Sleepers: Atlanta Braves
By Adam Forsyth
The Shallow
Jair Jurrjens – Starter (SP)
The Detroit Tigers will surely raise their fists to the heavens wondering why they dished this youngster for an aging Edgar Renteria. Jurrjens became the first ever Curaçao born pitcher to pitch in a major league game in 2007.
While the Tigers didn’t overwork him at all (only 30 IP in 7 starts), they certainly didn’t get a long enough look at the shifty right-hander to determine his worth. Atlanta stole him from the Tigers (ahhh, memories of John Smoltz…), where he will ply his trade in hopes of building on an extremely successful 2008 break-out season, in which he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Not everyone is sold though, as Jurrjens definitely needs to improve his consistency, and his K/BB ratio (which sits almost exactly at 2:1), in order to be placed amongst the upper ranks of starters in the fantasy world. A strange statistic to consider, along with the fact that his peripherals at home are a touch higher than that on the road, is that in almost the same amount of IP, Jurrjens rang up nearly 21 more K’s in starts in the heat of Georgia, compared to road starts.
At only 23, Jurrjens has a solid career ahead of him and can certainly be considered a valuable fantasy asset in 2009.
The Deep
Jordan Schafer – Outfield (CF/RF)
Last season was definitely an interesting one for the young outfielder. His season started out by getting suspended for taking Human Growth Hormone; and upon his return in early June, struggled mightily, only to have a second half resurgence that brought up his line to finish his fourth season at a more respectable .269-46-10-51-12 in just under 300 AB. Not necessarily earth-shattering numbers, but the still developing talent has plenty of room to grow.
Still only 22 years old, Schafer has some time before he becomes a bust. His stats aren’t eye-popping, and for that reason, he isn’t linked with some of the bigger named prospects in our review; however, he has good speed, a little pop, and plays solid defense. He is a nice player, and can get the job done.
The positive "growth hormone" test has definitely marred his name, but hopefully being so young is an advantage, as he can learn from his mistakes, work harder to shake the stigma of being a “doper”, and rise above with his natural skills.
Editor’s Note: Does the Atlanta Braves recent addition of wily veteran Garret Anderson further spell out Schafer’s likelihood to remain in the MiLB throughout 2009? Stay tuned to our latest feature: The Shallow & The Deep – with daily waiver wire pick-up advice COMING SOON. ALL the latest news and keen insights regarding hot up and coming prospects throughout the league.
