Billy Butler hit his 11th homer of the year on Tuesday, one day after a five hit effort and now has four RBI in the last two games. He still isn't hitting for the power that I assumed he would when he came to the majors, but he is hitting near .300 and soon these doubles (31 through today) have got to start leaving the yard. Butler should continue to be a very solid hitter for the rest of the season, and hopefully the recent increase in power (three dingers in the last eight games) will keep going and he will get to 17 or 18 homers.
Matt Wieters looks like he is showing little signs of life, as he had a four hit game on Tuesday. The bad news is they were all singles, but seeing the way that he is disappointing those of you who spent early draft picks on him and waited all year for him to come to the majors. He has now hit safely in seven straight games and has driven in a run in three straight. I think it is safe to assume he won't be the difference maker we thought he might be when he came to the big leagues this season, but if he can hit .280 with a little power, his owners would likely sign up for that at this point.
Scott Kazmir is another guy that you absolutely have no idea what to expect when he takes the mound. Kazmir either gives up five to seven runs per game or else he throws a game like he did on Tuesday. He gave up just one run over seven innings and struck out four. It was the first time all season that he got through seven innings and Kazmir has been all over the map this season. He is still too talented to let go of, but you might not want to start him every time out. Of course with that strategy you likely would have benched him against New York. I guess what I am saying is good luck trying to figure out what you are going to get from Kazmir.
Clay Buchholz had his win blown by the bullpen, but he had a nice bounceback after a rough outing against the A's. Of course most pitchers will fare better against Oakland than they will against Texas, but it is good to see Clay pitching pretty well and keeping the strikeouts up. Buchholz allowed two runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five. It is still very likely that he is only in the majors until Tim Wakefield is ready to return from a back injury, but enjoy the production from Clay while it lasts.
Kevin Kouzmanoff not only has a five game hit streak, but also has a five game RBI streak. He will always have some value in deeper leagues because of his power potential, but his horrible batting average will always keep him from being a guy who is owned in most 12 team leagues except for a time like now that he is hot. Someday I still think that Kouzmanoff will be a consistent threat who will hit .265 with 25-30 home runs. 2009 will obviously not be it, but it could be a couple more years before he truly realizes his potential.
Mike Pelfrey is all over the map. Sometimes he is great, sometimes he is horrible, most of the time he is average. Pelfrey won his eighth game of the season as he shut out the Rockies over 6.1 innings and struck out five. He has some value as an end of the rotation guy in 12 team leagues, but his ERA near 5.00 and his WHIP of 1.50 makes it likely that he could be a free agent in your league. He is better as a guy you pick up against some of the weaker hitting teams in the National League. His performance tonight against the Rockies has to be classified as a surprise.
Gordon Beckham has been hitting and looking more comfortable by the day for the White Sox. Beckham drove in two runs, giving him at least one RBI in four straight games, and he now has seven hits in the last five games. In keeper leagues, Beckham is a must have as he should have an incredibly bright future in the majors and he could be a 20/20 guy as soon as 2010.
Jhonny Peralta homered for the third straight day, and even though it might have taken a long time, you should consider this him finally breaking out of his slump. Peralta now has nine dingers with 52 RBI and he has gotten his average up to .271. If you have any need for help at middle infield and he is still available, don't hesitate to get him on your team.
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.
He didn't arrive with much fanfare, but Mike Aviles has been one of the better rookie hitters so far in 2008. The Royals 2007 Minor League Player of the Year hit 17 HRs and drove in 77 runs in 2007. He was on pace to crush that season in 2008 before the Royals summoned him to play with the big boys (.336/10/42 in 51 games in '08). Aviles got off to a great start, but had many fantasy owners not believing that he was for real. Like all young hitters he will slump from time to time (no hits in last nine at-bats currently), but his track record says that he will continue to hit. And with no competition to take his job with the Royals, he should be a great pickup at a weak position.
