Robinson Cano - Quite the day from Robbie Cano - 2 doubles, a dinger, a couple of ribbies and runs scored, and 9 total bases. I think its safe to say his 2nd half "time to get hot" urgency is holding true. Before the break he hit .246 with 6 HR and a .285 OBP. Since the all-star game, Cano is hitting .328 with 6 HR and a .366 OBP. His fantasy value is back to the level it should have been from the get-go. Expect him to finish the season strong, but watch him drop in draft orders next year as his reputation for a slow first-half performer continues to catch-up with him.
Chone Figgins - It hasn't exactly been the best season for Figgins, averaging a .270-.280 batting average per month and hitting .281 for the year. But the good news is that he's 8 for his last 20 AB (which is .400) and remains consistent in the stolen base department. He had 16 swipes in the first half and with 4 more this month, has 9 since the all-star break. His overall FPI from first half to second half is basically even at 0.63 pre-break to 0.61 post-break despite an almost 20-point improvement in batting average. But no matter how you slice and dice it, Figgins has been disappointing all season relative to his 2007 break-out.
Felix Hernandez - It seems like we've been waiting forever to get a W out of King Felix, but he finally earned his 8th win of the year. He had gone 6 straight games without a win before hurling a quality start 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 hitter with 7 K's and 2 BB's. It was only his 2nd quality start in five outings this month, but Hernandez's overall numbers have been solid this year. In 162 IP, Hernandez is 8-8 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, K.9 of 8.2, and K/BB of 2.33. Put him on a better team with his quality start percentage of 15-for-25 and he should have a few more wins under his belt than just 8. He remains a high fantasy value pitcher as he concludes his sophomore season and enters into his third season with the Mariners in 2009. As long as his K rates remain high (and his potential remains even higher at just 22 years old), he'll continue to climb draft boards.
Vernon Wells - Another fantastic day for Vernon Wells. He went 2-for-4 with a double, HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs, and a walk on Sunday to finish off the weekend for a total of 16 total bases, 6-for-9, 3 HR, 6 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Its been another disappointing year for Wells who has never quite lived-up to the MVP potential everyone forecasted him to consistently produce year-to-year. I know injuries have kept him from reaching that potential, but he's still posting just a 0.64 FPI with a .292 average, .813 OPS, and HR/AB of 23.5. Not bad, but it still doesn't produce that "wow" factor we all look for in our stud fantasy outfielders. The good news is it is an improvement from last year and if he can stay healthy for a full year, should continue to be rated as a decent #2 OF option in most 2009 fantasy drafts.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - Not the kind of game you're hoping for from Dice-K on a Sunday afternoon. He gave up 5 ER and 8 hits in 6.0 IP against the Blue Jays while striking out 8 and walking one. Dice-K's story remains a simple one: high K rates, high BB rates, low ERA, mediocre WHIP. Here's how it shakes out: K/9 of 7.9 combined with a BB/9 of 5.3, which yields a K/BB of 1.5. That leads to 1.38 WHIP, but he has gotten lucky keeping those walks from scoring, resulting in a 2.98 ERA. He only walked one on Sunday and still allowed 5 ER, but these walks rates on average throughout the season should catch-up with him at some point.
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