Pablo Sandoval (3B-SF) – Moved back into the three-hole Sunday seemed to agree with Sandoval, who went 4-for-4 with a double and his first home run of the season in a 5-4 Giants loss to the Diamondbacks. Since opening with a .195 mark through April 18, Sandoval is 11-for-24. The reason while I was less optimistic on Sandoval than others this year is still there however, and that’s his 12:2 K:BB in 65 at-bats, this after he walked in just 2.6% of his PAs for the Giants in 2008. Sandoval qualifies as a catcher in most leagues, and that’s a good thing, as it’s hard to get too excited by a corner infielder with average-at-best power and the tendency to chase anything within a foot of the strike zone. When projecting Sandoval long term, keep in mind the 0.40 EYE and 50.3 AB/HR, though both marks could certainly improve for the 22 year-old in time. I guess I’m just not as high on him as others, particularly in that park and lineup, though if Bruce Bochy leaves him in the three-hole, that will help quite a bit.
Justin Maxwell (OF-WAS) – Even considering Lastings Milledge’s demotion to Triple-A, there still appears to be too much of a logjam for Justin Maxwell to build much fantasy value. Maxwell did get the start Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a walk and two stolen bases in the leadoff role with Elijah Dukes getting the day off. This comes a day after a pinch-hit double for Maxwell, so he’s 3-for-7 with a walk, no strikeouts, three stolen bases, and an RBI. At 6’5” with tools, Maxwell is an intriguing fantasy prospect whose best year came in 2007 when he hit 29 homers and stole 35 bases between the minors and a cup of coffee with the Nationals. It’s tough to see him getting a whole lot of time in Washington as a backup outfielder, but if something were to happen to Austin Kearns and/or Elijah Dukes either on and/or (in Dukes’ case) off the field, Maxwell could see a few more at-bats. Take a flier in deeper NL-only and keeper leagues.
Jesus Flores (C-WAS) – With most of the top-tier NL only catchers off to slow starts, Flores is become quite a bit more enticing in shallower leagues. He’s actually still available in a 12-team mixed league I’m in (well, not anymore), and after going 3-for-4 with a HR and BB on Sunday, Flores is batting a surprising .327/.393/.490 in 49 at-bats. Flores’ contact rate stands at just a shade over 63%, making it highly unlikely that he’ll wind up hitting much more than .280 by the time all is said and done, but even then, he’ll still wind up as one of the NL’s better fantasy options. With a 0.24 career EYE and 72.8% CT%, Flores is still likely a couple years from being a consistent performer, but as a #2 mixed league catcher, he’s well worth having around. Due to his status as a Rule 5 pickup last season, Flores has just 59 minor league at-bats above High-A, so learning on the job certainly applies here.
Kenshin Kawakami (P-ATL) – Signed to a three-year $23 million deal to be Atlanta’s No. 3 starter, Kawakami has been far more Kaz Ishii than Hiroki Kuroda through four starts. Sunday, Kawakami allowed eight runs over 4 2/3 innings to drop to 1-3 with a 7.06 ERA. Not that an 18:11 K:BB in 21 2/3 innings hasn’t contributed to the ERA, but it’s more the five home runs than anything. Kawakami allowed 0.93 HR per nine innings in Japan, but that’s misleading considering his home park in Japan was heavily pitcher-friendly leaning. It’s far too early to give up on the 33 year-old, but he’s of no use in any sort of format right now.
Austin Kearns (OF-WAS) – After spending the better part of three years on my post-hype sleeper list, I finally cut the cord with Kearns after the underachieving outfielder managed just .217/.311/.316 last season for the Nationals. It’s hard to fathom that a guy in his prime years could see his power essentially cut in half, but that’s what happened to Kearns, who saw his ISO drop from .218 in 2006 to a Pierre-like .099 a year ago. With Elijah Dukes, Adam Dunn, Lastings Milledge, and Josh Willingham all in the fold, Kearns seemed likely headed for a trade or non-tender this winter, but the Nationals surprisingly kept him around. Even more surprising was Kearns willing the RF job after hitting .286/.423/.595 this spring. He’s not stopping there either. Kearns was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and his third homer on Sunday, bringing his line up to .256/.396/.581, a line that would make Dunn proud. A 64% XBH% won’t be sustainable, but Kearns has his EYE back up to 0.90 after seeing it drop from 0.82 to 0.56 the past two years. Kearns has been a little unlucky on balls in play, so while he’ll probably never hit much more than .280, expect his current .256 mark to rise over time. Kearns turns 29 next month, and may yet have a nice late-prime run in him.
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