Saturday, May 19, 2007

Belated Thursday Wrapup: Dye Not Dead, D. Young Awake, And Good Ole Fausto

Jermaine Dye: Sooner or later the White Sox offense was going to wake up, and Dye seems to be taking that first step. He drove in 4 runs with a double, HR, and sac fly on Thursday. If you're one that likes to buy low after a player starts to wake up, Dye is your man. He'll never repeat what he did last year, but he's a quality hitter that's due for a nice hot streak. Once Thome and his great OBP get back, he'll have more men on base to drive in as well.

Delmon Young: Another guy that falls in the same catagory as Dye...he's heating up and now's a good time to buy low before the window shuts for good. He smacked 2 HRs on Thursday and looks to be breaking out of his slump with his 3rd straight 2 hit game in a row.

Fausto Carmona: A complete game shutout for the surging youngster. He's still not K'ing many people, but with the way he's pitching it doesn't matter. He could be a surprise fantasy pitcher this year as he has a great offense behind him. I expect him to regress as teams figure him out, but he had a successful track record in the minors as a starter, and could be here for good despite being due for a rough patch soon.

Johan Santana: His WHIP is a bit higher than usual, but other than that he's pitching great again, and he usually heats up about now as well. He's actually off to a better start this year than the last few, so he could be in for even better numbers than usual come year's end if he goes on his summer hot streak.

Travis Hafner: His numbers are down a bit right now (.280, only 7 HRs so far), so it might be a good time to call his owner and see if you can get him for a slight discount.

Hideki Okajima: He's worth owning in all formats right now. His ratios (ERA, WHIP, K/9) are insane, and he's clearly the #2 guy for saves behind Papelbon. Papelbon owners would be real smart to add him if they have an empty roster spot, and even non-Papelbon owners should consider him as well. It's a scary time for opposing teams to be down heading into the 8th inning against Boston.

Jon Rauch/Chad Cordero: Again, don't worry about the save for Rauch on Thursday. Cordero had worked 2 straight days after being gone for a week, so he got a day off. He'll get the next save chance for Washington.

Chipper Jones: Jones hit his 11th HR, and has been a true force when in the lineup. With the lack of production at the 3B position this season, it's almost impossible to advise selling Jones unless you can package him for either A-Rod or Wright. He's hitting too well, and there's too many guys not producing at the 3B position this year. The best idea is to make sure you have a quality backup for when he misses game, and enjoy his production when he's healthy.

Ryan Dempster: Or is that dumpster? His ugly 2nd half 2006 self came back to haunt his owners with a complete blowup. The good thing is that he's still the best Cubs reliever, and he has plenty of job security. This will be a good test for him to see what type of mental makeup he has as he'll attempt to bounce-back from this.

Jon Garland: Alright, I'm sold, pick him up. After holding the Yankees to 1 run on Thursday, I'm convinced that he's back to his 2005 form. Don't be afraid to cut bait if he strings a couple bad performances together, but he's pitching incredibly right now. He won't help in K's, but he'll help in the other 3 catagories.

Ben Sheets: The K's are back! As I mentioned before, I was a bit concerned about his K-rate in the early going, but it did indeed prove to be a fluke as his track record suggested. He's now K'd 18 in his last 20 IP, so he's back on track and pitching great. 2 weeks ago I was offered Sheets and Manny for Webb and Rios in a league, and I jumped on it. It's not as lopsided as it sounds due to Webb's usual consistency and Sheet's flakiness, but for that value, Sheets was well worth buying low on. All his owners should be happy as he appears healthy and ready to dominate this year.

Jeremy Hermida: Hitting very well so far, but just 1 HR and no SBs yet. He's showing no rust so far, and could be ready to show his talent. Like I said before, he's worth picking up and speculating on if you have an empty spot, and he's well worth watching in all leagues.

Tim Linecum: After a rough first start in Philly, this super prospect has pitched 14 innings and allowed 9 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 16. He's here to stay, and will continue to get better. Expect some rough spots as with all rookie pitchers not named Liriano, but he'll probably prove to be one of the best waiver wire pitchers of this year.

Roy Oswalt: Cruising along like your staff ace should. 2.83 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 6 wins so far. His strikeout rate isn't what it was a few years ago, but that's of little concern when he pitches like this.

Ichiro Suzuki: Unfortunately I miss a few buy-low candidates trying to go through the boxscores every day, and unfortunatley I haven't touched on him yet until it's too late. He's stolen 7 bases in the last 7 days and has his average up over .320. He's back on track, so hopefully his owners were patient.

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