The most popular waiver acquisition in AL-only leagues this week is Tampa starter Andy Sonnanstine. Back in March, I tabbed Sonnanstine as a candidate for a sizable ERA decrease. After seven starts, he has followed through, chipping more than a run off his ERA and, as a bonus, dropping his WHIP from 1.36 to 1.25. For those hesitant to claim him because of his 4.6 K/9 rate, remember that last year his rate was a respectable 6.7. With a decent history of getting strikeouts and consistently excellent control, Sonnanstine should pay dividends for his growing number of owners.
American League owners were busy picking up other young, rising stars, but one new addition to the Most Added list is hardly a phenom. Darrell Rasner's appearances on this list and on the mound at Yankee Stadium are improbable, yet there he is. Should he appear on your roster as well? Read on.
First, though, two quick notes. Starting this week, players who have just been placed on or activated from the disabled list will not be included in the rankings for these Most Added/Most Dropped analyses. Also, all data presented in the tables are statistics to date as of May 6.
Guys in demand
Darrell Rasner, SP, N.Y. Yankees
Week 6 Ownership: 0 percent
Week 7 Ownership: 30 percent
Rank in AL-only Most Added: 2nd
The Skinny: One day you are toiling in Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, the next you are in 30 percent of AL-only Fantasy leagues on CBSSports.com. How did Rasner achieve his overnight popularity? By donning pinstripes and tossing six nice innings against the struggling Mariners. Rasner has actually pitched fairly well in 58-plus major league innings and has also posted impressive minor league numbers. For the most part, he's been a bit old at each minor league level, so those stats are not the best indicator of his future major league fortunes. At this point, put Rasner on your Scout Team but not on your roster, because better pitchers, such as Gavin Floyd and Kevin Slowey, are still available in many AL-only leagues.
| Year | Team | BB/9 | K/9 | HR/9 | H/BIP | ERC |
| 2005 | Harrisburg (Double-A) | 1.7 | 5.7 | 0.6 | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | Columbus (Triple-A) | 1.7 | 7.2 | 0.6 | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 | N.Y. Yankees | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 29% | 5.56 |
Jeff Clement, C, Seattle
Week 6 Ownership: 18 percent
Week 7 Ownership: 33 percent
Rank in AL-only Most Added: 5th (tied)
The Skinny: Even if Kenji Johjima's power decides to return from its vacation, it shouldn't matter to Clement. He is getting a chance at regular playing time as the Mariners' DH. Though he is off to a slow start, his minor league numbers say he is ready. He makes contact, he takes pitches and he can flat out crush the ball. Clement is a great pickup if you can reserve him while he works out the kinks. Even if you can't, he is still one of the best catching options available in most leagues.
| Year | Team | Walk Rate | Whiff Rate | Iso Power | H/BIP |
| 2006 | Tacoma (Triple-A) | 6% | 22% | 0.090 | 31% |
| 2007 | Tacoma (Triple-A) | 12% | 19% | 0.222 | 30% |
| 2008 | Tacoma (Triple-A) | 22% | 15% | 0.295 | 43% |
Others drawing interest
The guys dropping like flies
Rafael Betancourt, RP, Cleveland
Week 6 Ownership: 69 percent
Week 7 Ownership: 56 percent
Rank in AL-only Most Dropped: 1st
The Skinny: The rap on Betancourt is that he is only effective in the setup role, but he was struggling even before Eric Wedge made him the closer. Betancourt's main problem has been the four home runs he has given up in just 14 2/3 innings. Despite the 5.52 ERA, there is good news: his strikeout and walk totals are in line with his usual lofty standards. If you are rostering Betancourt to get his saves, then whether or not he recovers from his gopheritis is a moot point, as Joe Borowski will reclaim the closer's role soon. Normally, though, Betancourt would be a good source for ERA and WHIP, particularly in deeper leagues. If this is your reason for owning him, then dropping him at this early stage would be an overreaction. Just keep you eye on his HR/9 rate. If it doesn't improve by the time Borowski returns, it is probably best to drop him then.
| Year | Team | BB/9 | K/9 | HR/9 | H/BIP | ERC |
| 2006 | Cleveland | 1.8 | 7.6 | 1.1 | 28% | 2.84 |
| 2007 | Cleveland | 1.0 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 24% | 1.09 |
| 2008 | Cleveland | 1.3 | 9.2 | 2.6 | 36% | 6.12 |
Others wearing roster repellant
| Glossary |
Runs Created per 27 Outs (RC/27) -- An estimate of how many runs a lineup would produce per 27 outs if a particular player occupied each spot in the order; ex. the RC/27 for Miguel Cabrera would predict the productivity of a lineup where Cabrera (or his statistical equal) batted in all nine spots; created by Bill James
Component ERA (ERC) -- An estimate of a what a pitcher's ERA would be if it were based solely on actual pitching performance; created by Bill James
Base Hits per Balls in Play (H/BIP) -- The percentage of balls in play (at bats minus strikeouts and home runs) that are base hits; research by Voros McCracken and others has established that this rate is largely random and has a norm of approximately 30%
Isolated Power -- The difference between slugging percentage and batting average; created by Branch Rickey and Allan Roth
Walk Rate -- Walks / (at bats + walks)
Whiff Rate -- Strikeouts / at bats
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Al Melchior was recently a Fantasy columnist and data analyst for Baseball HQ and will be providing advice columns for CBSSports.com. Click here to send him a question. Please put "Melchior" in the subject field.
