News: The Nationals reassigned catcher Devin Ivany and first baseman Josh Whitesell to their minor league camp Friday. That leaves Washington with 51 players.
Analysis: Whitesell and Ivany are nothing more than organizational depth at this point. Ignore them in all Fantasy leagues on Draft Day.
News: The Nationals reassigned catcher Devin Ivany and first baseman Josh Whitesell to their minor league camp Friday. That leaves Washington with 51 players.
Analysis: Whitesell and Ivany are nothing more than organizational depth at this point. Ignore them in all Fantasy leagues on Draft Day.
News: The Nationals have announced the following non-roster invites to spring training: pitchers Victor Garate, Eddie Guardado, Logan Kensing, Joel Peralta, Ryan Speier and 2009 first-round pick Drew Storen; catchers Jamie Burke and top prospect Derek Norris; infielders Eric Bruntlett, Pete Orr and Josh Whitesell; and outfielders Chris Duncan and Jerry Owens.
Analysis: Storen is an elite relief prospect who could develop into the team's closer before the end of the year. Stash him in long-term keeper leagues and consider him an outstanding flier in NL-only formats. Norris is a solid long-term stashee as well, but he is behind a Hall of Famer in Ivan Rodriguez and a solid young backstop in Jesus Flores. The pitchers will be nothing more than relievers this year, while the hitters will be reserves. Duncan once was a potential Fantasy gem for his power, while Owens was once intriguing for his steals, but we rate them off the draftable board for NL-only leagues at this point.
News: The Nationals have agreed with infielder Eric Bruntlett and first baseman Josh Whitesell on minor league contracts for 2010. Both players received invitations to major league spring training. The 31-year-old Bruntlett played the past two seasons with the Phillies and was part of their 2008 World Series championship team. He hit .171 in 72 games for Philadelphia last season and has a .231 career average with 11 homers and 72 RBI over seven seasons with the Phillies and Houston. The 27-year-old Whitesell hit .194 in 46 games with Arizona last season. He played in seven games for the Diamondbacks in 2008, his first season in the majors. Whitesell was drafted by the Nationals organization in 2003, when it was still the Montreal Expos.
Analysis: Bruntlett and Whitesell would be nothing more than reserves for the Nationals and the deepest of NL-only leagues if they get time on the roster in 2010. Ignore them on Draft Day.
News: Among those let go as non-tender free agents include: Arizona first baseman Josh Whitesell; Atlanta outfielder Ryan Church and second baseman Kelly Johnson; Baltimore reliever Brian Bass; Boston outfielder Brian N. Anderson; Cubs left-hander Neal Cotts; Florida utility man Alfredo Amezaga; Kansas City outfielder Josh Anderson and catcher John Buck; L.A. Angels infielder Matt B. Brown and right-hander Dustin Moseley; Milwaukee right-hander Mark DiFelice, right-hander Seth McClung and catcher Mike Rivera; Philadelphia pitcher Clay Condrey; Pittsburgh left-hander Phil Doumatrait; Padres right-handers Jackson Quezada and Mark Worrell; Seattle outfielder Ryan Langerhans; Giants first baseman Ryan Garko; and Rays outfielder Gabe Gross and catcher Shawn Riggans.
Analysis: These players have varying degrees of Fantasy value, but the fact their teams let them go without a contract says a lot about what their teams think of them. That should make them low-end Fantasy options at this point, but track their offseason destinations before finalizing a judgment on their 2010 draft position.
News: The Diamondbacks recalled infielder Brandon Allen from Triple-A Reno on Saturday. To make room on the roster, the Diamondbacks optioned infielder Josh Whitesell to their top farm team.
Analysis: Whitesell was hitting .194 with one homer and 14 RBI in 108 at-bats. He can be cut in all formats when not with the big club.
News: Arizona 1B Josh Whitesell went 2 for 4 on Wednesday in a loss to the Mets. Whitesell singled twice and drove in two runs. He added a walk and is batting .204 for the year.
Analysis: Whitesell doesn't play every day and was hitting .191 coming into Wednesday's game over 94 at bats. He is barely even an NL-only Fantasy option at this time.
News: Diamondbacks 1B Josh Whitesell hit a long homer into the upper deck in right field at the Nationals' home stadium Friday for his first of the season. It ended up being his only hit in three at-bats. He also scored twice and walked once.
Analysis: Whitesell has bounced between the minors and majors in 2009. He is not starting full-time for Arizona and sees most of his time off the bench. Whitesell is nothing more than a NL-only Fantasy reserve.
News: The Diamondbacks released 1B Tony Clark on Sunday and promoted Josh Whitesell from Triple-A Reno. Whitesell has started the last two games at first base over Chad A. Tracy.
