Randy Ruiz - Ruiz chalked up another three hits yesterday, including his fourth homer in 46 AB's, as the Jays fell to Tampa 12-7. Ruiz may have over 4500 minor league plate appearances, but don't be fooled into thinking he can't hit. I don't know if it is the 1100+ career K's or what, but Ruiz hasn't been able to break into the majors despite a 900+ OPS over the last 11 years. The Jays waited until he knocked his 70th XBH down in AAA this year before bringing him up, but since they have nothing to play for now he's getting consistent time. He started out hot for the Twins late last year and fizzled quickly, but there is still some potential here in deeper leagues.
Clay Buchholz - Buchholz couldn't make it through five innings last night against the other Sox, giving up seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Even though he was coming off three straight quality starts, you could almost see this kind of thing coming, as in those last three outings his BB:K ratio was 9:10, so he certainly wasn't dominating anyone. Red Sox Nation may not be all that patient in the middle of a pennant race, but I think fantasy owners should be. Buchholz's velocity and GB% have both been consistently increasing since he made it to the majors, and his control has never been this much of an issue in the minors, so it's likely a mental thing more than anything else. I believe that once he is just given a spot in the rotation without one or two rehabbing pitchers looking over his shoulder, he will be fine. I almost hope he scuffles a bit the rest of the way so I can have one more chance to get him myself this offseason.....the ace potential is still there.
Daric Barton - Barton has indeed played in all four games since returning to the A's, so now it's time to see if he can start making strides forward again at age 24. His 261/386/458 line at AAA is exceedingly mediocre for a 1B, and he really just hasn't shown much of anything since he was at AA at age 19. In an OBP-based league I'd say that it's worth giving him a shot down the stretch, particularly if the league is deep enough, but otherwise I have pretty much soured on him completely. That being said, guys who walk more than they strike out clearly have the potential to have a positive impact on your lineup, so at the very least you should keep an eye on his performances. Any power surge would be cause for a waiver claim
Maicer Izturis - With a pair of hits in back-to-back games, Izturis pushed his AVG back up to .301, once again giving the Angels eight (!?!) hitters batting .300 or better. Izturis has added just enough pop this year to be a valuable asset, combining plus defense at both middle infield spots with a 10/15 level power/speed combo and a solid .300 AVG. He's a great reserve in shallow formats, a solid starter in deeper formats, and a reasonable guy to have around in keeper leagues for the next five years or so.
Travis Hafner - Pronk has gone on a mini-streak for the past few games, picking up five XBH over his last five games to push his SLG back to .500 for the season. I doubt we're going to see a late peak that will rival his 2004-06 performances, but perhaps a smaller peak is possible for the Indian DH. Interestingly enough, his contact rate has gone up considerably during these last three "subpar" seasons relative to his prior stats, so with some of his ISO returning this year I'm inclined to be a touch bullish on him for the next year or two. Beyond that his "old player" skill set isn't likely to be very productive.
