Andruw Jones
That sound you hear is Scott Boras breathing a sigh of relief. After getting off to a .199/.299/.377 start through June, including 80 strikeouts, Jones is a different hitter this month. He was 1-for-3 with a walk and his 17th home run of the year to raise his batting line to .214/.317/.428 on the year, a mark that includes a .343 AVG and five home runs in July. Jones has even stole a pair of bases already this month and has a 7:6 K:BB. Talk of Jones receiving a $200 million contract has died down, but with every passing game, he's also pricing himself out of the Braves' price range. In looking at Jones' splits, they don't look good any way you slice them, but his .185 average at home is what stands out the most. Jones of course is vastly underperforming out expectations (0.52 FPI vs. projected 0.71), but there's still time for a contract year run here.
Adam LaRoche
LaRoche faced a lefty (Chuck James) on Saturday, and considering he had a .228 AVG vs. southpaws from 2004-2006, you'd expect his 0-for-4 to be business as usual, right? Well, not this year. LaRoche actually entered the game with an .854 OPS vs. LHP and .728 vs. RHP. Overall, it's been quite a disappointing year for LaRoche and the Pirates, though they gave up just an injured Mike Gonzalez to get him this off-season. LaRoche is looking a little better lately, off to a 12-for-34 July with three home runs. I'm still advising fantasy owners to start most any starting pitcher against the Pirates, especially considering Jason Bay's struggles, but LaRoche at least is showing signs of a pulse. He's certainly due for a big second half considering how far he's underperforming our projections (0.53 FPI vs. 0.72 projected FPI). One good sign for LaRoche owners is that he's been traditionally a second half player (.909 OPS vs. first half OPS of 0.779). Based on how he's doing lately, look for that trend to continue.
Jeremy Hermida
The ultra-talented Hermida was 2-for-4 with his ninth homer Saturday against the Nationals. He's now hitting a disappointing .242/.327/.445 on the year. July though has been kind to Hermida who's hitting .353 with three home runs in 34 at-bats for the month. Personally, I always thought Hermida had talent on the level of Grady Sizemore (or at least 90% of it), but a myriad of injuries has stunted Hermida's development. It's easy to forget, however, that Hermida is just 23. That breakout season might not come until he enters a season 100% healthy, but the start he's gotten off to in July certainly bodes well for an excellent second half. In looking at Hermida's splits, he's strangely hitting just .218 against RHP and .278 vs. lefties. Last year saw a 42 point difference in the opposite direction, so this has to be somewhat of an anomaly. Perhaps it has something to do with the right knee injury that sidelined him early this year, but things seem to be happening for Hermida lately.
Aaron Rowand
Rowand is going to get an insanely-huge contract this off-season (think 6 years, $75 million or more), causing some analysts to explode in disbelief. Guess what though, he may be worth it. Witness Saturday's performance. Hitting fifth in the order, Rowand blasted three doubles and his 12th homer in four at-bats and yes those all count even though the mostly came off Mike Maroth. Hitting behind Chase Utley and Ryan Howard doesn't give him many RBI situations (he has 46), but how can you not like .322/.395/.503 with great centerfield defense? He does turn 30 in August, but Rowand should be a strong performer for at least the next 3-4 years. He's usually also good for double-digit steals, though with five this year, he's better get running. What you also have to like is his maturation at the plate. Rowand's 0.54 EYE this year stands in sharp contrast to 2004-2006's 0.28. That's not a fluke in my opinion, but a sign of his development as a hitter. Some may point to the "contract year"phenomenon, but that's been proven to have little, if any effect. As Scott Boras about Andruw Jones and that theory.
Edwin Encarnacion
Reds managers disdain for Edwin Encarnacion appears to have carried over from the fired Jerry Narron to his replacement, Pete Mackanin. Encarnacion rode the bench for the second straight day on Saturday, this despite Josh Hamilton being on the DL. Encarnacion is hitting .283-6-26 in 184 at-bats since 5/1 and has a 37:20 K:BB in that same timeframe. He even has an .843 OPS with RISP and has been playing better defense since his minor league stint. It must be a personality thing with Encarnacion, who could probably benefit from a change of scenery at this point. Maybe Wayne Krivsky can deal him for two more mediocre relievers. Ryan Freel is playing third base with Norris Hopper and his .668 OPS in center field and inexplicably in the two-hole. I guess I know very little about managing outside of Strat-o-Matic and fantasy baseball, but that seems odd.
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