R.A. Dickey (SP—Mets) I'm not sure if there is a more delicate way to say this, but I am becoming a big fan of R.A. Dickey. Dickey improved to 4-0 on the season, pitching seven strong innings against Baltimore, allowing just 1 ER while K'ing 8. It was clear why the Mets recalled Dickey from Triple A Buffalo to replace the Maine/Perez disaster because who worse could Dickey be, right? In Triple A this year Dickey had gone 4-2 with an ERA of 2.23 and a WHIP of 1.038. But that's minors. And while it doesn't translate the same to the majors, Dickey does have a very solid ERA of 2.78 and in all 5 games he has pitched in as gone at least 6 innings. His ground ball have been his biggest help with a GB rate of 46.8% going into Friday's game. He's kept the ball out of the air with a FB% of 31.6 and consequently has only 2 home runs in 32.1 innings. So the question is: do you take a chance on a guy with a career 5.30 ERA and a career WHIP of 1.57. Common sense would say no. The BHIP of .333 is slightly concerning with a LOB% of around 81%. Knuckleballers can be unpredictable from start to start and it would be a tough call to all of a sudden Dickey has become that much better of a pitcher. Dickey may continue to pitch well, but not great and could be a reasonable option in deeper N.L. leagues and when pitching match-ups look promising. Proceed with caution here. He's awfully hot right now, but don't forget his historical averages.
Nate McLouth (OF—Braves) Nate McLouth's season just added injury to insult as the outfielder heads (no pun intended) to the DL as a precautionary step after his collision with teammate Heyward. McLouth season has been one big disappointment after another that started with tell-tale signs of what was to come in spring training where McLouth struggled and hit just .117. There was a point in the season that McLouth looked as though he might be turning things around, but it did not sustain for long and his continued hardships has seen him drop to 8th in the batting order. Shame because McLouth could be a good source of power and speed but he has only hit 3 home runs on the year and has just 4 stolen bases. The slash line of .176/.295/.282 tells the whole story. At this point with McLouth on the DL and the unknown factor of how he will respond once he returns from the tough collision is cause for real concern. No point in taking up a bench spot to wait on McLouth. You could close your eyes at this point and pick a name of the waiver wire who could provide you with more production. Set McLouth free.
Aubrey Huff (1B/OF-- Giants) Aubrey Huff sat out Friday's game against Oakland and frankly I'm not sure why. Huff has been ablaze batting .372 the past 14 days with 3 home runs and an OPS of 1.183. Overall, he's batting .300 even and has an total OPS of .893. That OPS is made up of a .395 OBP which is fantastic as Huff as a very impressive EYE at 1.24. With a BHIP of .306 and a LD% of 17.2% there is no reason to thank that his current average cannot be sustained. The additional benefit to Huff is his position eligibility at the corner spot and in the outfield make him a nice piece that can be very versatile in filling out lineups. He is a must have in N.L. leagues for sure and he should be considered owning even in mixed leagues especially since he has been so hot.
Marlon Byrd (OF—Cubs) They don't come any hotter right now than Marlon Byrd. Byrd currently leads the league in batting with a .329 average and has been scorching the ball over the past 14 days batting .416. Byrd had a solid year last season with Texas batting .283 and showed nice pop in his bat as he hit 20 home runs. Just as the ballpark in Arlington was kind to Byrd, the friendly confines of Wrigley Field should also benefit Byrd as he has 9 dingers this year but a fairly equal amount home and away. OK, that's all the good stuff. Here's why, you need to proceed with caution-- just a little. Byrd should produce overall good numbers and is a must-start in all leagues. But there is a slowing period coming up as Byrd has a very high BHIP of .347 that is simply unsupportable with a LD% of 17.3%. One area that has helped him significantly with his BHIP is that he has drastically cut down on his strikeouts this year and is only whiffing 13.3% of the time which is down from a career average of 18.9%. If he can maintain that good strike out rate, that should allow for a very good BHIP and a very good average. So watch the strikeouts for Marlon Byrd because that will more than likely be a significant indicator as to whether he can sustain these kinds of numbers.
Todd Helton-- (1B—Rockies) Oh, boy! I'm getting the distinct feeling that this clock is winding down. Todd Helton went 0-for-3 in a rain shortened game on Friday and say his average drift down to .240. The .240 average represents his lowest of the season and it also represents the lowest of his career this far into the season. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That ain't good. Even more concerning is that his power game has all but left the him completely as he has just 1 home run on the year with a feeble 11 RBI. He still has a good feel for the strike zone with a .350 OBP but for a guy who has a lifetime OBP of .425, that's just not the same player. It also appears that Helton swing rate is down this year by almost 6% below is career average which is fairly significant. After all, if you don't swing, you can't get a hit. As sad as it is to say, because Helton is a strong candidate for the HOF with a .326 lifetime average, 326 home runs and a .925 OPS, it is probably best to seek other options other than Helton for your team as it appears that he is heavily on the decline.
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