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Here is a review of this weeks best pickups as reviewed on Daily Roto Pickups. I will try to supply one from each of the following positions at my weekly review here on Crooked Pitch (C, CI, MI, OF, SP and RP). I will include their current availability that may have changed since my initial review. The reviews are how I view the player today.

C: Chris Iannetta - I didn’t review him at my site, but thought he needed a look. He is batting over .300 and Torrealba is having a rough start. He showed he could be a .300 hitter and could be a post hype sleeper if the Rockies will move him to full time.

He is currently owned in 8% of leagues.

CI: Ty Wiggington - I am going to take a liberty with my CI position this week. Ty belongs at 2B if you play him, but is eligible at 3B as well. He will get 20+ HR with enough at bats, but after missing most of April he might miss that mark, but should get you 15+ from now until October.

He is only owned in 43% of CBS leagues.

MI: Felipe Lopez - He is batting well and leading off which is helping in batting average and he has stole 40+ bases just 2 years ago. If you have enough power and need steals he would be a better pickup than Ty. He has great position eligibility at 2B, SS and OF

He is only owned in 51% of CBS leagues.

OF: Moises Alou - Another injury return help. At his age and ability to stay healthy he probably won’t be active for the rest of the season, but he seems to still have his hitting ability. He could hit 18-20 HR’s still and will have an average around .300.

He is only owned in 27% of CBS leagues.

SP: Kei Igawa - Everyone gave Daisuke Matsuzaka a break for needing a year to adjust. I don’t think he is anywhere as good as Daisuke, but he is not expected to get better like everyone expects Daisuke to. I think he could surprise. He should be given the rest of May to prove if he is going to keep his spot.

He is owned in 3% of leagues.

RP: Jon Rauch - Chad Cordero is out for a month. I know there are not 48% of leagues that don’t use 2-3 closers or that many leagues with that many teams quitting already. He will be closing for at least 4-6 weeks and as proven closers on sub .500 teams does not severely lower save opportunities. Can’t be much worse than Eric Gagne right now.

He is only owned in 52% as of this morning on CBS.

Here is a review of this weeks best pickups as reviewed on Daily Roto Pickups. I will try to supply one from each of the following positions at my weekly review here on Crooked Pitch (C, CI, MI, OF, SP and RP).  I will include their current availability that may have changed since my initial review.  The reviews are how I view the player today.

C: Jeff Mathis- In his last six games he is hitting .300/.348/.550 with 5/1/4 and 1 SB. I will continue to recommend him as his playing time increases. That steal was his first in 269 career major league AB’s so don’t expect any more there, but in full playing time he could be somewhere from 15-20 HR.

He is currently owned in 12% of leagues.

CI: Scott Rolen - He has gone 4 for his first 11 with a home run and I think he has looked like his old self. As I stated earlier this week he is never going to have 30+ HR again, but he is solid as an April pickup. Just toss him when the next injury comes.

He is only owned in 44% of CBS leagues.

MI: Clint Barmes – Well, since getting the job he has gone cold, but I think he will break out soon. He does have some tough pitching coming up so don’t start him yet, but perhaps next week when he gets Piniero and Looper against STL he will turn it back on.

He is only owned in 26% of CBS leagues.

OF: Carlos Quentin – Well, he should be gone in most active leagues now as he is tied for the AL lead in HR’s and is getting on base at will. As long as the shoulder holds up he could be the post hype sleeper everyone was looking for.

He is only owned in 69% of CBS leagues.

OF: Mike Cameron - He is currently playing his first game and already has a hit and a run. He is not going to blow the doors off and his average might hurt, but the speed and power are still there and should be worth a roster spot.

He is only owned in 31% of CBS leagues.

OF: Adam Lind - He is getting the everyday starts and with his power potential he could help in HR, but likely not much else at this point. He is batting in the bottom part of the order, which limits RBI potential. Watch if he gets hot and get him on your team.

He is only owned in 14% of CBS leagues.

SP: Chad Gaudin - Another good start by Gaudin and another win.  I think over the season the wins will be limited playing for Oakland, but the other stats shouldn’t. Beware the second half though as he seemed to wear down last year, which made his stats look worse for the year. I recommend moving him in the summer if you can and if he keeps up these stats.

He is owned in 52% of leagues.

