All posts under "Player Commentary" - Page 108

1. Mike Napoli (1B / C - Rangers) - Mike Napoli continues to put up some big numbers in 2011. With his 3rd HR in the last four games, he now has 25 for the season for an incredible AB/HR...

Todd Helton (1B--Rockies) As we head into mid-September, there are many fantasy owners who seasons are winding down and are looking ahead to next year. Which brings us to a guy by the name of Todd Helton; Helton, who after...

1. Brett Gardner (OF - Yankees) - Brett Gardner has had a solid year for sure, swiping 43 bases and playing a solid left field for the Yanks. He's had a couple of rough months to end the season though,...

Jerry Sands (OF - LAD): The Dodgers recalled Sands on Tuesday, but he got his first start since being recalled on Thursday, going 0-3 with a run. Playing time should be a bit more plentiful with Sands going forward...

Justin Verlander- DET- Hot- Verlander might be showing a little bit of fatigue as he only has 1 quality start in his last 3. He only gave up 4 runs in each of the non-quality starts so it hasn't been...

1. Andrew McCutchen (OF - Pirates) - McCutchen had himself a day on Wednesday, cranking out 2 HRs and driving in 4. He has now eclipsed the 20/20 mark with 22 HR and 20 SB with a few weeks left...

C. J. Wilson- TEX- Hot- Wilson threw his first career shutout last night, giving him 6 quality starts in his last 7 appearances. His only non-quality start happened after he had thrown 4 consecutive outings of 110 or more pitches....

Brett Myers (SP-HOU) Myers pitched well against the Pirates last night as he improved his ERA to 4.66 and saw his record go to 4-13. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits (1 home run), and struck out 6...

John Lannan - After last night's 5 1/3, one run performance against LA, Lannan has now gone seven straight starts allowing three earned runs or fewer, bringing his ERA down to 3.48. Unfortunately, there have been nine unearned runs in...

Jeremy Hellickson (SP - TB): I'm starting to feel like this is personal. After Hellickson made me look foolish by ramping up his strikeout rate, he goes out throws a nice complete game victory while recording just 1 K....

B. J. Upton- TB- Hot- Upton went 2-for-4 with 5 RBI last night. This breaks a 4-for-40 slump in his previous 13 games. Upton's average has been dragged down by a .273 BABIP this season and has in fact been...

Ian Kennedy SP (ARZ) - Last night Kennedy won his 18th game of the season, but this is another case where wins do not accurately reflect the skill of the pitcher. By our formula for expected wins, Kennedy should...

Austin Jackson (CF-DET) Jackson went 3-for-5 with a home run, a strikeout, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI against the White Sox on Friday night. Over the last 8 days he has hit .412 with 4 walks and 2...

Cole Hamels - This season has been, by far, Cole Hamels' best of his career. Not only does he enter today's outing against Florida with a career-low 2.58 ERA, he has also lowered his FIP from 3.67 in 2010 to...

Yovani Gallardo (SP - MIL): Directly after writing a post a few months back about Gallardo's value dropping he started flashing signs of his former self by posting 7 quality starts in 8 outings while posting a stellar 52:8...

1. Coco Crisp (OF - A's) - Crisp has been fairly consistent all season from an OBP and SB perspective. He had exactly 8 SB each month from April through July and 6 in August. With one today, he is...

Eric Hosmer- KC- Hot- Hosmer hit 2 homers last night, his first multi-homer game in the big leagues. He has had a solid rookie season, batting .278 with 14 homers since being called up in May. Hosmer still needs to...

Madison Bumgarner (SP-SFG) I have been fascinated for months by the numbers Bumgarner has posted in 2011. He threw one of his best games of the season on Wednesday against the Cubs. He shutout them out for 8 innings while...

Javier Vazquez- FLA- Hot- Vazquez shut out the Mets In his 7 IP last night, allowing just 3 hits. He exhibited the traits that have led to his resurgence, striking out 6 and walking only 1. Vazquez looks solid for...

Jeremy Hellickson (SP-TB) Hellickson's record fell to 11-10 after earning the loss last night against the Rangers. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, 4 walks and 1 home run while striking out 4 in 6 innings of work....

Nick Evans - Nick Evans has started the last 5 games for the Mets, including a 4-8 performance yesterday during the Mets' sweep of the Marlins. Evans has posted a minor league ISO of .200 over 2735 AB's, so there's...

Anthony Swarzak SP (MIN) - I'd avoid starting Swarzak in all leagues today. He has a 3.62 ERA, but an xFIP of 4.87 exposes his true skills - or lack thereof. I'm never a fan of pitchers with low...

A sample of this week's notes..... Andre Ethier (OF-LAD) - Unless the Dodgers are sold and the current management is swept out, it's looking like Ethier's career with the Dodgers could be coming to a close. The latest incident has...

Evan Longoria - (3B - TB): Longoria's started to put things together in a pretty big way of late, but I remain utterly perplexed that his performance this season hasn't continued to grow upon past levels. Longoria's improved his...

Peter Bourjos - Bourjos homered again last night, giving him four in the past week along with a 341/383/648 line for the month of August. The OF situation in Anaheim is extremely crowded right now, and all five players involved...

Prince Fielder- MIL- FYI- For the first time in 5 games, Fielder wasn't walked and he hit a homer. His last 3 homers have come in games where he didn't have a BB. It looks like teams are careful with...

Chris Capuano (SP--Mets) When the Mets signed Chris Capuano during the off-season, they knew it was one of those low-risk/high-reward deals. For $1.5 million, the lefty came cheap. Sure, he been oft-injured but the Mets knew that he was capable...

Michael Bourn- ATL- Hot- Bourn tied his career high for hits in a game with a 4-for-5 effort yesterday. He has pretty much picked up right where he was with Houston after being dealt to the Braves at the deadline....

Justin Morneau (1B - MIN): As with every baseball season there are a number of players that seem to haunt/tantilize owners all year long. Morneau appears to be one of those guys for owners based on the questions I...

Kyle Seager- SEA- Hot- Seager has raised his average to .313 on the strength of a 6-game hitting streak in which he has gone 15-for-25 with 2 homers, 5 doubles, 7 runs scored and 3 RBI. Seager's .397 BABIP is...

Carlos Gonzalez (OF-COL) Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored, 2 strikeouts, a walk and 3 RBI in the Rockies win over the Astros on Wednesday. The home run was his twenty-third of the season, and he improved his...

A sampling of this week's prospect updates: Natonal League 12 Brett Jackson CHC OF B+ Has turned it on in August - .369 with 5 HR. 29 K in 20 games however. 15 Jonathan Singleton HOU 1B B+ HR every...

Ryan Braun (LF-MIL) Braun went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles, 2 stolen bases, 2 walks, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored in the Brewers' victory over the Pirates. Braun now has a career high 28 stolen bases along with 25...

David Ortiz DH (BOS) - Ortiz has missed some games with a heel injury, but appears to be ready to rejoin the starting lineup today. Fantasy owners in daily leagues need to get Ortiz back in their lineups ASAP....

Jordan Schafer - As David mentioned, Jordan Schafer did make his anticipated Astro debut yesterday, going 0-4 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. Schafer is likely to be the starting CF the rest of the way for Houston, and it...

1. Jacoby Ellsbury (OF - Red Sox) - Ellsbury has missed three straight games with a back injury, but the expectation is that he will return to the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday. The back injury stems from an...