Ian Kinsler (2B—Rangers) After a two week stint on the DL, Ian Kinsler was back in the Ranger lineup Saturday and obviously felt refreshed and ready to play some ball as he went 2 for 3, hitting his 24th home run of the year. After an unreal start to the 2009 season, Kinsler’s BA has dropped to .246, batting only .157 for the month of July. His LD% is very low at 13.6% and with a FB% of over 55%, it is no wonder that Kinsler’s average has taken such a dive. The good news is that Kinsler’s BHIP of .230 is shamefully low and should start to pick up. Kinsler does have power and speed which is a great combination and now that he is back he is obviously a must start because of that potential. But with an xBHIP of .292, we should see that BA increase but certainly not to the levels we saw at the beginning of the season
Sergio Mitre (SP—Yankees) Sergio Mitre put together a solid performance when he had to on Saturday against the Mariners, throwing 5.1 innings and only allowing 1 ER and scattering 7 hits and 2 walks. For now, Mitre may have saved his spot in the Yankee rotation with Chad Guadin a strong possibility to take over the spot if Mitre should falter. Mitre was able to take a full run off his ERA dropping it down to 6.04, however even with this better than average outing, Mitre has not been able to get past 5.2 innings in any of his starts struggling to throw strikes consistently and working too deep into counts. Yankee pitchers tend to be overvalued because the team is red hot and playing well, but do not mistake Mitre for a pitcher with a lot of upside as hitters are batting .359 against him with a slugging of .500. He is walking a very thin tight rope and the Yankees may not hesitate to pull him from the rotation as they have a more serviceable option in Chad Guadin.
Lyle Overbay (1B--Blue Jays) Since his 2006 season, Lyle Overbay had been slipping offensively the past few season but 2009 is turning out to be a solid season for him as he may warrant some fantasy consideration. The past 14 games, Overbay has been stepping it up hitting .375 over that span with a 1.244 OPS. For the season he is hitting a mediocre .271, but his OBP percentage has taken a real boost and is close to .400 far exceeding his previous year at .358. This is because his BB% is way up from his career average of 11.7% to 17.3% and his CT% is also at a career high of 82%. Not only is he making more contact at the plate but his EYE is outstanding at 1.053 which is also a new high for Overbay. The OBP is nice but Overbay has been able to compliment that with good power this season as he has a XBH% of 10.4%. To top it off, he has a low-side BHIP of .294 compared to his career average of .321, so if he continues to maintain solid contact, he could be a nice sleeper pickup for the second half.
Justin Duchscherer (SP—A’s) Heads up to all fantasy owners that may be looking for some starting pitching to complete their rotation: Justin Duchscherer is almost back from the DL and could be making his first start of the season against the Yankees on Tuesday. He is recovering from an elbow injury so he is a risky proposition to rely on, but Duchscherer, if healthy, can be a solid addition to any rotation. Last season he popped onto fantasy owners’ radars as he pitched 141 innings before getting hurt where he ended the season with a 2.54 ERA and an incredible WHIP of 0.995. He isn’t necessarily a strikeout pitcher, but he will get his share. However, he is a control pitcher where he averaged 2.2 BB/9 and was able to reduce potential big innings against him by only allowing a home run about every two games. Duchscherer is worth grabbing but you may want to wait to activate him and see how he does. He has a tough first assignment against the Yankees so going with him right out of the gate is chancy. But if he fairs well, he should provide solid pitching performance as he has the potential to do very well.
Brian Anderson (OF—Red Sox) Several seasons ago the White Sox had very high hopes for Brian Anderson, but those high hopes have never panned out to actually offensive production and so Anderson was suck stuck in minor league limbo waiting for an opportunity to play but never having the full time chance. When Anderson requested to White Sox GM Kenny Williams that he be traded, Williams obliged sending Anderson back East where all he had to do was change his Sox from white to red. Anderson was recalled from the Red Sox minor league affiliate on Saturday and may get some opportunity to get an at bat here and there but it’s difficult to see anyway that Anderson can break into the Red Sox outfield to get enough at bats to show what he could do on a regular basis. He did play on Saturday against the Rangers and went 1-3 with 2 strikeouts. Anderson’s career average is an ugly .225 and in 188 AB’s this season with the Chicago was only able to produce a slash line of .239/.322/.319. Its results like this that got Anderson traded. Career-wise, he has had an undisciplined EYE of 0.31 and with a BHIP this season of .313; we could say that Anderson was lucky to be batting .238. In the minors Anderson performed slightly better showing a better BA and a little more power and speed but at this point he certainly nothing to write home about and nothing that would make a MLB ball club make him a full-time outfielder much less a fantasy owner add him to his team even as a long term prospect.
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