If Victor Martinez could only play the Tigers everyday... He hit his 12th HR of the season on Sunday and 6 of them have come against Detroit. Martinez's HR/AB has been cut in half at 15.6 from last season's total of 35.8. His FPI over the last three years has continually improved from 0.68 in 2006, to 0.70 last year and now at 0.75. His 12 dingers on the year drives a .929 OPS combined with an expected .316 average. His BB/K has dropped slightly from 0.91 last year to 0.74 so far in 2007, leading to a 20-point drop in OBP, but I think we would all gladly exchange walks for homeruns.
After suffering a concussion on Friday night, Mark Teixeira has hit 2 HR in 2 games and now has 11 HR on the season. Tex's lefty/righty split is always interesting to analyze, especially given the distinct differences in performance from the two sides of the plate. Hitting from the right side of the plate (versus lefties), Tex has a .383 average, 1.101 OPS, 2 HR at a rate of 23.5, and an FPI of 0.98 in 47 AB. From the left side of the plate (against righties), he's hitting .278, .899 OPS, 9 HR at a rate of 18.0, and an FPI of 0.71. So, in general, he seems to be more productive from the right side despite hitting HR's at a slightly faster rate from the left side.
Dustin Pedroia is certainly in his zone. The rookie 2B had another multi-hit game, his 4th in a row and his 7th in the last 9 games. He raises his average to .336 and his FPI his now 0.74. He doesn't yield a mighty power bat with just 2 HR, but his 13 doubles gives him an OPS of .888. With a .411 OBP, Pedroia will score plenty of runs, especially if he keeps hitting 2nd in front of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. For the most part, he has hit 9th in the lineup, but should still get plenty of opportunities to score runs. For a rookie, one of the most impressive stats that indicates his ability is his batting eye of 1.78. He puts the bat on the ball and earns walks, providing productive outs for the Red Sox and fantasy owners. An up-arrow for Pedroia, especially at the weak 2B fantasy position.
Since slipping into the Orioles rotation when Jaret Wright went on the DL, Jeremy Guthrie is 2-0 and is a perfect 6-for-6 in quality starts with a 1.87 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a H/9 of 5.4. His K/9 during that span is 5.0, but that stat is inflated with one outing of double digit K's against the Nationals and the rest under 5. The stat that I focus on for Guthrie is his GB/FB rate. In his six starts, Guthrie's GB/FB is 1.59 with 59 ground ball outs to 37 fly balls. He's been great and his outing against the Angels yesterday continued to prove that he may have plenty of fantasy value left. Up-arrow for the Orioles' righty.
Nick Punto's fantasy value is flexibility and speed. Most leagues have him listed with 2B/3B/SS position flexibility, allowing owners to play lineup games throughout the week, especially on Mondays and Thursdays. With two more steals yesterday, Punto is 11-for-15 in stolen base attempts. He's hitting just .231 with no homeruns, just 8 extra base hits, and posting a 0.51 FPI. Nothing special offensively, but utilizing a strategy of getting your speed/steals from the middle-infield / 3B positions can be effective.
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