Here we are midway into September. The weather is cooling, the barbecues are firing for their final frankfurters, and the parties are moving inside. The real-life baseball teams still in it are dwindling, and fantasy teams are dropping out like flies. Football is in its first week and basketball drafts are beginning. There’s plenty of competition for your eyes and your attention span.

Francisco Liriano may not be very good this year, but his strikeout rate could provide a boast to our deep leaguers.  Photo Credit: aturkus

It’s easy to step away from your team. It’s easy to say, oh well, there’s always next year. It’s easy to blame injuries, or poor performances, and throw in the towel. It’s easy to jump right into your football team, or to start ranking your point guards. It’s easy, especially in a deep fantasy baseball league, to move on to the next thing.

Let’s not take the easy way out. No matter where you are in the rankings, you owe it to your fellow leaguemates to put in effort in the waning season. Don’t lie down, play the role of spoiler (at least). Manage your team. Take those injured guys out of their starting spots. Look for replacements. Watch for good pitching matchups. Your pride is on the line here, and there’s a difference between 11th and 8th. There really is.

Or, if you are in it, look for every possible advantage. Pick one or two categories and make a real push. Take a chance. Work hard. Keep your focus.

There’s still some value on the wire, so let’s take a look.

OFFENSIVE OPTIONS

National League:

Chris Johnson (3B, HOU): Manager Cecil Cooper told veterans Geoff Blum and Miguel Tejada that they would see more rest in the final weeks. The team wants to take a look at Johnson and Tommy Manzella, so the two youngsters are going to get some time at third base and shortstop respectively. The 24-year old third baseman is the more attractive of the two, since he put up a pretty good .284/.324/.463 line in Triple-A this year. Manzella, on the other hand, hasn’t really shown the ability to get on base (.321 OBP) or hit for much power (.374 SLG) in the minors. Neither one of these guys is a premier prospect, however, so take a long look at your dropper before you pull the trigger.

Micah Hoffpauir (OF/1B, CHC): Last year’s Jake Fox, Hoffpauir came up and relieved the regulars late in the season, putting up a .342/.400/.534 line that was largely fueled by luck (he had a .489 BABIP). Now his luck is bad (.254 BABIP), and his overall stats don’t look very nice. Let’s not forget that he has a .287/.343/.483 line in his minor league career, and hit 25 home runs at Triple-A last year. With brittle Milton Bradley and Alfonso Soriano missing games at the corner outfield positions in Chicago, Hoffpauir is getting more time. In a series against Pittsburgh this week, he had seven at-bats and hit two home runs. That’s certainly interesting.

American League:

Willy Aybar (1B/2B/3B/OF, TB): Carlos Pena’s injury may have dealt a deathblow to the Ray’s wild card chances. Chris Richard is the only other player on the roster that has played at first base recently, and he’s 35 and has amassed a line of .259/.326/.452 in 882 major league at-bats. That does mask a more decent .266/.336/.492 line against righties, so the Rays may only go with Aybar against lefties (career .805 OPS against southpaws), and that would mean Aybar gets the short end of the stick. On the other hand, Aybar’s going up against a minor league journeyman and he is the one that has shown more promise most recently. With BJ Upton also hurting, both guys might get some burn. 

Mike Carp (1B, SEA): Though Carp has 33 home runs in his last two minor league years combined, those homers have come in over 1000 at-bats, and his minor league slugging percentage (.442) belies the fact that he’s slightly underpowered for his position. On the positive side, Carp has walked in over 10% of his plate appearances and looks to have a decent approach at the plate. If your league counts OBP, he might be an asset for you down the stretch. Otherwise, he’s strictly an injury replacement.

Alex Gordon (3B, KC): There’s not enough space to have a full referendum on Alex Gordon’s future right here. It’s true that not all prospects with nice minor league numbers (.325/.432/.583) should be given entire careers to figure it out, but it’s also true that Gordon should be rostered for this year’s stretch run. He’s still young (25), and he’s even shown improvement in the major leagues between his rookie and sophomore seasons. If he’s just been adjusting and recovering from injuries, there will be a lot of pundits looking foolish for prematurely calling him a bust. If you have room, pick Gordon up.

PITCHING POSSIBILITIES

National League:

John Maine (SP, NYN): Maine is starting Sunday and will be on a 60-70 pitch limit as he tries to return from shoulder fatigue. With Carlos Beltran back in the lineup behind him, and pitching in cavernous Citi Field, Maine counts as a decent sleeper for some value in his final four starts. His minor league rehab stint was short (eight innings) but at least it was decent (he struck out seven and walked four). Don’t drop an every-start guy for Maine, but there’s probably at least one spot-starter on your bench that could go for Maine’s upside.

American League:

Freddy Garcia (SP, CHW): At the very least, Garcia is worth a spot-start this upcoming week as he travels to hapless Seattle for a gem of a matchup. In his last four starts, Garcia has struck out 20 batters in 24 1/3 innings and only walked eight. In other good news, his slider has regained velocity, he’s throwing more than he ever has (almost one-third of the time), and it’s been a positive pitch for him for the first time in three years. He’s got another nice matchup in Minnesota after that, but it’ll take a big set of you-know-whats to put him in against Detroit at the end of the month.

Daniel Hudson (SP, CHW): This is a shout-out to you deep dynasty and keeper league owners. Because he was a relative unknown at the beginning of the year, Hudson might be available in your wire. This year, the prospect pitcher has blown through five levels of the White Sox organization with a 2.32 ERA, a 0.943 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9. You may say he was rushed, but 22-year-olds can play and even thrive in the major leagues. He doesn’t have plus plus stuff, but he’s been locating it more than scouts thought he would coming out of school, and he has three pitches that are major league average or better. Here’s a bet that he starts for the Sox next year.

Francisco Liriano (SP/RP, MIN): There’s a lot not to like here. Liriano hasn’t been the same as he was in his brilliant debut season for a long time now. He’s having trouble with his forearm and elbow. He’s even pitching out of the bullpen now. But there are some good things on Liriano’s resume and they might actually be augmented by his move to the ‘pen. Even in a tough 2009 campaign, he’s been striking out over eight batters per nine. Going to the pen almost always boosts your strikeout rate, so if you are looking for a pitcher that can give you some Ks in limited innings, Liriano may just be what you need.

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Eno knows it’s still baseball season, but if you’re interested in dominating your fantasy football league, join the congregation of winners who have benefited from preseason advice from gridiron gurus Scott Engel and Ben Ice! Order PLAY TO WIN Fantasy Football NOW and let the holy men of fantasy football into your heart! Or you can talk baseball with him at eno@rotoexperts.com or twitter him @enosarris with your thoughts on this week's column or any other fantasy-related questions.

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