Kelly Johnson - The man won't stop hitting, and he will likely end the season as the waiver wire pickup of the year at 2B position, much like Dan Uggla last season. He hit his 7th HR while scoring 2 Rs and driving in 2. He's up to .289 on the season, and with an OBP of .395 and 5 SBs, he's been an excellent leadoff man for the Braves. Given the quality of the lineup the Braves have behind him, Johnson will be a great fantasy option all season long.
Prince Fielder - He's now pacing the NL with 18 HRs, and with his .291 AVG, he's been a fantasy monster all year long. His season this year reminds me a lot of Ryan Howard's last year, but without the pre-season hype. Your team is likely golden if you drafted him as your starting 1B, getting borderline 1st round value from a later pick.
Tim Hudson - Back to form with 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 3 Ks. I'm not sure where I stand on him. Given some of his seasons in the AL with Oakland, it's possible he could give you a sub 3.00 ERA in the NL. His WHIP of 1.08 so far matches his career best in 2003 when he posted a career low 2.70 ERA. His K rate this year isn't quite as high as it was last year, but it's not dramatically lower, and pitching in the NL could negate that difference. If you've held onto him this long, it's probably in your best interest to keep him unless you can get a better K pitcher in return.
Dave Bush - I read a great line on him the other day when people on a message board were discussing starting him, and one guy stated "There's a restraining order preventing Bush from getting anywhere near my starting pitcher spots until he show signs of being a major league pitcher." Haha. Well, last night was a big step in the right direction, giving his owners 7 IP with 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 6 Ks. I'd recommend waiting another start before activating him, if you've held onto him this long, and he's worth picking up if you have pitching troubles.
Jon Garland - Remember I said it was worth picking him up after 2 straight 1 ER starts? Well, I hope you didn't have him active. 2 straight bad performances from him, including a season high 5 BBs and 6 ERs last night. His K rate is brutal (26 K in 69 IP), and I read he's not getting as many groundballs as in the past. That's not a recipe for success, although his WHIP remains very strong at 1.16. With the lack of Ks, making him a 3 catagory pitcher, I just don't think he's worth the risk unless he's pitching lights out (Fausto Carmona being a good comparison).
Scott Baker - I really thought he had turned it around after his first start, but apparently he's still having problems. He's definitely off-the-radar again for now, and he could be out-of-the-rotation very soon with Matt Garza pitching very well in AAA. He's a better pitcher than this, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Regardless, you can either stop monitoring him, or drop him if you had him stashed.
Michael Young - He's raised his average 24 points over the past 10 days, but only has 3 Rs, 0 HRs, and 2 RBIs to show for it. He's just not producing, and hopefully you've picked up a quality SS off the waiver wire to plug in while he works through his troubles. He's only 30 years old and has 4 straight years of hitting over .300, so he'll likely rebound sometime soon. He's definitely overrated in fantasy leagues unless he regains his 20 HR power.
Dan Haren - 8 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, and 4 Ks for the win. He's like the damn Energizer bunny with these starts, not allowing more than 3 ER all year, with his only 3 ER performance being on opening day. He's seriously the 2006 Brandon Webb of this year.
Grady Sizemore - Another HR and SB for him last night. He's been a fantasy monster outside of the disappointing .269 AVG.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - He didn't rebound like I thought he would. He went 4 strong innings, but then gave up 6 ER and 8 Hs over the last 1 2/3 IP of his outing. He might still be adjusting to the major leagues at this point, and his 4.83 ERA and 1.31 WHIP are awfully disappointing. I stayed away from him due to the hype this spring, and he's a perfect example of why you don't pay a high price for a player who hasn't established himself in the major leagues yet.
Khalil Greene - A grand slam last night to give him 7 HRs on the season, but thanks to his horrible AVG (.221), playing half his games at Petco, and his 7th spot in the batting order, he's not an option in mixed leagues.
Jason Bay - A stolen base last night! I thought I had read the boxscore wrong. Bay has been extremely disappointing in the SB department, attempting and swiping his only base of the year last night after stealing 32 bases in 35 tries over the last two seasons. He's coming off of offseason knee surgery, but he's obviously healthy, so I have no idea why he's not stealing bases. Several Pirates fans have said the 2005 total of 21 SBs was a big fluke, but he did swipe 11 last year. Don't expect many more, apparently, even though you probably drafted him assuming 10-15 would be on the way.
Chris Young (SD) - 7 IP of shutout ball last night, allowing only 4 Hs and 1 BB while K'ing 7. He's been outstanding the last 3 times out, but like I said before, given his propensity to wear down as the season goes along, he's still a great sell-high candidate.
