Chone Figgins- SEA- Cold- Figgins has been unlucky again this season, as he was in limited time in 2011. His .254 BABIP is over 70 points less than his career average, explaining a lot of his .198 average. His 26.0% K%, though, is something that is within his control. Manager Eric Wedge has said if Figgins doesn't turn it around soon his playing time will be reduced.
Jake Arrieta- BAL- Hot- After failing to post a quality start in his last 2 outings, Arrieta shut out the Yankees for 8 innings last night, allowing 5 hits, walking no one and striking out 9. He threw 111 pitches, only the 5th time in his major league career he has hit the 110-pitch mark. In 3 of the 4 previous times (including the one time earlier this season) Arrieta failed to follow up with a quality start. Arrieta's usage pattern will bear watching this season.
Luke Scott- TB- Hot- Scott hit his 6th homer and 19th RBI of the season last night. It was his 21st game of the year. He had 9 homers and 22 RBI in 64 games for the Orioles in 2011. Scott has increased his FB% to 47.4% and his HR/FB ratio is 22.2%. Those numbers are far above his career averages of 42.1% and 15.6% respectively. Scott's Batting EYE has dropped to .38 so there is a good chance his .348 ISO is a statistical blip that will fade as the season progresses. He is a sell high candidate.
Eric Hosmer- KC- FYI- Hosmer was 0-for-19 before hitting his 5th homer of the season last night. His luck still remains horrible so far this year, with a .162 BABIP, but his Batting EYE is up to .71 and his 5 homers in 93 ABs is well above the pace he had last year, with 19 homers in 523 ABs. Hosmer is a buy low candidate if you can wait for regression to the mean to kick in.
William Middlebrooks- BOS- Rookie- Baseball America had Middlebrooks rated as Boston's highest prospect before the season. That was mainly on his combination of power and defense. The defense doesn't have fantasy value, but Middlebrooks should hit more than 25 homers at the major league level on a consistent basis. He hit 9 at AAA Pawtucket before his call up. Middlebroosk stole a base in his major league debut yesterday but that is not what you can expect from him. He likely won't hit .300, but if you want homers from a 3B Middlebrooks will provide that once he nails down a permanent spot in Beantown. In a keeper league, Middlebrooks is a good grab who may provide short term value while Kevin Youkilis is out. His medium term value will depend some on how Youkilis recovers from injury and how the rest of the Boston offense performs.
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