Michael Young- TEX- Hot- Young has bounced back since returning from his latest bout of hamstring troubles. This has been the first season that he has been seriously impacted by injuries, playing only 133 games so far. Still he has maintained a .325 batting average with average (for him) luck (.290 BHIPx) . Young’s Batting EYE of .52 is in line with his career norms, in fact a bit better than usual. He still will help in average and with 22 homers this year gave some unexpected help in that category as well. Next year, count on the average, but count any homers as a bonus.
Ian Kinsler- TEX- Hot- By drawing 3 walks last night and not getting an official AB, Kinsler keeps his current 6-game hitting streak alive. He is 7-for-20 in that span, with 5 walks and 2 homers. Kinsler had his usual bout with injuries, but still established career highs in games played, ABs and homers. The 31 homers is a huge jump for him, but not unsustainable. Kinsler definitely used the Ballpark to his advantage, posting a .286 average with 20 homers there in 287 ABs, as opposed to a .217 mark with 11 homers in 263 road ABs. Kinsler’s overall average of .253 was weighed down mightily by bad luck (.189 BHIPx). He is not going anywhere so in 2010 count on another bucket full of homers, a better average and a DL stint somewhere over the course of the season.
Darren O’Day- TEX- FYI- O’Day has to be considered one of the greatest reclamation projects of 2009. Cast off by the Mets early in the season, he became a key setup man for the Rangers, with 20 holds so far. The one thing that could be a problem heading into 2010 is that O’Day enjoyed an inordinate amount of luck, with a .237 BHIP. If he can continue his strikeout ratio near his 54 Ks in 56 IP that he had this season, that will not be as much of a factor. Since he had a decent K ratio in the minors, this is quite possible.
Andruw Jones- TEX- FYI- Jones had something to prove going into this season and he did it. With 17 homers in 271 ABs he showed there is still power left in his bat. Since 8 of those homers came on the road in 131 ABs, he was not dependent on hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark to pad his stats. That will be important as he heads out to free agency again because his .210 batting average was not impressive. Astute GMs out there, though, will realize that bad luck suppressed Jones’ numbers since he had a brutally low .144 BHIPx. He could end up being a bargain for both the major league team that signs him and fantasy owners who take him in 2010.
Elvis Andrus- TEX- Rookie- Andrus more than met expectations in his rookie season. He was almost a full year ahead of his original scheduled arrival in the big leagues and was not overmatched. His batting average of .268 was respectable and being 6th in the AL in steals (with 32 heading into last night’s game) gives Andrus some tangible fantasy value. His defense was not a question and despite 22 errors he dazzled with some spectacular plays and showed excellent range. Andrus undoubtedly benefited form the tutelage of Omar Vizquel and could end up with a similar career path, with an increasing batting average to go along with the speed and defense. That would not be a bad thing from a fantasy baseball perspective.
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