Atomic RoadRunners

FAAB Acquisitions:

• C Carlos Ruiz, Phillies ($2 bid, add to actives at DH)
• MI Brendan Ryan, Cardinals ($0 bid, add to actives at MI)
• 1B Fernando Tatis, Mets ($1 bid, add to actives at 1B)
• SP Antonio Bastardo, Phillies ($3 bid, add to actives)
• SP Matt Maloney, Reds ($2 bid, add to actives)
• RP Clay Zavada, Diamondbacks ($0 bid, add to actives)

Up:

• C Chris Iannetta

Down:

• 1B Casey Kotchman (15-Day DL – shin contusion)
• SS Jose Reyes (15-Day DL – hamstring and calf)
• DH Jake Fox
• RP Matt Lindstrom
• RP John Grabow

Cut:

• C Robinzon Diaz
• RP Kyle McClellan
• RP Clay Condrey
• OF Jody Gerut
• 3B Brian Barden
• OF Austin Kearns

Notes:

• Bastardo was also bid on by The Pi Train ($1) and Misogynistic Padres ($0)
• Ruiz was also bid on by Misogynistic Padres ($0)
• Iannetta is scheduled to be activated from the 15-Day DL today
• Both Ruiz and Ryan have been on the Roadrunners previously
• Tatis was originally drafted by The Pi Train in the 6th Round of the 2009 WBRL Minor League draft, thus his salary is $10
• Zavada’s middle name is “Pflibson”

Brewers acquired outfielder Jody Gerut from the Padres for outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. Gerut is coming off a breakthrough season in which he batted .296 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI. This year he regressed to .221 with four home runs and 21 RBI. Gerut will be a fourth outfielder with the Brewers, devoid of any fantasy value outside of deep NL-only leagues. (Rotoworld)

Padres OF Jody Gerut went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, his fourth of the year, in Sunday’s loss to the Astros. Gerut has been awful since mid-April, and his average has dropped about 100 points to .228 over that time span. Continue to worry about him in only deeper NL-only leagues. (CBS Sports)

CF Jody Gerut was a late replacement for Chase Headley (sore left shoulder) and drove in the Padres’ first run with a sacrifice fly. But he finished 0-for-3 to extend his slump to 2-for-21 and 5-for-39. Gerut is a streaky outfielder best left for deeper NL-only leagues at this point. Watch him for a hot stretch, though. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisition:

• RP Clay Condrey, Phillies ($0 bid, Add to Actives)

Up:

• SP Shairon Martis
• SP Chad Gaudin
• CM Emilio Bonifacio
• OF Austin Kearns (to DH)

Move:

• 1B Conor Jackson (to OF)
• CM Casey Kotchman (to 1B)

Down:

• RP John Grabow
• RP Kyle McClellan
• RP Juan Gutierrez
• 3B Brian Barden
• OF Jody Gerut

Cut:

• OF Jose Tabata (Minors)

Notes:

• Tabata will miss the next six weeks with a hamstring strain, and he was only hitting .250 at AA Altoona, so at this point he’s not a strong protection for 2010.

San Diego CF Jody Gerut hit his third home run of the 2009 campaign on Sunday in a 7-4 loss to the Dodgers. It was Gerut’s only hit in the game, going 1-for-4 with two runners left on base. Gerut typically sits out against left-handed pitching, making him a part-time player with the Padres. He is only worth using in the deepest of NL-only leagues as he is only hitting .233 on the season. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut broke an 0-for-16 slump with three hits on Monday, including a homer, in the Padres’ loss to the Rockies. Getting a start against a mediocre starter in Coors Field will do a lot to cure a slump. Gerut will continue to platoon with Scott Hairston in center field. Gerut often sits against left-handed pitchers, but he has underrated OPS potential — enough to make him a viable starter in NL-only leagues. If you need a player capable of hitting .280 with 15 home runs, give him a look off the waiver wire. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut walked in his only at-bat as a pinch-hitter on Wednesday afternoon. The initial box score credited Gerut with a steal, but he stopped between first and second and only made it to second when Pablo Sandoval’s throw ended up in center field. He’s collected 38 at-bats while playing in 12 games for the Padres this season, hitting .316 with a homer and five RBI. Gerut’s value is limited mostly to NL-only leagues and deeper mixed formats that start five outfielders. (Rotowire)

