Rafael Furcal:
Furcal's had an unusual August, which is usually one of his stronger months, as he's only gone hitless in 5 of the team's 24 games but has hit an empty .274 on the month with only 6 extra base hits and only 2 SB's. He still gets on base at a decent clip and is scoring runs, but he's clearly not the same fantasy option he's been in the past. His steals are down this season which can be explained by the early season ankle injury, but his power has also been completely sapped and with his 30th birthday around the corner you wonder if the declining power is the start of a trend.
Luke Scott:
Outside of Luke Scott's horrid April, he's been an underrated fantasy option. He's posted an .800+ OPS in each of the other months with a .900+ OPS in each of the last 3 months. Scott's an underrated OF option who has some good pop and should produce solid RBI totals as long as he continues to get consistent playing time. With leagues that count OPS or Slugging % he becomes increasingly more valuable. For those looking to ride a hot bat towards the end of the season should take a peak at Scott's strong production over the last 3 months.
Hunter Pence:
Pence's return from the DL has been a quiet one as his 0-4 on Sunday now brings him down .214-.267-.321 since his return. Pence was benefiting from some tremendous luck earlier in the season with balls hit into play but also showed tremendous power and speed potential. Without a great EYE and still likely recovering from the wrist injury which has probably sapped some power makes Pence a less attractive OF option than his current 2007 stats or his name value suggest. There's some significant upside still there for Pence if his wrist fully heals and he gets his timing and power back but right now I think the downside to the rest of his season outweighs the potential upside.
Brad Hawpe:
Hawpe's been struggling a bit of late going just 4-24 on the recent home-stand against the Nationals and Pirates. His struggles in August have likely been the result of a previously raised BHIP% which has come back a bit. His power remains strong in August, slugging .513%, and his EYE has regressed a bit of late. The improvements in EYE this season are actually more of a result of a strong April and May in which Hawpe posted elite EYE levels. If Hapwe's EYE continues to regress there's some batting average downside that may cause him to finish in the .270-.280 range, however the strong power and RBI contributions will remain.
Cliff Floyd:
Floyd finally knocked out his 5th HR of the season on Sunday ending a 90 AB homer-less streak that appears to be more of a trend than an oddity. Floyd's power has decreased across the board this season and his only contribution to the Cubs and fantasy players has been his solid batting average, but even that has been aided by a .297 BHIP%. While Floyd may seem like an adequate OF option for the contending Cubs, his sub-par offensive and defensive skill set at this point in his career make him more of a liability than anything else. Floyd's groundball rate has risen as has his infield flyball %, both terrible indicators for a hitter. Expect Floyd's batting average to continue to regress this season as the luck starts to even out.
