Playing the Waiver Wire: Iannetta catching on

The Rockies drafted Chris Iannetta in 2004 with the belief he would be the answer to their prayers.

An organization in dire need of a franchise catcher, the Rockies pinned those hopes on Iannetta's shoulders after failed projects like Ben Petrick and J.D. Closser. Iannetta was a good ol' boy from Providence, R.I., where he starred for four years at St. Raphael Academy. He left the Beehive of Industry for Chapel Hill, N.C., but didn't leave his baseball talents behind. He excelled for three years, on and off the field, at North Carolina before Colorado selected him in the fourth round of the 2004 draft.

Iannetta would make his MLB debut more than two years later on Aug. 27, 2006. His career took an inauspicious beginning with a 2-for-22 showing. The Rockies were unphased by the slow start and kept handing Iannetta starts. He wouldn't disappoint and showed why the Rockies had such faith. He would hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games in '06. His average went from .091 to .260 by season's end. Colorado management didn't waste any time labeling Iannetta as their starting backstop heading into the 2007 season.

Chris Iannetta is getting more time behind the plate thanks to his hot bat. (US Presswire)

"Iannetta is going to catch," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told MLB.com in January 2007.

Everyone began to clamor over the 6-0, 225-pound Iannetta. He was being billed as one of the top NL rookies, his name donned in every possible publication and even in Fantasy realms we couldn't help but be giddy over the fact Iannetta could be the next great player at a very thin position. Too bad it didn't pan out that way.

Iannetta hit a pathetic .158 in April '07 and followed that with a .222 clip in May. He began to lose more and more starts to Yorvit Torrealba before hitting a lowly .042 in eight July starts. Iannetta was banished to the minors Aug. 7.

The demotion served as a wake-up call. After his recall Aug. 26, Iannetta once again displayed the sweet swing that made scouts drool over his talents. He went 16-for-50 (.320) with two homers and 12 RBI in his final 18 games of 2007.

"At the end of the day, he had a good skill set," Hurdle told MLB.com in April of Iannetta's late season turnaround in 2007. "We still believed in him."

Iannetta reaffirmed the team's beliefs by turning in a .333 average and four homers in 16 spring games. He still entered the 2008 season as a backup to Torrealba, but it didn't take the former math major long to buck that trend. Torrealba hit just .240 in April and Iannetta stroked a .324 average. It didn't take a math major to figure out who had the hot hand.

Hurdle would start Iannetta for five straight games from May 4-8. Iannetta produced a .388 average, one homer and eight RBI in that span. Hurdle attributes the young pupil's turnaround to a more aggressive approach at the dish.

"I made the suggestion in a constructive kind of way that maybe he thought he had four strikes to work with up there," Hurdle told MLB.com. "I said the same thing to Todd Zeile when he was here (in 2002). Patience is good. Discipline is good. But when you get a ball outer-third, something you can get a barrel on, get after it. (Chris) worked hard, dealt with some adversity, and now he's come out on the good side of it."

Iannetta is batting .328 with three homers and 14 RBI through Tuesday. He is making the folks back home in Providence proud to call him a native and it might only be a matter of time before Colorado's aspirations of a franchise catcher are fulfilled.

"I want to play. I'm happy when I get the chance," Iannetta told MLB.com. "One of the hardest things to do is pinch-hit, and play once or twice a week. Ryan Spilborghs makes it look easy. I want to be (a regular catcher). I can't control what happens. That's not for me to decide. But that's what I'm hoping for."

Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul

Adam LaRoche, 1B, Pittsburgh
Owned: 47 percent of leagues
Analysis: LaRoche is not a fast starter. Pretty much you have to draft him and sit him through April because he generally struggles through the first 30 days. A quick look over his April batting averages proves LaRoche's lag after opening day -- 2005 (.206), 2006 (.200), 2007 (.133) and 2008 (.163). But as soon as the calendar hits May, LaRoche starts to thrive. He hit .273 in May 2005; .275 in May '06; and .283 in May '07. Thus far in May 2008, LaRoche is hitting .289 with three homers and 11 RBI. LaRoche will likely never be among the elite Fantasy first basemen, but he is startable in stretches and a decent backup/corner infielder in most mixed leagues.

