Albert Pujols (1B--Cardinals) It almost seems like a pointless exercise to write about Albert Pujols. Is there anyone in the fantasy baseball universe that doesn't know how great he is? Is there anyone that needs to be told that he is a must-start in all fantasy formats? Well, if you do need to be told this, then may I also advise picking up a couple of Beatles' CDs because they were a pretty good band that had a hit or two. On Wednesday, Pujols hit two more home runs bring him to 47 on the year and his 10th multi-home run game of the season and his 34th of his career. He added on to his Major League leading OPS of 1.149. And with all of his power and great hitting, there is a tendency to overlook what a disciplined hitter Pujols is with an absurd EYE of 1.86. OK, so perhaps that is inflated by the number of intentional walks Pujols gets (40), but even without those, his EYE would still be an outstanding 1.14. At this point in the season, it's difficult to imagine anyone more worthy of the NL MVP. But the real question is next season with a plethora of great hitting first baseman (Teixeira, Youkilis, Fielder, Howard, Gonzalez, etc.), is Pujols the #1 pick of your draft next year? Or do you go with someone like Chase Utley at an offensively scarce position? Despite the depth at first base, one could make a solid case for Pujols being head and shoulders above everyone else, that he warrants a #1 pick despite the deep position.
Adam Wainwright (SP--Cardinals) Every season one of the challenges when you are putting together your fantasy team is to find that one good player who is ready to take it to another level. That player who turned out to be a steal in your draft because you picked him up in later rounds or got him at a reduced value compared to his productive output for the year. Adam Wainwright probably falls into that category for 2009. Oh sure, Wainwright was good before 2009. But somewhere along the way he went from "good" to "darn good" (only to be surpassed by "really darn good"). Wainwright polished off the Brewers on Wednesday for his 18th win of the year with 7 shutout innings and reduced his ERA to 2.59. Is anyone thinking Cy Young? One of Wainwright's strengths this year is that been able to increase his LOB% up 5% from last year to 81%. That combined with an increase in strikeout and a reduction of XBH% from 2008 of 8.3% to this season of 5.6% has really allowed Wainwright to maintain damage control and work out of trouble. Consider yourself lucky if you got Wainwright for a steal this season because next season, he will not be flying under the radar as easily and very well could make the jump to "really darn good" with another year like 2009 under his belt.
Carlos Zambrano (SP--Cubs) Some encouraging signs from Carlos Zambrano as he strung together his second consistent outing after a series of mishaps. Wednesday, he pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 ER with 8 Ks. While he wasn't particularly efficient with his pitching (98 pitches) he was mostly effective and at the end of the day he was able to secure his 8th win of the season. Under most circumstances, it might be safe to put Zambrano back into your lineup feeling safe and secure with the knowledge of two solid outings in a row. However, these outings came against the woeful, cursed Mets who apparently have upset the baseball gods and the Pirates who just secured their 17th consecutive losing season. Hardly a ringing endorsement for Zambrano's pitching proficiency. Additionally troubling is that while Zambrano has increased his strikeout rate over the past two previous seasons, his hits and walks have increased which is a real concern considering his LOB% has decreased. Currently his LOB% is at 72.9% which represents his lowest mark since 2002. Before activating Zambrano, see how he does in one more outing which should come against the Brewers. This will provide a better litmus test than the Mets and the Pirates. Sadly, though Zambrano has never really been able to amount to the ace-status the Cubs thought he would be able to achieve and consequently his inconsistency will be reflected in a lower draft position in 2010.
Madison Bumgarner (SP--Giants) 20 year Giants' prospect Madison Bumgarner made his debut on Tuesday night after Tim Linececum was scratched with lower back spasm. Bumgarner's first career start was respectable, throwing 76 pitches over 5.1 innings, allowing 2 ER while striking out 4. Bumgarner will probably not make a huge impact with what is left of the regular season, but going into next year, there will be a lot of attention on the young rookie and not without good cause. Bumgarner has moved through the Giants' system quickly and over 273 innings that has spanned 2 years, Bumgarner has put together a 27-5 record with a 1.65 ERA and an 0.97 WHIP. His K/BB ratio is 4.65:1 and if all those numbers aren't impressive enough he has only allowed 9 home runs over those 273 innings which amounts to a 1 home run every 30 innings of work. If Bumgarner turns out to be as good as the scouts say, adding him to a rotation that already features Lincecum, Cain, Zito and Sanchez could be a fearsome fivesome. Bumgarner is a must-have in keep leagues and in the meantime keep him on your radar for next season.
Pedro Feliz (3B--Phillies) It's a nice luxury having a 6 game lead in your division as the Phillies have over the Marlins. And with such a potentially potent offense like they have, they can afford to start a weaker hitting 3rd baseman like Pedro Feliz in their everyday lineup. But the division isn't packaged up just yet for the Phillies and one may have to wonder how long they will go with Feliz if they start to lose ground in the standings. Over the past 20 games, Feliz's sole purpose on the baseball diamond has been to field ground balls because he has provided next to nothing in offensive assistance. Since August 19th, Feliz has a slash line of .155/.221/.197. Never a good sign when your weight is almost as much as your SLG. Your either morbidly obese or your trying to hit the baseball with Swiss cheese for a bat. Wednesday, Feliz finally broke out with a 2-3 night, hitting his 10th home run of the season. Hopefully, it is a sign of better times to come. In past years, Feliz has been able to provide sufficient power and was a decent option in deeper NL only leagues. But Feliz value dropped last year and continues to decline as he finishes off his second season with the Phillies. Going forward, it’s best to leave Feliz off your roster since he will gradually lose more ABs as he will turn 35 at the start of the 2010 season.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
