Building a Boffo Bench
By David Welch - Editor at-large
03/20/2006
Unless you play in a 16-team league, where everyone has a lineup of all-stars from top to bottom, bench players can make or break your playoff chances. They can also deep-six you during the post-season.
Since I am contending in two leagues this year, I have had to go out and find the kind of valued role players that every contender needs. I’ll deliver another column on how to build a strong bullpen and a cast of good spot starters. But first, here are some great bench players for any contending team. You’ll notice they aren’t stars. But they should be had for peanuts.
Ramon Castro: No one knows who he is. Yet he pounds lefties and is a 3 catcher with a (-1) arm. This is a great platooner and pinch hitter.
Matt Stairs: Yes, Stairs is still around, and he has a nice 42% on-base against lefties and righties and some pop against lefties. He also plays corner outfield spots and first. I picked him up cheaply to be a DH against righties.
Damion Easley: His 3e18 at second base is useable, and his strong on-base percentage and 8.7 home run chances on his card versus lefties make him a great platoon player.
Damian Jackson: I picked this lonely player up in the 7th round. He has a 40% on-base against lefties, he’s a 3e5 at second and a 3e4 in LF. He steals bases with alacrity. This is a very nice cheap bench player. Also carded at SS, 3B and CF, but badly.
Abe O. Nunez: No, he isn’t Irish. But he had his lucky season at the plate, catching lightning in a bottle and putting up a 37.4 on-base against lefties. He is a 3 at 2B, 3B and SS. That’s nice infield fodder for someone who needs a bat against lefties who can fill in some key positions. He is also in the positive on his clutch rating.
Craig Wilson: Wilson was a middling outfielder before spending most of last year on the DL. So no one will place too much of a price on him. But he has 200 at-bats with crazy on-base numbers and a 3(0)e4 in RF.
Emil Brown: He is a lousy fielder, but man can he mash lefties. He went in the fifth round on one draft I saw. Cheap quality for your fourth outfielder or platoon DH.
John Olerud: He’s retired, so most Strat managers have given up on him. But his card has a lot of home run chances and his glove is still very good. Nice bench option for 1B.
Dave Roberts: He’s a 2e3 in CF and has near 40% on-base percentage against lefties and righties. He steals plenty of bases, too.
Tony Clark: He’s another that many people gave up on, including me. But he really pounds the ball and is a 3e5 at 1B for half a season, though he likely won’t get any better than this.