Brian Roberts (2B—Orioles) Brian Roberts had his hitting streak come to an end at 12 games on Saturday going 0 for 3 with 2 walks and a stolen base. He had been batting .385 over that span with 5 home runs. Roberts may be one of the more unappreciated players with the offense he provides at a thin position. He’s not a powerhouse but he does have 14 home runs on the year and leads the league in doubles with 46. In fact, he has exhibited better power this year than in previous seasons as indicated by his 11% XBH compared to a career XBH of 8.4%. Sure, it would be nice if Roberts took a few more walks as a leadoff hitter, but he certainly has the speed of one. One area for fantasy owners to be aware of is that historically Roberts tends to tail off in the second half of the season. However, this season he does seems to be reversing the pattern as he is batting .338 since the All-Star break whereas he had batted .273 in the first half. Other second basemen like Cano, Pedroia and Kinsler may hit for more power, have a higher batting average or have more speed, but Roberts is perhaps the best balance of all of these offensive categories as any second basemen out there with the exception o Mr. Utley. When looking at the all the second basemen’s numbers side-by-side, one could make the case that Roberts has been more productive than any of them this season. Keep him active in all formats and while he is especially hot, just sit back and enjoy.
Jeff Mathis (C—Angels) It’s a head scratcher. It’s hard to figure out but Angel’s manager Mike Scioscia seems bound and determined to keep playing Jeff Mathis every other day despite the offensive capabilities of their other catcher Mike Napoli. Sure from the baseball managing side of things, people may argue that the catching position is really a defensive position and that you want your best defender out there and any offensive output is just the cherry on the sundae. But we are talking fantasy baseball where defense means very little so Mathis’ insertion into the Angel lineup can be a source of frustration for Napoli owners. On Saturday, it was Mathis’ turn to catch and he went 1 for 4 with a batting average of .212.
Brad Penny (SP—Red Sox) Brad Penny’s unfortunate season didn’t get any better as it was announced on Saturday that Tim Wakefield would replace Penny in the Red Sox rotation. The news shouldn’t come as a complete surprise as Penny as been ineffective this season and his last 10 starts have produce a 1-6 record with a 6.55 ERA. Prior to last year, Penny had been a quality pitcher but his last two seasons have seen him produce a combined ERA of 5.89 and a WHIP of 1.573. During that span, opposing hitters are batting .301 against him with a healthy OPS of .840. It seems that Penny has lost his confidence and now he has lost his spot in the rotation. While it is unknown if Penny will be provided with another opportunity to start this season, his value has decreased substantially and if owners were starting him at all, they may think about dropping him altogether. Penny is just too risky to hold onto at this point even if he was still in the rotation
Vladimir Guerrero (OF—Angels) Not sure if Vladimir Guerrero is familiar with the story of Sampson and Delilah but the story goes that when Sampson had his hair cut off, he lost all of his power. Seems that the opposite has happened with Guerrero as his dread locks had been dragging him down and his cleaner cut look has restored his hitting form and his power. Since Guerrero shed his dreads, he has batted .339 with 10 home runs and an OPS of 1.027. On Saturday, Guerrero hit his 11th home run of the year while going 2 for 5. He has an xBHIP of .311 so this is a good indication that he will continue on this path and while he may not look like the old Guerrero, he is once again starting to hit like him. Fantasy owners should start to reap the benefits from a healthy, albeit hairless Guerrero as he should have a strong second half finish.
Marlon Byrd (OF—Rangers) Marlon Byrd is having perhaps his best and most consistent season since he arrived in the Major Leagues back in 2002. 2009 represents Byrd’s first season as a full time player since 2003 and it has resulted in more power than in any previous seasons having hit 15 so far. A nice plus for fantasy owners is that Byrd has been entrenched in the #3 or #4 spot in the lineup so he has good opportunities to be a run producer. For August, Byrd has put up nice numbers with a slash line of .325/.378/.558 and an OPS of .936, so he has been a solid contributor to a strong lineup that is able to give him ample support. For the season Byrd’s OBP is in need of work at .329 which is a reflection of his poor EYE at 0.28, but when on base he does have the potential to nab a base here or there. It may be a stretch for Byrd to hit 20 home runs this season, but he has been a nice surprise as he provides adequate offensive capabilities and could be a nice complimentary addition to a lineup. His potential to be a good sleeper pick up for the second half is high as he is on a team that his furiously contending for a playoff spot.
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