Stolen Base Report for the week of August 18th to August 24th
Unfavorable Matchups, American League
Kurt Suzuki, Oakland (24 for 69, .348 CS%): 3 against Minnesota (Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Nick Punto, Denard Span), 4 against Seattle (Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Jose Lopez)
Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay (17 for 49 .347 CS%): 3 against LAA (Chone Figgins, Torii Hunter, Howie Kendrick, Macier Izturis, Gary Matthews, Erick Aybar), 3 against CHW (Orlando Cabrera, Dewayne Wise)
Ivan Rodriguez, NYY (20 for 60, .333 CS%): 3 against Toronto (Alex Rios, Marco Scuturo, Joe Inglett), 3 against Baltimore (Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis)
Favorable Matchups, American League
John Buck, Kansas City (8 for 48, .167 CS%) 3 against Cleveland (Grady Sizemore, Jamey Carroll, Franklin Gutierrez, Shin-Soo Choo), 3 against Detroit (Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, Ivan Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield)
AJ Pierzynski, CHW (19 for 95, .200 CS%): 3 against Seattle (Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Jose Lopez), 3 against Tampa Bay (BJ Upton, Jason Bartlett, Eric Hinske)
Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore (20 for 95, .211 CS%): 3 against Boston (Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay), 3 against NYY (Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Derek Jeter, Justin Christian)
Unfavorable Matchups, National League
Jason Kendall, Milwaukee (30 for 72, .417 CS%): 3 against Houston (Michael Bourn, Kaz Matsui, Lance Berkman), 3 against Pittsburgh (Nate McLouth)
Yadier Molina, STL (16 for 47, .340 CS%) 2 against Pittsburgh (Nate McLouth), 3 against Atlanta (Gregor Blanco, Kelly Johnson)
Bengie Molina, SF (23 for 70, .329 CS%): 3 against Florida (Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, Alfredo Amezaga), 3 against San Diego (Tadahito Iguchi)
Favorable Matchups, National League
Russell Martin, LAD (14 for 71, .197 CS%) 3 against Colorado (Willy Taveras, Matt Holliday), 3 against Philadelphia (Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Eric Bruntlett)
Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia (16 for 69, .232 CS%): 3 against Washington (Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris), 3 against LAD (Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin)
Brian McCann, Atlanta (21 for 90, .233 CS%): 1 against San Francisco (Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss), 3 against NYM (Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Endy Chavez), 3 against St. Louis (Cesar Izturis, Skip Schumaker, Albert Pujols, Adam Kennedy)
Pickup Recommendations:
Cesar Izturis: Izturis is riding a hot August, .385 average in 26 AB, into regular playing time. With the playing time and getting on base, he has been running, 4 for 5 in steals. Since he doesn’t offer much else, his value is limited to NL-only leagues.
Emmanuel Burriss: The Giants have a crowded middle infield of mediocre players, but Burriss has been seeing fairly regular playing time. He won’t hit much, .253 for the year and .176 for the month of August, but he is fast, 68 steals in Single-A last year and 9 for 12 with the Giants this year. If you are desperate for steals in NL-only leagues, pick him up, but be prepared to take a hit in other categories.
Eric Hinske: What is Hinske doing in a pickup recommendation section for speed? Very quietly he has amassed 8 steals in 10 attempts. With a rash of injuries to the Rays, he is assured of playing time and his power, 16 home runs in 288 AB, means he is safe to use in mixed leagues.
Willie Harris: Harris’ speed, 8 steals in 11 attempts, and position versatility gives him value in mixed leagues if you are desperate for steals. As a bonus, he is putting up the best power numbers of his career, 9 home runs and 12 doubles in 240 AB.
Tadahito Iguchi: Iguchi returned to the Padre lineup in early August after missing almost two months with a shoulder injury. With very little competition in the Padre middle infield, he is assured of playing time. Prior to the injury, he was 8 for 9 steals, but has yet to attempt in the 8 games that he has appeared in since returning. The lack of recent activity on the basepaths has more to do with a cold streak, 1 for 23 with just one walk since returning from the DL, than any lingering affects from his injury. If he starts hitting, he should provide some steals.
Adam Kennedy: At this point in his career, Kennedy is not that active on the basepaths, but he does pick his spots well, 7 for 8 in steals. He doesn’t hit for any power, but with an 87% Ct%, he probably won’t hurt you in the batting average department while providing a handful of steals.
Joe Inglett: With Scott Rolen out until at least September, Inglett should see plenty of playing time in the Blue Jays infield. He will not provide any power, but he makes excellent contact, 88% Ct%, and has some wheels, 7 triples and 7 for 8 in steals. He should get on base enough to provide steals in AL-only and deep mixed leagues.
