1. Mike Napoli (1B / C - Rangers) - Mike Napoli continues to put up some big numbers in 2011. With his 3rd HR in the last four games, he now has 25 for the season for an incredible AB/HR rate of 12.8. What's amazing about Napoli this year is that historically he posts big power numbers combined with a low average and high K-rates. This year, he's flirting with the .300 mark (currently at .301) and he has improved on his BB/K rates from .39 and .31 over the last two years to .66 this year. That's an improvement in overall K% from about 28% to 21%.
2. Bartolo Colon (SP - Yankees) - I think we're all learning our lesson about second guessing the mighty Bartolo Colon. He has been proving the naysayers wrong all year and last night was no exception. I was certainly in the camp that Colon was starting to show wear-and-tear and this it was all too good to be true. What does he do? He hurls 7.0 innings of shutout ball against the Angels, allowing just 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5. He didn't factor into the decision so his record will remain at 8-9. Colon was sputtering a bit with 3 non-QS in the four starts leading up to last night, but he seemed to have good velocity and command and looks to still have enough in the tank to finish out the year for his fantasy owners. His next start will likely come against Seattle mid next week.
4. Jesus Montero (C - Yankees) - Jered Weaver was dominant last night, but Montero certainly didn't seem overmatched. The rookie catcher/DH went yard on Montero for his 3rd HR in 20 AB since being called up to the big leagues last weekend. He has also added 6 RBI and 2 BB to give him an OBP of .435 and an OPS of 1.235 during that span. Montero looks to be getting plenty of ABs and deserves the claim with his power potential. Since he has only been the DH and hasn't seen any time behind the plate, his position eligibility could get interesting depending on your league's rules. If he does earn catcher eligibility for 2012, he will be very highly ranked (perhaps even a bit overrated with such a small sample size) on draft day.
5. Rich Harden (SP - A's) - If you were depending on Rich Harden for a Sunday start, you will have to change your plans. His start got pushed into next week to give him extra rest, so he will now likely start against the Angels on Wednesday at home. Harden is on a little bit of a comeback tour, trying to make people forget about all of his injury woes of the past 7 years. I'm still staying away, as he hasn't been that consistent since returning. He ha 6 QS in 12 GS since July 1st, but has failed to ever pitch QS in back-to-back starts during that period. His ERA is sitting at 4.74 with a 1.36 WHIP and the K-rate of K/I of 1.2 is nice, he has only lasted past the 6th inning 3 times. There may be some deep and personal trust issues after being burned by Harden for many years, but he's just too risky for me to rest my fantasy season on him in the final two weeks of the year.
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