Ryan Rowland-Smith:
Rowland-Smith stayed hot with his 4th quality start in his last 5 outings, unfortunately a continued lack of run support has left him 0-1 in these 5 starts. Rowland-Smith hasn’t been a particularly exciting fantasy asset in the past, as he combined middling K Rates and league average command with a high FB Rate that left him a bit homer prone. But during the hot streak Rowland-Smith’s peripherals have ticked up a bit, specifically his K Rate which sits at .69 here in August. At the same time his GB Rate has edged up a bit as well (.89 GO/FO Ratio). With a solid matchup in Oakland coming up next on the docket, he’s not a bad spot-start option while hot. However beware of relying on Rowland-Smith long-term as his current string of success is being significantly aided by a .222 BHIP%. His FIP currently stands at just under 5.00, suggesting regression in both his WHIP and ERA are due.
Chone Figgins:
Figgins remarkable season continues to fly under the radar. He’s the 2nd ranked 3B in all of fantasy and a Top 15 hitter overall this season. With 3 more times on base on Sunday he’s now up to 235 times on base this season, the most in the majors and when Figgins is on base he’s incredibly productive, registering 99 Runs and 39 SB’s. A jump in his BB Rate along with a slight rise in his XBH Rate and some good fortune (.365 BABIP) have all worked to create the magnificent season, but the truth about Figgins value this season is that he was just vastly underrated coming off of a horrid 2008. Even with the poor 2008, Figgins had averaged nearly 90 Runs and 40 SBs over the last 5 seasons. While his value took a hit losing much of the mutli-position eligibility and moving to a full-time 3B, his Run scoring and base-stealing capabilities were a bit overshadowed by one bad year.
Daisuke Matsuzaka:
Though we’ve been tracking Dice-K’s progress through rehab, we’ve been warning against pursuing him as a fantasy asset. On Sunday we got a hint of the risk that comes with rostering Dice-K as he was removed from what was supposed to be his final rehab start having allowed 5 runs in just two innings for Portland. With Paul Byrd pitching well on Sunday, Matsuzaka will likely spend more time rehabbing and need to show plenty more before being recalled. His performance so far this season doesn’t warrant a roster spot, so while there is a good bit of name value to Dice-K, he probably shouldn’t be on your roster.
Aaron Hill:
While Aaron Hill’s season numbers continue to look fantastic, his value has been on a steady decline since the end of May. Hill’s yet to post an OPS above .800 since the end of May as his EYE has dwindled to .32 and he’s hit just .250. His value has been held by the 19 HR’s during those 3 months thanks to the heightened 15.2% HR/FB Rate he’s maintained throughout the year. Outside of the inflated HR Rate, Hill really hasn’t done much of anything to improve. His EYE is down, his BB Rate is down, his XBH Rate is even slightly down. The increase in value is pretty much all based on the distribution of his extra base hits and once that normalizes next season, Hill’s value is going to drop considerably. Now would be a good time for keeper-league owners to consider shopping Hill, whose value will likely never be higher.
Felix Pie:
Pie knocked out his 5th HR of the month on Sunday in a 1-3 effort that included another walk. He’s posted a .54 EYE in August which doesn’t seem like much but is a big improvement for a young player who has never posted an EYE above .50 at any level. For the season he’s posted .272/.335/.457 line, which has been lifted by his monstrous .333/.394/.651 line in August. Andrew and I have recommended looking into Pie as an AL Only option and someone for long-term keeper league owners to pursue, but he’s starting to become mixed league relevant as well. He got the start on Sunday with Adam Jones in the lineup and looks to have carved out an everyday role for himself the rest of the way. While his speed tends not to be productive for fantasy owners (inefficient and timid base-stealer), Pie’s power specifically his gap power is real. He posted 10% XBH Rates in the minors, has posted a 9.2% Rate this season, and a 14.3% Rate over the last month. His value is on the rise.
