By Adam Forsyth

The Shallow

Miguel Montero – Catcher (C)

WOW! That’s pretty much all that can be said for the last month that this one-time “can’t miss” prospect has had.

Along with his Bosom Buddies co-star Chris Snyder, these two former blue-chip backstops have been in a platoon situation that has hindered their value in the world of fantasy much of their respective careers.

When Snyder went down however, the Montero Mohawk began to tomahawk his way to starting duty. Blessed with feature catching duties to one of the majors’ best rotations, Montero has bashed his way into fantasy relevance, and – despite being much smaller in stature than his 6’4 counterpart - looks to be emerging as the “Tom Hanks” of the duo.

With seven HR’s and 25 RBI’s the talented left hander has raised his BA to a very fantasy C worthy .290 since the first week of June, we have to wonder…Is he the real deal? Will he be able to maintain a pace of this level?

We really do think so…but who cares! Jump all over the Caracas native while he is taking in the cat nip! With the regular AB’s that Montero is getting, he appears to be settling in and is helping out a club that could definitely use the offensive contributions.

Double-M has been hitting in a favorable five slot since the recent surge in production, hitting behind Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds. Expect him to see a continued success as the table is set for him to do so.

If you seek a catcher’s upgrade you had better act fast, as many managers have already caught on. Montero’s ownership has quickly risen to a season high 67 percent this past week. If you procrastinate any longer you may suffer the consequences of owning “Peter Scolari” in your C spot for the rest of 2009!

The Deep

Michael Saunders – Outfield (LF)

Who doesn’t love a Canadian OF prospect?

Continuing a long tradition of prospects from the “Great White North”, while playing close enough to home in Seattle , this Victoria , British Columbia native has used his recent call-up to place his name in the fantasy world.

Despite a sluggish start since his promotion to Safeco, we feel that owners alike should take notice to the talent he brings to the plate and put him on your watch list.

After being drafted in 2004, this lanky left-handed bat has grown into his size and filled out and has currently tipped in at around 215 pounds. I only mention this, as it has allowed him to develop his power game enough, to a level that is necessary for him to excel at the next level. Hitting .310 in the Pacific League (AAA-Tacoma) the M’s felt as if Saunders could challenge former Braves prospect Ryan Langerhans and his paltry .228, no power, no speed combination hasn’t cut it in his brief audition for PT. Saunders will surely challenge if even for a typical “cup of coffee” stay with Starbucks Central.

With it being only the first time that he will see MLB quality pitching, expect some bumps in the road; (as suggested in his 4K’s in 12AB) however, the “toolsy” kid that always seems to be smiling may just be the next great Canadian OF. Perhaps this maple-syrup, toque-wearing, hockey playing freak is getting ahead of himself a bit; but I’d like to think that Saunders may be a name that “GrungeVille” M’s fans may be chanting for years to come.

By Adam Forsyth

The Shallow

Juan Rivera – Outfield (LF/RF)

This Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder has long been a fantasy enigma. The one-time Yankee seemed to meet some of those expectations in his .310-23-85 season of 2006, but has since tailed off due mostly to bizarre injuries and nagging nicks and bumps.

Needless to say, it appears that the native Venezuelan has returned to form and at 100% health, could turn in an even better season this year. While Mike Scioscia keeps you guessing with his line-up on a daily basis, Rivera has comfortably found himself hitting in the 4 or 5 hole of a decent Angels offense that has provided him great opportunity to contribute regularly.

With a good eye at the plate (only 22 K’s through 229 AB’s thus far) and a tremendous contact rate, Rivera is comfortably hitting over .300 again this season and has shown a re-birth that the Angels could really use. Rivera has made the transition from the loss of longtime LF Garrett Anderson much more tolerable. If he’s available in your league, don’t hesitate to grab him, because his performance can no longer be considered a “hot-streak”.

The Deep

Carlos Santana - Catcher

Platinum guitar guru Carlos Santana has decided to tackle another challenge at the tender age of 62??? No…not that Carlos Santana, who is pretty much the only Santana that can drop his first name and be recognized, but the top-prospect as nominated by Baseball America in the Cleveland Indians organization Carlos Santana.

It is a good time to be an Indians prospect, as for several years with their great line-ups, it was difficult to get a break. Fortunately (for the prospects at least…) the Indians are struggling away and have found themselves in last place in an icky AL Central.

