Ryan Church
Are we allowed to admit man-crushes as an analyst? Not sure, but I have a bit of one for Ryan Church. Church was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer Sunday off Atlanta's Lance Cormier. It's been obvious for at least two years now that the Nationals have something against Church, as they've played every mediocre outfielder you can think of over him despite the obvious hitting talent. A .266/.339/.440 is just okay (fine for a CF), but what else can you expect from a guy receiving sporadic at best playing time? Church's 78.6% contact rate is just so-so and it's not like he's hitting for a ton of power, but consider park factors here as well. I'm not sure what the Nationals have to lose by giving him full-time duty the rest of the way, but Washington's continued fondness for the mediocrity that is Nook Logan remains puzzling indeed. Church really has little value outside of NL-only leagues, but if by chance he changes uniforms this offseason, there could be some value to be had.
Chris Young
Young was pretty much unhittable on Sunday, but because he was pitching in Coors Field, that wasn't quite enough. Young went five innings, allowing three runs on just two hits (a two-run Garrett Akins HR being the big blow), but he also walked five and struck out eight. The one-time Cy Young candidate (favorite?) dropped to 9-7 with a 2.72 ERA and in his last four starts, Young is 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA and an un-Young-like 22:15 K:BB. Perhaps the oblique is still bothering him, as Young hasn't been near the same pitcher he was when he went 8-3 with a 2.00 ERA over the season's first half. You have to keep him active, but beware continued second half struggles.
Brian Fuentes
If you're a Fuentes owner holding out hope for a September return to the closer role, it's time to give up that hope. Manny Corpas has been lights out in the position, saving his 14th game on Sunday to go with a 1.93 ERA. Fuentes pitched in the eighth inning, allowing a run to bring his ERA back up to 3.54. Overall, Fuentes has been pitching pretty well lately, having allowed one run in 11 appearances prior to Sunday, but the Rockies don't appear to be in a big hurry to return him to the closer job. If you're a conspiracy theorist like me, it's worth noting that Fuentes is arbitration-eligible this offseason, and keeping him from accumulating saves would certainly help to lower his expected salary for 2008. Regardless, an off-season trade wouldn't surprise me, as there are a lot of teams (Reds?) that could use a guy like Fuentes.
Justin Upton
Upton, if you haven't noticed, has been losing playing time lately to Jeff Salazar. Sunday however, Upton was the difference in the game, going 2-for-3 with a big two-run homer. Upton was hitting eighth thanks to his .235 AVG, but make no mistake, he's a middle-of-the-order hitter in his prime. .235/.286/.408 is certainly nothing to write home about, but the Diamondbacks still clearly consider Upton a big part of their future. As for September, Sunday's game certainly can't hurt Upton's quest for more playing time this year, but considering his 28:7 K:BB, we'd target 2008/2009 for Upton to start showing his vast potential.
Marcus Giles
Giles was activated from the 15-day DL on Sunday after missing the past 15 days with a knee injury. Giles of course has had a disappointing 2007, batting .229/.300/.322 in 398 at-bats. Home ballpark factors aside, it's hard to believe this is the same guy that had a .917 OPS for the Braves just four scant years ago. After an .826 for the Braves in 2005, Giles has incredibly lost close to 100 points of OPS each year, bottoming out (?) in 2007. At least he's chipped in 10 stolen bases, but could he really be washed up at age 29? The current starter at 2B, Geoff Blum, has just a .670 OPS himself and is just 5-for-24 this month, so perhaps Giles can regain his starting job, but for now, look for him to share time at second. We expect a rebound from Giles next year, but it will likely come in another uniform, as considering the way he's performed, we're not sure the Padres would be interested in exercising his (cheap) 2008 option.
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