Angels' Jered Weaver dazzles in major league debut

	In his major-league debut, Jered Weaver tossed seven innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts to earn his first win. AP

By Michael Bornhorst, Special to SI.com, TalentedMrRoto.com

Considering that Barry Bonds' historic 715th home run ball was caught by a fan who had walked away from the inning in favor of beer and peanuts, perhaps it's time baseball consider calling up some fans from the minors. Until that day comes, we'll keep our eyes focused on the players who are approaching the big leagues.

Heading Up

Jered Weaver, SP, Los Angeles Angels: Another week, another big-time prospect making his major-league debut in an Angels uniform. Jared is the Weaver you want from the current Angels' pitching staff. Called up to fill in for the injured Bartolo Colon, Jared's short-term future with the club is uncertain. But if his debut is indicative of his future performance, the team may have trouble sending him back to the minors when the Colon is medically cleared. Jared was having an outstanding season in Triple-A prior to the promotion (2.05 ERA, with a gaudy 66:8 K:BB ratio), and as a former college star, Weaver comes to the pros with more seasoning than your average starting prospect. Regardless of the team's short-term plans, Weaver is worth picking up (if you still can...) in any league, as it's difficult imagining this righty wouldn't become a fixture in the Angles rotation before season's end.

Enrique Gonzalez, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks: A few weeks ago, I profiled Gonzalez in anticipation of a seemingly pending promotion. Turns out, I was a few weeks ahead of the curve. Nevertheless, he's now been added to the Diamondbacks' staff. Gonzalez has been in Arizona's system for some time (having signed in 1998), but despite this, the righty is just 24 years old. That Enrique doesn't have dominating stuff suggests that his adjustment to the majors may be rocky. That said, Gonzalez's track record (2.24 ERA in Triple-A prior to his call-up, and a 3.46 ERA Double-A ERA in 2005) makes him worth gambling on in NL-only leagues.

Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kemp is quite the call up. I say this because his long-term value is high, his current development is incomplete and the Dodgers have some depth in the outfield. Kemp has the power-speed combination to make him keeper-worthy (.528 SLG, 11 steals this season), but teams playing for 2006 shouldn't expect too much production from Kemp, as the Dodgers will likely return him to the minors for more seasoning.

Shawn Hill, SP, Washington Nationals: Hill reminds us all that it's great to see a successful return from Tommy John surgery. He showed steady improvement as he paraded through the lower levels of the minor leagues (with a then-career ERA hovering just slightly over 3.00), and his impressive progression earned him a cup of coffee with the Expos in 2004. But an arm injury sidelined Hill for all of 2005. It was more of the same once the righty took to the hill in Double-A (2.64 ERA, 29:4 K:BB ratio), which led to his recent promotion. Given that he's spot-starting for the injured fifth starter (Zach Day), both Hill's pitching schedule, and near future with the club, are too uncertain to make him worthy of a roster slot on most fantasy leagues. Should his tenure solidify, however, it'd be a different story.

Edgardo Alfonzo, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays: The name's the same, but this is not the Alfonzo of old. Gone is the double-digit home run power and the opportunity to collect RBIs by way of being nestled in the middle of the lineup. But Alfonzo may still have it in him to produce a batting average that won't kill your team (it won't help it, either, but why dwell on the negatives?). He also has one thing going for him: a starting job, albeit, possibly a temporary one. Only for AL-only players in need of a warm body.

Ryan Spilborghs, OF, Colorado Rockies: Kid doesn't have much pop, but he was hitting .317 in Triple-A prior to his call-up. It's not like Cory Sullivan is setting the world on fire...