Ask the average fan to name the great hitting SS in the game, and you'll get a list of names like Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada, and maybe Edgar Renteria. Few will ever mention Carlos Guillen, but they should. He's hitting .303 for the Tigers with 19 HR, 87 RBI, 70 runs, and 11 SB. This season isn't an anomaly for Guillen. In fact, he supported his break-out 2006 campaign with a very similar 2007 performance. He posted a 0.81 FPI in 2006 and is currently at 0.74 with a month to play. He has matched his HR total from last year with 19 and has already exceeded his RBI totals. The one decrease has come in the OBP department, with a drop from .399 to .364, mostly due to his decline in walks from 71 last year to just 43 this year. His BB/PA rate of 8.6 has dropped to 11.4, which has also had a resulting impact the number of runs scored (100 in 2006 compared to 70 so far this year). I think Guillen is poised for a big month and should inch closer to his 2006 totals by the end of this season. Its time to at least mention Guillen in the same conversation with other offensive shortstops.
Jair Jurrjens is one of my favorite baseball names, but that doesn't help his fantasy value. He started against the Yankees on Sunday, but had to leave early with a shoulder injury. The Tigers have placed him on the 15-day DL. No word from Detroit on exactly who will take Jurrjens' spot in the Tigers rotation, but Chad Durbin seems like the logical to face Oakland on Friday. He doesn't hold much fantasy value other than a flier in AL-only leagues. Another option would be a Triple-A call-up of Virgil Vasquez, who would be on his regular scheduled start day. Vasquez looked good on Sunday, giving up just 1 ER and striking our 4 in 7.0 IP for the Toledo Mud Hens. He's had a solid season, posting a 12-5 record with a 3.48 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, K/9 of 7.4, and a GB/FB of 0.86. He may be worth a flier for Friday's start if you're looking for a pitch-and-ditch candidate for the upcoming weekend.
BJ Upton hit his 20th HR on Sunday, giving him 63 RBI and 65 runs as well. I love writing about Upton, because he combines power and speed with 2B eligibility. He's hitting .307 with a .918 OPS, .385 OBP, and a 0.79 FPI. His 20th HR of the season doesn't seem like enough to give him a HR/AB of 18.1, but he sat out with that quad injury for a little time, so he only has 362 AB. Since that injury, his SB production has gone down. Actually, it has gone to nothing. He only has 2 stolen base attempts since returning from his injury and hasn't successfully swiped a base since June 7th. He still has 13 for the season, but all of those have come in the 1st half. Other than the slowdown on the basepaths, the other downside of Upton's game is his propensity to strikeout, averaging a K for every 3.5 PA (about once a game if you think about it) and is posting a batting eye of 0.40. No matter how you slice and dice Upton's numbers, if your in a non-keeper league, you probably were able to snag Upton on the cheap either really late in the draft or off the free agent wire early in the season. I think you're happy with his overall production given his purchase price.
Al Reyes reached the 20th save threshold, striking out the side in the 9th against the A's on Sunday. That makes him 20-for-22 in save opportunities. Reyes has certainly cooled-off in the 2nd half, earning just 3 saves since the all-star break with a 5.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and .300 BAA. The first half was a better story for the 37-year-old, who recorded 17 saves with a 4.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and .175 BAA prior to the all-star game. He's the go-to guy for the Devil Rays in the 9th inning, so keep sticking with him if you've had him all year. One note of concern is the tremendously difficult schedule the Rays have in September, which could limit his save opportunities. Check out this opponent list, in chronological order, for the last month: Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Mariners, Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, and finally Blue Jays. Other than the Orioles, those are all tough teams with 4 of them having playoff implications.
Despite a rather disappointing season for Jermaine Dye, he still reached the 25 HR mark on Sunday. Its impossible for him to repeat his 44 HR season of last season when he average a dinger for every 12.3 AB, but he's still posting a respectable rate of 16.8 and should reach 30 HR without a problem. While his power has been ok, the rest of his numbers have been less desirable. He's only posting a 0.58 FPI compared to 0.66 in 2005 and 0.84 in 2006. His average is over 75 points below his season-end average in 2006 (.315 down to .249) and his OPS differential is almost 200-points (1.004 down to 0.805).
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