Mat Latos – The young Padres’ ace tossed another gem on Wednesday, holding the Diamondbacks to 1 ER over 6 innings while striking out 10 and allowing just 5 base runners. Just 22-years old, Latos has some ridiculous numbers for his first full season in the big leagues. He owns a 9.02 K/9, 2.53 BB/9 and 0.78 HR/9 (compared to a 1.24 mark in ’09) and has also increased his GB% (45% compared to 36% in ’09). While Latos has definitely been fortunate to maintain an 84% LOB%, the rest of his key indicators look great. One area to watch as the season winds down is Latos’ BABIP. He has a .254 mark through 200 career major league innings, which is likely unsustainable. My two questions regarding Latos heading into the 2011 season are: when will his BABIP rise and by how much? Aside from those minor concerns, the kid looks like a rotation ace for years to come.
Cameron Maybin – Since returning to the majors in August, Cameron Maybin has posted some solid numbers by hitting .310 with a .759 OPS in 29 ABs after recording just a .225 batting average and .631 OPS in his first 182 ABs. It’s a small sample size, certainly, but Marlins’ fans will take any good signs from the former prospect. On Wednesday, Maybin cracked a HR and drew a walk to finish 1-for-4. Still just 23-years old, Maybin could be worth a look in September for fantasy teams, especially if he continues to bat at the top of Florida’s lineup as he did Wednesday. Keep an eye on Maybin’s K% as he’s always missed too many pitches at the major league level and owns a putrid 0.25 EYE for his career. In August, Maybin posted a 0:9 BB/K so he’s not exactly off to a good start in that department.
Brandon Allen – The Diamondbacks’ power-hitting prospect connected for a grand slam and finished 2-for-3 in his season debut Wednesday against the Padres. Allen compiled 116 plate appearances at the major league level in 2009, hitting .202 with a .669 OPS and .183 ISO. Allen has been excellent in AAA this season, crushing 25 HRs and driving in 86 RBI while posting a .267 ISO. Strikeouts were a problem for Allen during his time in the majors last season as he recorded a 38% K%. However, back in AAA this season, Allen’s K% is at a reasonable 25% while his BB% is up to 17%. Overall, Allen is worth a roster spot in deeper leagues thanks to all that power and, with the Diamondbacks out of the playoff race, should see plenty of ABs in September as he tries to secure a roster spot for 2011.
Kosuke Fukudome – The once promising Cubs’ outfielder collected 3 hits, drove in a run, scored 2 runs and stole a base against the Pirates Wednesday evening. For the season, Fukudome’s slash line actually looks pretty decent at .281/.386/.468 to go along with 12 HRs and 6 steals. As we enter the home stretch, Fukudome could be a nice sleeper for your playoff run as he’s been on fire of late. After struggling in June and July, Fukudome had an excellent August by posting an outstanding 1.117 OPS, 4 HRs and 12 RBI. The outfielder definitely benefited from an unsustainable August BABIP of .373 but he also drove the ball well with 10 extra base hits. He’s always going to draw walks (career 14.6% BB%) and is currently posting a career- high ISO of .182. For deep leagues, play the hot hand and pick up Fukudome as a productive bat to come off the bench in September, especially if your league counts OBP.
Juan Gutierrez – It’s hard to believe a guy who owns a 2.64 HR/9 mark could have value in fantasy baseball, but herein lies the problem with the horrible stat category known as saves. On Wednesday, Juan Gutierrez picked up his 6th save of the season and, with the playoffs beginning for many fantasy leagues in the next couple weeks, the Diamondbacks’ reliever could garner some waiver wire attention as a source of cheap saves. Before you pick up Gutierrez, please consider just how terrible he’s been in 2010. The right hander owns a 6.65 FIP (!), 3.86 BB/K (!), the aforementioned 2.64 HR/9 (!) and he’s posted these numbers despite benefiting from a .258 BABIP. It’s not too difficult to argue that Gutierrez, right now, is one of the worst relievers in baseball. So if you decide you’re desperate enough to take a chance on Gutierrez, God speed, my friend. I don’t have the stomach for that type of stress on my fantasy team, no matter how badly I may need saves.
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