With V-Mart and Kelly Shoppach on the big club, Santana knows that he likely won’t get a full-time gig for at least another season; however, showing great defense and good pop will at least get him a mid-season call-up you’d have to think. After tearing the cover off the ball in 2008 (.326-21-117), along with his excellent base running skills (125 R and 10 SB’s), Santana doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of a typical catcher.

Struggling a bit more at the dish this season in his first full AA ball season, .265-10-45, the best thing of note is the power is still there. Another good sign, is the fact that he is walking nearly twice as many times as striking out, which shows great plate presence and discipline. A lot of pundits expect a possible July or August call-up for his first big league exposure, so for leagues with two catchers, AL-only, deep mixed and keeper leagues, take note.

By Ryan Roach

The Shallow

Ian Stewart – Second/Third Base (2B/3B)

Ian Stewart has had a rather up and down season so far with the Rockies, but ever since the departure of Clint Hurdle, it’s been on the up and up. Stewart leads all Rockies hitters with 12 long balls this year, and has caught fire this month hitting .327 with 5 dingers and 13 ribbies.

He appears to be finally getting enough at bats to not play guessing games each week, and seems to have found a comfort zone, so now may be the time to grab the power plus 2B eligibility as Stewie enjoys a Coors Field home stand.

The Deep

Buster Posey – Catcher (C)

What more can you say about Buster Posey. The versatile Gerald "Buster" Demp Posey III as he is referred to on Wikipedia, can play any position he’s asked of - just ask his coach at Florida State who wouldn’t hesitate to put Posey practically anywhere on the diamond.

Posey is the Giants best hitting prospect and has excelled so far this season at Advanced A ball. In 60 games, Posey has 10 moon shots, 45 RBI’s and a modest .318 average, and he’s even managed to chip in with 5 steals.

If Posey isn’t called up this season, I wouldn’t be shocked, but Buster Posey could make a Joe Mauer type impact next year if the Giants let their youth completely take over at AT&T Park in 2010.

FANTALYTICS – VOLUME 7

By: Adam Forsyth

V-mart or McCann: Who is Fantasy Baseball’s #1 Catcher?

It’s been a while, so here at Waiversharks.com, we thought we would throw out a first quarter challenge to owners pondering the best possible backstop option in 2009! With the return of “The Bearded One” from the DL, what better time to square off head-to-head with the all-star masked man whose successful return from a forgettable 2008 was a pre-season hot topic?

While there are more top-tier catchers than ever with fantasy qualities that easily draw attention (and manager saliva) to their eye-popping stats, these two guys are both easily the top notch options for anyone seeking a fantasy title. (As Holden may have quipped - nothing is phony about either of them.) My job is to bring you the tools to understand, and I will attempt to break down the stats as well as provide you with all of the intangibles to do what is right for your team and your shot at fantasy superiority.

Read the cases for V-Mart and McCann on Fantalytics...

By Scott Woodall

The Shallow

Kurt Suzuki – Catcher

The Oakland A’sare far from being an offensive power house in the American League, and catcher Kurt Suzuki can’t yet be considered an elite catcher.

However…a couple weeks back when both Ryan Doumit, as well as Brian McCann hit the DL many Fantasy owners were forced to employ the services of various waiver wire back stops. Some chose John Buck, some good ol’ A.J. Pierzynski, and others perhaps grabbed WaiverSharks “The Shallow” waiver wire selection of the day – the talented, yet unheralded Kurt Suzuki.

With a bespectacled Brian McCann back with the Braves – and sporting a pretty good Chicago White Sox era, Greg “The Bull” Luzinski impersonation with the glasses and full beard, many of McCann’s fantasy owners are likely cutting ties with the lighter hitting Kurt Suzuki.

That opens up the waiver door for a pretty solid catcher off the wire. The Wailuku, Hawaii native is batting over .300, plays nearly every game (He even DH’s a few games occasionally – rather then sit) and who although he lacks the pop of a V-mart or McCann, he has a knack for raking singles and doubles at a clip worth rostering.

The Deep

Chris Coghlan – Second Base/Soon OF? Maybe even 3B?

From the sounds of things, the intention of Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is to mold Christopher Coghlan into becoming the next Mark DeRosa. Coghlan has decent power, and above average speed – which he smartly uses on occasion to swipe some a base or two.

