Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates - While Polanco was actually called up a few days ago, June 13th is when he truly arrived. He recorded his first multi-hit game, capped off with a two run game winning homer in the top of the 13th innings to put the Pirates ahead. He also hit leadoff for the Pirates and scored three runs. Hitting a top of the lineup is the best spot for Polanco right now as he will give Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Ike Davis plenty of RBI chances, only boosting Polanco's value. His RBI totals will take a dip if he remains in the leadoff spot, but it would also increase his runs and stolen bases for a more than fair trade off.
Nathan Eovaldi, Miami Marlins - Eovaldi had one of his worst starts of 2014 against the Pirates, and while I won't try to make excuses for him or say that he wasn't focused on the task at hand, but I would have to say the pending birth of his child probably had an effect on his outing. He allowed six runs in 4.2 innings with 10 hits and he struck out just three. Even with the poor outing, his FIP still sits at 3.16 and he has been an excellent starter to helpe lessen the blow of losing Jose Fernandez. His next start comes against the Cubs, so there is a very good chance he rebounds well in that start back into the Eovaldi we've seen this year.
Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers - Kemp launched his sixth homer of the season and drove in two In his 2-for-4 game Friday. He now has picked up hits in seven of his last ten games and has driven in five runs over that span. He has been starting in left field regularly since Carl Crawford's ankle injury and has played fairly well despite his average still remaining in the .250-.260 range. In eight June games, he is over halfway to his March/April walk total (10) that he earned in 21 games. His BABIP is right in line rom May to June, but his line drive has actually dipped a slight amount between the two months. With the Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Padres on the schedule next, Kemp could be in for a big week against some weaker opponents.
Neil Ramirez, Chicago Cubs - Ramirez notched his second save of the season while allowing one run and stranding the tying run on third base. With Hector Rondon's recent struggles and elbow injury (which held him out Friday) the Cubs will give Ramirez his chance to lock down the closer role, as highlighted by Fantistic's own Michael Waldo. With Rondon having not pitched since the 7th, Pedro Strop getting the 8th and Ramirez throwing the 9th is pretty telling that the closing duties may be shifting. He owns a near 7:1 K:BB rate this year and is stranding runners at a 94% rate. He's worth an add in NL leagues and is a definite consideration in all leagues, especially those who owned Rondon like myself.
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins - Stanton broke out of his June mini-slump with a 3-for-4 game, hitting his 18th homer of the season. Going into Friday, Stanton was hitting just .211 through 10 June games with just one four walks against 14 strikeouts after posting a near 1:1 ratio in May. His ISO now sits at a ridiculous .293 and his .305 average is fueled by a .363 BABIP. His LD% is at 20% and he is hitting .829 on line drives this season, part of why his high BABIP is sustainable in this case. Stanton is playing as well as anyone this year and owners who took a chance early on a comeback season are being handsomely rewarded.
Josh Sperry - @jsperry1991
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