Wil Myers, OF, Tampa Bay Rays: Rookie
Myers drove in the 17th and 18th runs of his season (and career) yesterday in Toronto to help Tampa win, 4-3. He finished the game 2-for-4 and now has a line of .310/.336/.460 through 28 games. He has turned it on as of late, hitting an even .500 with one home run, five RBI and three stolen bases in his last seven games and is turning into a very reliable fantasy starter, in any format. He is still available in 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues, most of them being of the eight and 10 team varieties I assume, but checking to see his availability in your league wouldn't hurt.
Hiroki Kuroda, SP, New York Yankees: Stats
Being snubbed from the AL All-Star team didn't seem to bother Kuroda, as he was magnificent again on Saturday, not allowing a run until sputtering in the seventh. His line ended up looking like this: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, (5 hits/ 1 BB), and 4 Ks. His ERA is at a sparkling 2.65 and he is a large reason why the Yankees are still afloat in the AL East this season. The win was his second straight and ninth for the season, tying him for eight in the AL in that category. The man simply doesn't get enough credit, but I'm sure fantasy owners everywhere are smirking as he tosses gem after gem. His price is rising, so if you are looking to trade for a consistent pitcher, it doesn't get much more consistent than Kuroda, so the time would be now to make the move.
Alex Rios, OF, Chicago White Sox: Stats
Rios had himself a day at the dish, finishing with three hits in five at-bats, including an RBI single and one mammoth grand salami with the hometown Chi Sox trailing 4-1 at the time. He is only seven games removed from a 6-for-6 performance that saw his average jump up 14 points, but before today, Rios hasn't tallied more than two RBI in a game since last season. And the home run was his first since June 9th after the veteran outfielder hit 10 combined in April and May. The average has been steady all season, but the run production has been low, so it's nice to see a day like this out of him. With Adam Dunn out, there may be a sense of urgency by Rios to do some more heavy lifting in his absence, so this could be a sign of things to come.
Mariano Rivera, CL, New York Yankees: Career Year Continues
After earning All-Star MVP with his scoreless inning of work, Mo was back on the mound in blue and grey. He struck out two and allowed one base runner on his way to his 31st save the year, behind only Jim Johnson in that category. There isn't much to say by means of fantasy when it comes to Mariano. He is a top five closer year in and year out and at age 43, could be having his best year ever, especially considering he is coming off ACL surgery last season. Did I mention he was FORTY THREE YEARS OLD?!?!?!?! The guy is a freak of nature and it is going to be sad to see him go, but for now it's only right to marvel at him everytime he takes the mound because it very well be the last time you get to see him pitch (fingers crossed). Fantasy wise? Don't ever let him go if you have him. I might even draft him next year, just to say he's on my team in spirit. It could telepathically give my team a boost.
Erik Bedard, SP, Houston Astros: Stats
Bedard had an interesting outing Saturday, allowing no hits, but walked five and allowed three runs (one earned) before being pulled after six and a third (109 pitches). It's tough taking a pitcher out when he's throwing a no-no, but with the game close and a man on, it's hard to argue with the managers decision there. On the season, Bedard has a 4.41 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP and 89 strikeouts over 98 innings. He's worth the look in AL Only leagues, but his stats may not even be good enough at this point, even after this performance. He even earned the loss in this start, which is hard to fathom, but goes to show he hasn't had the baseball Gods on his side so much this year. Keep a close eye on him though next start because if he strings a few good ones together, he's the kind of guy who can get on a nice roll.
