1. Jason Bay (OF - Red Sox) - Nobody is happier to see June end than Jason Bay. He ended the month hitting just .230 with a .301 OBP and 4 HR. Over the last week, Bay has just 2 hits in 25 AB with 9 K's, 1 BB, no RBI, and no HR. For the season, Bay already has 71 K's and 47 BB's for an EYE of .66. He's striking out a ton and barely making contact recently, but has shown through the first two months that the power is back with 14 HR before June began. While he's one of the coldest players in the league right now, you have to assume the breakout is coming soon.
2. Alex Rodriguez (3B - Yankees) - While A-Rod hasn't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball since returning from the DL (.233 average in 159 AB), he does have 12 HR for an average HR/AB rate 13.3. His OBP is .399 driven by 40 walks on just 29 K's. Overall, his FPI is hovering around the 0.70 mark, which is fairly incredible given the huge variance between OBP and average. A foolish owner may look to the extended "slump" and low average and undervalue A-Rod's fantasy value. But there's no mistaking A-Rod's recent resurgence (perhaps the rest last week did more good than we originally thought).
3. Placido Polanco (2B - Tigers) - Polanco's power has come out of nowhere in the month of June with 4 of his 5 HR season total hit since June 18th. In general, Polanco is way off his normal career rates. He's mostly known for average, either breaking or flirting with the .300 mark for most of his career in St. Louis, Philly, and Detroit. But this season, Polanco is hitting just .256 with a .201 BHIP, 0.692 OPS, and a 0.47 FPI. Just comparing those rates to last year's performance, Polanco is -51 points off 2008's average and -0.75 in OPS. The recent power surge might be a good sign that he's putting it all together. I would expect an big average bump for Polanco in July.
4. Mark Teahen (1B, 3B, OF - Royals) - Mark Teahen's ownership is still only around 50%, but he's been on-fire over the last week and warrants consideration as a free agent pickup. His season stats are solid: .289 avg, .340 OBP, 0.62 FPI, HR/AB of 30.0, .796 OPS. His batting eye could use some improvement at .38, especially with the low power rate, but he has been consistently hitting 3 HR per month which could have him flirting with the 20-HR mark by year-end. He's also currently sitting on 3-games played at 2B, which could give him eligibility at a 4th position in the near-term.
5. Gio Gonzalez (SP - A's) - A's prospect Gio Gonzalez had his best start of the season, going 5.0 IP against the Tigers while giving up 3 ER, 7 hits, 2 BB with 5 K's. I lost track of how many times Gio has been called-up from the minors this season (its at least three), but he has yet to live-up to the hype that was surrounding him when his name hit the radars about 18 months ago. His numbers in Triple-A this season have been fantastic though and you have to wonder if it will translate to the big leagues with just a little more experience under his belt. Through 12 starts in the minors in 2009, Gio is posting a 2.51 ERA with 71 K's in 61 IP. He's not worth the claim just yet, but definitely keep the 23-year-old on your watch list. His next start will come on Sunday against the Red Sox.
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