1. Jason Kubel (OF - Twins) - Kubel broke out of his HR funk yesterday, hitting his first HR since August 20th and his 19th of the season. He missed a few games last week with a sore left wrist, so the power is a good sign that he has turned the corner. While his AB/HR is down from last year’s rate of 18.4, it is right on line with his 2008 rate (23.2 in ‘08 vs. this year’s 23.3). His HR’s tend to come in bunches, so if you’re looking for a little cheap power, Kubel is a decent source when he’s in the lineup. He will compete at times for the DH spot with Jim Thome (who is also on a HR streak of his own).
2. Chris Perez (Closer - Indians) - Perez converted his 19th save in his 23rd opportunity on Monday, needing just 11 pitches to complete his perfect inning of work. Perez has been solid in the second half of the season, posting just a 0.81 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP while going 12-for-13 in successfully converted saves. He has also posted a K/I of 1.16 and has yet to give up a HR since the all-star break. That’s good for an overall 1.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The Indians are one of the worst teams in baseball this year, so he ranks just 26th overall in save opportunities and could go a long time between opportunities in the final month of the season.
3. Brennan Boesch (OF - Tigers) - Boesch’s struggles in the second half continue to frustrate fantasy owners. He’s hitting just .188 in September and hasn’t had a multi-hit game since August 24th. After a tremendous first half of the season that had him staring at Rookie of the Year honors, he has been equally as bad since the break. In the first half, he hit .339 with a .395 OBP, 12 HR, 49 RBI, and a .985 OPS. Since the break, its been tough to watch with a .156 AVG, .224 OBP, 2 HR, 13 RBI and a barely existent OPS. If you haven’t cut him yet, you certainly need to for the final few weeks of the season.
4. Brett Anderson (SP - A’s) - Since coming off the DL (the second time around) this season, Anderson is 6-for-8 in quality starts with a 3.38 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, K/.9 of 6.2, and a K/BB of 3.3. That’s not bad, considering he was on the scrap heap after this second injury in May. He has bounced back nicely and continues to be one of the top pitching option in the A’s organization. While he has a challenging start against the BoSox for this upcoming Sunday, he actually may be a decent option as he has a solid history against them. In three stats, he has a 2.05 ERA and 22 K’s in 22 IP of work.
5. AJ Pierzynski (C - White Sox) - As the White Sox continue to fight for the Central title in the final month of the season, AJ Pierzynski is doing everything he can to help the cause. His average, which was just .231 as recently as August 11th, as climbed all the way to .264 with his recent hot hitting. His power is just about completely gone with just 1 HR to his name since July 10th, but he still has a respectable .834 OPS since August 1st with a .351 AVG and a 0.71 FPI. Catcher is always a tough position to fill unless you have one of the superstars. Pierzynski may be a decent option for the last few weeks.
