AL Favorable Matchups:
John Buck KC (.111 CS%, 1/9): 3 games against Texas (Ian Kinsler, David Murphy), 3 games against Cleveland (Grady Sizemore)
AJ Pierzynski CHW (.222 CS%, 2/9): 1 game against Baltimore (Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis), 2 games against Minnesota (Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Denard Span), 4 games against Toronto (Alex Rios)
Jason Varitek BOS (.222 CS%, 2/9): 3 games against Toronto (Alex Rios), 3 games against Tampa (Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, Nathan Haynes)
NL Favorable Matchups:
JR Towles HOU (.167 CS%, 1/6): 3 games against Arizona (Eric Byrnes, Chris Young), 3 games against Milwaukee (Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart)
Josh Bard SD (.179 CS%, 5/28): 3 games against Philadelphia (Chase Utley), 3 games against Florida (Hanley Ramirez)
Carlos Ruiz PHI (.182 CS%, 2/11): 3 games against San Diego (Tadahito Iguchi), 3 games against San Francisco (Randy Winn, Fred Lewis, Brian Bocock, Eugenio Velez)
AL Unfavorable Matchups:
Joe Mauer MIN (.545 CS%, 6/11): 2 games against CHW (Orlando Cabrera), 3 games against Detroit (Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen)
Ramon Hernandez BAL (.375 CS%, 6/16): 1 game against CHW (Orlando Cabrera), 3 games against Tampa (Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, Nathan Haynes, 3 games against LAA (Chone Figgins, Macier Izturis, Erick Aybar)
Kurt Suzuki OAK (.357 CS%, 5/14): 4 games against LAA (Chone Figgins, Macier Izturis, Erick Aybar), 3 games against Texas (Ian Kinsler, David Murphy)
NL Unfavorable Matchups:
Paul Bako CIN (.545 CS%, 6/11): 3 games against St. Louis (Skip Schumaker), 3 games against Atlanta (Kelly Johnson)
Brian Schneider NYM (.500 CS%, 3/6): 3 games against Pittsburgh (Nate McLouth, Jason Bay), 3 games against Arizona (Eric Byrnes, Chris Young)
Jason Kendell MIL (.375 CS%, 6/16): 3 games against CHC (Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Felix Pie), 3 games against Houston (Michael Bourn, Kaz Matsui).
Pickups:
Randy Winn: On such a bad team, Winn is in danger of losing playing to younger players or he could get traded to a team that would reduce his playing time. If he plays full-time, he should run enough to be a factor in mixed leagues.
David Murphy: With Marlon Byrd going on the DL, Murphy is guaranteed of playing in the near future. If he produces, he could take playing time away from an overrated Byrd when he returns. In the near term he is worth using in AL-only leagues, but probably won’t run enough to be used in mixed leagues as a speed source.
Joey Gathright: Probably because he has disappointed so many fantasy owners in previous years, Gathright is still available in some mixed leagues. With David DeJesus being very fragile in the early going, Gathright has received plenty of playing time. At worst he will be the Royas 4th outfielder. Even in that role he is worth carrying for those who are weak in the SB department.
Juan Pierre: Pierre is still available in mixed league because of a poor spring and crowded outfield. However, he has received plenty of playing time in the early going (15 games and 43 AB through Tuesday) and is running enough (5 of 6 in steals) to justify being used in mixed leagues by those who are weak in the steals department.
Luis Castillo: Castillo is injury prone and with his chronically sore legs will go for long periods where he doesn’t run at all. Right now, he is not in one of those modes (5 for 5), so enjoy it while it lasts.
Macier Izturis: Izturis is similar to Luis Castillo in that even when he is playing, there usually seems to be some sort of injury that prevents him from taking full advantage of his speed. With Howie Kendrick out, Izturis will play and is worth using in AL-only leagues, but when Kendrick returns to man second base, Izturis will probably not play over Erick Aybar at shortstop.
Nathan Haynes: This is strictly for AL-only leagues, as Haynes does not play enough, 37 PA in 14 games, for mixed leagues. He doesn’t have the best track record as a base stealer, 7 caught steals in 21 attempts in Triple-A and 2 caught steals in 3 attempts with the Angels in 2007, but the Rays seem to have no problem giving him the green light and he is producing, 4 of 5 in steals.
Brian Bocock: Once Omar Vizquel returns, Bocock will most likely move to the bench, but in the interim, you can use him in NL-only leagues as a cheap speed source.
Felipe Lopez: Lopez has overtaken Ronnie Belliard as the starting second baseman. The problem is that one is not significantly better than the other, so a cold streak from Lopez could vault Belliard back into the starting spot. With regular playing time, Lopez should run often, he stole 44 bases in 2006, so he is worth using in all formats as a speed source.