Chase Headley, San Diego Padres
.254, 4 HRs, 6 RBI (15 games)
Headley is one of the better hitting prospects in baseball, and would have had a starting job out of Spring if he was ready to play left field. But he went down the minors, crushed the baseball, and learned the outfield. Now that he is back with the Pads, he is looking to keep on doing what he has been.....hitting baseballs out of the park. Since his call up on June 17th, Headley has only gone hitless twice, and has an eight game hitting streak going right now. He has shown pretty good power at the major league level and just needs to cut down on the strikeouts. I don't see him returning to the minors again anytime soon, so if you need some help, Headley could be a good option for you.
Max Ramirez, Texas Rangers
.150, 1 HR, 3 RBI (6 games)
Has Jarrod Saltalamacchia fallen out of favor in Texas already? Everyone thought he would be the starting catcher out of Spring, but the job was given to Gerald Laird. Then Laird gets hurt, and up from AA comes Max Ramirez. Ramirez was making the minors look like Junior Varsity as he was hitting .363 with 17 homers and 50 ribbies in just 67 games. However, it is looking like the jump from Double-A to the majors might have been too big for Max, as he is struggling mightily at the plate. Don't be surprised to see him return to the farm if he struggles more in the next few days. Keep his name in the back of your mind for next season, however, perhaps then he might be ready for prime time.
Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
.100, 1 RBI, 2 SBs (3 games)
The Yankees needed to inject some speed into their lineups and did so with the promotion of Gardner. He is certainly never going to wow you with his power, as he never even hit 10 homers in a season in the minors, but that's not why you would own him. Gardner has blazing speed and has the potential to steal 50 bases in the majors if he were ever to get regular playing time. That's a problem on the Yankees, as with Melky Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui, at-bats in the outfield are tough to come by. But with Matsui hurt, and Damon crashing into the wall on Friday, perhaps Gardner will get some playing time, and if you need steals, this is a good place to go to get them.
Chris Davis, Texas Rangers
.316, 3 HRs, 7 RBI (7 games)
The Rangers best hitting prospect came to the majors to inject some more power into that lineup, and so far he has delivered. Davis was putting up big numbers in the minors before his call up (.333/14/42 in just 46 games) and has continued hitting in Texas. Rumors are that he might return to the minors when Hank Blalock returns from the DL, but I have two thoughts on that. One, if he keeps hitting like this, how do you send him down? Two, Hank Blalock come off the DL? Who really thinks that is going to happen anytime soon? Or even if he does it is just a matter of time before he is hurt again. I like Davis, big time.
Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals
.428, 1 HR, 1 RBI (4 games)
One of the top hitting prospects in ALL of baseball, Butler has been a guy that we have been waiting for to hit .315 or better and bash out 25+ home runs. However, in his short major league career he has yet to show that power potential that he flashed in the minors. In 2007 at AAA, Butler connected on 13 homers in just 57 games, which translates to nearly 40 over an entire season. However, in his 149 games at the major league level he has just ten. Butler has a world of talent and in deeper (16+ teams) or keeper leagues, you should probably make a move on Butler now, depending on your roster.
Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays
.333, 3 HRs, 10 RBI (8 games)
This is far from Lind's first stint in the major leagues, but so far it has certainly been his most productive. I have been one of Lind's biggest critics as I haven't seen anything in his game to match all the hype that surrounded his ascension to the majors. He had shown SOME power in his other trips to Toronto, but his batting average was so bad, that you couldn't afford to keep him on your roster. In his previous call-up earlier this year, Lind was only able to collect one hit in six games, while striking out three times. Something might have finally clicked for him though, as he has been a nice shot in the arm for the Blue Jays offense. He has driven in six of those runs in the past three games, and although his average is still not impressive, he might be worth a spot on your team.
See more great articles like this one at fightingchancefantasy.com. Also, listen to the Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report on Blog Talk Radio every Tuesday night at 10 pm EST. Visit www.fantasygurusnetwork.com for the schedule as well as other great radio shows hosted by your Fantasy Guru Network.