Throughout most of his minor league career, Coghlan has played at second base and sometimes third base – but the Marlins supposedly intend on using the hot prospect more so in left field. Hmmm...okay.

If Florida can utilize his defensive versatility by moving him around the diamond when Florida ’s infielders could use a breather – he could become eligible at several positions. Double Hmmmm...

Cameron Maybin has not been bringing to the table what “The Fish” were hoping for thus far in 2009, and was sent down to the minors yesterday. Triple Hmmmm...

If Coghlan can start pounding the baseball the way he had been for the New Orleans Zephyrs, while stealing some bases, along the way, he could prove to be a breath of fresh air to both the Marlins and to us fantasy baseball junkies. Meanwhile, if Emilio Bonafacio doesn't begin to produce more regularly, (Not just in Fantasy Week 1) it would shock no one if Coghlan steals the third basemen's job at some point in 2009. Final Hmmmmm.

WAIVERSHARKS ANNOUNCES

DAILY WAIVER WIRE PICK-UPS

START TODAY!!!

We’ve wrapped up our Team MLB Sleepers, and are extremely excited as the 2009 Major League Baseball season kicks off in Philly - tonight!!!

As promised WaiverSharks brings you quick pick-up suggestions every day* from here on out with our daily blog: THE SHALLOW AND THE DEEP.

(*Less Saturdays – We will be posting Fantalytics, or other cool Fantasy Baseball news articles on most Saturdays instead!) So, without further ado:

LETS PLAY BALL!

By Ryan Roach

The Shallow

Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Catcher

Salty has had a relatively productive spring (17/58, with 11 runs, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 9 RBIs and a .293 AVG.), but those numbers don’t jump out and say, “Pick me!”

The thing that has impressed Manager Ron Washington the most is his defense, which is what might end up allowing him to receive the at-bats needed to fill a starting catcher roll on a fantasy team.

The Texans open up with some great match-ups in April (CLE, @DET, BAL, KC, @TOR, @BAL, OAK), which means the Ranger bats should be sizzling to start 2009.

Look for Salty to successfully take over the starting catcher duties, and dismiss any uncertainty about him being “The guy of the future.”

The Deep

Billy Butler – First Base

This chubby Royal has gone from a sexy flavor last spring - to a rotten spring roll in 2009!

“The Butler ” should do it against his opening day opponent Mark Buehrle, whom he tagged last season (5/16, with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and an AVG. of .400), and Billy could be a force to reckon with in his traditional blue uniform.

If you’re in need of some first base depth, or your current 1B starter already is showing some signs of possible injury nags (cough, Lance Berkman…cough cough, Justin Morneau), than Billy Butler could be your man!

Who do you think may help Fantasy Baseball Managers begin their leagues on fire in 2009??? Be sure to send us ANY comments or suggestions for players you feel might be worthy of a HOT waiver wire pick-up via our Contact Page.

Sleepers: San Francisco Giants

The Shallow

Jonathan Sanchez – Starting Pitcher

Should Jonathan Sanchez be a sleeper? Perhaps not; however, in many 12-team mixed leagues, this flame-thrower might be someone that falls through the cracks and sneaks into the ranks of the waiver wire hot names.

After getting the 2008 season going with a great April, Sanchez faltered a bit in May, and somewhat tumbled back to earth. He then spent the final four months of the season continuing his flip-flop pattern of one month on, one month off, as far as statistics go.
While Sanchez has an incredible fastball, he depends on it mightily, by throwing nearly two-thirds of his pitches for heat, and while he has considerable movement, he still needs to develop his slider, and his change-up to become more effective.

When Sanchez is on, he is nearly untouchable. Unfortunately, more often than naught, he struggles with his location as pointed out by his 2.09K/BB ratio, especially when acknowledging his 8.94K/9IP in the big leagues, which would put him in the top tier of strikeout pitchers in the National League. The solid lefty isn’t fancy by any means. He just simply throws the ball past batters. Not too many pitchers can do that with success; however, those that do…I’m sure that you get my point.

Sanchez is a typical high-risk, high-reward type pitcher on a very sub-par team that will, struggle to win 75+ games. While I am a fan, a more cautious fantasy manager may be scared off by such peripherals. With this advice, use your discretion.

