Shaun Marcum - After sitting on the DL with a strained elbow and struggling in his first three outings back in late July and early August, Marcum has returned to his early-season dominance in his last three starts. First, let's take a look at those first three games after the disabled list stint. In those games, Marcum was 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, and a K/I of 0.48. In his last three starts, its been a completely different story going 3-0 with 2 quality starts, a 2.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and K/I of 0.78. He certainly seemed to have shaken the cobwebs out, but he'll have to prove it again against the Red Sox this Saturday.
Raul Ibanez - A 5-for-5 afternoon on Sunday gives Ibanez a bonfire next to his name for today's postings and don't expect it to burn out anytime soon. Ibanez is hitting .413 for the month of August with 4 HR, 20 RBI, and 48 total bases. While Melvin Mora has been the hottest AL player, Raul Ibanez is certainly in the top-5 but is doing it quietly in the pacific northwest. In fact, while he hasn't been able to match his 33 HR season from 2006, he's still posting some solid fantasy numbers. An overall 0.68FPI combined with a .298 average, .362 OBP , and .864 OPS makes him a legit OF option in mixed leagues. He's averaging a HR for every 25.5 AB and is on pace for 100 RBI (he's sitting on 83 with 6 weeks left to play).
Jed Lowrie - Whenever a SS emerges and hits well, he draws fantasy attention. Lowrie is hitting over .524 over the past week and .389 for the month of August in 54 AB. With Julio Lugo on the DL (aside from being terrible at the plate), the Red Sox are basically committing to Lowrie as their starting SS. He has 8 RBI and is 11-for-21 in his last 6 games and certainly seems to be the real-deal at the plate. Consider him a decent sleeper for the remainder of the season and if you don't have one of the elite SS, you might consider grabbing him while you can. His ownership is hovering at 37%, but definitely increasing fast.
Kevin Youkilis - Youk's third full season is turning out to be his best. In 2006 and 2007, Youkilis put up FPIs of 0.64 and 0.66. This season, its a 0.79 which is driven by a .320 average, .381 OBP, and a .958 OPS. For fantasy purposes, this season has been special due to his overall production from an average and power standpoint. With his 23rd HR of the season in yesterday's game,Youkilis improved his HR/AB to 18.6 compared to the previous two seasons of 43.8 and 33.0. However, the Greek God of Walks (as the book "Moneyball" often referred to him) has been anything but this season. While average a 0.76 and 0.73 BB/K in '06 and '07, Youkilis is striking out more and walking less with a BB/K of 0.49 this year. Higher strikeout rates may be the result of his propensity to swing for the fences more, but I think his fantasy owners will take that trade-off any day.
Josh Beckett - Is there something wrong with Beckett? I'm sure that's on the minds of many of his fantasy owners, Red Sox fans, and analysts. Even the 'Baseball Tonight' guys speculated that he might not be quite right. After giving up 8 ER in 2.1IP to the Blue Jays on Sunday, you can see why there is speculation. If you look at his pre and post all-star break splits, red flags go up. In the first half, Beckett posted a 3.94 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Since the break, he's at a 5.55 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Its a little odd that he's actually striking out batters at a faster rate in the 2nd half, 0.96 K/I versus 1.02 since the break, but there may not be enough innings to truly compare the two metrics. All eyes will be on Beckett to see how he rebounds from this start. That start will come against Toronto again on Saturday 8/23.
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