Coco Crisp - Coco Crisp has struggled for much of this season, but he's showing some life of late by batting .360 with 7 steals and 10 runs in his past 15 games. On Friday, Crisp went 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. I don't like to pay for steals, so I'm definitely intrigued that Crisp is beginning to hit because if he can get on base, he will definitely provide a solid number of steals. Last season, Crisp accumulated 583 plate appearances and, despite hitting just .264, stole 49 bases in 58 tries. So far this season, the outfielder has struggled with hitting line drives as his LD rate has dropped from 24% in 2011 to just 17% in 2012. Part of the problem is that Crisp is making 7% more contact on pitches thrown outside the strike zone, which means he's making weaker contact more often. Considering he owns a career 20% LD rate, I expect Crisp's BA to continue to rise and that will mean more steals. He's worth a look in deeper AL-only and mixed leagues.
A.J. Pierzynski - The White Sox catcher continues to defy all odds by just hitting and hitting. On Friday, Pierzynski crushed his 13th and 14th HRs, drove in 3 and is now batting .285. Pierzynski has never posted an ISO above .163 and recorded .119 and .118 marks during the past two seasons. This season? His ISO is .231. Pierzynski's HR/FB rate has jumped from 6.5% in 2011 and 8% for his career to 18% this year. What's also interesting is that his BA and OBP have stayed consistent with his past few seasons - it's just that his power has been incredible. To think a 35-year old catcher can experience this type of improvement for an entire season seems extremely unlikely, so if you can trade Pierzynski now, do it. He shouldn't be able to continue hitting this well in the second half.
Wilson Betemit - So, who is currently the best hitter on the Orioles? Right now, it's Wilson Betemit who went 2-for-5 with 1 RBI against the Indians on Friday. He now has a 9-game hitting streak. Entering yesterday's outing, Betemit owned a .471/.514/.706 slash line with 24 total bases in his past 15 games. He also has a solid .187 ISO in 61 games for the season. In 759 career games, Betemit has shown decent pop with a .459 SLG% and .180 ISO, while his .270 career BA won't kill your team in that category. He's eligible at third base and has now played 9 games at first, so there's a good chance he'll get dual eligibility soon. Obviously, not a long-term play, but for teams looking to add some pop at the corners, Betemit fits the bill.
Ervin Santana - The Angels' Ervin Santana tossed 5 innings against the Blue Jays and allowed 5 ER while striking out 2. He also allowed yet another HR. Compared to past seasons, Santana's strikeout and walk rates are about the same, but he's been killed by HRs. In 102 innings, Santana has allowed 19 HRs for a 1.68 HR rate. While the right hander has always had some issues with the long ball (career 1.17 HR rate), it's never been this big of a problem - although he did have a 1.55 HR rate in 2009. Perhaps what's most important is that Santana's xFIP this season is 4.38 compared to a career 4.30 xFIP mark. So, while the HR rate may be up, the overall value he's providing is roughly the same as his career norms. Santana is tough to trust at this point, especially with a whiff rate under 7.00.
Adam Lind - Well, look who's back? After getting sent down to AAA for 32 games, the Blue Jays recalled Adam Lind on June 25 and the first baseman/designated hitter smoked 2 HRs on Friday against the Angels and finished with 4 RBI. While Lind struggled with Toronto earlier this year, he did absolutely mash in the minors by posting a .392/.448/.664 slash line. Lind likely won't ever post a good BA (although he did manage to somehow hit .305 in 2009), but his power remains solid and he's likely worth a pickup in deeper leagues based on his career HR totals. For the season, Lind owns a HR/FB mark under 10% despite a 15% career average, so expect more HRs in the coming weeks. He also owns a career .195 ISO. The Blue Jays will likely keep Lind hitting lower in the lineup, which may actually be a good thing until the big guy can be more consistent.
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