Fantasy Baseball Manager of the Year

Fresh Blood: September Call Ups — Pitchers

September 3, 2006 — With major league rosters expanding to 40 players, plenty of minor league pitchers are about to get a cup of coffee in The Show. Like the batters we listed in the last MOTY Talk, some of these hurlers could (emphasis on “could”) provide that little extra push you need for a championship run. Especially if you’re streaming starters.

Then again, if your’re out of contention, you might want to use the rankings below to start taking a look at players you want to check out for the future, possibly even for your keeper league teams.

Now, as you look over the lists, you’ll probably notice some pitchers who’ve already been called up — like Jeremy Somers, Pat Neshek and Rich Hill — at least for a short stint. Not too surprising really. MLB pitching staffs tend to suffer more injuries and set backs through the season, so teams tend to dip into their farm systems during the season to weather the injury storm. Still, whether they've stuck with the big league team mid-season, or already been called up for a late-season stint, it wouldn't hurt to give these guys a look.

With that in mind, this MOTY Talk focuses on pitchers who may get the call.

Though there is a caveat — while players excel at every level of the minors, we only examined those in AAA and AA (or a combination of the two if the player split time between them). Players and stats in A-ball weren’t considered, though look for comprehensive MOTY rankings for every league in the future … insight to help you research players for 2007.

Also note that just because we list guys here, it doesn’t mean they’ll get the call. Given their numbers it would make sense, but it’s no guarantee. On the flip side, there are a lot of players in the AAA and AA ranks, so there may be some who you don’t see but think deserve to be mentioned … though if you know their names, making the list isn’t all that insightful.

One factor to consider when looking at September call ups is the organizations they play for. Pay closer attention to pitchers called up by teams well out of the divisional and wild card races — Pirates, Royals, Orioles, Cubs, Mariners, Devil Rays — teams building toward the future that want to get a look at their younger talent. Equally, with the NL East locked up and probably wanting to rest some of their regulars for the playoffs, figure that Mets call ups might have a chance to log some time. Same goes for other teams as they secure their playoff positions.

Keeping in mind that the stats listed are AAA, AA or combined (“comb.”) through Aug. 29, here are some pitchers to check out if you need an arm or two:

Potential Call Ups — American League

Potential Call Ups — National League

Questions, thoughts, cool stories of how the MOTY System has helped your fantasy baseball team? Drop us an email. Your comments might show up here in a future MOTY Talk.