Pablo Sandoval - Sandoval blasted two more homers yesterday against the Brewers, giving him 11 for the year. Sandoval has basically come out of nowhere to become the Giants' best hitter by far....he did virtually nothing in 2006 and 2007, but one of the overriding truths of monitoring prospects is that age is the single most important statistic. If you can hold your own in a full season league at 19, as Sandoval did three years ago, that is extremely impressive. Sandoval is likely a bit overrated now, as his BABIP is about 70 points higher than you'd expect, and his plate discipline (although improving) is a work in progress, but being overrated shouldn't detract from his status as one of the better young hitters in the game.
Kevin Correia - Kevin Correia was on a four-start streak of quality starts going into last night's game in Texas, but since all of them were either at home or in LA, there was reason to be skeptical. Surprisingly, Correia extended that string to five last night, fanning nine Rangers over seven innings in a 7-3 win. In his last five starts Correia has gone 33 2/3 innings, allowing 18 hits and nine runs with three walks and 29 K's. It's a hot streak from a mediocre pitcher, nothing more, but that shouldn't keep you from trying to ride it if you have a hole in your rotation.
Josh Willingham - Willingham rapped a pair of doubles last night, bringing his seasonal line to 264/391/529. He's taken another step forward this year in power while maintaining or slightly improving in AVG and contact rate, but he's been overshadowed a bit by Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman. Willingham is definitely a viable starter in all formats, and his most comparable players (Jermaine Dye, Ellis Burks, Jesse Barfield) paint a bit of a better potential picture of his 30's than I would have expected.
Jayson Werth - Werth had a huge day yesterday, reaching base five times on a walk, single, double, and a pair of homers in the Phillies 10-0 thrashing of Toronto. Werth has steadily improved his contact rate over the past five years, becoming worthy of a full-time OF spot in the process. He has excellent power and speed to offset a slightly low AVG, and although he seems to be peaking late as a player his well-rounded game might serve him well for a few more seasons. An underrated player in most venues.
Ian Stewart - Stewart crushed his 14th homer of the year last night against Trevor Cahill and the A's, and I always think that we've only scratched the surface with Stewart, as this is a kid that his 30 homers in A-ball as a 19 year old. His K rate is awful, and his .222 BABIP is only a bit lower than you would expect due to a horrendous LD rate, but the power potential is blatantly obvious. I certainly don't think there's anything fluky about his performances thus far.
