Max Scherzer:
I love me some Max Scherzer! Mad Max was at it again on Sunday mowing down Reds in 6 dominating innings. Unfortunately thanks to the Diamondbacks rather offensive offense, Scherzer was credited with a no decision despite yielding just 1 ER and 5 base-runners in the 6 innings of work. He struck out 9 and walked 3 improving his K:BB Ratio on the year to 54:18 in just 45 innings. He’s locked himself a spot in the rotation for the rest of the year and with the struggles of Webb and Haren, he’s arguably the DBakcs best pitcher right now.
Jay Bruce:
The hype with Bruce was so enormous that it seems as if he hasn’t lived up to the expectations, but here is with 18 HR’s, 58 Runs, and 48 RBI’s in 97 games. Sure he’s had some problems with the strikeout and is hitting just .260 with a .770 OPS, but a look closer and you can see the light blurb starting to turn on for Bruce. In September he’s hitting .310/.431/.667 with a .89 EYE and an incredible 16.7% Extra Base Hit Rate. He’s quietly turned the corner and looks set to take the next step to stardom come 2009.
Nate Schierholtz:
Schierholtz has always hit minor league pitching, posting a career .871 OPS in 5 minor league seasons that include two .920+ OPS seasons at AAA in the last two years, but Schierholtz couldn’t seem to find his way into the Giants plans (possibly because he didn’t qualify for an AARP card). Now he’s forcing his way in hitting .375/.432/.550 since his call-up at the beginning of September. He’s shown great contact rates (90%) and good power (10% EXBH Rate) since his promotion, but much of the production has benefited from some good fortune (.344 BHIP%). For those in deeper leagues Schierholtz’s hot streak should draw plenty of attention and in those formats you should continue to ride the hot streak. In more traditional mixed leagues better options likely exist that aren’t facing a likely regression in luck.
Alfonso Soriano:
It’s hard to believe but in nearly 40 less games, Soriano’s 2nd year in Chicago is almost topping his first. Soriano knocked out his 28th HR of the season, just 5 short of his 33 last year and has already eclipsed his RBI total from last season, knocking in his 71st run of the season on Sunday night. He’s stolen the same number of bases (19) and will likely surpass that mark in the final 2 weeks giving him another 20-20 season. The only big difference is the run totals as Soriano has scored 24 less, but even there he’s slightly improved his runs/game from .72 to .74. As Schuyler mentioned a few weeks back it looks like Soriano is aging pretty well and looks in line to produce a couple more productive fantasy seasons. The only question is whether he’ll become a sure fire bet for a DL stint at least once a year as Soriano hasn’t been able to stay fully healthy since joining the Cubs.
Carlos Zambrano:
Now THAT was some kind of return from the DL! Big Z pitched the most dominating game of his life on Sunday night in front of a raucous Cubs crowd at Miller Park completing his first career no-hitter in his first start back from a couple missed turns in the rotation. Just 1 BB was the only thing that prevented Zambrano from perfection as he struck out a season high 10 in the outing and improved his record to14-5. Big Z had a really strong stretch after his first bout with shoulder issues earlier in the year as he posted a 1.78 ERA in July with his best K Rates of the season. He’s certainly got a nice start towards making the same kind of impact in his first month back from the time off. He’ll get the Cardinals in his next outing, a team in which he’s pitched very well in his career against. Welcome Back Big Z!
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