Maybe I'm going down with the ship here, but I continue to claim that Raul Ibanez is a buy-low option for the latter half of the season. His 6 hits and 4 RBI in the last four games give Ibanez some momentum before the break. His first half totals mixed-in with back and hamstring injuries give Ibanez a 0.55 FPI with only 6 HR and a .754 OPS. Not the best from the Mariners' left fielder, who put up a 0.68 FPI with 33 HR and an .872 OPS. In fact, his power rate of 1 dinger for every 19.0 AB in 2006 is now just 48.5. We sometimes look at the all-star break as some sort of magical switch that can revert a fantasy player's value back to where it "should be." The break won't give Ibanez 15 HR in the 2nd half, but it will be a good "starting over"point for him to be able to produce at a 0.60 FPI rate.
Robinson Cano remains hot going into the all-star break, going 2-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBI. It was his 3rd multi-hit game in the last four days and Cano has gradually raised his average to .274 after starting the month of July at .265. Its been a disappointing season for the Yankee 2B after competing for the 2006 batting title. His strikeout rate has gone through the roof, averaging a K for every 6.6 plate appearances compared to 7.8 in his rookie season and 9.3 last year. That drops his batting eye from .333 last year to .288 in '07. Drop his FPI from 0.75 to 0.52 year-over-year as well as a HR/AB from 32.1 to 54.7. Frustrated fantasy owners should look to the last couple of weeks as a decent sign of Cano turning this around. One of the NY radio shows had indicated a theory that Cano wasn't working as hard at the start of the season, taking for granted the difficulty of hitting on the major league level given his early career success. A little taste of humility may have prompted Cano to work harder, so I expect some upside for the 2nd half.
Did anybody expect Gary Sheffield to perform THIS well? If you said yes, I don't believe you. Sheff is posting a 0.84 FPI with 21 HR, 58 RBI, a .404 OBP, and 12 SB. 12 SB! He's hitting .303 with a .964 OPS and is averaging a HR for every 14.6 AB. His batting eye is 1.58, averaging a walk for every 6.9 plate appearances while striking out once every 10.9 PA's. I continue to be shocked by his numbers and at this point, all we can do is continue to hope for a healthy Sheffield.
Being one of the biggest busts of the first half, Julio Lugo posted a 3-for-3 on Sunday with a HR, 2 RBI, and a walk, raising his average to .197 and his OPS to .568. Chalk all of that up to a 0.44 FPI (ugh). Despite a .270 OBP, Lugo has still managed to swipe 22 bags and it would take quite an effort for him to remain below the Mendoza Line for the remainder of the season. Even if he comes close to his pre-season projected FPI of 0.68 for just the 2nd half, he is well worth taking a middle-infield risk. If you're just looking for speed, Lugo is a nice target with some upside in average and runs scored.
Ervin Santana's road problems continued on Sunday. At home this year, Santana is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a .256 BAA. On the road, he's 1-8 with a 8.59 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, and a .321 BAA. Of course, his 9 ER outing against the Yankees yesterday didn't help those road figures, but its been pretty obvious that Santana does not like pitching away from Anaheim. You can manage through such a dramatic split in performance by benching Santana on the road. His next start will likely come on July 18th at Tampa Bay.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
