Max Scherzer:
It’s time to start paying attention to Max Scherzer again. Scherzer’s returned from a brief stint on the minor league DL with shoulder issues and is being stretched out with the anticipation of being used as a starter. With Doug Davis scuffling of late and a lesser threat in Yusmero Petit entrenched in the rotation and the Diamondbacks in a pennant race, it looks as if Scherzer is being groomed to make an impact this season. In his last two starts in which he’s gone 3 and 4 innings respectively, he’s struck out 13 batters while walking 3 and allowing just 3 hits. His last start was on August 5th and with him not pitching tonight I’d imagine he goes tomorrow night for Tuscon, that would also not so coincidentally line up his pitching spot with Yusmero Petit’s turn in the rotation. I think we’ll see Scherzer in the bigs within 2 weeks and if you’re in position where you can afford to store the youngster, take your chance to beat the competition early. Scherzer posted a 2.90 ERA and racked up 33 K’s in 31 innings earlier this year in the majors and could make a big impact down the stretch.
Jody Gerut:
Gerut’s been a pleasant surprise in San Diego, producing an .823 OPS in 275 AB’s. He’s really settled in since establishing himself as the everyday CF in June as he’s topped .300 in each of the three months and posted a Slugging % above .550 since the beginning of July. PETCO limits his power production a bit, giving him more 2B’s than HR’s, but he’s hit 7 HR’s in the last month and a half. Unfortunately hitting atop the lackluster Padres offense isn’t providing a lot of other production outside of BA and some pop, but Gerut should at least provide league average Run production while hitting leadoff. He’s already scored 6 times in August and looks like a legitimate back-end option in mixed formats. If only he started running again like he did earlier in the season, he’d be a sneaky 15-15 candidate who hits over .300 and offers decent run production.
Lastings Milledge:
Improving Power? Check. Improving SB production? Check. Improving plate discipline? Check. Breakout 2nd half candidate? Possibly. Milledge knocked out his 5th HR of August and his 12th on the season as he continues to work his way towards an outside chance of a 20-20 season. Milledge has been red-hot in August, making more contact, and driving the ball out of the park at a better rate than ever before. The power may not be completely real as it hasn’t been supported by an increase in his 2B’s rate, which suggests he may just be having some good fortune on balls leaving the yard, but Milledge is locked into the middle of the Nats lineup and is making better contact of late. He’s on a team that will allow him to run as much as he wants and should allow him to “pad” some stats for fantasy teams. It’s a nice mix of opportunity and potential starting to meet for Milledge, but I don’t expect this to be a “true” breakout in the sense that he’ll offer big time production across the board. Milledge should still struggle to hit for a high average and the Nats offense doesn’t exactly provide a lot of run production, so Milledge simply becomes the next incarnation of Mike Cameron. He’s got the potential for a bit more down the road, but I want to see a lot bigger improvement in his approach before I hop on board for anything more than the Mike Cameron comparison (who was always an underrated option anyway).
Hong Chih-Kuo:
Kuo got the save opportunity after Jonathan Broxton blew an attempt the previous night and followed up Broxton’s blown save with one of his own, thanks to extremely shoddy defense by the Dodgers. Kuo allowed 3 hits in the ninth sandwiched around an error and a fielder’s choice that yielded two runs and blew the game. The opportunity came not because Broxton blew the previous night’s save, but instead because Broxton had worked three consecutive days and needed a day off. It’s worth noting that Kuo is next in line behind Broxton but other than that not much of a rise in value here for Kuo. He’s still the great ratio MR that helps hide pitching inefficiencies on a roster who likely won’t make much of an impact in Wins or Saves.
Juan Pierre:
I talked about Pierre’s lack of SB attempts since coming back from the DL in late July and while that’s certainly a factor in his lack of fantasy value right now, the more surprising factor is Pierre is really battling for playing time right now. Pierre’s managed just 3 starts in August as Andre Ethier has been hitting well and he’s now swiped just 2 bases since returning from the DL. Pierre’s extremely dependent on speed and quantity of opportunity with both of those dwindling, Pierre looks barely start-worthy in weekly formats.
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