BJ Upton - BJ had a respectable day yesterday, going 2-for-4 with a double and a couple of RBI. The ongoing theme with Upton has been the loss of power stroke year-over-year despite a steady FPI. Last season Upton posted a 0.78 FPI with an .892 OPS, 0.42 BB/K, 22-for-30 in SB, and a HR/AB of 19.8. This year, his FPI remains relatively the same at 0.75 with a .806 OPS, but the large differences have been his power, his BB/K, and his SB frequency. He's only posting a 51.7 HR/AB with just 6 total HR for the season, however his BB/K has almost doubled at 0.82, and he has already eclipsed his steal rate at 26-for-36. I can't imagine his HR rate will remain in the 50's for the rest of the season, so a boost in power post-all star break wouldn't be surprising. Even if he averages a dinger for every 30.0 AB going forward, he should be good for about 10 HR (maybe a dozen if he gets hot down the stretch).
CC Sabathia - Sold! CC Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Double-A prospect Matt LaPorta as well as some other minor leaguers to be named later. This obviously has tremendous fantasy effects on multiple levels. First, the most obvious is for NL-only teams who need to put a waiver claim on him immediately. The next is Sabathia's rise in value, as he now gets to face the National League (and no more designated hitters), which should, in general, improve his numbers slightly. He also goes from an underpeforming 37-51 Cleveland Indians team to a now playoff-contending 49-39 Brewers team.
Joba Chamberlain - It might not have been the dominating performance you were hoping to see from Joba, but a quality start against the Red Sox is nothing to sneeze at. He went 6.0 IP and gave up 3 ER and 4 hits while striking out 5 and walking 4. He did not factor into the decision (since the Yankees walked-off with a game winning single) and remains 1-0 since officially converting to the starter's role. Obviously, some of the early Joba rules skews his quality start percentage, since he was limited to a strict pitch count which prevented him from going deep into the game. But Joba now has 3 quality starts in his last 5 outings and continues to show signs that he's well on his well to being a fantasy stud. If you were patient with stashing him away during his middle-relief days, you have seen some dividends but will truly see the big pay-out in the months to come.
Matt LaPorta - Matt LaPorta, who at least temporarily will be the guy who was traded to the Indians for CC Sabathia, deserves a little face time in today's player postings. LaPorta isn't just another minor leaguer. Drafted in the first round by the Indians in 2007, the converted outfielder has had a fantastic start to his professional career. In 2008, LaPorta has hit 20 HR at a rate of 15.1 HR/AB, .957 OPS, .288 average, and a .71 BB/K. His numbers yield a 0.77 FPI. LaPorta will be a name we'll hear about more in coming months and could even be a late season call-up. For now, he's merely an AL-only or keeper league consideration.
Brian Roberts - Roberts flashed power and speed on Sunday, hitting his 7th HR of the season and stealing 2 bases do give him a total of 24 out of 31 attempts. He's flirting with that .300 mark again and if I was a betting man, I would take a gamble on him finishing the season over that mark. As long as he continues to steal bases and score runs (54 so far), the .300 mark is just for optics anyway.
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