Freddy Garcia
Those owners counting on Freddy Garcia for a two start week this week may want to pay close attention to the news wires today. Garcia ran into a cart that was on the field as he was trying to shag batting practice balls on Sunday. Garcia ran head first into the cart and gave himself a contusion on his right leg. Tests reported no fracture, so the key will be how much swelling Garcia has on Monday morning. The Phillies haven't indicated who would start if Garcia's unable to go at this point.
Todd Helton
I have two words for you Todd Helton owners out there: SELL HIGH. Helton's off to an incredible start this season as another 2-4 game on Sunday pushed his average up to .394. Helton's a great hitter, no doubt, and his 30:9 BB:K ratio shows how special he is, but he doesn't hit for much power (only 2 HR's so far) and his .394 BA is being propped up by an unsustainable .357 BHIP%. As a reference point, Helton's average over the last 3 years for BHIP% is .275. Helton's going to hit well over .300 this season but to come down all the way from .394 to .310 he'd hit about .290 the rest of the season. A .290 hitting 1B without much power isn't very valuable, so if you can go out and trade Helton for a slumping 1B like Paul Konerko, Carlos Delgado, or Lance Berkman it might be something to consider.
Ryan Dempster
I'm not sure how much longer the buying opportunity for Ryan Dempster is going to last, so fantasy owners looking for an upgrade at the closer position should target Dempster owners. After a horrid 2006 season that Dempster admitted he was out of shape for much of the 2nd half, he's come into this season in the best shape of his career and is looking more like the dominant closer we saw in 2005. In 17 innings of work this year Dempster's struck out 19 batters and walked 5 while only allowing 1 HR (to Pujols). Dempster's biggest downfall throughout his career has been his control, which he's shown significant improvements with early on in the season as well as resurgent K Rate. Dempster's playing for an improved Cubs team that should generate plenty of save opportunities (just this week he recorded 3 saves and a W in the Cubs 5 game win streak). If you can get Dempster for someone like Jason Isringhausen (who's posting solid early season numbers but has a lingering hip injury that could cause concerns and is playing for a very weakened Cardinals team) I'd pull the trigger. Dempster's going to finish as one of the top 10 closers in all of baseball this season and prove to be a draft day steal, buy into him while you still can.
Tim Lincecum
All eyes in the fantasy world were squarely on SF's top prospect Tim Lincecum on Sunday night as he made his major league debut against the Phillies. Lincecum's major league debut was a rocky one as he lasted only 4 1/3 innings allowing 4 ER on 5 hits and 5 BB's. Lincecum flashed some of the great stuff that's given him top prospect status as he struck out the side in the 1st inning and struck out 5 for the game, but he also allowed 2 HR's and struggled with his control. His strikeout numbers at the minor league levels are silly and his dominance at those levels obviously suggests he's ready for a shot at the major league rotation, but be prepared for plenty of bumps in the road. Lincecum doesn't have as much professional experience as some more polished prospects like Phillip Hughes and has struggled with his control at the minor league level. While he deserves a look in every format because of his considerable K potential those owners looking for more consistency in their rotation may want to look elsewhere. For every top prospect that turns out to be Francisco Liriano or Jerad Weaver, there's 5 more Chad Billingsley, Jeremy Sowers, Hayden Penn, etc types. Rookie pitchers are a crapshoot and while I do believe Lincecum deserves a shot for many types of formats those in yearly leagues or in shallower keeper leagues should tread carefully with young pitchers and potentially use them to take advantage of the big hype with trade value. It's important to understand the type of league you're playing in and the type of downside risk younger pitchers bring with them when assessing their value to your team, remember for every Disaster Start you put into your lineup it takes 2-3 Quality Starts to make up for it.
Cole Hamels
Hamels upstaged the Giants young gun on Sunday night tossing 7 innings and striking out 9 while earning his 4th win of the season. Hamels has quickly established himself as one of the elite SP options in the NL and he won't be going anywhere soon. While Hamels extended injury history in the minors may have scared fantasy owners coming into the season it should be noted none of the injuries were arm related and the only serious concern surrounding Hamels is a lingering back issue. Hamels also isn't heavily reliant on breaking balls and as Lou has mentioned in the past pitchers that rely on a change-up tend to have more staying power in terms of health. This is one of the premier reasons I think Hamels may be the most valuable young pitcher in the NL.
