Jason Bay (OF - Red Sox) - Bay just can't seem to get it together. He was 0-for-1 with 3 BB and a run scored on Tuesday, bringing his average for the month of July to .184 and OBP to .355. After hitting .264 in May and .230 in June, Bay's "cold-streak" is looking more than an anomaly. For a full season, Bay is posting a 0.72 FPI, .255 average, .889 OPS, and a batting eye of 0.624. Now back-out April and you have a much different player. From May 1st to date, he's hitting .235 with a 0.62 FPI, .817 OPS, and an eye of .461. His monthly HR/AB went from 14.2 and 10.6 in April and May to 25.0 and 49.0 in June and July. The cold spell is coming in the dead of summer (and at a time when the Red Sox could use a little offensive boost). Bay has had a fair share of streaky moments over the last few seasons, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him bust out very soon. When he does, you'll want him in your lineup.
Robinson Cano (2B - Yankees) - In a sea of great hitters, Robinson Cano is having one of the best all-around seasons of his career. Aside from playing a solid second base (which is basically fantasy irrelevant, so I'll leave that to the defensive sabermatricians), Cano has shown a steady combination of power and average. He's currently sitting at .308 with 14 HR, 48 RBI, and an .835 OPS. While his FPI in 2006 was a career high 0.75 (compared to the current 0.68), he has improved his overall AB/HR rate from 32.1 that season to 25.1 this year. His career high for HR is 19 in 2007 which should be reachable by the end of August at his current rate. Cano's BB/K rate has also improved greatly, almost doubling from 0.333 to 0.633 from 2006 to 2009. In all, Cano will likely finish his 5th full season with his 3rd .300+ batting average and ultimately a 0.70 FPI.
Tommy Hunter (SP - Rangers) - I think I'm convinced now. Tommy Hunter cruised through the Red Sox lineup, hurling on 59 pitches to get through the first 5.0 innings of the game. The 6th inning took 26 pitches and he was subsequently removed as the pitcher of record, ultimately earning the win. The first round pick now has 5 big league starts under his belt in 2009 and has a 2.17 ERA and 1.21 WHIP to show for it. He has given up 3 ER or less in each of those outings, good enough for 3 quality starts. Typically, I tend to lean toward high K pitchers and Hunter has shown that he's anything but a strikeout pitcher. His K/9 is just 4.7 in his 29.0 total innings of work. Even in 71.0 innings of minor league work this year, he struck out just 51 batters for a rate of 6.5. I'm a little concerned about the GO/AO rate in the big leagues of 0.62 compared to the 1.14 on the farm. A few more starts should help stabilize that rate, but I'm afraid if it continues for a few consecutive starts, we could see a big blow-up (especially during a hot Texas summer night).
Mariano Rivera (Closer - Yankees) - Remember a couple of years ago when Mariano Rivera started slow and the pundits were calling him old, washed-up, and seriously questioning if he had lost it? Where are those guys now? Coming off one of the best seasons of his career in 2008 (39-for-40 in saves, 1.40 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 1.09 K/I), Rivera is on a roll once again. With another save last night, Mariano now has 27 saves while posting a 2.20 ERA and a stellar 0.85 WHIP with a 1.07 K/I. At 39 years old, Mariano is proving to be ageless as he continues to dominate with just one unbelievable pitch. Mo was no where near the top few closers taken in this year's fantasy drafts, but he certainly is pitching as well as anyone. And with the Yankees streaking to first place with a win last night, the save situations should continue to come in bunches.
Clay Buchholz (SP - Red Sox) - With TIm Wakefield heading to the the DL with a lower back strain, Clay Buchholz has been called up to the big leagues to take the empty spot in the Red Sox rotation. He will start today against the Rangers. In his only start with the BoSox this season, Buchholz pitched fairly well against the Blue Jays, going 5.2 IP last Friday with 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 H, and 3 K's. In Triple-A Pawtucket, he has held opposing hitters to just a .188 average while posting a 2.36 ERA, a 7-2 record, a 0.98 WHIP, and a 8.1 K/9. He's definitely worth the claim and should get at least a few starts to show-off his stuff until Wakefield returns.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? <a href="http://www.fantistics.com/join/join.php3"> Join today.
