Brian McCann continues to be a fantasy disappointment this season, yielding little power, a lower than expected average, and significant drops in multiple categories. Let's start with power. McCann only has 3 HR on the season and is averaging a HR for every 50.7 AB compared to 2006's pace of 18.4. Its not even close. Less HR has yielded a drop in OPS from .962 to .776. Shifting more to production, McCann's batting average has dropped over 50-points from .333 to .276 and FPI has fallen from 0.81 to 0.58. The one steady metric for McCann is his batting eye of 0.76 last season and 0.75 in 2007. He's had some minor hand injuries this season that may have added to some tough AB's, but are no excuse for this drop in performance. I don't think his power remain this stagnant for too much longer, but it will take a lot for him to reach the 0.80 FPI mark once again.
Jamie Moyer has come back to earth in May after a stellar April. He only has one quality start in his last four outings and his May's line is 5.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, K/9 of 4.0, and a HR/9 of 2.1. I wrote in the beginning of the season that Moyer's potential to give up the long-ball could be his achilles' heel this season. After giving up just 1 HR in April, my original theory looked quite flawed. But with 9 HR allowed in May, its starting to ring true. While it will be difficult for Moyer to match his career-high in homeruns allowed of 44 (2004 in Seattle), I do expect his end of season total to be in the mid-to-high 30's. Think about it this way: his GB/FB is about 1.0 in May and he still gave up 9.
Tim Hudson ended his two-game losing streak with a quality start against the slumping Brewers yesterday. His line ended at 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 K's, and 1 BB. I know you were all worried about Hudson after he dropped two in a row against the Red Sox and the Phillies, but Hudson has looked like a different pitcher this year. His ERA is significantly down from 4.86 to 2.77, WHIP from 1.44 to 1.08, and H/9 of 9.7 to 7.7. His K numbers have stayed steady with a K/9 of 5.23 compared to 5.81 last year, but his walk total has diminished from 3.3 to 2.0. Hudson's season will not end with these totals (if they do, he'll be a serious Cy-Young contender). I think his numbers will slowly normalize to 3.50/1.20 levels, but should continue to get plenty of W's.
Dan Uggla had another multi-hit game, but this time, it was also a multi-HR game. With two dingers against the Cubs, Uggla now has 6 HR in May, bringing his season total to 11. The Marlins 2B continues to give fantasy owners what they expected - power and production. His FPI is slightly improved from 2006 from 0.62 to 0.65 and his HR-power is actually up, averaging a HR for every 19.5 AB compared to 22.6. Obviously, this average is up simply from his 2 HR last night, but the important thing is that Uggla has proved that 2006 is not a fluke.
Billy Hall had his 7th multi-hit game of May yesterday with a modest 2-for-4 performance. The big 2007 story for Hall has been his lack of power. Where has it gone? Bring back the pink bats! Hall has 6 HR for the season and only 2 in the month of May. After his breakout season in 2006 with 35 HR and a HR/AB of 15.3, Hall's 6 dingers yields a 30.7. Not exactly what we were expecting from Hall, but with no injury concerns and a better offensive lineup around him, the guess would be for Hall to go on a tear at some point in the near future. Consider him a nice buy-low candidate now, especially given his multiple-position eligibility that includes SS/3B as well as OF.
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