The Deep

Buster Posey – Catcher

This decorated collegiate superstar is currently slotted behind the super-slow Bengie Molina, and relatively unknown Steven Holm. You could also add Pablo Sandoval to the list, although he is penciled in as their starting first baseman on the Giants depth chart at catcher. However, after finishing 2nd in votes for the Johnny Bench Award in his first season behind the plate (after shifting to the position over from SS) in his sophomore season at Florida State, only to win the honor in his junior season. He was also named the 2008 Collegiate Player of the Year, and then decided to make the transition to minor league ball after the conclusion of the FSU season.

In what can be considered a seamless transition, Poseys’ brief exposure to playing against minor league talent went very well. Roping at a .341 clip, all the while knocking the ball around for extra-base hits (8 of his 15H in his 45 AB’s were for extra bases), and displaying a great eye at the plate with 9BB’s, compared to only 6K’s. Posey will be from the mold of Joe Mauer, hitting for a solid average, while providing a contact type bat to the line-up, that will nestle him into the two or three slot, giving him a chance to knock in some runs.

Posey is a good defensive catcher, and given the age of Molina, he could be given a shot sooner than most think. Consider the fact that he is only 21-years old, and really only two full seasons into being groomed as a catcher, 2010 is more than likely a career start for this budding young catching stud with a cool nickname.

Fantalytics - Volume 2

Pablo Sandoval vs. Matt Wieters

When discussing top-catching prospects, there are more intangibles than any other position due to the added pressure of controlling the tempo of the game, and the mental aspect attached with being a leader on the field. So today, Fantalytics has decided to break down a comparison of two of the most talked about options at catcher in fantasy baseball! Can rookie signal caller Matt Wieters succeed on a sub-par Baltimore Orioles team with limited protection in the line-up? Was the impressive display that Pablo Sandoval put on in the final quarter of last season, a sneak peek into a rising fantasy star? Well that’s exactly what Fantalytics is all about folks, so let’s get down to business.

The Case for Matt Wieters

The Baltimore Orioles are showing a lot of faith in their 2007 first round pick (5th overall). They spent the off-season opening up the opportunity by first dealing the serviceable, but oft-injured, Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds, and followed that up with signing a veteran like Greg Zaun to guide the youngster, in hopes of making the transition to the pros as smooth as possible.

The big 6 foot 5 inch athletic wonder kid has mashed at every level that he has played, including an impressive line in his first year of pro-ball in 2008, of .355-27-91, to go along with a .454 OBP and .600 SLG%. It’s those eye-popping stats that earned him the honor of Minor League Player of the Year from Baseball America. Wieters defense isn’t a liability either, as many have drawn parallels with him to Jason Varitek. Being a natural switch-hitter, he has shown tremendous discipline on both sides of the plate, so much that many are already etching his name in Cooperstown! However, the move to the major leagues isn’t always simple, and working through the grind of a 162 game schedule is a hefty task.

With the Orioles being in a very tough and pitcher heavy AL East Division, he will be facing the rotations of the free spending Yankees and Red Sox a lot, which may contribute to limited stats. Expect great things from this kid, but realistically, it may take a few years for him to reach his true value. Power numbers will rise as the experience builds up, but expect 2009 to be a solid year that gets fantasy owners chomping at the bit to have him on their roster.

The Case for Pablo Sandoval

Sandoval made some noise, providing a case for himself in the final quarter of last season by knocking the ball all over the yard at a .345 clip in 145 AB’s. While Sandoval didn’t expose a huge source of power in his time with the big club (only 3 HR’s, 24 RBI’s) he has shown that he has shown some pop in previous seasons in the minors. He doesn’t walk or strikeout at an alarming pace, and is considered more of a contact hitter, maintaining a plus .300 BA (.303) in five minor league seasons.

Matt Wieters Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Sun

With Bengie Molina returning to San Francisco, it appears that Sandoval will be the Giants everyday first baseman; however, with more than 10 appearances behind the plate in 2008, he should have catcher eligibility for most fantasy leagues. The multi-talented Venezuelan also appeared in 12 games at third base giving him a third qualified position. With that being the case, one can’t ignore the significant boost in value that he gets, at least in the 2009 season. Anticipate a bit of a drop in the batting average, as he wasn’t exposed to streaks and slumps in the short time frame.

Have no fear though, Pablo Sandoval is the real deal.