Butler started the season with the big club, but he struggled with the bat, showed almost no power, and was sent back to AAA.Butler obviously has nothing more to prove in the minors, as he went right back to ripping it up when he was sent down.It is just a matter of time before he is back in Kansas City, and he is certainly someone you want to have on your team when he does.Butler has the talent to be one of the best pure hitters in the majors, a high average and lots of power, he just needs to find a position.
The jewel of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, Maybin could be a 30/30 player in the near future.The Marlins wanted him to start the season in centerfield, but he struggled in Spring Training, and was sent to AA to hone his skills.His batting average is lower than you might expect, and he is striking out at an alarming rate.Don't let this scare you away, particularly if you are in a keeper league.Maybin has mad skillz, and when he does come to the majors, he should have an immediate impact.
The Cardinals best hitting prospect since that Pujols guy, Rasmus will be held in the minors perhaps for most of the season.With the way the Cardinals outfield has been playing, coupled with Rasmus' struggles, there's no reason to rush their young prize to the majors.Any injury in the outfield in St. Louis (which is possible the way they are falling for the Cards), and you could see Rasmus with the big boys.Don't let the low average fool you, Rasmus has the tools to be a great player very quickly.
There's good news and bad news for Matt LaPorta.The good news is he is having one of the more impressive seasons in all of the minor leagues.The bad news?With Corey Hart, Mike Cameron, and Ryan Braun in the Brewers' outfield, it would take an injury to have him arrive in Milwaukee.More bad news?All three of those guys are under contract next year as well.LaPorta obviously has a ton of potential as a power hitter once he gets his opportunity, and a name to watch the news for because he should be on all fantasy teams when he arrives.
McCutchen is a rare, young talent.He has good power potential with the possibility of hitting 25+ homers and could easily steal 50 bases.The emergence of Nate McLouth has kept him at AAA, but at just 21 years old, McCutchen has an insanely bright future in front of him.He might not make the majors until September, but he is someone all keeper league players will want to own.
What really needs to be said about Liriano?In 2006, the greatest pitching prospect in a long time set the major league world on fire with an 11-2 record then was lost for a year with Tommy John Surgery.His attempted return in 2008 was halted by wildness and inconsistency and he was returned to the minors after being unable to get anyone out or throw the ball over the plate.Liriano has been much better of late, and a return to the majors after the All-Star Break seems likely. Will he return to his pre-surgery form? That is still up for debate.
Last year's minor league leader in strikeouts, Gonzalez has been struggling for most of the season.He was traded to the A's in the Nick Swisher trade, but so far this is one guy that Billy Beane might have missed on.Gonzalez has plenty of potential, and certainly knows how to miss bats, but he needs to work on being more consistent before he gets a sniff of the majors.He is someone to keep your eye on, but his shining star has dimmed some in 2008.
When Miller is healthy, he has been one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.Unfortunately for him, that hasn't been the majority of the time.Miller is currently out right now after undergoing surgery to repair a frayed tendon in his middle finger.This injury history will always follow him, and it will cause him to be overlooked in the future by fantasy players, but for those risk takers out there, Miller could be a great option if/when he reaches the majors.
The Angels top pitching prospect has nothing more to prove in the minors, but was less than stellar when he was called to the big leagues.Lately, however, Adenhart has been struggling at AAA as well.He has lost six of his last seven starts, and he has fallen to 5-6.It has gotten to the point where I would wait until he is called up AND had three or four quality starts before I thought of adding Adenhart to my roster.
This is one of the most dynamic pitching prospects to come around in some time. Price has dominating stuff, and although he is just in Single-A right now, it isn't out of the question that he could be in the majors before the end of the season.He is awesome at all things, he doesn’t walk many, his strikeout rate is just overone an inning, and he doesn't allow many runs.Now that the Rays are a team that actually scores runs and wins games, Price is probably the hottest commodity to get your hands on in those leagues that allow minor league players.
See more great articles like this one at the newly redesigned fightingchancefantasy.com. Email us at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com on any question and you will get a response within 18 hours guaranteed.
