NL FAAB Factor: Father's Day Edition

Normally, this would be my weekly look at National League free agents. But as we all know, we are not in normal times. First and foremost, I hope you and all of your loved ones are safe and well and remain that way.

To provide you some fresh reading material during this mandated hiatus, this article will look at some interesting NL players to draft and/or add off waivers. The LABR and Tout Wars NL-only leagues are our starting point for the column. Players drafted late or reserve picks are the main focus, though I probably will touch on others whose values I think will exceed their costs. My plan is to cover a handful of names each week, hopefully saving several over for the following column, allowing a new population of players to be covered weekly.

To make this somewhat interactive, as always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask in the comments and I will touch on those the following week. We will see how many weeks this lasts, and hopefully by the time we exhaust all the names we want to cover, we will have baseball or an idea when games will resume, enabling a resumption of the normal column.

Owners and players continue to play a game of chicken with a deadline for setting a start date rapidly approaching. After seemingly reaching an agreement, the two sides continue to be at loggerheads, with the MLBPA to decide if it will agree to a 60-game season after its proposal for 70 games was turned down by MLB. All this may be moot, since the pandemic has spiked in several states, including Florida, where some players had gathered and a handful had come down with the virus. The virus may set the timeframe for a season, which as of press time looks up in the air at best.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL THE DADS, INCLUDING MY FATHER, FATHER-IN-LAW AND BROTHERS-IN-LAW.

STARTING PITCHER

Alex Wood, Dodgers: Wood, rather than emphasizing strength training and conditioning this offseason, focused instead on his mechanics. Injuries limited Wood to only seven games last season, so the extra rest and focus on mechanics looked to have paid dividends this spring. If he can maintain the tweaks he made this offseason, Wood may be able to avoid injury, which has been his bug-a-boo the last few campaigns. The southpaw is expected to start the regular season as the Dodgers' fifth starter and could be nice, late-draft target in your leagues. LABR: $5; Tout Wars: $6

RELIEF PITCHER

Andrew Miller, Cardinals: Miller benefits from the extra time off, largely due to his career workload and injuries the last several seasons. St. Louis has several options to close games, but even if Miller doesn't close, he has value thanks to his strong K:IP ratio. In addition, in leagues that play with holds, bump up Miller's price by a $1or $2, as he notched at least 22 holds in four of his last five full seasons. Plus, he still be called upon occasionally to retire a tough lefty in the ninth inning and notch the periodic save. LABR: $1; Tout Wars: Reserve pick

CATCHER

Kyle Farmer, Reds: In leagues that play with 10-game position eligibility requirements, Farmer has increased value. Last season, Farmer played at least that many contests at catcher, first, second and third base. He likely won't see as much action, even prorated based upon the expected shortened schedule, due to the depth in Cincy. But his catcher eligibility and need with the condensed calendar for multi-position flexibility makes Farmer worthwhile in NL-only leagues. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned 

FIRST BASE 

Darin Ruf, Giants: Ruf, in Giants camp on a minor-league deal, was having a big camp before the pandemic shut down spring training with the likely result of him opening the season on the 26-man roster if play started on time. After spending parts of five years with the Phillies, Ruf played the last three seasons in the KBO, slashing .313/.404/.564 with 86 home runs in 404 games over those three campaigns. With the probability of expanded rosters, Ruf could make the roster as an outfielder and backup first baseman. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned

SECOND BASE

Daniel Descalso, Cubs: Descalco is not in the mix to open the season as the Cubs' starting second baseman but was in consideration to break camp as a reserve. Nico Hoerner, David Bote and Jason Kipnis likely are ahead of Descalso on the keystone depth chart. His experience and ability to play multiple position should earn him a place on Chicago's roster, though playing time may be limited and he could be at risk in the future of losing his spot. But, at least initially, he should be good for periodic at bats. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned 

THIRD BASE

Chris Owings, Rockies: Like Farmer, in leagues that play with 10-game eligibility, Owings has added value. He qualifies at second, third, short and outfield in those formats. Owings' playing time has declined each of the last four seasons but versatility and strong spring performance could help earn a roster spot with Colorado, especially with expanded rosters. If teams do carry more players, as expected, then Owings should join Brendan Rodgers, Sam Hilliard and Garrett Hampson on the team rather than fighting each of them for a job. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned 

SHORTSTOP

Andres Gimenez, Mets: Gimenez's inclusion this week is more for keeper leagues. The expanded rosters and lack of minor league season could result in Gimenez joining the parent club to start the season. His bat is behind his glove, but Gimenez could see time at second base and shortstop as a backup to Robinson Cano and Amed Rosario. For those leagues who can pick up and stash Gimenez, as well as other minor-league prospects once they hit the majors, this season could be a gold mine. LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned

OUTFIELD

Jon Jay, Diamondbacks: Jay entered spring training looking to earn a bench spot on the Arizona roster. As we noted in our last news update before the pandemic hit, Jay can play all three outfield positions and became a favorite of manager Torey Lovullo during his half-year stint with the Diamondbacks in 2018. Jay was battling Josh Rojas for possibly the last roster position, but the probability of the expanded rosters and his outfield flexibility should earn him a major-league jersey when play resumes.  LABR: Not owned; Tout Wars: Not owned 

Cristian Pache, Braves: Pache's defense, which is elite, is ahead of his offense, but he continues to improve that side of his game. He slashed .277/.340/.462 with 12 home runs in 130 games between Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi a season ago and would benefit from a year at Triple-A, but that will not be the case this year due to the pandemic. Like Gimenez, Pache could break camp with the parent club and is more than worth a roster spot, as he could see at bats due to his top-shelf defense.  LABR: $0; Tout Wars: Reserve pick