So Taguchi
Taguchi was 4-for-6 with three RBI on Saturday, raising his line to .307/.378/.421. Entering Saturday's game, there was only a three-point difference in Taguchi's L/R splits, though lately with Chris Duncan back from the DL, most of Taguchi's at-bats have been coming against left-handers. Interleague play has resulted in more at-bats lately, and Taguchi has produced (8-for-17 in his last four games and 13-for-25 for the month of June). He has just 18 career homers in the equivalent of two full major league seasons, but considering Taguchi can hit for average, play all three outfield positions, maintain a 90% contact rate, and steal a few bases, he's going to have some NL-only value from here on out, especially considering Jim Edmonds' injury history and the lack of a great track record for the other St. Louis outfielders.
Chad Tracy
With Mark Reynolds more than holding his own as Tracy's fill-in at third base while Tracy was on the DL close to a month with a rib cage injury, there was a lot of thought that Tracy would lose some playing time upon his return. With the Diamondbacks having the DH available due to interleague play, this hasn't been an issue, but Tracy helped himself on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. It was just Tracy's third of the year in 121 at-bats and considering he was 2-for-14 since returning from the DL before Saturday, it was a performance he needed. Reynolds though is just 8-for-49 with no homers and a 17:4 K:BB in the month of June, so Tracy probably regains the majority of the third base at-bats once Arizona returns to playing NL teams. Despite Tracy's lack of power, he does have a .375 OBP and considering just 4% of his flyballs are going for home runs (the norm is 10-11%), there's reason for optimism for Tracy in the power department, especially considering just 28% of his batted balls so far are grounders.
Chris Young
Young has been struggling a bit in June, hitting just .160/.173/.280 in 50 at-bats, causing him to be moved to the 8th spot in the order on Saturday. Young did go 1-for-3 with his ninth homer and two runs scored on Saturday, raising his declining average to .250. Despite the struggles with his average, the power has been there (.184 ISO). Still, it appears perhaps his sore groin still hasn't fully healed, as not only is Young not hitting much in June, he hasn't stolen a base (or even attempted to) since May 18. At this rate, he may not be fully healthy until his groin has a chance to rest over the All-Star break, but if you have patience, Young has the talent to reward you with a big second half. To do that thought, he'll have to do far better than the 13:0 K:BB he's put up so far in June - he hasn't drawn a walk since May 26. Strikeouts have been a problem throughout Young's minor and major league career, but for a guy with a minor league EYE of 0.61 to have one this year of 0.20 is surprising, but probably something that won't stay that low.
Miguel Olivo
Well we haven't written about Olivo yet this year, so this is the perfect day to do so. On Saturday, Olivo went 5-for-5, a day after getting three hits. Two of the this were doubles, and Olivo even stole his second base of the year. Olivo is never going to be the most patient guy at the plate (0.11 EYE this year, 0.09 - wow - in 2006). Olivo's average has increased 26 points to .252 the last two days, and considering the dearth of decent-hitting catchers, Olivo is worthy of being a fantasy starter these days. So far this year Olivo is underperforming out projections (0.38 FPI vs. projected 0.51). Olivo is never going to be a superstar, but with his defense, he's going to get a ton of playing time. He also hit 16 homers in 452 at-bats last year, so there's some value to be had here.
David Ross
Ross has been a guy prone to hot streaks in the past (.203 after the All-Star break last year and .318 with seven homers in 82 at-bats in May/June that same year), and perhaps he's on the verge of another one now. Saturday, Ross was 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI to raise his average to .196. The average is a bit of a mirage, as Ross has a .226 BABIP, something that will eventually cause his average to take a bump up. Of some concern is the decline in his EYE - 0.49 in 2006 and just 0.22 so far this year. Strangely enough, Ross has just two doubles, but nine home runs. Probably not a ratio that continues long term. Ross' contact rate is down to 65% this year, but he's a guy that has averaged 33 HR per 550 at-bats in his career, so there's some fantasy value to be had here certainly, especially considering his average should climb back up.
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