Padres OF Jody Gerut led off Monday’s home opener for the Mets with a home run Monday at the opening of Citi Field. Gerut’s shot off Mike Pelfrey marked the first time that the first batter homered in a regular-season opener at a big-league ballpark, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “Very cool,” Gerut said. “Maybe at the end of the season when I look back on this, I’ll have a greater sense of what happened here. But at the time, all I’m thinking is that it put us ahead.” Gerut pulled Pelfrey’s third pitch down the right-field line. “That’s probably the only place in the yard where I can get it out. This park plays pretty big,” Gerut said. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and two runs scored.  The Padres faced an unusually high number of left-handed pitchers in the season’s opening week, so Gerut doesn’t have many at-bats yet. He had an .845 OPS last season, making him a bit underrated in Fantasy, but as a platoon player, he doesn’t have much value outside of NL-only leagues.

Padres OF Jody Gerut got the team’s only run in the season opener against the Dodgers on Monday, going 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a strikeout. After a few years in obscurity, he burst back onto the scene last year, hitting .296 with 14 home runs in 328 at-bats. Gerut hit .292 with two home runs this spring, playing pretty much exactly the same way he did last year. He doesn’t have huge power potential, but he could obviously hit between 15-20 home runs with a full season of at-bats. He deserves to start in all NL-only leagues and could matter in mixed leagues before season’s end. (CBS Sports)

San Diego OF Jody Gerut went 2-for-4 on Sunday against the Diamondbacks. Gerut led off and scored twice as he connected on his second home run of the spring. He’s batting .314 in 35 at bats. Gerut, a forgotten man since finishing fourth for AL Rookie of the Year in 2003, became the Padres’ everyday center fielder and posted a career-high .845 OPS. As a left-handed hitter, he could fall victim to the platoon role at some point during the season, but his .296 batting average and 14 home runs last year make him a nice low-end option in NL-only leagues. (CBS Sports)

Padres OF Jody Gerut, off to a slow start this spring, went 1-for-3 with his first home run Tuesday against the Angels. He finished with two RBI. He’s batting .250 (6-for-24) this exhibition season. Gerut, a forgotten man since finishing fourth for AL Rookie of the Year in 2003, became the Padres’ everyday center fielder and posted a career-high .845 OPS. As a left-handed hitter, he could fall victim to the platoon role at some point during the season, but his .296 batting average and 14 home runs last year make him a nice low-end option in NL-only leagues. (CBS Sports)

Protected lists have been submitted, and we’re locked in for the 2009 WBRL Draft.  Here’s who we’re bringing:

• C – Chris Iannetta  (2 / $1)
• 2B – Brandon Phillips  (1 / $16)
• SS – Ryan Theriot  (1 /$1)
• 3B – Chipper Jones  (1 / $23)
• MI – Blake DeWitt  (2 / $5)
• OF – Chase Headley  (2 / $5)
• OF – Jody Gerut  (2 / $5)
• P – Tim Lincecum (1 / $7)
• P – Josh Johnson (2 / $5)
• P – Todd Wellemeyer (2 / $5)
• P – Matt Lindstrom (2 / $10)
• P – Brian Wilson (1 / $10)
• P – Mike Gonzalez (2 / $5)
• 3B – Mat Gamel (3 /$5) (Minors)

Here are the figures:

• Players Protected: 14
• Payroll: $98
• Players Needed: 11
• Available: $162
• Available per Player: $14.73

Also note that the Atomic Roadrunners will have the final selection in the 2nd Round of the Minor League Draft (the 11th pick overall)

Today we have the fourth installment in the my series of Protected List columns – The Fringe. These guys could go either way, with a lot of factors ultimately determining whether they make the cut. Here goes:

Blake DeWitt
2 Years – $5
.264 Average, 9 HR, 52 RBI, 45 Runs, 3 Steals
Nice pickup in week one. DeWitt was the fourth 3B on the Dodgers’ depth chart to start the season, behind Nomar Garciaparra, Andy LaRoche, and Tony Abreu. However injuries to the other three kept DeWitt starting, save for a few days in May. The deadline acquisition of Casey Blake ended the party only for a week, as DeWitt was then moved across the diamond to fill in for Jeff Kent. All indications have DeWitt as the starting 2B for 2009 for the Dodgers, with the Mark Loretta signing only providing a platoon partner against tough lefties. If he was still a 3B, then he wouldn’t be protected, but he’s adequate at 2B, and should earn his $5 keep. Should.