Analysis: Whitesell has good minor-league numbers, but he's already 27 years old and considered more a statistical marvel than an actual prospect. Leave him for deeper NL-only leagues. Clark mostly played a reserve role and doesn't matter in Fantasy.
News: The Diamondbacks have activated Tony Clark from the disabled list after the veteran infielder missed 41 games with a sprained hand. Clark was in the lineup at first base and batting sixth for Friday night's game at Seattle. He turned 37 while he was on a seven-game rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Reno. Arizona optioned infielder Josh Whitesell to Reno to make roster room for Clark.
Analysis: Whitesell batted .214 in 20 games with the Diamondbacks. He was on a nice little run before getting optioned but isn't worth owning when not with the big club.
News: Diamondbacks 1B Josh Whitesell had one single, one RBI and one run in four at-bats Wednesday against the Royals. He also walked once and struck out two. Whitesell has hit safely in six of his last seven games. He is 8 for 23 (.348) with no homers and seven RBI in that span. He has also walked seven times.
Analysis: Whitesell has seen a fair amount of at-bats since late May and will continue to see PT as long as he is producing at the plate. Whitesell is a promising prospect with good power potential, but he has yet to go deep in 2009. He remains more of a Fantasy flier in NL-only leagues.
News: The Diamondbacks recalled 1B Josh Whitesell on Saturday. He will take the spot of the injured Chad A. Tracy (oblique).
Analysis: Whitesell hit .115 (3 for 26) in an earlier stint with Arizona, but is hitting .342 in Triple-A. He will be just a low-end flier in NL-only options while up in the bigs.
News: After Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Arizona optioned INF Josh Whitesell to Triple-A Reno and recalled LHP Doug Slaten.
Analysis: Whitesell had taken over full-time for a couple of weeks at 1B but he did little to nothing with the big club, hitting .115 with no homers or RBI. He is not too much of a prospect already at age 27, but could get called back up at some point this season. He's not really worth hanging on to however.
News: The Arizona Republic reports that Diamondbacks 1B Josh Whitesell, who started for the fourth consecutive game Saturday, has not been named the full-time starter over Chad A. Tracy just yet. "To name a starter, I don't think that's fair to either Whitesell or Tracy at this point," manager A.J. Hinch said. "I believe in both of them, and we're going to use both of them. We'll evaluate it based on a lot of different things, certainly matchups and when they start to catch their rhythm. And we'll play the hot hand."
Analysis: Tracy really struggled to open this season, but Whitesell isn't exactly off to a hot start either (1-for-13). Hopefully this time off will get Tracy thinking about his future and that he'll have to hit better than .215 if he wants to remain a baseball player. This is guy that hit 27 homers in 2006 and 20 in 2006, so he clearly knows how to hit when he's on his game. Continue to consider both these guys just NL-only options until one of them starts to hit a little better and makes the job his own.
News: According to MLB.com, Arizona 1B Josh Whitesell has been called up from Triple-A Reno to take over for the struggling Chad Tracy at first base. Whitesell was hitting .356 so far this season in Triple-A with three homers and 20 RBI. Tracy on the other hand was hitting .221 on the season with two homers and nine RBI. In his last 12 games, Tracy was hitting .150. Whitsell made his season debut on Wednesday against the Padres and went 0-for-2 from the plate with a strikeout but drew two walks. Tony Clark was sent to the DL to make room for Whitesell.
Analysis: Whitesell will get a shot to try to hang on to an everyday starting gig with the D-Backs. The team does have Conor Jackson available to move to the 1B spot and they could go back to Tracy, so Whitesell will need to prove himself at the highest level. He is an NL-only option at this point but could become more if he excels.
News: Diamondbacks 1B prospect Josh Whitesell was called up to replace Tony Clark (sore wrist) on the D-Backs roster Wednesday night.
Analysis: Whitesell, who had a great second half in Triple-A last season, was hitting .345 with six doubles, one triple, three home runs, a .471 on-base and a .548 slugging so far in 2009. He has pop in his bat, but it is hard to imagine him getting regular at-bats at this point. Consider him a low-end option for deeper NL-only leagues until he does.
News: The Arizona Republic reports that Diamondbacks 1B prospect Josh Whitesell, who had a great second half in Triple-A last season, is hitting .345 with six doubles, one triple, three home runs, a .471 on-base and a .548 slugging so far in 2009.
Analysis: Whitesell is a candidate to be called up at some point this season, especially if the Diamondbacks offense continues to struggle. Keep an eye on him in deeper NL-only leagues.
News: The Arizona Diamondbacks sent 1B Josh Whitesell to the minor leagues Sunday.
