The Flip Side

Fourth of a series.

With all the spending on forty and fifty dollar players last season, we ended up buying 39 $1 players in a frenzied end game.

When you buy a one dollar player, you are hoping for one of two things: a guy who will be worth $5 in stats this season, or a guy who will not necessarily have a good season, but who may turn into a good $1 keeper the following year. Here is a list of all the hitters bought for a buck last year.

Category 1 - 2008 Keepers:

Belliard, Ronnie
Old Rips
11HR 58RBI 3SB .290BA 511AB

The only true excellent $1 purchase. He was picked up by the Nats as a last minute injury replacement, and he decided not to completely suck for a change. Good stats, good keeper.

Hopper, Norris
Any 9
0HR 14RBI 14SB .329BA 307AB

Hop hop hop to Hoppers. Showed enough speed and slap hitting to be worth keeping at a buck. They have a crowded OF, but if he can hit over .280, his speed makes him a sure keeper, particularly with Kenny 9’s sparse keeper list.

Category 2 - If you’re keeping these guys, you’ve got a bad keeper list:

Anderson, Marlon
Hobo
3HR 27RBI 4SB .295BA 95AB

He was hurt for a long time last year, but he finished 2006 strong and for a buck, he’ll get you some stats. Hank’s got a pretty non-existent hitter keeper list after Matt Holliday.

Mench, Kevin
Hobo
8HR 37RBI 3SB .267BA 288AB

He was released after the season by the Brewers, so he’s not all that good, and he may not be in the major leagues to start the season, but if you spent a buck on this guy, you’d be satisfied with those stats.

Category 3 - Guys who would be kept, but they were waived during the season:

Frandsen, Kevin
waived
5HR 31RBI 4SB .269BA 264AB

This guy absolutely sucked until September, but he had a great last month in which he got pretty much all of his stats. He has a chance to be the starter at 3B for the Giants, and at the least, he’ll be a super sub in the infield.

Ross, Cody
waived
12HR 39RBI 2SB .335BA 173AB

The Bums were so good they could waive this guy to activate Ryan Braun. The Pecklers picked him up on waivers and he finished the season for them 7-19-0-.375 in 80 at bats.

Category 4 - Why would anyone keep these guys?

Carroll, Jamey - Lickers
2HR 22RBI 6SB .225BA 227AB

Cedeno, Ronny - waived
4HR 13RBI 2SB .212BA 74AB

Cruz, Jose - Lickers
6HR 21RBI 6SB .248BA 256AB

Miller, Damian - waived
4HR 24RBI 1SB .237BA 186AB

Niekro, Lance - Cartel
0HR 0RBI 0SB .217BA 17AB

Pena, Brayan - waived
4HR 3RBI 0SB .212BA 33AB

Saenz, Olmedo - waived
4HR 18RBI 0SB .191BA 110AB

Snelling, Chris Cartel
1HR 7RBI 0SB .246BA 69AB

Olmedo Saenz seemed like a pretty good $1 pick based on his 2006 season: 11 HR, 48 RBI, .296 BA. What the hell happened?

Lance Niekro was a concept. What I love most is that the Cartel spent $10 to reserve him. We shouldn't laugh - we spent $10 to reserve Craig Wilson. By the way, he is available in trade.

Ronny Cedeno was even worse last year than Cesar Izturis.

Is Damian Miller now the starter for the Brewers since they traded Estrada?

Category 5 - Finally, here is the Bizarro World extreme speculation keeper list:

Aybar, Willy - Hobo
Mr. Blutarsky, zero point zero. You have no stats for 2007.

Callaspo, Alberto - Lickers
0HR 7RBI 1SB .215BA 144AB
Is he strictly a AAAA player?

DaVanon, Jeff - waived
0HR 6RBI 1SB .213BA 89AB
Traded to the Lickers by the Pounders. Then traded to Oakland and dropped by the Lickers. Now he's signed with Padres, but only a minor league deal. He's always had speed. He might stick.

Gimenez, Hector - Hobo
2 AB's, no stats
I really don't know who this guy is.

Guzman, Cristian - Lickers
2HR 14RBI 2SB .329BA 174AB
I really don't care who this guy is.

Repko, Jason - Any 9
Did not play in 2007, but he got paid by the Dodgers.

Every one of these guys had a season narrated by Rod Serling, particularly Willy Aybar. Hey, Willy could be Hobo’s best 2008 keeper.

Again, there is nobody except Cody Ross on this list who was bought by the Bums. Is there a lesson here?

Tomorrow: the $1 pitchers.