Stolen Base Report for the week of August 4th to August 10th
Unfavorable Matchups, American League
Dioner Navarro Tampa (17 for 45 .378 CS%): 3 against Cleveland (Grady Sizemore, Jamey Carroll, Franklin Gutierrez), 4 against Seattle (Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Willie Bloomquist, Jose Lopez)
Ivan Rodriguez NYY (18 for 50, .360 CS%): 4 against Texas (Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, David Murphy), 3 against LAA (Chone Figgins, Torii Hunter, Macier Izturis, Howie Kendrick, Gary Matthews, Erick Aybar, Garret Anderson)
Kurt Suzuki Oakland (23 for 66, .348 CS%): 4 against Toronto (Alex Rios, Scott Rolen, Marco Scuturo, Joe Inglett), 3 against Detroit (Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, Gary Sheffield)
Favorable Matchups, American League
John Buck Kansas City (6 for 42, .143 CS%) 3 against Boston (Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia), 3 against Minnesota (Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Nick Punto, Denard Span)
Jason Varitek Boston (11 for 55, .200 CS%): 3 against Kansas City (Esteban German, Alex Gordan, Mike Aviles), 3 against CHW (Orlando Cabrera, Alexei Ramirez, Dewayne Wise)
AJ Pierzynski CHW (10 for 88, .205 CS%): 3 against Detroit (Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, Gary Sheffield), 3 against Boston (Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia)
Unfavorable Matchups, National League
Jason Kendall Milwaukee (27 for 60, .450 CS%): 3 against Cincinnati (Brandon Phillips, Corey Patterson, Jerry Hairston), 3 against Washington (Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris)
Bengie Molina SF (20 for 60, .333 CS%): 3 against Atlanta (Kelly Johnson, Gregor Blanco, Matt Diaz), 3 against LAD (Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin)
Yadier Molina STL (13 for 42, .310 CS%) 3 against LAD (Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin), 3 against CHC (Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee)
Favorable Matchups, National League
Russell Martin: LAD (13 for 65, .200 CS%) 3 against St. Louis (Cesar Izturis, Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, Albert Pujols, Adam Kennedy), 3 against San Francisco (Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss)
Brian McCann Atlanta (20 for 86, .233 CS%): 3 against San Francisco (Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss), 4 against Arizona (Chris Young, Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, Chris Burke)
Geovany Soto Chicago (20 for 68, .294 CS%): 3 against Houston (Michael Bourn, Kaz Matsui, Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada), 3 against St. Louis (Cesar Izturis, Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, Albert Pujols, Adam Kennedy)
Pickup Recommendations:
Michael Bourn: Bourn has been dropped in many leagues and for a good reason, he can’t hit; no power, 77% Ct%, and a .231 batting average. Also, he has not played since July 26th due to a sprained ankle. If that ankle injury is still bothering him when he returns, that would be a huge problem because his entire fantasy value is derived from his speed. If healthy, Bourn is a huge asset in the SB category, 33 for 41 this year, and can be used if you can take the hit in other categories.
Jason Bartlett: Bartlett is back from a DL trip and is still available in many leagues. The strained right knee that landed him on the DL could still be bothering him as he has not attempted a steal in the six games that he has played in since his return. Keep on eye on the boxscores to see if he starts running again.
Fred Lewis: It is hard to believe that Lewis is still available in some mixed leagues. In addition to speed, he also has legitimate skills, 7/31/.276 with 22 doubles and 9 triples in 359 AB. He has a bunion problem in his foot, but it has not seemed to limit his activity on the basepaths. Even if the problem did cut into his running, he would deserve a spot on most rosters in mixed league due to his skills at the plate.
Coco Crisp: With Jacoby Ellsbury struggling and Manny being Manny, Crisp could see a fair amount of playing time. He is not exactly setting the league on fire, 5/23/.248 in 234 AB, but if he plays, he will provide help in the SB category, 14 for 17 this season.
Lastings Milledge: Milledge is back from a DL stint, but has yet to attempt a steal in the four games since his return. It could be that the groin in still bothering him or that he just didn’t get on base enough, 2 for 12 with 0 walks. Keep an eye on the boxscores, if he starts running he is worth using in most formats.
Mark Ellis: Very quietly Ellis has 12 steals in 14 attempts this year. The only problem is that he has not attempted a steal since July 5th. The most likely reason for the lack of activity on the basepaths is that he is in a horrendous 9 for 75 slump with a sore shoulder being a big part of the problem. If you see signs that he is breaking out of his slump, he is worth using in most formats.
Jayson Werth: Werth mashes lefties, 10/24/.304 in 102 AB, but struggles against right-handers, 4/16/.248 in 133 AB. If he can solve right-handed pitching, he would be a very valuable fantasy commodity due to his power, plate patience (11% BB%), and speed (11 for 12 in steals). He absolutely should be used in NL-only leagues and should be used in deeper mixed leagues.