FANTALYTICS FINAL CALL

Can we be so blessed as to continue adding more and more options for the catching position, after years of having limited options when discussing fantasy catchers? Fortunately, the recent additions of fantasy studs like Russell Martin, Joe Mauer and last years’ NL R.O.Y. Geovany Soto, have rejuvenated the category back to respectability.

 WaiverSharks.com is hoping that we can add these two names to the mix when discussing the top-tier crouchers. With both of these youngsters being on teams that are more than likely set to struggle through a painful 2009 season, the protection that both will get from the order will be somewhat limited.

I expect Wieters to be the starting catcher come opening day as his maturity and confidence has no reason not to put him in that situation. However, with that being said, should Wieters put in a magical performance, I still feel that the value of Sandoval and his multi-position capabilities weighs the match-up in his favor.

Expect decent numbers from Wieters and a future where the sky is the limit, but for 2009 poolies that need to make a tough call, FANTALYTICS feels that the smarter option will be to wait a tad longer in your draft and snatch Sandoval.

With the hype machine in full effect, someone will draft Wieters early, leaving Sandoval available probably a round or two after, which is a great situation, considering that the payback will be greater and give you more flexibility in managing your roster.

Expect the Giants stud to produce a more down to earth line of .290-23-81-2, and be happy you were patient.

So begins a new era here at WaiverSharks! Well…Almost!

We will be bringing you The Shallow & The Deep - Daily Pick-ups to begin the 2009 season, in a format similar to the 30 MLB team preseason sleeper run down that will preface it.

Some days, our content will be short - and BAM! (Cue Emeril)

Other days we might extrapolate our thoughts on our waiver wire gems, and why we feel you should consider them. Regardless, we hope you enjoy our daily insights, and suggestions throughout the 2009 Fantasy Baseball campaign. Play Ball!

Our 30 MLB team preseason sleepers begin here, with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The SHALLOW

Kendry Morales – First Base/Outfield

Angels Stadium’s April 6th Opening day 1B starter hasn't lived up to his superstar days of playing in Cuba .

But Morales remains a highly regarded player in the Los Angeles Angels organization.

As the Angels prepare to begin Cactus League Spring Training at Tempe Diablo Stadium, they still have not chased after any free agents who would stand in the way of Morales attaining at bats – and thus appear ready to hand the switch-hitting slugger over the first base keys in Anaheim.

Drafting a potential upside player for a talented team like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the final couple rounds of a 12 team mixed league has some serious merit, doesn’t it? We certainly wouldn’t be shocked if he outperformed several 1B’s taken in rounds much earlier during 2009 drafts.

Morales got off to a torrid start playing for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican winter league, and although he appears to have been around forever, he won’t turn 26 years of age until June of this year.

The DEEP

Hank Conger – Catcher

Hyun Choi “Hank” Conger is a young rising Los Angeles Angels prospect who smashed 13 homeruns in 294 at bats for Rancho Cucamonga .

Problem is the Angels Mike Napoli turned in an even more impressive dinger line in 2008 (20 homers in 227 at bats – wow!) and heading into spring seems poised to take on an even more regular role for the Angels in ‘09. Jeff Mathis will also dip his bat in the company’s catcher ink as well.

However, Napoli has had a history of being streaky - and he’s never exceeded 300 at bats in a season – so we could still see the Angels offer King Kong Conger (or is it Hammerin’ Hank?) a taste of LA, if either of their depth chart leader board backstops should falter in 2009.

Before we rattle off our First Base suggestions, we wanted to mention the intentional omission of San Francisco Giants fast rising catcher prospect – Gerald “Buster” Posey from our previously posted - Catchers rankings. Fact is - we made mention of the Giants possible long term catching solution in an article regarding “Baby Giants” just last month.

WaiverSharks is well aware of the multi-talented Buster! But we wanted to share the limelight with some OTHER up and coming back stops who may be heading to the big leagues as early as 2009.

The rising crop of signal callers is really wonderful news to Fantasy owners - who have seen a pretty dismal drop off the past few years once the Top 3- 5 players have been plucked from this position.

SIDENOTE: Another rising catching prospect you may want to tuck away in the back of your collective Fantasy minds is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s - Hyun Choi “Hank” Conger. We merely omitted him because we didn’t like having to type the words: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ! Just Kidding! Truth be told – we feel Mike Napoli deserves the “C” spot in 2009 - and Conger has battled shoulder injuries – so, consider him a “Deep, Deep” Sleeper!