Closing Time: Plausible upside and Chris Parmelee
Is Chris Parmelee just a Quad-A player, or is he another late-blooming hitter that’s emerged under the wing of Buck Showalter? OK, it’s likely the former, but let’s take a look anyway.
Parmelee’s first two games with the Orioles have been a smash. He clocked a couple of homers in Tuesday’s beatdown of Philadelphia, then knocked a third rocket in Wednesday’s victory. He’s 5-for-9 since his recall. Line drives all over the place.
Parmelee was raking in Triple-A, not unusual for a player with MLB experience that’s old, at 27, for the level. Nonetheless, they don’t hand out .312/.381/.444 slash lines at the airport. Parmelee was controlling at-bats, getting on base plenty, knocking the occasional homer (six in 61 games). He also stole three bases.
The prospect hounds had a tepid interest in Parmelee, a zillion years ago – he was a first-round pick in the 2006 draft (out of high school) and showed up on some 2007 rank lists. The Twins gave him playing time now and again over the last four years, to the tune of a .252/.321/.404 slash and 27 homers in 821 at-bats. Those aren’t exciting numbers, but maybe something could click in the age-27 season. It’s a shame Parmelee doesn’t show any platoon bias; that would actually make him more playable as a streamer and occasional DFS option.
I added a few shares of Parmelee this week, here and there. He qualifies at first base and the outfield, always a nifty selling point. The Orioles have been ordinary in right-field production this year, similar in left field. Parmelee will probably get a chance to show what he can do. It's interesting to note he batted fifth in his debut, then moved to third Wednesday. Even when Adam Jones returns, Parmelee might keep a good spot for a while.
Plausible upside is what we're looking for. When I see it, I make moves. It's really as simple as that.
I know it’s easy to dismiss this sort of guy, and I’m not saying you should flush any significant resource to land Parmelee. But if you’re looking for an upside spin at the back of your roster, sure, I’ll sign off. Sometimes Steve Pearce happens. Sometimes Jimmy Paredes happens. Showalter, more than some managers, seems willing to run with a hot hand and adjust the batting order with that in mind.
And if you click on this sort of player, a low-pedigree story out of nowhere, it’s twice as sweet as the production you get from a star. Trust me.
Have a piece of celebration pie. Mmm, pie.
•
Oh, those lovely Cubs and their 17 runs and 18 hits. Oh cute, more position players getting mop up work and handing out goodies. I swear the Cubbies never do this sort of thing when I stack them, but my temporary tilt is not your concern.
Kyle Schwarber is up to get some DH work, and he checked in with a tasty 5-3-4-2 line out of the No. 6 slot Wednesday. Just what we need in MLB, a Hooked on Phonics player.
Kudos to anyone who saw this opportunity ahead of time; I, sadly, did not. Schwarber carries catcher eligibility in Yahoo and is a heck of a batting streamer while he’s around. He’s one of Chicago’s never-ending basket of prospects, and he had a video-game .320/.438/.5789 slash at Double-A when he was recalled.
What will the Cubs do when their temporary DH time runs out after Sunday? No one knows. But Schwarber looks like a fun play until then.
• I hate that it’s come to this, but we probably can’t trust Lloyd McClendon to do the logical thing. Fernando Rodney has three straight scoreless outings on the resume, which means the arrow-shooting veteran is likely to get a shot, even if it's just an occasional shot, in the ninth inning fairly soon. Here's Bob Dutton with the Seattle scoop; this could resemble a committee soon.
Carson Smith has the dominant numbers along with three fresh saves - he still heads that committee, if the word even applies. And it sounds like McClendon is fine with that arrangement. But McClendon mentioned Rodney as a possible fill-in when Smith needs a break, and what if Rodney dodges the lightning for a save or two? It can be easy to shift back to the "proven" veteran.
Often the save chase is about following the roles over the skills (contrary to general fantasy logic), but in this case, I want you to keep the more-talented player, let the roles fall where they may. Smith is likely to eventually slam the door on this case, once and for all. He's that good. And his shutdown innings play in just about any format.
In Other News: Yes, you have my permission to cut Wil Myers (wrist surgery, two months). Actually, I'm ordering you to. And yes, you have my permission to pick up the underrated Will Venable . . . If there is a roto god, let Johnny Cueto get out of Cincinnati . . . Starling Marte had a sacrifice bunt against John Danks - you slay me, Clint Hurdle - and later left with a sore ankle . . . Michael Pineda was dynamite against the Marlins, going six hitless innings before a Christian Yelich homer, but I was frustrated to see the Yanks limit Pineda to just 100 pitches. He’s not going to break if you let him go a little further . . . Jose Altuve is dealing with a balky hamstring and probably won’t play Thursday, either . . . A bad shoulder has Martin Prado heading to the DL. Derek Dietrich, good old Double D, has some deeper-league juice . . . Speaking of juice, here's a tasty Radiohead jam from Europa somewhere. Go smash your league up.
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