Jorge Cantu – Not exactly a Wally Pipp parallel, but if Josh Willingham didn’t go on the disabled list earlier in the season, I’m not sure if we would have gotten the opportunity to see Cantu put up these kinds of numbers. Cantu ended his 13-game hitting streak last night with an 0-for-3, but is still hitting .290 for the season with an .814 OPS and a 0.63 FPI. Not bad for a free-agent pick-up off the wires. 62 RBI and 19 HR (at a 23.6 HR/AB) keeps him valuable in all mixed leagues going forward, especially with the Marlins contending for a possible playoff spot.
Ryan Howard – Howard is quietly heating up right when the Phillies (and fantasy owners) need him most. He has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games with 3 HR and 9 RBI. That ties him for the lead in homeruns with Adam Dunn at 32. Despite his .244 average (yes, its now .244 after this hot-streak – imagine what it was before), Howard remains a huge homerun threat and fantasy production stud when he’s swinging the bat this well. He’s average a HR/AB of 13.5, an OPS of .836, and an FPI of 0.61. Obviously his power threat has been great while compromising overall average and OBP with his high propensity to strike out (average a K for every 3.3 plate appearances). But its hard to argue with the overall value of 32 HR and 97 RBI from anyone through the first week in August. He can post 200 K’s for all I care… just keep hitting homeruns and driving in runs and fantasy owners will be happy.
Pedro Martinez – The night sure didn’t start well for Pedro, with Jody Gerut blasting the first pitch of the night over the fence for a lead-off homerun. But Pedro settled down and pitched a quality start, going 6.1 IP on 4 hits, 3 BB, 3 K’s, and 2 ER. He still got the loss and his record is now evened at 3-3. Pedro will always have the cache associated with his name, but he has actually pitched well lately. He has given up just 10 total hits and 6 runs in his last three outings. He’s a 2-start pitcher this week, drawing the double-duty of facing the Pittsburgh Pirates twice within the same week. That makes him a decent start in most fantasy formats.
Brian Giles – Giles hit his 6th dinger of the season against the Mets yesterday, but his 1-for-4 dropped his average to .296. Giles continues to be a low-end outfielder, but probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves because his power has diminished to the point of being nonexistent. He still boasts an impressive OBP of .391 due to his 61 walks and only 44 K’s. So, even though he only has a slugging of .424 (mostly driven by his 26 doubles), he still has a respectable OPS of .815. Go through your team and see how many of your outfielders have an FPI of 0.65 or greater. That’s what Giles is posting right now and he’s starting to heat up. Ok, I’ll get off the Giles bandwagon now.
Derek Lowe – Lowe was cruising through the summer until these past two starts. Last night, he was just absolutely horrible. He gave up 13 hits and 8 runs while striking out just 2. I don’t see it getting any better next week as he’ll have to face the Phillies and the Brewers in a 2-start week. Not exactly two teams you want to be facing when you’re cold. Lowe is, at best, a #3/#4 SP on your fantasy rotation and is 8-10 for the season. His inconsistency continues to diminish his value. We should see a market correction in ’09 drafts.
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