Verdict: Protect

Jody Gerut
2 Years – $5
.296 Average, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 46 Runs, 6 Steals
I had tracked Gerut through spring training, and picked him up once he was called up in May, after Jim Edmonds was dismissed from the Padres. He did really well, including a hot 7-homer August, but then missed most of September with a strained ligament in his finger on a stolen base attempt – leaving him unable to swing a bat. Padres manager Bud Black has already indicated that Gerut would be the starting center fielder. With more playing time, those counting numbers should increase. Worth $5.

Verdict: Protect

Chris Dickerson
2 Years – $5
.304 Average, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 20 Runs, 5 Steals
Dickerson was a flier pickup at the deadline, originally for a few extra steals. He was activated when Gerut went down with an injury for the Roadrunners. Dickerson exceeded all expectations, contributing the above stats in only 102 at-bats. This was the toughest decision for the final spot on the 2009 Roadrunners. Here are some additional projections and comments:

SOURCE        AVG    R     HR   RBI   SB
------------------------------------------
BP Pecota    .247    63    15   50    17
Shandler     .243    53    12   42    19
Lindy's      .275    81    10   60    14
Fanball      .253    41    8    25    12
Marcel       .282    36    9    31    6
CBS Sports   .278    65    7    41    14
------------------------------------------

Average:     .263    56    10   41    14

Those are some very Mike Cameron-lite projections. The speed and athleticism doesn’t bother me, but boy, does that projected average, especially for someone that is “old” for a rookie and never really broke out in the minors.

Here’s a quote from Chris Bracke, associate editor of Fanball Magazine:

I admit I bought into him last year mostly in an attempt to pick up a couple extra steals, but I believe his inability to make consistent contact will make him too much of a liability in the batting average department. The comp I believe people should keep in mind when considering the potential for Dickerson this season is Michael Bourn. And if that didn’t make you just throw up in your mouth, I don’t know what will.

Exactly.

Plus, the Reds then signed Willy Taveras to play CF, pushing Dickerson (who held his own in CF) over to left field, potentially in a platoon with Norris Hopper.  Okay, fine.  Then then Reds signed BOTH Jacques Jones and Johnny Gomes to minor-league deals with spring training NRI’s, which further informs me that Dickerson is now one of four competing for the LF spot.  So now he’s a talented 4th outfielder (don’t ask me who the #3 is), and that’s not worth $5, not with that kind of uncertainty.  We’ll see how spring training goes, and may bid accordingly.

Verdict: Release

Padres agreed to terms with outfielder Jody Gerut on a one-year, $1.775 million contract. Gerut hit .296/.351/.494 in 328 at-bats for the Padres last season after joining the team on a minor league deal. He’s the current favorite to start for the team in center field, and since the Padres have more urgent needs elsewhere, it seems unlikely that he’ll be supplanted. (Rotoworld)

More details from MLB.com:

Gerut’s contract represents a substantial increase from the $700,000 he earned last season after making the team out of Spring Training. He signed a Minor League contract just weeks before the team reported to Peoria, Ariz.

Gerut started the season with the Padres but was optioned to Triple-A Portland on April 5 when Jim Edmonds came off the disabled list. Gerut hit .308 in 27 games with Portland before he was promoted on May 9 after Edmonds was released.

Gerut, in his first Major League action since 2005, quickly became a fixture in center field and showed good defense, especially covering a lot of ground at spacious PETCO Park. He proved more than a capable leadoff hitter as well, hitting .296 in that spot.

Gerut hit a game-winning, two-run home run against Arizona on Aug. 25, but suffered a badly sprained left middle finger attempting to make a sliding catch in the outfield two days later.

Gerut didn’t play in another game for the Padres, missing the final month of the season.