Nate McLouth (OF - Braves) - McLouth hit his 12th HR of the season last night (and his 2nd of the week) to bring his RBI total to 42 and his average to .260. He might be on track to be a decent 2nd-half pick-up. Using last year as a proxy, McLouth's average is down 16-points (.275 to .260), his FPI has declined from 0.71 to 0.67, OPS down from .845 to .814, and BB/K of 0.70 in '08 compared to 0.67 this year. His HR rate has improved from 23.0 to 18.9 and his BHIP has actually increased from .208 to .215 despite a decrease in average, perhaps leading to some bad luck.
Derrek Lee (1B - Cubs) - Nobody is hotter than Derek Lee right now (well, maybe we can find one or two players, but let's just go with the superlative for now). Lee went 3-for-5 with 2 HR, a double, and 2 RBI to help lead the Cubs to victory after being down by 7 runs. He's hitting .3737 in the month of June with an OPS of 1.126, HR/AB of 11.8 (5 in total), and a solid batting eye of .62 (BB/K). Prior to June 1st, Lee had been a big disappointment and it looked like age and a string of injuries were starting to catch up with him. He has certainly turned that trend around and is looking like the Lee of old. I wouldn't expect MVP-type numbers like this for the long-haul, but decent power and a respectable average isn't asking too much from the all-star first baseman.
Michael Bourn (OF - Astros) - Michael Bourn is typically a difficult case to deal with for fantasy. He'll give you a ton of steals, but his sub-.300 OBP makes him a drag on just about every other category. Except for this week. Over the lsat 7 days, Bourn is hitting .381 with a 1.101 OPS (2 triples). He's on base more which means he's running more - 4 SB in 7 attempts leading to 4 runs scored. When he's this hot, he needs to be played simply for the SB and the run production. Unfortunately, he's mostly a below-average hitter with with a low BB/K rate (currently 0.56).
Jason Marquis (SP - Rockies) - Somebody has definitely swapped-out the REAL Jason Marquis and replaced him with a much better pitcher. He has 6 QS in the last 7 starts with 5 W's to show for it. During that time frame, he's averaging 7.43 IP per game with a 2.25 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Anyone who has been playing fantasy long enough knows the inconsistency and the frustration that comes with Jason Marquis. Despite his recent success, I couldn't possibly recommend running out and placing a bid, claim, or trade offer for him. His K/9 is just 4.15 during that same QS time frame with a K/BB of just 1.26 and a H/9 of 8.3 (he's scattering them and getting lucky). Steer clear - the 3 IP/7 ER is just around the corner.
Kevin Gregg (RP - Cubs) - Ah yes, the cheap vulcher win at its finest. Gregg owners were rewarded with two straight wins this week with back-to-back late game wins by the Cubbies. Gregg pitched well in both, allowing just 1 hit in each outing with no runs and no walks allowed. He has been decent lately after a rough start to the season. He has a 2.00 ERA in June with a 0.78 WHIP, 2 wins, and 2-for-3 in save opportunities.
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