Jhonny Peralta (SS - Indians) - Peralta was benched by manager Eric Wedge on Tuesday. His season-long slump continues, as he is currently mired in a terrible 5-for-35 slump. You can hear the frustration in Wedge's quotes, making you wonder if this will happen again in the near future ifPeralta can't swing his way out of it quickly. Peralta is hitting just .249 with only 2 HR and an overall FPI of 0.45. To see the extent of Peralta's decline, let's compare '08 to '07. His OPS has gone from .802 to .660, HR/AB from 26.3 to non-existent (108.5), and average from .276 to .249. WhilePeralta was always known for striking out way too much, he is now inventing new ways of K'ing . Last year, he struck out every 5.2 PA and totaled 126 for the year. In 2009, he's average 4.2, an incredible increase in strikeout rate that has given him 57 for the season. Wait to see if a benching knocks some sense back into him before making any moves. He'll have to make a move fairly quickly to be more than just an extended beginning of the year slump.
Joe Mauer (C - Twins) - I typically don't like to constantly write about superstars, but Mauer is just having a tremendous year. After missing the entire month of April to begin the season, Mauer hs returned to hit .429 with 13 HR, 41 RBI, and an OPS of 1.254. He was 4-for-4 last night, giving him 8 multi-hit games for the month of June in 14 games played. HisFPI for the year is off the charts, he's averaging a HR for every 12.0 AB, and is posting a batting eye (BB/K) of 1.143. That's an average of one K for every 8.6 plate appearances, leading to anOBP over .500. Hitting over .400 for this long is quite an accomplishment and you have to assume a slump has to be around the corner to correct it. In the meantime, it sure is fun to watch.
Alex Rios (OF - Blue Jays) - Rios continues his hot fantasy performance, swiping bases and hitting HRs with regularity over the last couple of weeks. Last night, he swiped his 11th base of the year and his 7th of the month of June (in 8 attempts). He has also 3 HR in 52 AB in June for an average rate of 17.3. Rios got off to a terrible start in April, but since May 1st he's hitting .298 with an .853 OPS, 0.75FPI, and a HR/AB of 21.0. He looks more comfortable than ever, both at the plate and on the bases.
Mark Derosa (IF/OF - Indians) - Derosa's power surge continues. He hit his 3rd homerun in as many games on Tuesday night, bringing his total to 13 for 2009. He hit 21 in 2008 for a HR/AB rate of 24.0. This season, he is hitting them at a rate of 19.3, which will certainly put him on a pace to break last year's career year forDerosa . I especially like his power across multiple fantasy positions (some leagues have him at 1B, 2B, 3B, and OF). More than just a campfire forDerosa - keep that arrow pointing up for Derosa.
Dallas Braden (SP - A's) - Braden has silently put together a string of quality starts and is certainly worthy of mixed league fantasy consideration. Since May 1st, Braden has successfully converted 8 quality starts in 9 outings. During that span, he only has 2 W's to his name (thanks to the lack of A's run support), but he is posting a 3.95 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, and a 1.9 BB/9. Last night, he allowed just 4 hits in 6.0IP and again was handed the no-decision. Don't expect a ton of K's from Braden, but the quality starts are tough to argue with. His next start comes against the Padres in San Diego which definitely looks to be a positive option for a spot-start. According to CBS Sports, he's currently unowned in about 40% of all leagues.
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