FAAB Factor-NL: Clippard Closing?

National League - FAAB - 9/7/14

This week's column is not an exhaustive list of who was promoted. Instead, I have profiled those players who will either fill a substantive role on their team down the stretch or project in the future to have a key role or bright future with their team. If I missed anyone or there is someone you would like profiled, please put it in the comments section of the blog. In addition, Carter Capps, Maikel Franco, Marco Gonzales, Alex Guerrero, Andrew Heaney, Chris Owings, Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock and Cory Spangenburg were profiled last week.

Starting Pitching:

Randall Delgado, Diamondbacks - Arizona is going with a six-man rotation the rest of the way and Delgado looks like he will be a part of it. Delgado entered his start Thursday against San Diego with a 5.85 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and no starts since April 10 but he did have a 3.85 FIP. He went five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out two and will likely get three-four more starts the last three weeks of the season. Mixed: $0; NL: $3.

Tyler Matzek, Rockies - Matzek, who has had an uneven season, is closing with a flourish. Entering his start Friday against the Padres, Matzek had gone seven innings and collected wins in each of his last two outings. Matzek took it to the next level Friday, earning his first career shutout, holding the Padres to three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He has thrown a career-high 166.2 innings between the minors and majors, but that is just 24 more than he tossed last year. It does not sound as if Colorado plans on shutting him down anytime soon, so Matzek should get 3-4 more starts the remainder of the season. Mixed: $11; NL: $35.

Rafael Montero, Mets - Montero was promoted back to the majors from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday night. He went 0-3 with a 5.23 ERAand 1.53 WHIP in seven appearances for the Mets, six of them starts, but allowed just one run in 7.1 innings in his last start. Montero went 6-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 18 minor league starts, but was up-and-down for the 51s. Montero will get at least one spot start while also working in relief with the Mets and is a candidate to be dealt this offseason with New York looking for a shortstop and a left fielder. If he isn't traded, there is a good chance he pitches out of the bullpen for the Mets next season. Mixed: $1; NL: $4.

Injury activation/updates:

Matt Garza, Brewers - Garza, sidelined with a strained left oblique since August 4, threw a superb bullpen session Tuesday. He did not go on a rehab assignment, instead tossing a 47-pitch simulated game Friday and rejoining the Brewers rotation Wednesday, where he allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts in just three innings. Mike Fiers, who has been stellar in Garza's stead, is remaining in the rotation with Jimmy Nelson moving to the bullpen.

Charlie Morton, Pirates - Morton, sidelined with a sports hernia since August 15, threw a bullpen session Friday and is scheduled to throw a simulated game in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Following that simulated game, we will have a better idea when/if Morton can rejoin the Pirates. Morton got off to an excellent start this season but struggled prior to being sidelined, allowing four or more runs in five of his last seven starts. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Michael Wacha, Cardinals - Wacha, out with a stress reaction in his right shoulder since June 17, was activated and pitched for the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and a walks with three strikeouts in three innings. That start came after just one rehab start and one simulated game from Wacha, who made great progress the past few weeks to return to the Cardinals. Wacha got off to a great start, but clearly was hurting before he was sidelined, posting a 4.24 ERA in June, but has returned to help the Cardinals in their playoff push. Mixed: $8; NL: $22.

Relief Pitchers:

R.J. Alvarez/Aaron Barrett/Leonel Campos/Xavier Cedeno/Daniel Corcino/Anthony DeSclafani/John Holdzkom/Eric Jokisch/Jason Motte/Blake Parker/Dan Straily/Hunter Strickland/Blake Treinen/Aroldys Vizcaino - This week's key middle reliever call ups/activations, as well as expected call ups, were/will be in San Diego, Washington, San Diego, Washington, Cincinnati, Miami, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, Chicago (2x), San Francisco, Washington and Chicago. None have any substantial value, save for Alvarez, Corcino, DeSclafani and Parker. Alvarez was targeted by San Diego in the Huston Street trade, so he could pitch in late-inning situations with Joaquin Benoit injured. Corcino and DeSclafani might get a chance to start for the respective teams while Parker, who had 25 saves at Triple-A Iowa, could get some holds setting up Hector Rondon. All save for Alvarez/Corcino/Parker - Mixed: No; NL: $0; Alvarez/Corcino/DeSclafani/Parker - Mixed: $0; NL: $2.

