Starlin Castro (SS-CHC) - Castro profiles as a perennial All-Star, but there is still some work he needs to do to reach his ceiling. Sunday, Castro was 1-for-4 with his third homer of the season and is now batting .313/.322/.432. The solid average and his 13 stolen bases leave Castro as a top fantasy shortstop, but a 34:4 K:BB in 192 at-bats is obviously a ratio we would prefer to see improve. Just 13 of his 60 hits (21.7%) have gone for extra bases, but at the tender age of 22, I'd expect to see that number increase as he fills out and develops. For now, enjoy the average and steals, but to become a complete player, Castro is going to need to learn how to draw a few more walks.
Jerry Hairston (3B-LAD) - Hairston did his best Matt Kemp impersonation Sunday, batting third against the Astros and going 5-for-5 with a double and RBI. The big game raised Hairston's line to a stellar .381/.458/.524 in 63 at-bats. He has a 5:6 K:BB and 25% of his hits have gone for extra bases (one homer). Hairston was signed this winter to be a utility player, but with Mark Ellis out for at least a couple months with a leg injury and Juan Uribe still sidelined, Hairston is going to be playing most every day for a while. He's never really been a consistent everyday player with the exception of 2001 in Baltimore, and it may be pushing it for the Dodgers to overuse him this year. Still, it's going to be hard to sit a guy with a .982 OPS that often.
Aaron Hill (2B-ARI) - Batting in front of Justin Upton isn't a bat spot, and it worked out for Hill Sunday, as he went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to increase his slash line to .269/.348/.425. Hill is now 9-for-13 in his last four games to raise his average 35 points to its current level. Hill clearly isn't going to reach 36 homers ever again, but after hitting just eight last year, Hill already has five in 2012, putting him on pace for 15-20 long balls this year. He's also walking more and striking out less this year while increasing his fly ball rate from 42.8% to 47%. All good signs even if we have already seen the best he has to offer (2009).
Ted Lilly (SP-LAD) - It appears Lilly is dealing with some sort of undisclosed injury. That's one way to explain the eight runs and 14 base runners he allowed in 3.1 innings last time out, so stay tuned. Probable replacement Nathan Eovaldi was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday in case he's needed this week, and the Dodgers are reported to have serious interest in Roy Oswalt. Add it all up and we can speculate that this could be something that requires a stint on the DL. With the exception of that last start, Lilly has had a solid season, so if it is an injury, it must be recent. Stay tuned.
Rickie Weeks (2B-MIL) - We have to figure that the wrist is bothering Weeks more than he is letting on, right? I mean that is really the only explanation for a guy with his ability hitting .151/.291/.293 after an 0-for-3 (BB) effort on Sunday. On the plus side, Weeks is walking in 14.6% of his PA's, but he's also striking out in 31.3% of them. The .151 average will turn around, as he's not going to maintain the sort of bad luck that brings one a .208 BABIP vs. a .304 career mark, but the strikeouts are a concern and his LD% is down from 16.6% to 13.9% year over year. I think he'll start seeing the ball better soon and getting some flyballs to drop, but I can understand it if fantasy owners look elsewhere in 12-team mixed leagues.
