Owners may soon blow hammies for Heisey

Sat Jun 25 11:58am EDT

Rundown: Owners may soon blow hammies for Heisey

By Brad Evans

Every Saturday, information heavyweights the Weekly Rundown and Closing Time join forces, a pairing equivalent to ice-cold beer and any tubed meat, to keep you covered on the present while providing a glimpse into the future. Batter up!
Just a couple days ago Cincinnati was a team searching for its offensive identity. The stagnant Reds mustered just nine runs over a six-game home stretch from June 17-22, a dry spell John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer called "awful." For a club that had previously averaged an NL-best 4.8 runs per game it was definitely an unusual drought. Nuclear weapons Jay Bruce(notes), Drew Stubbs(notes) and Joey Votto(notes), each experiencing mini-slumps, failed to detonate, causing the usually efficient Big Red Machine to bog down.
After Cincy dropped the first battle of a day-night double-header with the visiting Yankees on Wednesday, a 4-2 pitcher's duel, Dusty Baker went back to his office, gnawed on a few toothpicks and retooled his lineup for the nightcap, inserting underused outfielder Chris Heisey(notes) into the catbird seat for only the eighth time this season. Unknown to the skipper at the time, he had awakened a sleeping giant.
Heisey was about to go all Jose Bautista(notes) on that Yankee (expletive).
Remedying Cincy's scoring sickness, the 26-year-old hit the trifecta, blasting three homers while knocking in five. He was the 32nd player in team history to accomplish the long-ball feat and the first since Kevin Millar(notes) in 2004 to do it against New York.
Under normal circumstances, owners would sprint/crawl/pogo to the wire in droves to acquire a player coming off such a monumental achievement. However, because Heisey had only logged 38 at-bats in June, even deep leaguers expressed trepidation.
Fanatics' concerns are completely understandable. Land hurricane Jonny Gomes(notes) (32.7 K%) and human lecture on Keynesian economics, Fred Lewis(notes) (.277-1-9-6-0 in 83 at-bats), have trapped Heisey in a three-man rotation in left. Despite his homer outburst and finer abilities, it appears the upstart may only see sporadic playing time, unless a major injury fells one of his platoon-mates. Baker has his reasons. From the Cincy Inquirer:

It's a small sample size, granted. But with Stubbs struggling and Heisey's three-homer night, might Heisey bat first more often?
"Maybe," Baker said. "We'll see. I'll keep trying to match-up guys. (Wednesday night), it worked. …"
Baker compares the left-field situation to the backup quarterback in football. The No. 2 QB often is popular among fans, especially when they want the starter benched.
"There was a time when everyone wanted (Laynce) Nix in there," Baker said earlier this week. "Then everyone wanted Jonny Gomes. Then people wanted Freddie (Lewis). I can't worry about what people think."
Baker believes that players must prove themselves on an everyday basis to become a regular starter.

If provided the opportunity, Heisey, who went 1-for-5 with a run scored in the leadoff spot on Friday, is more than capable of earning Baker's trust. Though Baseball America scouts believe he possesses "fringe" skills, statistically, he's outplayed marginal expectations. Over 324 career Triple-A at-bats, he amassed a .269-13-50-43-10 line. With a full-time gig, he could contribute sound across-the-board totals, possibly venturing into 20-20 territory. His aggressive plate personality (0.31 BB/K), fly-ball-heavy profile (52.0 FB%) and excellent HR/FB return (15.7% career) are strong indicators he would thrive, especially playing half his games in the Great American Bandbox.
For now, Heisey is what Michael Morse(notes) was a season ago, an unheralded hitter with plus pop who deserves additional playing time. He's one major injury or trade away from being the hottest waiver commodity since … well … Charlie Blackmon(notes). Until then, No. 1 fan Brandon Funston, who thinks of Heisey every time "Wonderful Tonight" plays on his iPod, will single-handedly inflate the outfielder's percentage-owned numbers (three-percent).
Obviously, right now, he's only rosterable in very deep leagues. The shallow-minded wouldn't sink their teeth in him even if he was bacon-wrapped, deep-fried and smothered in ranch. But if the dominoes fall just right, Heisey could be one of fantasy's biggest second-half surprises.
Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 231 at-bats, .268 BA, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 35 R, 7 SB
• When part-time fashion model, part-time ERA killer, Barry Zito(notes), is being strongly considered to take your spot in the rotation, you know your career has taken a turn for the worse. Sadly, that appears to be the case for Jonathan Sanchez(notes). With a wretched 20:19 K:BB split since June 7, the WHIP whale should be harpooned. From the Mercury News:

Bruce Bochy said he would meet with pitching coach Dave Righetti late Friday and take Sanchez aside on Saturday before deciding what to do. But Bochy didn't shy away from the suggestion that Sanchez could be skipped or sent to the bullpen.
"Just watching him, I can tell he's lost some confidence," Bochy said. "It's just not happening. He's all over the board, and that's not him. We may keep throwing him out there. We may back him off. We'll see. But getting (Barry) Zito back does give us that option."
Sanchez has walked 59 batters, the most in the big leagues. Six walks and a hit batter — resulting in a broken thumb for Shin Soo Choo, by the way — is not fun for anyone who has to stand around and endure it.
"He's taxing himself," Bochy said. "You're trying so hard every pitch to get it where you want. That puts an extra load on yourself. We'll have to huddle up and see what we can do to help Jonny."

It's been a Cuba Gooding-like fall from the spotlight for the southpaw. Last year, he was an instrumental piece to the Giants' championship puzzle. Recall after the break he totaled a 2.61 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 15 starts. His two gems early in the playoffs were equally outstanding.
There's a glimmer of hope Sanchez will eventually right the ship and regain good-standing in Bochy's eyes, but, nearing the midpoint of the season, the 83-percent owned starter is expendable in 12-team mixers. Chances are your league's waiver wire is loaded with useful options, though most won't match Sanchez's strikeout production. A few examples: Brandon Beachey (43-percent), Kyle McClellan(notes) (37-percent), Matt Harrison(notes) (33-percent), Carl Pavano(notes) (26-percent owned), Jason Vargas(notes) (18-percent), Jason Marquis(notes) (17-percent), Freddy Garcia(notes) (12-percent) and Andrew Miller(notes) (five-percent).
(UPDATE: The Giants placed Sanchez on the 15-day DL with biceps tendinitis. How convenient.)
• Peruse your grocer's freezer sometime in the near future and you might see a picture of Tim Stauffer(notes) hurling a french bread pizza. Nearly untouchable over his past four starts, the unheralded starter has notched endorsement-worthy numbers. During that stretch, the Friar has posted a microscopic 0.93 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 8.38 K/9 and 1.24 BB/9. Yes, two of those starts came against suspect opponents (Washington and Minnesota) and his run support is completely unreliable, but the righty is highly rosterable in any sized format. His near 2:1 GO:FB ratio, widening K/BB split ('10: 2.54; '11: 3.57) and home pitching environment are absolutely sensational. Even away from the creature comforts of PETCO he's been quite serviceable tallying a 3.25 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Owned in under half of Yahoo! leagues, it's time to jump on the bandwagon shallow leaguers. Stauffer deserves major props.
• Saves vultures listen up. Philly closer Ryan Madson(notes) is expected to miss the next 3-4 days due to numbness in his pitching hand. From Philadelphia Sports Daily:

"For about a week now, [Madson] has a feeling in his [pitching] hand," Manuel said in the post-game interview, moving the fingers in his right hand together as he spoke. "And today, hopefully he got it taken care of and he can pitch in three or four days. That's where it's at."
After several questions about Madson's status, the elusive stance dropped and Manuel said, "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want the other team to know and all that crap."

For owners scratching and clawing for points in saves, the news is far from crappy. With back-up option Jose Contreras(notes) already shelved, three-percent owned Michael Stutes(notes), who Manuel added could develop into a stopper down the road, will be the primary stopgap, though Antonio Bastardo(notes) might also be used.
Stutes has limited closing experiencing, recording just three saves in the minors. Evident in his 1.71 K/BB and fly-ball heavy battled ball profile, he is a bit of an adventure. Still, he's pitched effectively in high-leverage situations, earning Manuel's trust. With Oakland on the docket through the weekend, he could pick up a rogue save or two.
DOUBLE DIPPERS
For stream conscious owners who want to push the innings-pitched envelope this is the list for you. Run support, ballpark factors, historical and recent trends, opposing offenses, opposing SPs, managerial tendencies and meteorological influences are painstakingly taken into account to give you the top double dippers of each week.

Other AL Double Dippers: None

Other NL Double Dippers: Javy Vazquez, Fla (at Oak, at Tex), R.A. Dickey(notes), NYM (at Det, NYY), Doug Davis(notes), ChC (SF, ChW), Jordan Lyles(notes), Hou (Tex, Bos)
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Images courtesy of US Presswire