Tyler Clippard/Rafael Soriano/Matt Thornton, Nationals - Washington will go with a closer-by-committee approach after Rafael Soriano gave up three runs and blew another save Friday against the Phillies. Since the All-Star Break, Soriano has a 7.00 ERA with five blown saves and he will spend time working on his mechanics. Clippard, Storen and Thornton will all share the closer role. Clippard, who saved 32 games in 2012, is having another stellar season with a 2.04 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 74:20 K:BB ratio in 61.2 innings and likely is the favorite to close. Storen has a 1.37 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 54 appearances this season, but just 36 strikeouts in 46 innings. Thornton, who came over to the Nationals from the Yankees, has posted 9.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against one walk since the trade. For the season, he's held opposing lefties to a .243/.288/.257, which means that manager Matt Williams likely will turn to Thornton when a lefty needs to be retired. Clippard- Mixed: $8; NL: $22; Storen - Mixed: $4; NL: $11; Thornton - Mixed: $3; NL: $9.

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Phillies - Gonzalez, whom the Phillies signed to a three-year, $12 million contract last year, battled a shoulder issue throughout much of the season, limiting him mainly to bullpen work and just 46.1 innings. However, he finished strong, posting a 1.62 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 10.3 K/9 ratio in 12 appearances after joining Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies are still determining if Gonzalez will be a starter or reliever in the future, but for now, he will pitch out of the pen for Philadelphia. Mixed: $0; NL: $2.

Kevin Quackenbush, Padres - With Joaquin Benoit possibly sidelined for the year with shoulder soreness, Quackenbush has stepped in as the Padres' closer. Quackenbush owns a 2.58 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 47:17 K:BB ratio in 45.1 innings. He has a 91 mph fastball and good splitter but benefits from a deceptive delivery to retire hitters With Huston Street in Anaheim and Benoit a prime offseason trade candidate, Quackenbush may be auditioning for the 2015 closer job right now. Mixed: $7; NL: $18.

Catchers:

Christian Bethancourt, Braves - Bethancourt was up for 13 games earlier this season when Evan Gattis was sidelined and went 12-for-50 with one extra-base hit. In 90 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, Bethancourt hit .287 with eight homers and 48 RBI, albeit with just 13 walks in 360 plate appearances. Bethancourt is mainly known for his defense, which includes the ability to shut down a running game, while his offense is secondary. Gattis has shown he is the future at catcher for Atlanta, meaning Bethancourt will be the second catcher moving forward unless Gattis is tried in left field, though he really doesn't have the athleticism to play the position. Mixed: $0; NL: $3.

Travis d'Arnaud, Mets -D'Arnaud continued his fine play since he recall from the minors with three hits, including his 13^th home run, while driving in four runs Friday against the Reds. Heading into Saturday's game, d'Arnaud had a .299/.352/.525 line with six home runs, 11 RBI and 19 runs in the last month. D'Arnaud was hitting just .180 when he was sent to the minors on June 6; following his 2-for-4 performance Saturday, he is up .246 on the year, which shows how well he has hit since his return. Kevin Plawecki has hit well since he moved up to Triple-A Las Vegas so there is pressure on d'Arnaud to produce to keep his spot. But d'Arnaud will enter spring training next year as the incumbent and he has shown that he can be productive and drive the ball at the plate. Mixed: $15; NL: owned.

First Basemen:

Justin Bour, Marlins - Bour, who was up three times earlier this year and played 21 games with Miami, was rewarded with a roster expansion promotion. He hit .306/.372/.517 with 18 home runs and 72 RBI in 103 games with Triple-A New Orleans, rebounding from a poor 2013 campaign. Bour could see quality playing time down the stretch with Miami looking to 2015 and Garrett Jones, who has been average at best in Miami and has batted just .206/.281/.325 since the All-Star break, is not really a part of the team's future.Mixed: $3; NL: $9.

Matt Clark, Brewers - Clark opened the year with the Mets and hit 297/.380/.498 with 10 homers and 46 RBI with Double-A Binghamton but was released in June. He signed with the Brewers in July and posted a .313/.371/.605 line in 53 games with Triple-A Nashville to earn a September call up. Neither Mark Reynolds nor Lyle Overbay are world beaters, so Clark could see some action down the stretch with Milwaukee needing some production from first base. Mixed: $1; NL: $4.

