Andres Torres – After straining his groin Friday night, Andres Torres did not play Saturday and could be out again today when the Giants wrap up their series against Washington. Prior to the injury, Torres was on a recent hot streak, homering in 3 straight games and 4 of his past 6, to raise his ISO and SLG% to .202 and .483, respectively. You’re probably as surprised at Torres’ power as I am, but remember that in 170 plate appearances in ’09, the outfielder actually posted a .263 ISO and .533 SLG%. In the minors, Torres consistently recorded an ISO around .200, so his current power numbers might be sustainable. Add in 17 SBs and we’re talking about a nice No. 3 outfielder who can fill in the box score on any given night. However, the big red flag concerning Torres is his age. He’s already 32 and toiled in the minors through the 2009 season, so he’s certainly not a prospect. Continue to enjoy his production in the second half but have a contingency plan in case Torres regresses.
Geovany Soto – The Cubs’ catcher blasted his 9th HR of the season Saturday and collected 3 RBI against the Dodgers. After platooning with Koyie Hill for much of the season, Soto had started 6 straight games before getting a day off Friday. He’s bounced back from his horrible 2009 campaign by improving his OPS from .702 to .874 while walking in 5% more ABs and raising his ISO by 25 points. Part of Soto’s struggles last season and success this season is a huge swing for his BABIP. After posting just a .246 mark in ’09, Soto is enjoying a .331 BABIP in ’10. If Soto begins gaining regular ABs and reassumes the role of everyday starting catcher in the second half, he is an excellent buy-low option.
Aramis Ramirez – The Cubs’ third baseman connected on a Carlos Monasterios hanging curveball and deposited the pitch over the centerfield wall for his 10th HR of the season on Saturday. Ramirez continues to strike out too much this season (23% compared to 15% career mark) and has an ISO 50 points below his career norm (.165 in ’10 compared to .215 for career). Ramirez is also dealing with a very low .222 BABIP but that doesn’t help explain the huge loss in power. He is slugging just .370 which is also contributing to his paltry .634 OPS. Additionally, Ramirez is hitting more fly balls this season (56% compared to 44% in ’09), with fewer line drives and ground balls. Ramirez is too talented to continue putting up these types of numbers but he’s also 32 and coming off a major injury in ’09 so there’s a lot of uncertainty about where he goes from here.
Roy Halladay – The Cy Young candidate fired 9 innings and allowed 0 ER on 5 Hits while striking out 9 on Saturday against Cincinnati but did not earn the Win as the teams were tied 0-0 after 9 innings. For the season, Halladay’s key indicators are right in line with his past two seasons (ex: 7.71 K/9, 0.71 HR/9) when he posted FIPs of 3.03 and 3.06, respectively. One area where Halladay has improved is his BB/9 which sits at just 1.17 this season compared to 1.32 in ’09 and 1.43 in ’08. Unsurprisingly, he’s also posting the highest K/BB ratio (6.61) of his career in 2010. With an FIP of just 2.87 entering Saturday’s start (the lowest of his career since 2001), Halladay continues to enjoy a fine season. There’s not much to dislike with Halladay this season so his owners should continue to enjoy more stellar performances in the second half.
Travis Wood – After posting a 3.14 ERA in 48 innings at AAA this season, Travis Wood was called up on July 1st to help the Reds’ rotation. On Saturday, in his third MLB start, Wood took a perfect game into the 9th before allowing a leadoff double to Carlos Ruiz. Wood threw 9 innings and allowed 0 ER on just that 1 Hit while striking out 8 but could not secure a win as the game was tied 0-0 after 9 frames. For the season, Wood has posted a 17/5 K/BB ratio and allowed 1 HR in 20 2/3 innings to go along with a 2.18 ERA and 0.68 WHIP at the major league level. At just 23, Wood recorded a 5.92 K/9, 2.96 BB/9 and 0.74 HR/9 at AAA this season after firing a 2.75 FIP at AA in ’09. Looking ahead, Wood, who was the Reds 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, could be an option against weak-hitting opponents in the second half and should definitely be on the radar of fantasy teams in deep NL or mixed keeper leagues.
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