In the past week, my NL only team caught fire, nosing into 4th place, only 4 points out of first. All of those gains were given back by Oliver Perez, Francisco Cordero and batters going 6 for 41 on Saturday. I’m not worried about Perez/Cordero, but I am worried about my hitting. If I’m going to compete this year, now’s my time to make a move, so I intend to complete “taking stock” this week, and to try to get a deal done within two weeks.

I’m not thrilled with my 1B situation, which I analyzed in a post a few days ago. Moving right along, the rest of my infield situation is ok at best:

Second Base

Js. Valentin, Mets, 5 s2

I auctioned Valentin as a source of cheap power, and understood that he could be a drag on average; with 25 hr potential, getting him for 5 at the auction seemed like a steal. He started off well, then got hurt, and has now returned to the lineup. I missed a chance to get Damien Easley in the FAAB draft the Wednesday after Valentin’s injury. I bid 8; Easley went for 13. Why didn’t I go higher? I was the one who needed him. I was seduced by a fantasy article which claimed that Easley would split time with Ruben Gotay. Really? An established veteran with pop was going to split time with a light hitting rookie? What was I thinking? This nugget kept me from bidding an amount which I “knew” would be enough, instead of bidding low and trying to get Easley on the cheap. So for the first few weeks I had a hole in my lineup, instead of reaping the fruits of Easley’s power surge. Hopefully, lesson learned. In the interim, I faabed K. Fransden (2b SF) for $1, and he’s reverted to his utility role with R Durham back from injury.

In a small sample size, Valentin’s ops of .789 is providing me about $4 worth of production. Valentin has no trade value, and I will keep him in the hopes that he provides the cheap power that I bid on, and that he can keep his average up around .260.

Tony Abreu, 2b (3b) LAD

I faabed Abreu this week for $7. Based upon what I’ve read it seems like the Dodgers prefer W. Betemit coming off the bench and that Abreu will get most of the playing time. Being eligible at 2b is a nice plus, given the uncertainty of Valentin as a fantasy producer.

Abreu’s OPS is about the same as Valentin’s, but with a better avg. and less slg. His high contact rate 89% accounts for a higher average, and his xBA (329) is almost 30 points higher than actual avg. (304). Abreu’s walk rate of 3% does worry me, but this may be a function of pitchers simply refusing to walk him.

If Abreu sticks, it will give my lineup a little flexibility in terms of looking to raise my average or hit for power. If one of these two work out, then my middle infield’s fine, because I’m very strong at shortstop.

R. Furcal, ss LAD

I auctioned Furcal for $29 this year with the knowledge that the first two weeks will be spent on the DL with a sprained ankle. Two weeks is a blip on the season’s radar, and he went a full $13 less than Jimmy Rollins, the other ss I was targeting. Shandler said that he could be primed for a career year, with 20 hr/40 sb and a .310 average all attainable.

Furcal started slowly, as he did last year. No homers and only 7 stolen bases to date is disappointing. He is hitting .293, though his xBA is .254. Furcal’s walk % (10) and contact rate (89%) are right at his career norms. I need the free swingers in the LAD lineup to give Furcal a chance to swipe a few bases, and at this point, will take 10+ hrs for the rest of the year. If my league thinks that I’m going to give Furcal away in a dump deal, they have another thing coming. He should be keepable at $29 for next year, barring injury.

Alex Gonzalez, SS Cin

I auctioned AGone for $5 based in part on Shandler’s note that his poor first half in 2006 was likely due to recovery from elbow surgery, and that a strong 2nd half indicated a possible return to 2003-04 form, where he hit 41 hrs combined. AGone’s only 30, and so far he’s having a “career year”:

With a hit rate of 27% and an xBA of .295, AGone’s been a little unlucky, and he recently missed three games with a sore hammy. As an historically low average hitter, he has raised his contact rate a few points the last two years. I’ll take a .262 average the rest of the way if he can keep up the power.

I’m not sure how much value AGone has in the trade market, but I think his true value is still higher than his perceived value. It’s likely that I will hold onto AGone for the rest of the year.

Third Base - Pedro Feliz (SF) and Kevin Kouzmanoff (SD)

Interestingly, I auctioned both for $12. Feliz, whom I’ve owned
in the past, is a “guaranteed” producer:

2007  AB  bb%  ct%  Eye   PX   xBA====  ==  ===  ===  ====  ===  ====Apr   71    5   69  0.18   58  .173May   66   11   79  0.57  193  .299