Michael Saunders OF (SEA) - Saunders has flashed decent power (6 HR in 39 games), but I am critical of his ability to contribute to fantasy teams the rest of the season. He is striking out too much (33.3% of...

Felix Hernandez – The Seattle right hander will try to build off his recent string of strong performances when he faces the Yankees in New York today. Hernandez has worked at least 8 innings and allowed 2 runs or fewer...

Randy Wolf: Wolf has been a big disappointment, 5-7 with a 4.92 ERA, and his declining skill set is the reason, 2009.2010 K/9’s 6.7/5.3, BB/9’s 2.4/4.6, and GB%’s 40%/41%. He has been getting killed by the HR ball, 18 allowed...

Tim Hudson - Hudson made it 5/6 in quality starts for the month yesterday, shutting out the Nationals over seven innings of work in a 5-0 win. Hudson is riding a GB% of close to 70 and his best velocity...

Jenrry Mejia (SP-NYM) – As you probably know, Mejia was sent to Double-A Binghamton to build up his pitch count in order to help the Mets out later in the year as a starter. Mejia posted a 3.25 ERA with...

Trevor Cahill: It looks like I was a bit conservative in my love for Trevor Cahill earlier in the year when I noted I didn’t think the K’s would come around enough that he’d be mixed league worthy. Well a...

Carl Pavano (SP-MIN) – Pavano is a guy the Mets could have easily signed over the winter, an after Saturday, they’re probably wishing they had. Pavano spun a three-hit shutout against the Amazin’s, walking just one while striking out four....

Brandon Morrow: It’s time to start taking Brandon Morrow very seriously. I’ve been skeptical that Morrow could ever consistently command the strike zone but hat tip to our own Mike Leone who has stood by him all year. Morrow’s K...

Doug Fister – The Seattle right hander will come off the DL today (shoulder fatigue) and face the Brewers in Milwaukee. Fister has been a pleasant surprise for the Mariners and his fantasy owners this season, posting a 2.45 ERA...

Matt Cain: Paul has been all over Matt Cain as a risk due to the high pitch counts and whether Thursday’s outing was due to some fatigue or quite simply some unsustainable peripherals (.238 BABIP, 80% LOB%) that came into...

AJ Burnett: Besides being wildly inconsistent, there is also a noticeable drop in Burnett’s skills, 2007/2008/2009/2010 K/9’s 9.6/9.4/8.5/6.6, BB/9’s 3.6/3.5/4.2/3.5, and GB%’s 55%/49%/43%/47%. In the past, he was able to compensate for his shaky control with dominance and the ability...

Melky Cabrera (OF - Braves) - Melky had an atrocious start to the season and was quickly written-off. But the Melk-Man has quietly put together a nice June and, if you look at his numbers since May 1st, they really...

Scott Kazmir – You might notice that Scott Kazmir, who takes the hill against the Dodgers tonight, has won 5 of his last 6 starts and lowered his ERA from 6.09 on May 22nd to “just” 5.08 as of today....

American League 2 Carlos Santana CLE C A A true beast: 1.300 OPS in first 28 ab with 3:7 K:BB. Playing every day. 6 Desmond Jennings TB OF A .313 in June through 6/21, but 0 HR on the year...

Jamie Moyer- PHI- Hot- Moyer gave up 1 run on 2 hits in 8 IP last night, walking 1 and striking out 5. He has enjoyed good luck this year, with a .236 BHIP, but he has also made some...

Jose Bautista (3B—Blue Jays) Jose Bautista knocked a couple of more home runs on Tuesday which brings his season total up to twenty. Did anyone see this coming pre-season? Because, I'm stupefied by how he keeps knocking them out of...

Jason Castro - Jason Castro is the new starting catcher for the Astros, which now gives them arguably six position players that might warrant ownership depending on league size and style. I say arguably not only because you could argue...

Mariano Rivera told the Post he’d be willing to accept a one-year deal to continue his career with the Bombers. The question whether the Yankees should consider it. The answer to that question is clearly yes. Mo's K rate is...

Ian Kennedy (SP - Diamondbacks) - Kennedy was cruising until the D-Backs sent him out for the 7th inning. After pitching near-flawless (and scoreless) baseball through six innings, Kennedy allowed 3 ER in the 7th before being removed with a...

Travis Snider (OF - Blue Jays) - Snider is likely out of action until at least the All-Star break. He has a sprained wrist, but news out of the Blue Jays front office indicated they will take things slow with...

Ted Lilly- CHC- Cold- With a .208 BHIP headed into yesterday’s contest, Lilly had been blessed by good luck. Regression to the mean may have raised its ugly head as he gave up 8 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits...

