In 1925, I spent nine cents of my $2.60 salary cap on Yankees 1B Wally Pipp in a 12-team Rotisserie league.
I had heard rumblings about the son of German immigrants and a former fullback at Columbia known as Lou Gehrig, but I threw caution to the wind. Gehrig got picked up in the reserve draft and the rest is history.
Eight decades later, Fantasy owners are curious about other current backups like Jesse Foppert, Joey Gathright, Ryan Howard and Wily Mo Pena. How long before they replace their Wally Pipp?
A Pipp of a first baseman...
The nine-cent bid sounds ludicrous now, but when it happened, I walked out of the draft with a huge smile, bragging about his 114 RBI and league-leading 19 triples in 1924.
After all, with the Yankees as strong as they were, Pipp averaged 102 RBI over the previous four seasons -- in a 154-game season no less. There was no reason for me to expect a sharp decline.
Little did I know that Gehrig would end up stealing time from Pipp. As a matter of fact, Gehrig replaced the ailing Pipp in midsummer and stole the next 2,130 games from him. Pipp moved on to the Reds the next season and never returned to the numbers he put up in the Bronx in the early '20s.
Gaining ground
The Fantasy world was introduced to Pena in 2002 in a trade with the Yankees for Drew Henson. The Reds kept him in the majors and was unable to play regularly like his counterparts in the minors. Finally, a few seasons later, Pena filled in for the oft-injured Ken Griffey in 2004 and came through with 26 homers and 66 RBI in only 336 at-bats.
Unfortunately, the Reds outfield is deep -- with other oft-injured players -- and the W.M.P. is relegated to backup duty once again. But he already has two home runs in 14 at-bats -- no player has more in fewer at-bats.
He has certainly shown enough attributes as a power hitter with relatively good speed that Fantasy owners will battle for his abilities once he enters the lineup for good. While his strikeouts-to-walk ratio (5:1) was terrible last year, you can be confident that the 23-year-old will learn patience as he gets more at-bats.
He is worth taking up a spot on your bench in mixed leagues right now. If someone else owns him, wait a few more weeks before making a trade offer for him. The best thing that can happen to you is that the rest of the Reds outfield begins to hit well. Right now, Griffey is homerless, Adam Dunn has two homers but a .179 average and Austin Kearns is barely over the .230 mark.
Once these talented hitters pick it up -- and they will -- make your move for Pena. He might sit on your reserves until the All-Star break, but his 25-plus homers in the second half make it worth biting the bullet now.
The next big thing
No one hit more homers in pro baseball last year than Howard's 48 -- 46 with Philadelphia's Double- and Triple-A teams. In his cup-o'-coffee appearance in September, the first baseman knocked out two home runs and hit .282 in 39 at-bats.
Unfortunately, Jim Thome sits between Howard and stardom -- for now, much like another stud first baseman named Don Mattingly held back Kevin Maas, Hal Morris and J.T. Snow from reaching the majors. As a matter of fact, Mattingly's presence in the minors even forced the Yankees to trade Fred McGriff to Toronto.
After futile attempts to get Howard experience in the outfield this spring, the Phillies now seem to be content with him in the minors until the trade deadline arrives and a starting pitcher can be had to help them make a playoff push. Unfortunately, power-heavy first basemen who strike out a lot aren't the best trade bait. His above-average defense, along with his knack for the long ball, will help get him a starting spot somewhere. Fantasy owners in Rotisserie leagues will want to stash him away in larger mixed leagues with deep reserves.
Baseball America has him rated as the team's top prospect and few will argue that the 25-year-old is major-league ready. Sadly, when he gets to the majors again, he might not be hitting in the bandbox of Citizens Bank Park. But his power will still allow him to reach deep into the stands at any venue.
Speed to spare
Gathright was a terror on the basepaths in the minors last season for the Devil Rays and when he got the call in late June, he stole six bases in 52 at-bats while getting spot duty in the outfield and earned the tag as the fastest man in baseball. But with all of the goings on with Tampa Bay's outfield in the offseason, it has been tough to gauge the speedster's Fantasy value.
Gathright went from possibly owning a starting job (Rocco Baldelli's knee injury), to becoming their fourth outfielder (the team signed Danny Bautista in January), to possibly starting again (Jose Cruz was traded to Arizona and Bautista retired), to the fourth OF spot again (Devil Rays signed Alex Sanchez), to back in the starting lineup (Sanchez's steroids suspension). Try saying all of that in one breath!
A slap hitter recently compared to that of former All-Star Matty Alou, Gathright has more value in Rotisserie leagues because of his speed. With no slot currently available for him, he only deserves to be owned in AL-only leagues as a reserve outfielder. But the Devil Rays have many chances for him to get another opportunity, from the possible poor play of Sanchez to the ability of Aubrey Huff to move to another position if needed. Pick up the youngster if he gets another call-up to start. Huff's impending free agency after the '06 season means he could be shopped to the highest bidder this year, opening up more opportunities for Gathright.
Now, with Sanchez returning from suspension, Gathright is expendable once again. While he proved his abilities with a .350 average (7-for-20), three steals and six runs scored, there is simply nowhere to play him.
Giant comeback story
Foppert currently resides at Triple-A Fresno in the Giants farm system. The 24-year-old righty battled through rehab after Tommy John surgery in September of 2003. This past spring, he resurfaced on everyone's radar by posting a 2-0 record and striking out 13 in 15 innings.
The Giants considered hanging onto him as their sixth starter and long reliever, but they thought better of it and optioned him back down. Since landing in Fresno, he has appeared in two games (one start) and has a 3.12 ERA in 8 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.
His numbers haven't reached superstar minor-leaguer levels, but remember that he's still young and coming off a career-threatening injury. The Giants currently have Kirk Rueter and Brett Tomko in the starting rotation, but both will probably be pitching elsewhere in 2006.
Foppert will get major-league starts this year once injuries take their toll on the staff. Be ready to pick him up in mixed leagues as soon as the team gives him the nod.
Making trades at the right time
It's important to realize that these players' Fantasy values are all over the radar. Pena is someone that will likely help you the most almost immediately, while the other three are better looked at as future starters on your team. If you have room on your roster, trading for them now is key before their value skyrockets.
I received trade offers for Pipp before Gehrig took over -- Tigers LF Heinie Manush? Come on! -- but I balked thinking the Yankees would keep the kid on the bench for at least another year. Needless to say, one Hall-of-Fame career and 80 years later, I'm regretting the decision.
We want to know which "big-time backups" you think are worth either obtaining or keeping an eye on this early in the season. Send us an e-mail at bleacher@commissioner.com and be sure to put Attn: Big-time backups in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. We'll post the best submissions in next week's column.
