Pedro Martinez - So you're hanging on to Pedro, hoping to salvage a little fantasy life from the aging star at some point this season. The good news is Pedro's hamstring strain is recovering nicely and its looking like he's "weeks away" from returning to the Mets. The bad news is that you'll probably have to wait until the all-star break to truly get any sort of return on your Pedro investment. It will take him some time to rebound from sitting-out for so long, not to mention the Mets will be especially careful with him in terms of pitch count. In his only start of the season, Pedro threw 57 pitches. Dating back to last season, Pedro threw 100 pitches only once in his 5 starts (all in September) and in his final 4 starts of 2006, Pedro threw 36, 68, 87, and 61 pitches. So basically, he only has one 100-pitch game in his last 11 starts dating back to late August, 2006. This is going to be a long-road back for Pedro (and the sad news is, the road may never end for fantasy owners). Keep him stashed for now, but don't expect instant results if he returns as scheduled in early to Mid-June.
Adam Dunn - Dunn did it again, hitting his 7th HR of the season and slowly brigning his HR/AB to Dunn-like levels. For the season, his HR/AB is 17.8, down from his previous four seasons of 12.3, 13.6, 14.0, and 13.1. A quick power surge should get Dunn back on-track for 40+ HR (since he's done it 4 years in a row and counting) and a HR/AB in the low-teens. Big Donkey is usually a bit under-rated with his average being critiqued for being so low, but I'll take a high OBP, big power guy for my fantasy team anyday and save the average boost for my middle-infield spots.
Brett Myers - Philly fans have been known to boo, but they definitely have reason to with Brett Myers this season. He has had scattered success, but is still only 3-for-9 in Quality Starts, has a 5.91 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, H/9 of 11.1, and a HR/9 of 2.53. That's right - the long ball is absolutely killing Myers this season and he has given up 2 or more HR in 5 of his 9 starts. His K/9 has remained high at 8.1, giving me some hope that he'll be able to turn this around soon. You have to wonder if a season of closing games has had an adverse effect on his ability to start. It might take him some time to for him to acclimate (again) to the SP role.
Manny Parra - Well, my Value Picks analysis from yesterdays "First Pitch" is falling into place. If you missed yesterday's edition, I claim Manny Parra as a value pick for next week's two start week against the Pirates and the Nationals. He certainly looked good last night, hurling 6.2IP with just 1 ER, 4 K's, and 2 BB for his first quality start of the season. The GB:FB last night was 12:3 and he managed to scatter 7 hits and rebound from a couple of unearned runs. His fantasy value should be rising after this start, but I expect a run on Parra's cheap value as people realize his favorable two starts for Week 8.
Ty Wigginton - Its been a long-road back for Wigginton who is still suffering from sore ribs. He's still out of the lineup, but he's expected to return by Friday for the Astros series against the "cross-town" rivals, the Texas Rangers. Its been a rough start for Wigginton, who has suffered through injuries from the get-go this season. Coming off a 22 HR season split between the Rays and the Astros (at a HR/AB rate of 24.9), Wigginton has just 1 HR in 53 AB and hasn't been able to settle into a spot in the lineup without getting hurt. His value is usually wrapped in a multiple-position eligibility package, so he becomes an interesting fantasy consideration for his flexibility (especially at 2B).
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