Curtis Granderson (OF - Yankees) - Not sure if its premature to say that Granderson has turned the corner, but he is certainly well on his way to getting his power back. With another HR yesterday, he now has 4...

David Ortiz DH (BOS) – After a tough April, I really thought Ortiz was done, particularly since he fared so terribly on fastballs, and it seemed like opposing pitchers knew it. Clearly, I was wrong and Ortiz was not done,...

Troy Tulowitzki (SS—Rockies) After getting hit on the wrist on Thursday, an MRI revealed a fractured wrist for Troy Tulowitzki. It wasn't the news that Tulowitzki owners wanted to hear as he was placed on the 15-DL and is expected...

Ubaldo Jimenez: I tweeted earlier this week that I thought Jimenez may be on the verge of hitting a rough patch (rough is a very relative term for Ubaldo). We’ve touched on some of the early season abuse Jimenez has...

Brett Cecil: Although there is some luck behind Cecil’s good surface numbers, 7-3, 3.58 ERA, 7% HR/FB%, and a depressed .194 BHIP%, there are also good skills, 6.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and a 44% GB%. Cecil turns 24 years of...

CJ Wilson- TEX- Cold- I was in Sun Life Stadium Tuesday night and got to see Wilson up close and personal. He managed to qualify for quality start, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits over 6IP while striking out 6....

Roy Oswalt SP (HOU) – At first glance I’m tempted to say that Oswalt is likely to regress as his K/9 heading into last night’s start were 8.65 after having a K/9 of 7.12 or lower in each of the...

Conor Jackson (A's—Oakland) What was once a very promising career has slide off the tracks and Conor Jackson will now find himself playing the outfield for the Oakland A's after he was traded on Tuesday. There are pluses and minuses...

John Maine: Maine, who has been out since May 20th with a shoulder injury, is scheduled to make his final rehab start today and if all goes well he should be back in the Mets starting rotation next week. In...

Ryan Braun - Braun singled and homered last night, driving in 5 in the 12-2 win over LA. Braun has certainly made strides in his plate discipline over the past three years, increasing his walk rate while cutting his K...

Chris Tillman SP (BAL) - As I suggested after Tillman’s ’10 debut, he is likely to have little fantasy value this season. The early numbers on Tillman, as he pushed his ERA to 8.40 after last night’s start, are he...

Chad Qualls (RP-ARI) – Another appearance, another blown save for Qualls on Sunday, this time against the Cardinals. Qualls allowed three runs in the ninth to allow St. Louis to tie the game, but that now leaves Qualls with an...

Delmon Young: Delmon Young just keeps on trucking. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Sunday with a 3 run HR, his 8th on the season, and is now posting his 2nd consecutive month with an OPS above...

Austin Jackson OF (DET) – Jackson went 2-5 last night to raise his average to .308. I’d be willing to bet a lot that his average come year’s end will not be over .300. It’s doubtful that his 29.5 LD%...

Stephen Strasburg – The Nationals’ phenom draws the Indians this afternoon looking to follow up his major league debut performance when he whiffed 14 Pirates in 7 innings of 2-run ball. The Indians’ offense is putrid this season but comes...

Austin Kearns (OF - Indians) - Well, it took 8 years but Austin Kearns is finally producing fantasy results. Ok, that wasn't fair to Austin, you, or your fantasy team from 2002. But in all fairness, Kearns is on a...

R.A. Dickey (SP—Mets) I'm not sure if there is a more delicate way to say this, but I am becoming a big fan of R.A. Dickey. Dickey improved to 4-0 on the season, pitching seven strong innings against Baltimore, allowing...

Jhoulys Chacin: Chacin lost for the 3rd straight time and 5th time in his last 6 starts on Thursday as he allowed 4 hits, 3 BB’s, and 4 ER’s over 6 innings against the Astros. Chacin continues to rack up...

Nick Blackburn: Even with a good control/ground ball package, 1.9 BB/9 and a 47% GB%, Blackburn’s complete lack of dominance, 2.3 K/9, is leading to a 5.21 ERA. His previous work, 2008/2009 K/9’s 4.5/4.3, offers some of hope of better...

Justin Masterson- CLE- Hot- Last night might have been a heaping helping of regression to the mean for Masterson. He carried a .368 BHIP into last night’s start, where he shut out the Red Sox on 2 hits and 2...

Colby Rasmus (OF - Cardinals) - Rasmus has been held out of the lineup for 3 straight games with a sore calf, but the Cardinals expect him to be back on Friday for the start of the series against the...

Baseball held it's annual player draft this week, and as you may have heard, the Nationals didn't go the cheap route, selecitng Bryce Harper with their second consecutive #1 overall pick. In baseball history, no team has ever added this...

