Carlos Beltran (OF—Mets) Could things be turning around for the Mets? Not enough to make a bit of difference at anything resembling a playoff run, but maybe a few positive signs to salvage what is left of an abysmal season. In a week that saw David Wright return to action, the Mets got more good news that Carlos Beltran may be ready to resume playing. Beltran has been missing in action since June 21st, taking a rest on the DL with a bone bruise on his knee. Must have been a pretty bad bruise. Shame too, since Beltran had been having one of his best first halves with a slash line of .336/.425/.527. Fantasy owners have sorely missed (poor choice of word) Beltran’s bat in the lineup not to mention his speed (92% stolen base success for ’09) and his excellent plate discipline (EYE of 1.09). He played in a Minor League game in Brooklyn on Wednesday as the DH and went 1 for 3 with a walk, a strikeout and was picked off first. Word has it that Beltran may be off the DL as soon as this weekend and when he is, he should get activated in all lineups. However, be mindful that the Mets are not playing for anything and any sign the Beltran is hurting, the Mets will more than likely pull the plug on his season. But take advantage of him while he is healthy and playing because he is an impact player that can assist in a multitude of offensive categories.
Buster Posey (C--Giants) With Bengie Molina still on the mend, the Giants called on their next best catching option to help out the team in the throws of a pennant race. No, not Eli Whiteside. The Giants called on Buster Posey, one of their top prospects and heir to Molina. The Giants are struggling for runs and with Molina's return in flux; Posey presents a viable solution to the offensive woes based upon his minor league stats. Splitting his time between San Jose and Fresno this season, Posey produced a slash line of .325/.416/.531 and belted 18 home runs. What perhaps is most impressive is that at the age of 22, Posey seems to have a very good feel for the strike zone with as his EYE of 0.91 would indicate. Posey's playing time will largely be dictated by Molina's health but while he is on the mend, Posey should see some plate appearances and it will be interesting to see if he is able to transfer his minor league success to the Majors. However, he will not be playing enough to warrant a pick up in non-keeper leagues. But more importantly, monitor how Posey handles his first taste of big league pitching because he is part of a crop of young, power hitting catchers that are on their way to the big leagues and could provide big offensive boost to a position that is starved for offensive output. Posey is a must have in keeper leagues as he could have an impact in 2010.
Homer Bailey (SP—Reds) It's taken a while but Homer Bailey seems to be piecing together a few good starts in a row. Wednesday he pitched very well over the course of 6.1 innings and allowed 3 ER on 7 hits while striking out 8 and walked away with a win. This quality start follows on the heels of an outing where he pitched 8 shutout innings against the Dodgers. In fact, Bailey has been more impressive over his past 3 starts posting a 1.69 ERA and striking out 19 over 21.1 innings. It's these kinds of performances that we are expecting to see out of Bailey as he remains the Reds' #1 pitching prospect and a solid arm to compliment Volquez and Cueto. Bailiey biggest issue is that he has been hurt by the long ball allowing 1.5 per game. He was fortunate that the two home runs he gave up against the Pirates on Wednesday were solo shots which helped to minimize the damage. He has also been impaired by a very low strand rate at 61%. Bailey has the ability to get the strikeout when he needs it as suggested by his 9.1 K/9 rate in the minors and his recent strikeout numbers, so this should help his LOB% which in turn should help to lower his ERA. Since the Reds are no longer in contention, Bailey should be able to pitch without the pressure of a pennant race and continue to develop and improve. Watch very closely how he finishes the season because if he continues to perform as he has in his last 3 outing, Bailey could be a guy to keep an eye on for 2010 that could bring nice dividends with good strikeout potential who may be able to be grabbed in the later rounds of a draft or for a very good value.
Brad Penny (SP—Giants) Prior to Brad Penny’s start on Wednesday, the Giants signing of Penny seemed like a reasonable move. Penny would be leaving that hard-hitting AL East behind and going to more familiar ground in the kinder, gentler NL West. Plus not having to face the DH doesn’t hurt either. On Wednesday, Penny left the Red Sox wondering if they had signed the wrong Brad Penny—the Bad Penny if you will. Because Penny was totally in control against the Phillies pitching 8 scoreless innings, allowing just 5 hits and 1 walk. Yes, against the Phillies—so this was no cheapy. Penny should maintain his spot in the Giants rotation as they push for the playoffs and Penny has a lot of motivation to perform well as his future is hazy. As good as Penny was this outing, be aware that he still has a very high ERA of 5.28, a WHIP of 1.49 and has been throwing a pretty high pitch per plate appearance of 4.02. Bottom line: he just hasn’t pitched effectively. However, Penny should show some improvement in his new surrounding, but take his Wednesday success with a grain of salt as he may have difficulty putting together consecutive effective outings.
Ted Lilly (SP—Cubs) Ted Lilly has been putting together one solid outing after another of late. Wednesday performance against the Astros, Lilly pitched 8 scoreless innings and only allowed 4 hits while striking out 5 and lowered his ERA to 3.17 while picking up his 10th win of the season. Lilly has had a bit of hard luck this season with his record as he has taken some tough losses that he could have won and had some no decisions on games that he had pitched very well. Lilly has put together 18 quality outing out of 23 starts and has an excellent WHIP of 1.11. He has very good peripherals with a K/9 of 7.5 and a BB/9 of 1.8. Lilly’s season would probably have been better appreciated had he not spent time on the DL, but he it’s been a very good season for him despite the injury and he should be on fantasy owners radar for 2010 as a sleeper with good value that may slip to later rounds.
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