Wandy Rodriguez (SP - Astros) - It just happened to work out that I was scheduled to write the day after Wandy pitched (seriously, coincidence only). While its been a tough year for Wandy fans, he was able to show a little glimmer of hope again yesterday, throwing his second straight quality start in a row and finishing June with 3 W’s. It still hasn’t been pretty for him over or his fantasy owners over the last two months, posting a 5.94 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and an 11.5 H/9 since May 1st. Even the K-rate is down to just 6.64 during that time span and the K/BB is low at 1.68. I’m still a believer and feel like he has the stuff to turn it around (although I am growing impatient). His low K rate is a big concern, though, as he is way down from his 8.6 and 8.4 from the previous two seasons.
Jay Bruce (OF - Reds) - Hopefully last night’s HR was a sign of things to come. While his average has greatly improved this year (from .223 last year to his current mark of .281), his power from a HR perspective is down despite an increase in OPS (.773 to .829). His AB/HR in his first two seasons were sub-20.0 at 19.7 and 15.7. This season, he’s at 28.1. The claims have been he is learning to become an overall better hitter, which certainly seems to be the case with the increase in OPS, driven by a 50-point jump in OBP year-over-year. The power should come around shortly and I’d bet his post-ASG performance reveals an AB/HR in the teens.
Aaron Heilman (RP - Diamondbacks) - You know you have one of the worst bullpens in baseball when Aaron Heilman is the best option as a closer. But if you’re looking for a cheap source of saves, look no further. It doesn’t get much cheaper than Heilman. He’s had 5 save opportunities recently, successfully converting 3 (including one last night). He can be a short term solution, but I can’t see this train staying on track for the long-term. He’s had a few decent seasons as a middle reliever with the Mets, but he has also averaged a 4.67 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP as he bounced around between the Cubs and Mets.
Stephen Drew (SS - Diamondbacks) - Drew’s finicky knee has kept him out of action the last few games, but he was back in the lineup on Wednesday and was able to squeek out a 2-for-5 to raise his average to .268. Drew continues to disappoint from a fantasy perspective, replicating his “down year” from last year and distancing himself more and more from his career-year during his sophomore campaign of 2008. Let’s take a look. In 2008, Drew posted a 0.65 FPI which included an OPS of .836 (21 HR), ISO of .211, 76 XBH, and a BB/K of 0.376. In 2009, he took a step back with an FPI of 0.55, OPS of. 748 (12 HR), ISO of .167, 53 XBH, and a BB/K of 0.563. So, his only improved metric was his BB/K. Obviously, his 2010 has mimicked his 2009 year with an FPI of 0.57, OPS of .746, and a BB/K of 0.510. Its looking more and more like the 2009 Drew is going to be the standard for his fantasy value - modest power at best, the occasional SB, and a .260-.270 average. He is certainly serviceable for a SS with still the potential to return to that 0.65+ FPI level, but at this point we should just hope he can crack the 0.60 FPI mark for the remainder of 2010.
Brad Lincoln (SP - Pirates) - It will take a little more than a win against the Cubs in Wrigley on a windy day. But on Wednesday afternoon, it was the “Land of Lincoln” in Chicago for a different reason. The Pirates prospect hurled 7.0 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits, 1 walk and 6 K’s to earn his first big league win. In this 5th start of the season, it was only the second time when he induced more groundballs than flyballs (9:3). As I said a few weeks ago, I see some growing pains from Lincoln (and long streaks of going win-less on a terrible team), but he’ll remain on my mixed-league watch-list for a couple of more starts before I pull the trigger.
Follow me on Twitter all season @jribando.
