Scott Podsednik- COL- Hot- Sure, he went 0-for-4 last night and lost 35 points off his batting average to go from .343 to .308, but Podsednik is showing signs of bouncing back from an essentially lost 2007 season. His average is fluctuating so much because he only has 39 at bats so far this season, but he has started to get some playing time and is producing. Podsednik is showing off his greatest asset for fantasy league owners stolen base ability, but swiping 6 already in limited appearances. His batting average has not been propped up by luck so far, with a BHIPx of .261 and he has a Batting EYE of 2.00, striking out 4 times and walking 8. This has helped boost Podsednik’s OBP to .438, giving him that many more chances to steal bases. We are dealing with a small sample size here, but the signs are encouraging that he could at least approach his best years when he was an asset in both the average and SB columns. He has been particularly productive at home, where he sports a .348 average and has stolen 5 of his bases. Judicious use of Podsednik in leagues with daily transactions could pay off.
Oliver Perez- NYM- Cold- It seems very simple as far as Perez is concerned. When he can hold the walks down to a manageable, even though still high, level he has success. When he doesn’t, he’s terrible. Perez is what Daniel Cabrera would be if Cabrera had been able to harness his wildness for long periods of time. This almost makes Perez more frustrating than Cabrera because Perez has turned his potential into reality at times. Combining 2004 and 2007, Perez yielded 160 BBs in 373 IP and had a combined ERA of 3.26. For the rest of his career he has given up 286 BBs in 467 IPs and has an ERA of 5.37. So far, this looks like a year of wildness, which makes Perez a pitcher to avoid.
Matt Chico- WAS- Cold- Reading between the lines of statements made by his manager and several of his teammates, it seems as if Chico is having a crisis of confidence. Instead of making, “Matt can turn it around and pitch like he did last year, really, he can” types of comments to the media, maybe they should chip in for a subscription to Fantistics. Then, they could show Chico his player chart and that he has been victimized by bad luck. His .340 BHIPx is likely the driving force behind his slow start and regression to the mean can be expected to help him clear it up.
Juan Pierre- LAN- Hot- Pierre has been seeing regular playing time and making it very productive. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, SB and 2 runs scored last night. That gives him a .526 average in the merry month of May, with a .591 OBP and 4 steals as he has played in all 5 games so far. Pierre’s .324 average has not been overly impacted by luck (.259 BHIPx) and he has struck out only 3 times in 71 at bats while drawing 7 walks so his Batting EYE is superb. These combinations are good indicators that he is performing at a consistent level. The lefthanded hitting Pierre is not normally subject that much to a platoon disadvantage, hitting lefties near or better than his mark against righthanders and this season he is showing an extreme reverse platoon split. His mark against southpaws, .476. is far above that against righthanders, .260. Both numbers should start to gravitate toward somewhere between them, so his overall average will probably not be greatly affected when they do.
Adam Dunn- CIN- Hot- Dunn hit his 5th homer of the year last night and continues to boost his average, which has risen 30 points (to .222) over his last 7 games. He has gone 8-for-26 in that stretch but the improved hitting has come at the expense of his vaunted Batting EYE. During that same 7 games Dunn has walked only once while striking out 6 times. Taking into account this drop in Batting EYE as well as a BHIPx that has increased from .188 to .207 in a short time and the batting average spike may be a mirage driven by a change in luck. Dunn needs to reclaim his command of the strike zone or he could be in for a rough time.
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