Eric Young Jr:
Just from the name alone fantasy owners should know what to expect from Eric Young Jr. Eric’s father was a top of the order speed threat who posted some valuable fantasy seasons in Colorado and Eric’s built from the same cloth, only with better speed. EY Jr.’s averaged over 65 steals a season the last 4 years in the minors, including 58 this season. The elite speed has put him on a number of fantasy owners’ radars as the Rockies have struggled to fill the 2B role all season. He’ll be guaranteed playing time through the weekend with Ian Stewart still nursing a back injury and he’ll likely stay towards the top of the Rockies lineup. On Thursday he swiped two bags and in his three starts over the last 3 days he’s gone 5-10 with a 2B, HR and the 2 SB’s. His minor league profile suggests the power is a mirage (8.0% minor league rate), but the ability to get on base (.385 minor league OBP) and swipe bags is clearly there. In dynasty and keeper league formats he’s a very worthy stash candidate and a worthwhile pickup for those owners looking for SB potential down the stretch. As long as he’s on the field he’ll pick up steals, the only question will be playing time and for now with Ian Stewart and Troy Tulowitzki banged up EY Jr. will get a shot to ingrain himself in the Rockies lineup.
Ian Desmond:
Desmond made his major league debut on Thursday night starting at SS for the Nationals. Once considered a bust of a prospect, Desmond put together a great season at AA and AAA, and at 23 is officially back on the radar screen. This year between AA and AAA, Desmond hit .330/.401/.477 and put himself back on the map as a potential MI option for the Nats next season. He debuted last night with a 2B and a HR and 4 RBI’s. With Washington having given most of the MI time to Anderson Hernandez (.630 OPS) and Christian Guzman (.726 OPS), there’s certainly room for Desmond to make a case for next season. He figures to get plenty of playing time down the stretch and is worth monitoring, especially in NL Only leagues where he can make an immediate contribution and build keeper value heading into next season.
Elijah Dukes:
We had been commenting on Dukes inflated August totals which were driven by an unsustainable RBI Rate and generally poor peripherals. Duke racked up 22 RBI’s despite hitting just .261/.333/.409 in the month, showing decent plate patience but little power. But the peripherals appear to be catching up with the production here in September as Dukes has posted a tremendous 9:3 BB:K Rate in 8 games, while going 8-20 and surprisingly not knocking in a single run. Sometimes this is the way things go in fantasy as the peripherals don’t always turn into immediate production, but we’re numbers guys and we like to stack the percentages in our favor. With Dukes seeing the ball as well as he is now, he’s likely to make a large contribution down the stretch. Last year in September, Dukes finished off a monster 2nd half with 5 HR’s, 15 RBI’s, and a .943 OPS. I think we may be in line for a similar finish this September, making Dukes a viable play in all formats, especially those that reward OBP.
Lance Berkman:
At age 33 seeing Lance post an OPS 100 points lower than last season may encourage some owners to think Berkman’s in decline, but a quick look at his peripherals actually slow moderate improvements. Berkman’s EYE is back up over 1.10 and his XBH Rate is still strong at 12%. The majority of Berkman’s value this season has been sucked out of his batting average thanks to a measly .216 BHIP% that is 30 points lower than his 3 year average. Berkman broke out of an extended slump with his first HR since July 9th. Given that Berkman racked up 8 2B’s in August, this looks like an aberration. Look for Berkman to put this slump behind him and get hot in the next few weeks.
Mike Gonzalez:
With Rafael Soriano struggling of late and having worked 4 times in the last 5 days, Mike Gonzalez was asked to convert the save on Thursday night and did so in exciting fashion. Gonzalez allowed a single and a walk before inducing a game-ending DP ball. It’s not clear if this is an indication of a change, but my gut tells me we may be going back to the matchups closer’s situation Bobby Cox employed earlier in the year. Gonzalez has been the better pitcher of late and if that situation arose would be the likely lead option in the closer rotation. Both options should be held in all formats until this situation is more clearly resolved.
