David Wright (3B - Mets) - Is that David Wright or did Mark Reynolds put on a Mets uniform? The 2010 Wright story continues to be twofold: homeruns and strikeouts. While his power is back with an AB/HR of 14.7, his strikeout rate continues to skyrocket. Three more K's yesterday brings his season total to 69 for an average of one K for every 3.3 plate appearances. His outs may not be as productive as you would like, but from a fantasy perspective, Wright is much improved from his 2009 campaign. His OPS is back over .900 (.917 to be exact), he has 27 XBH, and still has a BB/K of 0.46 despite such a high K rate.
Casey McGehee (3B - Brewers) - McGehee has been one of the nicer surprises of 2010. Sure he had a great 2009, but few thought he would maintain pace heading into 2010. He certainly has done that and more. With a 0.68 FPI to date, McGehee has provided fantasy owners with a solid option at 3B that includes 9 HR, 23 XBH, 0.857 OPS, and a ~.300 average (it dropped over the last two nights to .297 with back-to-back one-hit nights). He's currently in a bit of a HR drought, not hitting the long ball since May 19th (over 54 AB ago) and has struck out 8 times in that time span with his average dropping 28 points. Definitely a cold streak for McGehee right now, but I think we will see a breakout this week.
Wandy Rodriguez (SP - Astros) - Let's hope this is a sign of good things to come. It still wasn't an official quality start as the pitch count crept high early in the game (115 pitches total), but he went 5.0 IP and gave up 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, and struck out 8 on his way to his 3rd win of the season. Rodriguez had gotten off to a great start in April, going 3-for-4 in QS anda 3.65 ERA, but his May was brutal. Last month he posted a 6.75 ERA, was only 2-for-6 in QS, and just looked dreadful. Wandy's potential has always been there, but the only thing that has been consistent is his lack of consistency. I've always been a big fan of Wandy's, mostly for the K's, but the 31-year-old remains a perennial risk in any game to completely blow up and crush your ERA and WHIP. If you're looking for K's, grab him, but playing for the Astros will keep his W total down and a lack of consistency will keep a string of quality starts out of reach.
Adam Dunn (1B - Nationals) - The power is coming in bunches, which is likely giving weekly H2H owners some trouble. But putting his 10 total HR's aside, Dunn has been red hot lately, raising his average to .280 after beginning May with a .229. If you've been a subscriber for just this season or for the last 7 years, you know that my love for Dunn as a fantasy stud borders on infatuation. His combination of power, OBP, and playing time consistency (he has played in an average of 158 games for the last 6 seasons) are undervalued as his high K rate and historically low average has clouded his true value. But 5 of the last 6 seasons for Dunn have yielded a 0.70+ FPI (the other season was 0.68) while his ADP is typically lower than you would expect from a player of that level. Nonetheless, while he only has one HR since
May 16th, he remains on a tear right now and looks to be well on his way to another 40 HR season.
Edwin Jackson (SP - Diamondbacks) - Jackson was tremendous on Wednesday, pitching a 9.0 IP 3-hit shutout against the Dodgers (the game went into extra innings and he did not factor into the decision). Jackson is an enigma. At times, he looks utterly dominant (like last night). Other games, he looks clueless (that 4 game span when he gave up 27 ER in 20 IP at the end of April / beginning of May). If nothing else, he's good for K's with a 7.7 K/9 rate for the season, but enter at your own risk.
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