Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/17

Tommy Hanson continues to be everything that we hoped many young pitchers would be, but so few actually turn out to be. Hanson ran his record to 8-2 with a win over the Diamonbacks, and he allowed just two runs over six innings and struck out seven. Even more impressive is he didn't walk a batter. Through 13 starts his ERA now sits at 3.05 and his WHIP at a respectable 1.28. I don't think I need to tell you that he is one of the better young pitchers in baseball, and has to have become one of the more sought after keepers for those of you who are in that kind of league. He's beaten the Yankees and the Red Sox in his first season so feel good starting him against anyone. Since his first rocky start, Hanson has only allowed more than three runs twice since he was called up to the majors.

Max Scherzer, on the other hand, has been everything that most young pitchers turn out to be. He doesn't go deep into games, he walks too many guys, yet he strikes a bunch of hitters out. His defense abandoned him more tonight, as only three of the nine runs he allowed were earned. Scherzer pulled his usual outing, five runs with seven strikeouts. The good news was he only walked one, but the Braves were too much for him. Scherzer has been a tough guy to own this season, he has been very hit or miss. The good ones are very good, but the bad ones have been close to scary sometimes. Scherzer is still a guy that I have a great deal of confidence in for 2010 and going forward.

Nate McLouth and his injured hamstring have landed on the 15 day DL. McLouth came out of the game on Saturday after reaggravating the injury and will be out for two weeks. I don't foresee this lasting longer than the 15 days, so just stash him until he is able to return.

Nelson Cruz is to begin a rehab assignment today and is on track to return to the Rangers on Wednesday. There should be further news confirming this before putting him back in your lineup, I will try to pass that along if I can.

What in the world has gotten into Vladimir Guerrero lately? After having just four home runs all season long, Vlad has tacked on SIX through the first 17 days of August, 13 really if you count he didn't play the first few days. He was always one of the best outfielders in all of fantasy, so is this a Vlad resurgence? Well, I wouldn't count on it. If he was dropped in your league during his injury/inconsistency/can't hit a lick phase, I would scoop him up and play the hot hand, but the days of Vlad the Impaler are over. I think he is a 15-17 homer guy at best, and that is 2009, and going forward.

Garrett Jones, or as I like to call him, The Master of the Solo Home Run, hit his 13th roundtripper of the year on Monday in just his 40th major league game. Even more suprising is this one was a two run shot. I gave Jones this nickname because the guy has 13 home runs and just 22 RBI. This is an incredible pace, and I don't think I mean that in a good way. Thirteen jacks in 40 games is great, but I would like to see more ribbies. The career minor leaguer still has his batting average near .300, and the power while not unexpected, is a nice addition which I thought would have tailed off a while ago.

Aubrey Huff was traded from Baltimore to Detroit for a minor leaguer. I don't see this as having a major effect on his fantasy value. Whether it is some games at first, some at third, a few in the outfield, and probably some DH, I think Huff should play if not everyday, most everyday. His value might take a slight bump because of the better lineup that he will now be in.

Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a record $15 million deal over four years. Now it is the waiting game to see if the contract includes the fact that he MUST be brought into the majors this season. We will see exactly what this kid is made of and if he is the NEXT BIG THING or not. This would have been a PR nightmare for the Nats so it was good to see them get this done.

David Wright spoke to the media (why I'm not sure, do we need post-concussion press conferences?) and said that he was basically not feeling any real after effects from the concussion he suffered when he was hit in the head by a pitch by Matt Cain and he wants to play again this season. I don't see any point in the Mets throwing their franchise player back in there, but Wright is a competitor and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him back sooner rather than later. As long as he is cleared by doctors, expect Wright to play again this year so if you own him in seasonal leagues I would most certainly not drop him.

Ervin Santana won his second consecutive start and he is now looking like he should be worth picking up if he is available in your league. He has been awful for most of the year, but he has won three straight decisions, and COULD be on track to being close to what he was last year. He allowed three earned runs over six innings and struck out five. There is no doubt that Santana has been a bitter disappointment all season long, but when a guy was 16-7 with over 200 strikeouts the year before, you pounce on him when he hits a hot streak.

I suggested to more than one person to give Francisco Liriano one more start before cutting him loose since he was so good the last time he took the mound. Well, that was the one more start, feel free to give him the boot. Hey Francisco! Don't let the door hit you where the Lord split you! He was monumentally awful on Monday allowing seven runs over just two innings, walking two and striking out just one. You can hold him if you want, but I think it is finally time to show him the door.

Don’t forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

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As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.