Delmon Young:
Delmon Young just keeps on trucking. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Sunday with a 3 run HR, his 8th on the season, and is now posting his 2nd consecutive month with an OPS above .850. I’ve been on Young since early May noting the significant improvements in his K and BB Rates as well as his 3rd straight year of ISO improvement. There’s not much more you can ask for from a developing player and while he’s been ridiculed for years, it apperas he’s turned a corner. He’s already knocked in 40 on the year and while he’s not swiping bags or scoring a ton of runs, he’s on pace for a solid .290-72-22-110 line that would make any fantasy owner happy. He should be owned in all leagues at this point and is a very solid 3rd-4th OF in mixed formats.
Julio Borbon:
Borbon has been scorching hot since the end of May, picking up hits in 13 of his last 14 games and raising his average from .226 to .285. Despite getting on-base a ton he’s only swiped 2 bags in that span, having been caught 3 times. While the hot streak is certainly worth noting and potentially taking advantage of if you’re in need of OF depth, Borbon’s skills have shown legitimate deterioration this season. He’s not walking at all, less than 2% BB Rate, and his ISO has dropped to a miserable .046. The drop in XBH’s ultimately hurts his Runs tally and the drop in BB’s is impacting his SB attempts. Perhaps most concerning of all is the fact he’s just 57% on SB attempts this season (8-14). Without any power to speak of, or lineup positioning to help his Runs total, and a dropping SB Rate, Borbon is no longer worthy of mixed league consideration for active lineups. I suppose you could stash im on the bench and hope for things to turn around, but that doesn’t look likely from the peripherals.
Felix Hernandez:
After getting roughed up early in the week, King Felix was magnificent on Sunday limiting the Padres to just 2 ER’s over 8 2/3 innings of work. He allowed just 4 hits and 1 bb, while striking out 9. He actually suffered some bad luck in the outing as the 2-run HR (inside the park variety) he allowed to Tony Gwynn Jr. was a line drive that was misplayed by Franklin Gutierrez and could’ve easily been ruled an error. Felix’s peripherals are almost exactly in line with last year’s performance with the exception of slight elevations in both his K and BB rates, but he’s having far less success. Run support has been part of the problem but a rise in his BABIP (.320 from .289) and drop in his LOB% (73% from 77%) have lead to a rising ERA and WHIP. His xFIP is basically in line with the last 4 years. Through little fault of his own it looks like Hernandez’s 2010 season is going to be closer to his 2008 season rather than his 2009 season, with a bigger boost in K’s. As a result I’ve been shopping Felix around to see if I can get a similar ace with a bit better W potential. The discrepancy between those two seasons is a pretty big difference in value from a fantasy perspective and through little fault of Felix’s. As a result I’ve been trying to trade Felix for similar pitching commodities that might have a bit more Win potential, like Adam Wainwright and Jon Lester.
Matt Wieters:
Wieters took another 0-4 on Sunday and is now just 6-36 with 9 K’s here in June. The big difference between Wieters this year and last is a LD Rate that’s down over 2% and power rates that are down across the board. Pretty simply, he’s just not driving the ball with any sort of authority this season. An increased GB Rate is partly responsible as is a more normalized BABIP (.292 vs. .356 last season). With Wieters hitting more balls on the ground and his EYE going in the wrong direction (1:9 BB:K Rate in June), there doesn’t appear to be much hope for a big turnaround. Wieters remains an immense talent and one to behold in keeper and dynasty formats, but owners in yearly leagues may want to pursue moving Wieters for a comprable catching option with less name value. I’d even rather have Carlos Santana the rest of the way than Wieters.
Zach Greinke:
Now THAT is more like the Grienke we’re used to seeing. Facing a depleted Reds lineup that was without Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen on Sunday, Greinke dominated the Reds tossing a complete game 12 strikeout effort that earned him his 2nd win of the season. He didn’t walk a batter exhibiting the usual great control and allowed just 5 hits, but he still struggled with the long-ball giving up 2 HR’s to Joey Votto. Greinke’s HR/FB Rate is actually pretty normal (10%) and since he’s giving up more fly balls than last year, we’d expect balls to continue to leave the yard at this pace. The good news is Sunday was the third straight start in which Greinke posted a K Rate at or above 9 K/9. Greinke’s two biggest issues this season have been an increased HR Rate and a decreased K Rate. While one doesn’t look likely to correct (the HR’s), the K’s have a shot and with more K’s Greinke has the chance to drive his FIP down into the mid 3’s we’re used to as opposed to the high 3’s borderline 4’s. Greinke certainly can’t replicate the magical 2009 season, but a return to a high-end #2 fantasy SP is certainly within reason.
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