Josh Beckett SP (BOS) - Beckett was scratched last night because of an illness, but it does appear that he'll start on Saturday against the Pirates. Frankly at this point, Beckett (1.86 ERA) is a must start anywhere, but particularly against an NL club playing with NL rules. I think we'll see Beckett dominate again on Saturday, but then it's time to sell high. Beckett's xFIP is actually 3.69. The fact is Beckett is currently benefiting from some extraordinary luck. His BABIP of .217 is 74 points below his career mark, LOB% of 84.3% is 12.2 percentage points above his career mark and HR/FB% of 3.9% is 6.6 percentage points below his career mark. All three of these factors should start to normalize, which will result in Beckett's ROS ERA being in the mid to high three's.
Jason Kipnis 2B (CLE) - Kipnis has moved all the way up to number 12 on David Regan's top 50 prospect hitters, and fantasy owners in deep leagues who need middle infield help should keep an eye on him. Over the past two seasons, Kipnis has spent time (at least 237 plate appearances) at A, AA and AAA. Despite moving through these levels quickly, Kipnis has seen his EYE improve (.52/.51/.60) as well as his ISO (.177/.190/.212). That is often a good sign that a player won't fall flat on his face when he reaches the Big Show. Plus with Kipnis showcasing some power (8 HR) and speed (10 SB), there's a good chance he'll be an immediate fantasy contributor if/when he is called up. Kipnis' current triple slash (BA/OBP/SLG) at AAA is .296/.366/.508, while current Indians' 2B Orlando Cabrera sports a .249/.273/.326 line.
Jeremy Hellickson SP (TB) - I hate to sound like a broken record, but I really think you have to sell high on Hellickson. He's got the name (top prospect status heading into season) and the stats (7 wins, 3.09 ERA) to net you a good return. However, he really hasn't pitched all that well, and often young starters are worse, not better, as they move through their first full MLB season. After last night's start (just 2 ER in 6 IP but 4 walks to 3 strikeouts and 1 homer), Hellickson has a 3.09 ERA despite a poor 1.54 K/BB ratio. The K rate in general has been disappointing as Hellickson is striking out just 5.68 batters per 9. That won't cut it all season long for a guy who is FB risky (just a 34.8 GB%).
Michael Brantley OF (CLE) - When I last wrote about Brantley (middle of May), he was hitting right around .300 thanks to a solid 1.13 EYE. However, Brantley has scuffled since then. His EYE has dropped off to .65 leading to a similar drop in batting average (down to .278 heading into play last night). I suppose if there is some good to take out of this cold spell it is that Brantley's walk rate has remained at a decent level, it's the strikeouts that are driving his EYE down. Why is this good? Well, Brantley has a very low chase percentage (22.6%) and swinging strike percentage (2.8%), so I'm much more optimistic that his dip in contact rate is correctable than I would have been if the walk rate had dipped. Still, owners can feel free to bench Brantley while he works things out, but I don't suggest releasing him in most formats.
Brandon League RP (SEA) - League (20 saves) owners suffered a scare last night when he was removed from the game in the 9th inning after being hit in the leg by a comebacker. However, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times reported on Twitter that it's just a contusion, and that League is day to day. While it doesn't appear that owners have to worry about League's health, they should worry about whether or not he can sustain a 1.20 BB/9 mark that is almost a third of his career mark of 3.01. Similarly, I have my doubts over whether or not League can sustain his 3.8 HR/FB% which is almost a fifth of his career mark (15.3%).
