Jayson Nix: With Mark Teahen out for at least a month, Nix should pick up starts at 3B. When first called up last year he hit with power, but over the 2nd half of the season it was just league average, 5 HR in 78 during the 1st half vs. 7 HR in 177 AB in the 2nd half. He has some speed, 10 steals in 12 attempts last year, but will need to make better contact, 75% in 2009, if he is going to provide a decent power/speed package. Unless the White Sox make a deal, Omar Vizquel is his only competition for AB, so he should play. There is upside here, but also significant risk.
Magglio Ordonez: Ordonez missed the cycle yesterday the hard way, as he lacked only a single, as he continues a nice comeback season, 8/40/.314 with 10 Doubles in 194 AB. His power is still well below vintage Ordonez, 28 HR and 54 Doubles in 2007, but his excellent 90% Ct% legitimizes his high BA, .270 BHIP%. After his powerless 2009 season, 9 HR and 24 Doubles in 465 AB, chances are you got him at a discount, so he has and should continue to return a nice profit.
Adam Jones: Jones hit his 6th HR yesterday in a loss to the Yankees, but it has been a disappointing season, 6/16/.249 with 6 Doubles in 217 AB. After a promising 2009 season, 19/70/.277 with 22 Doubles and 10 steals in 473, growth was expected for the 24-year-old, but not only is his power and speed, just 1 steal in 4 attempts, down, his plate skills have also eroded, 2009/2010 BB%’s 7%/2% and Ct%’s 80%/78%. You have to wonder why his power is declining when it should be growing and as his FB% is increasing, 2009/2010 FB%’s 28%/36%. He has a lot of talent and is still young, but his hacking approach is not working. Don’t expect things to get better until he starts taking more pitches.
Kurt Suzuki: Suzuki went deep twice yesterday against the Red Sox, giving him 7 HR in 127 AB. With nice power and contact skills, 88% Ct%, there is some nice potential BA upside from his current .260 mark, if his .194 BHIP% begins to normalize. The 26-year-old is developing into an above average hitting catcher.
Zack Greinke: After winning the Cy Young award last season, 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA, yesterday’s loss to the Angels dropped Greinke to 1-7 with a 3.60 ERA for the year. Besides some good fortune abandoning him, 2009/2010 S%’s 81%/75%, Greinke’s dominance is down, 2009/2010 K/9’s 9.5/7.2, and an increased FB%, 41%/47%, is leading to balls leaving the yard at a higher rate, 11 HR in 229.1 innings in 2009 vs. 9 HR in 75 innings this year. He still has a good skill set, so stick with him just based on that, but there is also the potential that he gets back to last year’s dominant skills.
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