Stephen Strasburg- WAS- Rookie- Talk about living up to the hype. Strasburg wasn’t perfect in his major league debut, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 IP, but he was close enough, striking out 14 batters and walking...

Zack Greinke (SP—Royals) So far, Zack Greinke’s season hasn’t been the kind of year that we would expect having come off a Cy Young award. Yes, the record is pretty sad at 1-8 but we can probably say that that...

A.J. Pierzynski earns 10- and -5 status next Monday, which comes complete with a trade veto power the White Sox may be reluctant to grant, even though he also become a free agent this fall. A.J. may have softened the...

Dan Haren - Haren couldn't pick up a 2nd straight quality start last night against Atlanta, but he did manage to pick up the win with a 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER effort. Haren's scuffles have been discussed ad nauseum...

In our continuing series on player recommendations, the latest edition of Strategy Manager + highlights the pitchers who are deviating from their projected production this season. The under and over producers are listed according to their projected rankings through...

Nick Markakis: Markakis has been a huge disappointment this year and a close look at his peripherals reveals a 3rd straight year of declining ISO and SB attempts. His plate patience skills are still good (.97 EYE, 19% LD Rate),...

Mike Stanton (OF-FLA) – Astute fantasy owners in Yahoo leagues may have noticed that Stanton is actually available in the Yahoo database. If he’s yet to be picked up in your league, he’s certainly a guy worth a short. Sure,...

Casey Kelly - Starting Pitcher Boston Red Sox The Red Sox 2008 first round pick wanted to explore his two-way capabilities for a while, but finally arrived at the conclusion himself this past winter that his future was on the...

Casey McGehee – After a torrid start to the season, Casey McGehee has cooled off lately, posting just a .205/.222/.472 slash line in the past 14 days with 0 HR and 3 RBI. After recording a .946 OPS in April...

Delmon Young OF (MIN) - I’m joining Drew on his island; Delmon Young has a good chance for a nice second half breakout. At age 24, he is showing some serious improvements in important areas of his game. For starters,...

Brett Cecil - Cecil was outstanding again last night, this time going eight innings and allowing only one run to the Yankees in a 6-1 victory. Cecil has only been hit hard once in nine times out this year, and...

Carlos Zambrano (SP—Cubs) Carlos Zambrano’s return to the starting rotation didn’t work out the way he or the Cubs intended as he took his fourth loss of the season against the Astros. Zambrano wasn’t able to get out of the...

Stephen Strasburg: Strasburg made his final minor league start on Thursday, throwing another 5 shutout innings and lowering his minor league ERA to 1.30 and 0.80 WHIP in 11 starts. He posted a tremendous 65/13 K:BB Rate over his 55...

Jayson Nix: With Mark Teahen out for at least a month, Nix should pick up starts at 3B. When first called up last year he hit with power, but over the 2nd half of the season it was just league...

Miguel Tejada- BAL- Hot- With a BHIPx of .234, some regression to the mean is expected for Tejada. Yesterday might have been the beginning of that. He went 3-for-4 against the Yankees with 2 doubles and a run scored. Since...

David Wright (3B - Mets) - Is that David Wright or did Mark Reynolds put on a Mets uniform? The 2010 Wright story continues to be twofold: homeruns and strikeouts. While his power is back with an AB/HR of 14.7,...

American League 3 Jeremy Hellickson TB SP A This is getting ridiculous. 7-4-0-0-0-7 last time out. 67:12 K:BB in 65 IP. 5 Kyle Drabek TOR SP A 8-4-0-0-1-4 last time out. 3.06 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 3.6 BB/9. August debut? 10...

American League 3 Jeremy Hellickson TB SP A This is getting ridiculous. 7-4-0-0-0-7 last time out. 67:12 K:BB in 65 IP. 5 Kyle Drabek TOR SP A 8-4-0-0-1-4 last time out. 3.06 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 3.6 BB/9. August debut? 10...

Cliff Lee – The Mariners’ lefty toes the rubber later today against Minnesota in search of his 4th Win of the season. Through 6 games in 2010, Lee is actually pitching much better than a season ago. He’s improved his...

Brad Penny: Penny, who has been out with a strained lat muscle, is about two weeks away from returning. Prior to the injury, Penny was putting up good numbers, 3.23 ERA in 9 starts, with solid skills support, 5.7 K/9,...

Matt Holliday - Holliday doubled and walked yesterday, finishing May with a five-game hitting streak in which he hasn't struck out once. Looking at his past three or four years though, Holliday really seems to be slowing down early in...

Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B - A's) - I wouldn't exactly call his one hit on Monday a "breakout," but it was a step in the right direction after going hitless in the first three games of the series against the...