Nishioka Goes Down

One of the most popular sleepers up the middle this year was the Japanese "rookie" Tsuyoshi Nishioka whose moderate power and decent speed were projected to play well in the Majors. Unfortunately, Nishioka suffered a broken fibula (NOT the same bone that kept Kendry Morales out of action in 2010) yesterday which leaves more than a few managers scrambling to fill a 2B or MI spot which had looked so promising. Below are a few guys who might be available to take the sting out of Nishioka's loss. I'll throw in a few SS as well for those looking to fill a MI position.

Danny Espinosa, 2B for the Nats - Chances are that if Nishioka was drafted in your league then so was Espinosa but if not then he's definitely worth grabbing. Very good power for a MI and decent speed make him a must own in all but the shallowest formats.
Ryan Theriolt, 2B and SS for the Cardinals - Theriolt may not be as fun to own as Nishioka but he's probably safer and projects to match Nishioka in every category.
Chris Getz, 2b for the Royals - Getz appears to have beaten out Wilson Betemit for playing time in Kansas City and while he won't provide much pop he already has two stolen bases. Don't be surprised if he ends up the year with around 20. Watch out when Mike Moustakas gets called up, though, as a crowded infield could cut into Getz' playing time.
Erick Aybar, SS for the Angels - If he's available he should provide all of the speed and lack of power you just lost in Nishioka.
Cliff Pennington, SS for the A's - People are worried about Pennington's BA, .250 last year, but I don't see his BABIP staying under .300 like it did in 2010. For a guy with the speed to steal thirty bases and a LD% at 20 or higher over the past two seasons I'd think his BABIP would be closer to the .342 he posted in 2009 which led to a .279 BA, admittedly in limited duty (229 PA's.) Add in the fact that Pennington has slightly more power than the other pure speed guys on this list and you get the guy who might be the class of the free agent MI pool in your league.

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