Adam Duvall/Travis Ishikawa, Giants - Duvall was a no-brainer call up with the rosters expanding, as he hit 27 home runs while with Triple-A Fresno. He added hit two long balls while with the parent club during his stints with the Giants during the year and will back up first and third base. Ishikawa is seeing time at first with Mike Morse nursing an oblique injury. Morse is due back Sept. 9, but oblique injuries can linger, affording more playing time to Ishikawa. Duvall - Mixed: $0; NL: $2; Ishikawa - Mixed: $2; NL: $7.

Tyler Moore, Nationals - Moore, who was up in Washington from May 11 to June 3, was called back up with the rosters expanding Monday. He figures to be deployed primarily off the bench in September, as the Nationals are a fairly healthy bunch, save for Ryan Zimmerman. Moore's action likely will come at first base in place of Adam Laroche against left-handed pitching, against whom he hit .278/.391/.514 with four homers in 72 at-bats at Triple-A Syracuse. Mixed: No; NL: $0.

Ben Paulsen, Colorado - Paulsen, who had a few cups of coffee for Colorado this year, was promoted with the rosters expanding September 1. He batted .294/.378/.533 with 20 homers and 76 RBI in 117 games for Triple-A Colorado Springs to earn the promotion. A third-round pick in 2009, Paulsen will play second fiddle to Justin Morneau over the remainder of the season, but his minor-league numbers show that he could be a future option at first base. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Xavier Scruggs, Cardinals - Scruggs rode a hot August during which he hit 345/.427/.637 with eight homers into a promotion with the Cardinals. He hit 286/.370/.494 for Triple-A Memphis with 21 home runs, the fifth straight season he has had that many longballs. Scruggs batted 350/.403/.686 with 11 homers against lefties, which is who he likely will face with St. Louis, replacing Matt Adams versus southpaws. Mixed: $2; NL: $7.

Second Base:

Mark Ellis/Pete Kozma - Cardinals - Ellis was activated off the disabled list and Kozma was promoted from Triple-A Memphis. They will both see some starts against tough lefties. The majority of playing time at second goes to Kolten Wong, but Ellis/Kozma will see sporadic at-bats and playing time at the keystone spot. Ellis/Kozma - Mixed: No; NL: $0.

Donovan Solano, Marlins - Solano went 0-for-4 Saturday but still has six multi-hit efforts during his last 11 games. Over this stretch, Solano is 16-for-42 with eight runs scored. Derek Dietrich could get called up, which would reduce Solano's playing time, but for now ride the hot hand. Mixed: $3; NL: $9.

Rafael Ynoa, Rockies - Ynoa joined the Rockies this year from LA and hit .297/.356/.419 with five homers in 115 games for Colorado-Springs. He doesn't profile to be a regular, but his ability to get on-base along with Colorado looking to the future should result in him stealing some starts from DJ LeMahieu at second base. Mixed: $1; NL: $4.

Injury activation/update:

Daniel Murphy, Mets - Murphy, sidelined with a strained right calf, looks like he will return to action when eligible on Tuesday. He ran, made lateral movements and took batting practice Friday as he worked his way back. When Murphy returns, manager Terry Collins said he'll likely get the starting second base job back from Dilson Herrera, who has played well in Murphy's absence.

Shortstops:

Chase d'Arnaud, Pirates - D'Arnaud, a fourth-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2008 draft, hasn't panned out to be the player the Pirates thought they had after his first full season. He likely will see time as a utility player, both in the infield and outfield, but that looks to be his ceiling. Mixed: No; NL: $0.

Third Basemen:

Mike Olt, Cubs - Olt, began the season with the Cubs, but was demoted to Triple-A Iowa on July 22 after batting .139, with 12 HR and 30 RBI in 72 games. He made the most of his time in the minors, hitting .302/.348/.585 with seven homers in 28 games. Olt was sidelined in late-August with a strained hamstring but was able to play a few games at Low-A Kane Country to show he was ready for the promotion. He will see some action for Chicago, at first and at third, but has a lot to prove to show he is deserving of a future spot.Mixed: $1; NL: $4

Outfielders:

Gregor Blanco, Giants - Blanco's nine-game hitting streak ended Saturday. During that stretch, he posted a 394/.512/.788 slash line with seven extra-base hits, nine RBI and nine runs scored. With Brandon Belt sidelined with a concussion and Mike Morse shifted to first when he is healthy, Blanco has become the starting left fielder and acquitted himself well. He was hitting just .216 on July 9, but upped that to .237 on August 15 and is now hitting .260 for the season. Mixed: $11; NL: owned.

