New kids on the diamond

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You Carlos Santana owners need to stop whining. In the wake of Santana's season-ending knee injury, I must have heard from five of his owners over the past week who contacted me looking for sympathy -- rather than fantasy advice. Get over it and take action.

This is the perfect time of year to look to recent call-ups when injuries strike. For example, even after his stellar two home run debut on Saturday, J.P. Arencibia is still available in 81 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Arencibia smacked 31 HRs and had 79 RBIs in 95 games at Triple-A. While Arencibia can go on whiff streaks when he gets impatient, the power is certainly for real. He's a perfect replacement for Santana owners. And let's be honest, if Arencibia is simply solid, John Buck isn't getting back his full-time catching gig when he returns from the disabled list. Make sure to check out our daily and weekly Xclusive Edge Rankings to see where we have Arencibia ranked.

Let's take a peek at some other recent promotions and continue to look at kiddies impacted by deadline deals.

Chris Carter (1B/DH, OAK)

I know you Ryan Howard owners are searching for an injury replacement. Here's a candidate for you in deeper mixed leagues -- assuming he gets playing time. I am punching out this column before it has been officially announced that Carter will be summoned from Triple-A. However, in light of injuries to Daric Barton and others on the Athletics' roster, it appears likely that Carter is on his way to the bigs. Carter is a 6-4, 225-pound monster with a .262 BA, 27 HRs and a .521 SLG at Triple-A. He has been on fire with a .362 BA and .691 SLG since the All-Star break. The A's recently started experimenting with Carter in the outfield in an attempt to find ways to get him in the lineup. Carter will need to impress to extend his major league stay, but he's worth a stash based on his power alone. At a minimum, there's a longer audition on the horizon for Carter at September call-up time.

Ryan Kalish (OF, BOS)

Kalish has made quite an impression with the Red Sox (.360 BA, .393 OBP, .520 SLG) and fantasy owners are starting to take notice. Specifically, he's starting to grab attention because the playing time door has been busted wide open by Mike Cameron's ever-lasting abdomen injury. Despite the early success, I'm strongly recommending against Kalish in any mixed league format. I know it's hard to keep your paws off any promising youngster getting playing time on a major market team -- especially one who has put up strong early numbers. Resist the urge. Kalish's best tool is his speed (25 SBs in the minors this year), but it's unclear how much he will be given the green light in Boston (zero SBs through eight games). Further, that high batting average is currently supported by a .471 batting average on balls in play and his 28 percent strikeout rate suggests growing pains are ahead. Roll with a more experienced outfielder in mixed leagues.

Peter Bourjos (OF, LAA)

Bourjos is another dude getting way too many looks merely because he has a starting job. It also didn't hurt that he took over defensive duties from Torii Hunter in centerfield -- even though that has no fantasy relevance. Sure, Bourjos has tremendous wheels (27 SBs at Triple-A), but he doesn't have the plate patience (five-percent Walk rate at Triple-A) to take advantage of that speed in the majors. Consider Bourjos a one-trick AL-only pony at this stage of his career; and it's a trick you can't trust.

Mike Minor (SP, ATL)

Many experts, including myself, confidently doubted whether Minor had the strikeout skills to be an above average fantasy hurler after watching him in college. It would be an understatement to say his 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings rate has silenced the doubters. In fact, his 10-plus K/9 at every minor league level has convinced me that I should be placed on fantasy scouting probation. Minor has shown that velocity differential and excellent command within the zone can be just as effective as pure heat in generating whiffs. Minor has replaced the injured Kris Medlen in the Braves' rotation and has a chance to stick with a few good starts. Take a flier on Minor if you need pitching in mixed formats. You will see a lot of Cole Hamels in this southpaw because of his fantastic changeup.

James McDonald (SP, PIT)

McDonald is no longer a prospect, but he's young enough (25 years old) for some "New Kids" love. McDonald was recently dealt along with Andrew Lambo to the Pirates for Octavio Dotel. The 6-5, 195-pound righty has continuously impressed in the minors with a 9.56 K/9 and .226 batting average against over the course of his career. Although successful as a reliever for the Dodgers, he was never able to put it together in a starting role when he was in the majors. McDonald needed a change of scenery and he got it. McDonald had an excellent first start for the Pirates: eight innings pitched, four hits, zero earned runs, eight strikeouts, and zero walks. He used his off-speed stuff much more in his first start with the Bucs; this change in approach could be a sign of things to come in his new organization. McDonald is primed to be a late bloomer on his new team.

Pedro Ciriaco (SS, PIT)

Promise me you won't scoop up Ciriaco in a month when he becomes the Pirates' starting shortstop. Ciriaco and Chris Snyder were dealt to the Pirates on deadline weekend for Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby, and D.J. Carrasco. Pirates' management has already stated they will give Ciriaco the opportunity to be the shortstop of the future. The good news is he has the speed to steal 15-20 bags per season if he's given a full-time job. The bad news is he will hurt your squad in every other way if you play him in any format. Ciriaco has no plate discipline and very little power. In the end, Ciriaco is destined to be a utility player with a pretty glove and excellent pinch-running skills. Stay clear.

All statistics as of August 8, 2010.

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Hit Bill Root with a tweet @Bill_Root or an e-mail at broot@rotoexperts.com if you have a burning fantasy prospect question. Make sure to check out our Xclusive Edge Rankings for help with your tough lineup decisions.

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