Jose Ramirez - Ramirez looks like he's going to be the starting SS for the Indians down the stretch, as Mike Aviles has only spelled him once since the Cabrera deal. Ramirez is a diminuitive switch hitter with a bit more pop than his stature would lead you to believe, and even more attractive to fantasy players, he has very good speed. Ramirez would be a threat to steal 25-30 bases playing every day, and his bat control (sub-10% K rate in his minor league career) and speed should help him provide a decent average as well. Throw in the decent supporting cast, and you've got a player that seems to be a bit overlooked in deeper formats at present....I think he's worth a pickup in most AL-only leagues and a few of the deeper mixed leagues as well.
Alex Cobb - It wasn't one of his best outings, but Cobb held the A's to 2 runs over 5 2/3 innings on Monday for his 7th straight start with 3 ER or fewer. If anything, Cobb's numbers have been even better than during his 2013 emergence, with improvement in BB rate, K rate, swinging strike%, velocity, and GB rate. I expect the results to continue to be solid, and Cobb should finish the season as a clear top-50 SP despite the missed time.
Brandon McCarthy - Many expected McCarthy's run of winning outings to end against the Tigers on Monday, but although he was less efficient than usual, he still managed to hold Detroit to 5 hits, 2 walks, and an unearned run over 5 2/3 innings. McCarthy struck out 8 and improved to 4-0 as a Yankee with the win, and with the best K rate of his career as a starter, improved velocity and GB rates, and his typically stellar command, why should we expect this to unravel so quickly? Sure, he moved to the tougher league and into one of the few parks that might be a worse fit for his style of pitching, but that improved GB rate may be the key as far as the change in scenarios goes. I still like McCarthy to provide back-end starter value in all formats for the ROS.
Adam Eaton - Eaton reached base another four times on Monday in a rain-shortened win over the Rangers, giving him an 11-game hitting streak and a 21-game on-base streak. He also scored another run and swiped another base, and although his success rate on the basepaths leaves a lot to be desired, he is running a bit more of late (6 attempts since the break vs. 14 before). Eaton likely has more power than he's shown at the big league level, but the style of hitting that he currently employs will never make use of it, so he's likely at about maximum value right now. I like him, but he's a speed guy that doesn't run as much as most speed guys, and he hits the ball on the ground over 60% of the time, so his ceiling is a bit lower than many players of his genre.
Jed Lowrie - Lowrie had two singles, a double, and a walk in the 3-2 win over Tampa on Monday as he continues to emerge from a slump that lasted roughly two months. After hitting under .190 for May and June combined, Lowrie hit over .300 in the month of July, much closer to what you'd expect to see from a player with a LD rate over 22% and a career-best contact rate of over 87%. Lowrie's power numbers will likely never again approach his Boston and Houston days, but he can still produce in that Oakland lineup, and his value still seems low to me throughout the fantasy community.