Eric Byrnes - 2 HRs last night, giving him 8 HRs to go along with 9 SBs. He was the most underrated 25/25 threat in the draft this year, and he's on pace for just that. He only hit .267 last year, but that's because he hit a lowly .244 against RHP. He's up to .306 this season, including a very impressive .317 against RHP this year. It's very possible he's solved this huge hole in his game, and he could end up not hurting your AVG like he did last season.
Randy Johnson - Apparently that forearm wasn't a problem at all, as he pitched 6 shutout innings last night, allowing only 1 hit and K'ing 6 in a very impressive 61 pitch outing. His last 4 starts have been very good, and he'll be a top NL starter as long as he stays healthy.
Felipe Lopez - If you're still holding out hope for him, knock it off. With his lack of HR/RBI potential and his subpar AVG, owners needed him to repeat his 40+ SB season to warrant using him. He's now 6/11 in SBs this year, making him pretty much useless.
Russell Martin - The new #3 catcher behind Mauer/Martinez in fantasy? He could be. He's only hit 4 HRs this year, but he's stolen 8 bases, is hitting .303, and has 32 Rs and 36 RBIs. That's an impressive offensive line for a catcher.
Alex Rios - HR #12 last night. Yup, trading him to get Manny Ramirez is definitely paying off...for the other damn owner.
Barry Zito - He's rolling now, shutting out the Mets for 7 innings last night, holding them to 6 Hs and 1 BB while K'ing 7. He seems to be locked in now and could be in for a nice stretch of outings.
Brad Hennessey - A changing of the guard at the closer position for the Giants? He notched his 2nd save last night after Benitez's ugly outing the night before. I wouldn't overreact and say this is a permanent change, but he's worth adding to find out. He doesn't overpower hitters with 14 Ks in 22 1/3 IP, but with a 2.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, he's been a very good reliever.
Elijah Dukes - He's been killing the ball much like he threatened to do to his wife. OK, that was an ugly joke, but he does have 10 HRs. His .223 AVG and 25 Rs/19 RBIs make him a 1 catagory player so far, but he does have legit talent as a hitter. Fantasy baseball aside, it's a complete joke that MLB isn't doing anything regarding his situation. The wife has filed a restarining order, and if he's taken to court for anything, MLB better step up and deliver a harsh punishment for this troubled youngster. He's hardly been a model citizen so far in his career.
James Shields - His amazing breakthrough season continues. He allowed 3 ERs and 5 Hs in the first inning, and then allowed 2 Hs and 1 BB the rest of the game for his 2nd complete game of the year. Given how he tamed the explosive Tigers offense, he's a must-start from here on out.
Sergio Mitre - Those who started him last night had to be angered as the misfortune. He left after 4 innings with hamstring cramps up 4-0, but not before he had K'd 7 hitters and allowed only 3 Hs and 1 BB. I'm still scared of a meltdown, but he posted 5 quality starts in a row before leaving early last night on his way to a 6th. He ratios are amazing (1.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP), and his K rate isn't that bad (38 Ks in 51 2/3 IP). Perhaps he's really breaking out, although no one is taking him too seriously yet. Perhaps you should add him and find out? I'm tempted to.
Aaron Harang - A CG last night for Harang, allowing 6 Hs and 2 ER while K'ing 7. That's two great starts, so hopefully you tried to buy low on him when I suggested doing so.
Erik Bedard - 8 IP of shutout ball last night, allowing 4 Hs and 2 BBs to go with 5 Ks. It was against the Royals, so he delivered exactly as his owners were expecting. That's 6 straight quality starts for Bedard after a rough beginning of the season.
Gil Meche - Perhaps the most underrated signing of the offseason thus far, Meche has reverted back to his 2006 1st half successful form, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He'll have to get that WHIP down to maintain his solid ERA, but his 57 Ks in 78 IP is solid.
Albert Pujols - 2/4 with a 3 run HR last night. He hasn't had a big power explosion yet, but he's hitting .340 this month after a disgusting April. The power should soon follow. I'd still attempt to buy low given his overall numbers so far, although it'll be harder now.
Felix Hernandez - He's still not right, allowing 9 Hs, 3 HRs, and 7 ERs in 6 IP last night. Maybe his back is still bothering him, but who knows. If you're a gambling man, now's a good time to attempt to trade for him as his redraft league value won't get much lower. I'm not sure where he's at health-wise given his struggles since he returned from an arm injury, but I'm very tempted to bench him until he turns in an impressive performance.
Jeff Weaver - Also an ugly outing for this youngster, going 4 2/3 IP while allowing 9 Hs, 3 BBs, and 5 ERs. He's pitched well recently, so he just ran into a hot offense. He should be fine.
Vladimir Guerrero - What a monster he's been this season, hitting a whopping .350 with 11 HRs and 44 RBIs. He doesn't steal much anymore, going 1/2 so far this season, but with the other numbers he's putting up, nobody cares.
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