Todd Helton (1B--Rockies) As we head into mid-September, there are many fantasy owners who seasons are winding down and are looking ahead to next year. Which brings us to a guy by the name of Todd Helton; Helton, who after hitting a career low .256 in 2010, has bounced back nicely and is heading for another .300+ season. Helton has been mostly healthy this year with almost 500 plate appearances and has shown that he hasn't lost his discerning EYE which comes in at 0.80. Yeah, it's slipped a little, he's expanded his strike zone swinging at bad pitches 23% of the time, but he still has a solid his contact rate (88.5%) and still smacks line drives at a rate of 27%. He won't come close to the 40, 30 or maybe even the20 home runs years he once had, but as he will start the season at 38 years old, he has managed a very solid .387 OBP and a weighted on-base average of .371 showing that he has been contributing steadily and perhaps flying under the radar somewhat at the start of the year when he was owned in less than 20% of leagues. Fantasy owners have been wary of Helton with consistent back injuries. And while injuries are always a concern (for that matter for any player), Helton may be a worthwhile contributor for next year assuming he is well enough to be penciled in the lineup on a fairly consistent basis.
Cameron Maybin (OF--Padres) It took leaving the marlins and hooking up with the Padres for Cameron Maybin to finally get consistent playing time and start to show some of the promise that eluded him in Florida. Maybin's 35 steals alone is enough to raise an eyebrow or two to interest the most jaded fantasy owner, but he's been hitting the ball with far more consistency as his .292 batting average would suggest since the start of July. His BHIP of .345 is incredibly high considering his line drive rate is a futile 14.5% but it's that high largely because he leads the league with a .340 batting average on grounders utilizing his great speed. He's only 24 and although Petco Park may stymie some of Maybin's power potential, he is still young and developing and a 15 home run season may not be out of the question at some time with 40 steals to boot. Maybin's someone to keep an eye for next season.
Jonny Venters (RP--Braves) Jonny Venters has the misfortune of being in the shadows of the top closer in the N.L. in Craig Kimbrel. Venters has been stellar this season with a 1.56 ERA and a K/9 of 10.2. He leads the league in appearances and during the 80.2 innings pitched this season, he has allowed just one home run this season that was hit by Dustin Ackley. For his career, he has allowed just two. The other was hit by Joey Votto in case you're into trivia. If your league rewards middle relievers, Venters would be a good grab with 31 holds on the season. As great as Venters has been, his true fantasy value isn't realized as he has been playing second fiddle to Kimbrel. If Kimbrel should ever falter and show cracks in his armor, Venters value would skyrocket.
Paul Janish (SS--Reds) Paul Janish hasn't had the best of season to say the least. He just broke an 0-for-27 slump earlier this week with a hit. He's seen his average drop to .208 on the season with a .254 OBP and not even one home run. So is there any silver lining that a fantasy owner might be able to see in Janish. Well, not much but I will say that Janish is not that bad. He has a solid contract rate of 87.2% and a line drive rate of 20.6% which is really quite good. So what gives? Well, Janish has just a .236 BHIP which would indicate he has been supremely unlucky. He's obviously been driving the ball right into the opposing team's gloves. Does this mean that Janish is fantasy team worthy? Not so much. Despite the fact that he has deserved a better fate than what he has produced, Janish doesn't have much of a ceiling to rise to and even at his very best, he will probably produce low-end results. Janish can do better but even his best may not be good enough.
Johan Santana (SP--Mets) Johan Santana hasn't pitched the entire season having sat out 2011 rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Reports indicate that he has looked solid in bullpen sessions and the Mets have done the correct thing (for a change) and not pushing Santana faster than they should. After all the Mets are playing for nothing this year but respectability. Santana will made his second rehab start on Friday and so far so good as he continues to progress. Tough to say whether he will pitch at all in the major leagues this year (one, maybe two starts?) but if based upon his past history, he has been an elite option and certainly someone to target for next year as a high risk/high reward option. Fantasy owners may shy away from him, and he may not quite be his old self, but he will more than likely contribute far better than average numbers. No reason to think that Santana won't bounce back in 2012.
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