Analysis: Whitesell has pop in his bat, but he has no position to play in Arizona at this point. Consider nothing more than organizational depth right now. Ignore him in all Fantasy leagues.
News: Infielders Josh Wilson, Ryan Roberts and Josh Whitesell continue to compete for the Diamondbacks' last roster spot.
Analysis: It isn't all that relevant in Fantasy who wins the final roster spot with Arizona as none of these players will play a big role in terms of having Fantasy value. Ignore any and all of them on Draft Day.
News: Arizona 1B Josh Whitesell smashed a two-run home run in the fourth inning against Colorado SP Jason Marquis on Monday. Whitesell hit his third homer of the spring and finished 1-for-3 with a walk. He's hitting .319 on the spring.
Analysis: Whitesell has 15 hits in 47 at bats this spring and has five extra base knocks to go with it. He's still a long shot to make the club behind Chad Tracy and Conor Jackson and even Tony Clark. He may be someone to consider for the future but you don't need to worry about him in 2009 just yet.
News: Arizona 1B Josh Whitesell went 2-for-4 on Saturday in an 11-3 win over the Royals. Whitesell homered in the game as he drove in three runs. He's batting .308 on the spring and has already hit two spring homers and has nine RBI.
Analysis: Whitesell is leading the D-Backs in homers and RBI on the spring thus far, though he's still a long shot to make the club behind Chad Tracy and Conor Jackson and even Tony Clark. He may be someone to consider for the future but you don't need to worry about him in 2009 just yet.
News: Diamondbacks 1B Josh Whitesell hit his first major-league homer in the ninth inning Sunday at Colorado, a solo shot to deep right-center. He was making a pinch-hit appearance.
Analysis: Whitesell is a 26-year-old with good pop in his bat, but he is nothing more than a part-time player for the D-Backs and the deepest of NL-only leagues down the stretch. He is not a top prospect, despite the Triple-A numbers, and won't be considered for a starting job next spring.
News: Diamondbacks 1B Josh Whitesell made his first career start and provided one of the season's stranger plays. Pablo Sandoval hit a grounder to third and Mark Reynolds' throw across the diamond drifted to the home-plate side of first. Whitesell made no move to stop Reynolds' throw from going into the Giants dugout but did slap Sandoval in the stomach with his glove as he crossed the first-base bag, leaving the Giants first baseman sprawled in the dirt. Reynolds was charged with the error on the play, his 31st. Whitesell recorded his first career hit in the seventh, a bloop single into center off the fists.
Analysis: Whitesell is a 26-year-old with good pop in his bat, but he is nothing more than a part-time player for the D-Backs and the deepest of NL-only leagues down the stretch. He is not a top prospect, despite the Triple-A numbers, and won't be considered for a starting job next spring.
News: The Diamondbacks expanded their roster on Tuesday, recalling six players, including three pitchers. Right-handers Billy Buckner and Leo Rosales joined left-hander Doug Slaten as roster additions. All three spent time with the Diamondbacks earlier this season. Arizona also added infielders Jamie D'Antona and Josh Whitesell and outfielder Alex Romero. D'Antona and Romero were with the Diamondbacks earlier, but Whitesell is in the majors for the first time. He batted .328 for Tucson with 86 runs scored, 36 doubles and 26 home runs. He was second in the Pacific Coast League with 110 RBI.
Analysis: Whitesell has good minor-league numbers, but he's a little old to count as a prospect and doesn't deserve a look in Fantasy unless he gets semi-regular at-bats. We pretty much know what these other players can do, and they belong on waivers.
News: The Diamondbacks claimed 1B Josh Whitesell from the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Analysis: Whitesell has pop in his bat, but he doesn't figure to make a Fantasy impact this season. Consider him nothing more than organizational depth at this point and ignore him on Draft Day.
News: The Nationals agreed to terms Friday on one-year contracts with eight other players, including outfielder Lastings Milledge, acquired in the trade that sent catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to the New York Mets. Milledge received a split contract that would pay him $402,500 if he's in the majors and $145,075 in the minors. Others agreeing to 2008 deals: left-handers Ross Detwiler, the team's top pick in June's amateur draft, and John Lannan, who made his big league debut last season; right-handers Garrett Mock and Chris Schroder; infielder Kory Casto; and first basemen Josh Whitesell and Matt Whitney.
Analysis: Milledge has potential for deeper leagues, while Detwiler, Lannan and Mock are pitching prospect fliers. Schroder is nothing more than a middle reliever, while Casto and Whitesell need to dominate the high minors before they can be considered potential contributors in NL-only leagues. Whitney is a Rule-5 pick with power potential, so he could make the roster and be a long-term keeper, but his role this year will be too limited to help outside of the deepest of NL-only leagues.