You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and his value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP

Randy Wolf, SP, San Diego
Owned: 66 percent of leagues
Analysis: This "Wolf" is all out of howls. He is winless in his last four starts (0-3) and has a 8.55 ERA in that span. That's a huge difference from his first four outings when posted a 2-0 record and a 2.49 ERA. Wolf is coming off major shoulder surgery that ended his 2007 season in July. He has not managed more than 137 innings since 2003 and it pretty much is a result of injuries. It might be only a matter of time before he bows out with another ailment. He is on track for an 8-12 record and 5.15 ERA. The only positive is that 150-plus strikeouts are realistic. Wolf is best left for NL-only and the largest of mixed leagues.

GIDPs -- We feel this player might not warrant as much Fantasy consideration as he is receiving and should be avoided in most instances

Odalis Perez, SP, Washington
Owned: 15 percent of leagues
Analysis: Perez has allowed more than three earned runs in just two of nine starts this season. He has pitched well enough to pretty much win more than 75 percent of his games, but alas, he has just one win. That's because he pitches for the lowly Nationals, who haven't been an offensive juggernaut since moving to the nation's capital. Let's not forget that Perez has won 10 or more games just twice in his 10 major league seasons -- the last time coming in 2003 with the Dodgers. Perez is an outcast of the Royals -- the Royals! -- and somehow is an ace for the Nationals? He posted a 6.21 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in 2006 and a 5.52 ERA and 1.52 ERA in 2007. His WHIP is currently 1.43, so it's not like he has been unhittable. Once NL hitters get a second scouting report on Perez, the results might get ugly.

Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks

Moises Alou, OF, N.Y. Mets
Owned: 30 percent of leagues
Analysis: Alou has hit safely in seven of the eight games he has played in since coming off the DL May 2. He has a .394 average and continues to be an elite hitter despite his seasoned status. The fact he gets to clean up after the likes of David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church adds to his allure. Alou is pretty much on the verge of being an add at this juncture, but the thought of the old man (41 years old) going down with another injury constantly lingers.

Stopgap corner -- We feel this player might be worth using for the upcoming scoring period

Gil Meche, SP, Kansas City
Owned: 51 percent of leagues
Analysis: It really hasn't been Meche's year in 2008. He has a 2-5 record, 6.31 ERA and 1.53 ERA heading into Thursday's start against the Tigers. A far cry from his 3.67 ERA and 1.30 WHIP of 2007. Meche's ownership has dropped from 84 percent to 51. It appears as though Meche has lost his luster as a high-end Fantasy starter, but there are still some instances where he is a viable option. Perhaps Fantasy Week 8 (May 19-25) is one of those times. Meche has two starts during the next scoring period -- Boston and Toronto. Both are on the road, where Meche is 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA this season. He beat Boston in his lone start last season and allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings. As for the Blue Jays, he is 0-2 against them in his last two starts, including an April 27 start this season. However, he has a respectable 3.86 in that span.

Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar

Mike Hessman, 1B/3B, Detroit
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Analysis: The best home run hitter in 2008 is not Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Dan Uggla or even Chipper Jones. It's Hessman, who is currently biding his time at Triple-A Toledo. Hessman just parked his 18th homer of the season Thursday. It took him to June 8 of last season to reach that feat. He has seven homers in his last eight games for the Mud Hens. The guy is a flat out masher. In his previous 12 minor league seasons, the journeyman has hit 20 or more homers eight times. He hasn't been a permanent fixture in the majors because he is a free swinger. He already has 44 strikeouts in 150 at-bats this season and is basically the Adam Dunn of the minors -- great power but whiffs way too much. Detroit might need him at some point in 2008, but he is going to be a streaky hitter.

Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.

Hank Blalock, 3B, Texas
Owned: 40 percent of leagues
Analysis: The last test for Blalock, who is on the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring, is a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco Thursday. The Rangers have not said how long Blalock will stay with Frisco, but there is a good chance he is one-and-done and activated before Friday's game against the Astros. The Rangers just want to see how his hamstring holds up after nine innings. Before going on the DL, Blalock looked 100 percent after battling shoulder and rib injuries the last two seasons. He is back to having 25-30 homer power and can be a viable Fantasy third baseman when healthy.

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