Gary Brown, Giants - Brown, a former first-round pick, had a breakthrough 2011 campaign to land on several top prospect lists. Since then, he has taken a major step back, but did hit .271 with 36 steals at Triple-A Fresno. Brown is known for his defense and speed but his struggles with the bat have hurt his status within the organization, but he eventually will get a shot to play. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Jose Constanza, Braves - Constanza, who hit .293/.344/.324 with 30 steals in 111 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, was promoted for the third straight year. He will see spot starts and pinch-running/hitting opportunities for the Braves. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Ryan Kalish/Junior Lake - Cubs - Kalish and Lake were called up this week to give Chicago outfield depth with Ryan Sweeney and Justin Ruggiano out due to injury. Kalish batted .242 in 39 games for the Cubs before being optioned to Triple-A Iowa on May 26. He hit .251 with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 87 games with the Iowa. Kalish will see spot starts on center and right while Lake could play in center and right, though Chicago is using Coghlan-Alcantara-Soler on most days. Kalish - Mixed: No; NL: $0; Lake - Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Gregory Polanco, Pirates - Polanco got off to a hot start when he was promoted but started to slide in July, when he hit .214, and August, batting .225, to earn a demotion. He was sent down to clear his head and regain his confidence, but went 4-for-26 with four walks and five strikeouts at Triple-A Indianapolis. Polanco was called back up when the rosters expanded, but even though Travis Snider is nursing a hamstring injury, he hasn't seen much time with Marte-McCutchen-Lambo (as well as Tabata) manning the outfield in Pittsburgh. The future is still bright for Polanco, who is hitting just .156/1.93/.234 against lefties, just don't expect much the remainder of this year. Mixed: $1; NL: $4.

Yorman Rodriguez, Reds - Rodriguez, signed by the Reds at as 16-year old, was promoted Monday but not solely on merit. He batted .262/.331/.389 with nine homers and a 47:117 BB:K in 450 at-bats at Double-A Pensacola, which is fine but nothing special. But Rodriguez is in his second year on the Reds' 40-man roster, which likely was more of a driving factor for his promotion. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Cody Ross, Diamondbacks - Ross, sidelined since July 22 with a strained left calf, was activated off the DL Monday. It's been a lost year for Ross, who was hitting just .238/.287/.306 with two homers in 66 games when he was sidelined. With A.J. Pollock (hand) also activated off the DL and Nolan Reimold now in Arizona, Ross may not see much time. Mixed: No; NL: $2.

Steve Souza, Nationals - Souza, called up August 3 to replace the injured Nate McLouth, was expected to be one of the first outfielders off the bench, spelling Bryce Harper, Denard Span or Jayson Werth. He suffered a left shoulder injury that sidelined him for 20 days and resulted in a minor-league rehab for a week until the rosters expanded. Souza led the International League in all three triple-slash categories (.350/.432/.590), smacked 18 homers and swiped 26 bags in 96 games with Triple-A Syracuse en route to claiming MVP honors. He was aided by a .407 BABIP but that is offset by solid walk (12.8) and strikeout (18.7) ratios. On other teams he might get a real chance at playing, but in Washington he will just be a fourth or fifth outfielder. Mixed: $0; NL: $4.

Michael Taylor, Nationals - Taylor hit .313/.396/.539 with 22 home runs and 34 steals for Double-A Harrisburg to earn a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in early-August. Injuries to Steve Souza (shoulder) and Jason Werth (shoulder/ankle) resulted in Taylor getting called up to the majors after just a week at Syracuse. Taylor lasted a short span of time in the majors and was sent down to Syracuse, where he played just 12 games in total. With the Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs, Taylor got the call again Friday. However, he'll likely work primarily off the bench over the final weeks of the regular season, with the Harper-Span-Werth healthy. Span is a free agent after the season, so the Nationals might be getting an early look at the center fielder of the future, though Taylor needs to cut down his 29.5% strikeout rate from Double-A to succeed at this level. Mixed: $2; NL: $7.