big impact in a late inning role for sure so be ready to make that move pretty soon.For this week however I decided to cleanse our palate so to speak and give you guys some new faces to The Hot 8. Though you will see one familiar face in this weeks version, his last appearance was way back in April so many of you had probably forgot about him by now. Get your pencils and scorecards ready, here is this weeks Hot 8:

THROWIN' SMOKE
1) Ricky Romero (LHP - Starter) -- Blue Jays -- Romero is once again on fire for the Jays after a stint on the disabled list and a couple poor outings. On the season he is 5-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 54 K's in 64 2/3 innings. Romero is a classic late bloomer who had been treading water in the minors the past four season before finally starting to get it late last year. He has found success in throwing both his curve and changeup for strikes early in counts which makes his mid-90's fastball much more effective and "heavy" to hitters. Although he has struck out 33 in his previous 5 starts, Romero is not to be considered a high strikeout guy. He has found a nice rhythm with his pitches and the consistency he had lacked in previous minor league seasons. Right now he is one of the hottest left handers in the league and needs to be a pickup and hold until he proves otherwise.

2) Kevin Correia (RHP- Starter) -- Padres -- I wonder how many of you out there have ever even heard of Kevin Correia before? I have been high on him for years now and he has not failed yet in letting me down. So, when putting together my sleeper list for this season I finally decided to cut the cord with Correia as he had proved himself to be nothing more than a 28 year old spot starter or long reliever. Not even half way into the 2009 season now and Correia is now the ace of the Padres pitching staff! At least until Jake Peavy returns that is. But nonetheless, Correia has made tremendous strides in recent starts as evidenced by his 4-1 record, 2.40 ERA, 29 K's and only 3 walks in his past five starts. He credits this turn around to improved use of his curveball, a pitch he hardly used before this season. He is also throwing much more changeups than he used to and is using his legs more which has really helped with his control. Credit Bud Black with fine tuning some of Correia's mechanics and allowing him to find his way this season. He is a must pickup right now and should be rode for as long as this run lasts.

MORE PLAYING TIME = FANTASY HEAT
3) Jake Fox (OF/3B) -- Cubs -- Fox will be eligible at 3B in the very near future as he's earned his time there by putting in a ton of extra work with Cubs infield coaches. Lou Pinella gushes when talking about Fox nowadays probably because he is the only Cub player who is hitting no matter who the opposing pitcher is, the weather conditions, the spot in the order or the situation at hand. The kid is just raking and has been pretty much all season long. He got a call up to the show after hitting a whopping .409/.495/.841 in AAA Iowa. Since the call he's hitting .349/.354/.605 with 2 HR's and 11 RBI. I believe Fox is the reason Pinella finally stood up to disgruntled OF Milton Bradley because if Bradley wants to cry and pout and be a problem, Fox could slide very nicely into the RF and lineup position that Bradley has been under performing in all season long. Whatever happens with Bradley, Jake Fox has been too productive to ignore and is going to get plenty of chances going forward for a team with big upside potential.

4) Brett Gardner (Outfield) -- Yankees -- Melky Cabrera's hot streak is over and thus Gardner has found himself back into prime action for the Yankees. On the season Gardner is hitting .293/.364/.427 and most impressively has 17 stolen bases in 19 opportunities. The more he gets in the lineup and produces at these current paces the more dramatic his value increases. Gardner very well could steal 40+ bases this year. He is currently available in 93% of Yahoo leagues but that number will tumble quickly with the realization that Gardner is seeing regular playing time once again in the Bronx. Any fantasy team that could use some speed or wants to keep it away from their opponent must find a spot for Gardner ASAP.

5) Casey McGehee (2B/3B) -- Brewers -- Let me be the first to say how stunned I am at the production the Brewers have gotten out of their 2B platoon of Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee. Shortly after Rickie Weeks was lost for the season I was asked about McGehee on an episode of Fantasy Baseball Tonight to which I said not to bother with him. I was and still kind of believe that Alcides Escobar will eventually get the call up and J.J. Hardy will see time at 2B but for now there is no more ignoring of what McGehee is doing. In his last 10 games he is 12-38 (.342) with 3 HR's 7 RBI and 8 runs scored. He is seeing time at both 2B and 3B for the struggling Bill Hall. Just about everybody I know including myself, are looking for middle infield help on their fantasy teams. For the short term, I believe McGehee is a guy that can help those of us who didn't get Ben Zobrist bridge the gap until better solutions evolve.

JUST A SPARK, BUT...
6) Wladimir Balentien (Outfield) -- Mariners -- One of the best "under the radar" young power hitters in the game. Balentien is set for a big increase in playing time due to Endy Chavez being lost for the season now. The Mariners went for an all defensive outfield this season. A very intriguing approach unless of course you play fantasy baseball. Balentien has hit 20+ HR's the past four seasons mostly in the minor leagues and also possesses the speed to swipe 10+ bases annually. He has got Sheffield-like bat speed and the ball just flies off his bat to all fields. He will never hit for a good average however and will strike out a whole bunch. With steady playing time the rest of the season there is no reason to think Balentien can't continue his streak of 20+ HR's and give you an occasional stolen base. He'll hit somewhere in the middle of Seattle's order also which will provide him good RBI opportunities as well.

7) Tyler Clippard (RHP - Relief) -- Nationals -- This is for those of you who email me all of the time looking for the closers in waiting. Clippard is a career minor leaguer who has found success this season in making a conversion from starter to reliever. He's spent most of his time in the Yankees organization and actually made a decent couple of starts for them back in 2007. For AAA Syracuse this year he was 4-1 with a 0.92 ERA and 42 K's in 39 IP while posting a 0.89 WHIP as well. The Nats are obviously desperate for some bullpen help and anytime Mike MacDougal is your closer the job is ultimately available. Clippard was once a top prospect but never really filled out his frame the way scouts would have liked. Still, his fastball/curveball/changeup has shown to be able to get people out at least in the short term.

THE NEXT HOT CATCHER PROSPECT
8) Angel Salome (Catcher) -- Brewers -- Salome is my favorite minor league hitter to watch. Anybody who has the MiLB.TV subscription like I do, please check out the Nashville Sounds and their tiny little free swinging catcher. Salome will drive hitting coaches crazy with his unorthodox style and pitch selection but he has amazing hand/eye coordination. I call him the right handed Ichiro and while nobody can quite do what Ichiro does, Salome is without question the poor man's version. He hit .360/.415/.559 last season in AA Huntsville and won a batting title. For a small guy (5'7"), he does have surprising power but is more of a slap type hitter who will spray the ball to all fields when he is right. Salome started out this season horribly but has caught fire lately hitting .400 with 2 HR's, 7 RBI and 10 runs scored in his last 10 games. Salome also has a plus arm behind the plate although he gets messy with his footwork at times which leads to a lower than expected caught stealing percentage for the youngster. Still, this is a prospect to be very excited about. He is not only productive but fun to watch and can fill a big need for a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race and has a great established offense. You will not find catchers who can hit .300 on the free agent market for long. This is why you'll need to make a play for Salome quickly if you want to upgrade yourself at this always thin fantasy position.

That is the Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think? Post your comments below or email me at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com