Miguel Cabrera - He hasn't produced this year like a first round pick, but Miguel Cabrera is quietly flirting with the .300 mark. Hitting .341 for the month of July, Cabrera is now at .294 for the season. His other stats aren't terrible, but they aren't Miguel Cabrera-like: .848 OPS, 23.0 HR/AB, and 0.67 FPI. With his recent surge, consider Cabrera a really solid buy-low candidate if a fantasy owner is willing to part with his upside. It might take a lot, but it looks like Cabrera could produce like his old-self for the next 8 weeks. And, if you structure it right, that could be just the trick you need to lift you past your fantasy opponents when it counts most.
Carlos Quentin - Not so fast Josh Hamilton... we have another MVP candidate in town. That's right - Carlos Quentin is putting up the kind of numbers that will result in AL MVP consideration. Let's take a look: .279, .914 OPS, 0.73 FPI, 13.7 HR/AB with volume totals of 27 HR, 78 RBI, 74 runs, and 45 total extra base hits leading to 203 total bases. Talk about the fantasy pickup of the year - Quentin doesn't show any signs of slowing down. If he goes on a tear and can get that average closer to .300, he'll be a serious candidate for the prestigious MVP award. He is, for sure, one of the biggest offensive fantasy surprises of the season.
Andy Sonnanstine - The first time around against Kansas City, Sonnanstine was dealing - going 7.0 shutout innings with just 5 hits allowed and earning the W. The Royals must have watched plenty of tape prior to the game, because they were ready for him on Sunday. Sonnanstine gave up 5 ER in 6.2 IP on 8 hits and 2 BB and was handed the loss. In fact, it was the third straight loss for Sonnanstine this month. Despite the record, he is 2-for-4 in quality starts and definitely as AL-only value as well as the occasional mixed-league spot-start as long as the Rays keep putting up W's. His next start will be against the Tigers this weekend (which I don't consider a strategic spot-start unless you're trailing in W's and have already blow-out ERA and WHIP in head-to-head leagues by the weekend).
BJ Upton - And now for this week's entry to the BJ Upton Complain Department. This one comes from Joe from NYC... "Hey BJ - I drafted you for my fantasy team, but for some reason, your HR totals aren't calculating properly on my system because it says you only have 6 for the season and that you're averaging a HR for every 60.6 AB. It must be a computer error because you had 24 dingers last year at a rate of 19.8. But thanks for continuing to steal bases. Please advise on the HR total though. Thanks." Its hard to imagine BJ Upton's homerless streak going much longer and I wouldn't be shocked to see his power return in bunches, but you certainly can't depend on it at this point. The good news is that he continues to swipe bases, stealing his 31st base of the season on Sunday.
Javier Vazquez - Nobody deserves a snowman more than Javier Vazquez. First, Vazquez is winless in his last 6 outings dating back to mid-June against the Pirates. In those 6 outings, he is posting a 6.23 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.2 H/9 and a 8.5 K/9. He has 2 quality starts in those 6 starts and there simply has been no consistency out of the right-hander in quite some time. Its best to sit Vazquez for a few starts to see if he can string a couple of QS together. Until then, he's an extremely risky start in any outing against any team.
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