RP: Max Scherzer - I’m sure everyone has put in claims already, but if you haven’t, make sure that you do.  In Yahoo standard leagues he is on waivers until May 2nd, but I’m sure most leagues he will go to the #1 or #2 depending on someone holding out for Kershaw. He is looking to be headed to the Pen now, but his K rate and potential could have him anywhere from starting to closing in no time.

He is only owned in 47% as of this morning on CBS.

Here is a review of this weeks best pickups as reviewed on Daily Roto Pickups. I will try to supply one from each of the following positions at my weekly review here on Crooked Pitch (C, CI, MI, OF, SP and RP) I will include their current availability which may have changed since my initial review. I will also update reviews if they are a better or worse pickup.

C: Dioner Navarro - I love this pickup right now. He is coming back from a minor injury and has played well in his rehab games. He had an amazing second half (for a catcher!). He had 179 AB’s after the break and had 30 R, 8 HR, 31 RBI with .281/.340/.475 which would be 75/20/75 in 450 AB’s. If you play in a 2 catcher league he is a must and in other mixed leagues he is a great backup or injury fill in.

He is currently owned in 14% of leagues.

CI: Matt Stairs - I am surprised that he is not up from 10% owned with Thomas getting released. The team also did not call up Adam Lind, so he should be playing everyday. Last year in 357 AB’s he hit 21 HR which would be about 30 HR in 500 AB. The Blue Jays are also playing pretty well right now and should give him some RBI chances. He is a career .267 hitter, but has batted over .280 as recently as last year.

He is only owned in 10% of CBS leagues.

CI: Jorge Cantu - The problem here is that he is not as strong a play with only 1B/3B eligibility. He was so much better with 2B eligibility during that 2005 season. If he regains his form though he could have 20+ HR and strong RBI, but not in the range of his 2005 season of 117. His BA has varied from bad to OK so don’t count on much there. He also doesn’t walk a lot so the OBP is poor and so are runs. I do like that he has 2 SB already while never topping 4. If he got 10+ this year he would add even more value.

He is only owned in 27% of CBS leagues.

MI: Brendan Harris - Harris has a little pop and just hit a homer on Sunday. But, he will never hit much more than 10 HR and could top out around 15. He is limited on speed as well, but should be around .280 or so in the average. In my OBP league he doesn’t help, but in a Yahoo league, he is a good MI or replacement for Rollins on the DL.

He is only owned in 25% of CBS leagues.

OF: Luke Scott - In the field I would pick up Luke Scott. I don’t think his stats will be top tier, but it is not unreasonable to expect 25/90 with good BA and OBP. Baltimore will definitely let him play and he seems to still be hot. Bill James projects him at 24/83 with a .280 BA in 461 games. Up that to 500 and he reaches my numbers.

He is only owned in 56% of CBS leagues.

SP: Jeremy Guthrie - He has played really well for 3 out of 4 starts. The other start was not very good and has hidden his stats and made him look worse than he is. I don’t see K’s or wins coming from him in great numbers, but he can be a back end starter in most leagues. If you’re dealing with injuries in the rotation then go get Guthrie.

He is owned in 49% of leagues.

SP: Hong-Chih Kuo - This is neither long term or for those with a strong staff, but Kuo can be a quick boost in K’s. He has thrown more than a K per inning and will stick in the 5th spot for now. He is being limited on pitches which kept him from a win last time out, but pitching in the NL west and with a strong K rate is nothing to ignore. I would spot start for now, but also be aware he is a big injury risk.

He is only owned in 18% as of this morning on CBS.

SP: Scott Olsen - Whether or not he will lose his cool or even pitch 20 more starts is not the point. He appears to be healthy now and he is facing the Nationals on Sunday. This is one of my 3 must start opponents this year. The others are the Giants and the Twins. I expect another good start and perhaps you can get some K’s from him. His owned percent is going up after shutting down a weak Nats lineup. The Brewers this week will be more of a challenge.

He is only owned in 66% as of this morning on CBS.

RP: Manny Acosta - After the injury to Moylan and Soriano any one with an open RP spot and looking for4 saves needs to take a shot on Acosta. If your rate stats are high you might want to pass, but in a league without holds I would give him a shot over a Neshek(pitching poorly in 2008) or Broxton. He should pick up more saves than any of the other options. As a Soriano owner I have him starting tomorrow. How has his owned percent only gone to 31%? He may not be the best, but he is getting saves. Now that Soriano has had more discomfort go get him if you need saves.

He is only owned in 31% as of this morning on CBS.