1) Hanley Ramirez (3B, MIA) - After slumping through a good portion of the first six weeks of the season, Ramirez has turned it on over the last 15 games to raise his batting average 48 points from .230 to .278. He's done it with 23 hits in his last 53 at-bats (.404) including three home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored with four stolen bases. Ramirez has regained the stroke that has eluded him the last two seasons; he is once again hitting the ball in the air on a regular basis. Over the last two seasons, his groundball rate exceeded 50 percent while his flyball rate sunk to the low 30 percent range. This season, both his flyball and groundball rate are the same 42.1 percent, a marked improvement in both metrics. Batting third in the order has made him somewhat more aggressive at the plate, as his walk rate (8.3 percent) is a tad on the low side and his strikeout rate (18.3 percent) is a bit on the high side compared to his previous seasons. Overall, it's good to see his ISO (.195) approaching his career mark (.200) and he's already matched last season's home run total (10). I doubt he'll approach the phenomenal numbers he put up in 2007 and 2008, but he is well on his way to matching his 2009 output, making him a player to acquire if at all possible and one to hold on to if you already own him.
2) Hunter Pence (OF, PHI) - Pence has been one of the most consistent Fantasy outfielders in the game over the last four seasons. If you were smart enough to draft him, you could almost count on 25 homers, 75-plus RBI and Runs Scored, and about a dozen stolen bases. He's hitting for more power in the early going this season; he connected for his 13th home run of the season on Saturday and his second in as many games. He's also in the midst of an eight game hitting streak in which he's gone 12 for 32 (.375). However, his contact rate (73.8 percent) has been declining for three straight years and his swinging strike rate (12.2 percent) has risen during that same period. Oddly enough, his walk rate (9.2 percent) has also increased incrementally over the last three years along with his strikeout rate (18.8 percent). The changes all seem to indicate a pending downturn, yet Pence is on pace to have the best power hitting season of his career. His BABIP is at a career low .289 this season, so I get the feeling that once his 24 percent HR/FB rate regresses, that downturn is going to begin. For that reason, I'd suggest selling high on Pence.
3) Stephen Strasburg (SP, WAS) - Strasburg pitched seven full innings of shutout ball on Saturday, striking out nine Braves hitters en route to his sixth win of the season. The outing marked the first time since April 28 that Strasburg pitched beyond the sixth inning. He needed just 90 pitches (59 strikes) to dispatch the 23 batters he faced and he scattered four hits, only one for extra bases. Strasburg must be happy to see May in his rear view mirror. He was very un-Strasburg like in his five starts during the month, allowing 13 earned runs and four home runs in 26 IP for an ERA of 4.50. His K:BB ratio for the month was 36:11. Compare that to the month of April, in which he allowed four earned runs and zero homers for an ERA of 1.13 and a K:BB ratio of 34:6. Strasburg will be facing some tough competition over the next few weeks, as the Nationals play interleague games against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees and Orioles. It will be quite interesting to see how he fares against the much tougher AL East teams. By the end of June, we should also find out whether the Nationals are contenders or pretenders this season. If they remain in first place on July 1, we could be talking about Strasburg's chances for post-season glory.
4) Jason Heyward (OF, ATL) - Heyward had one of the Braves six hits against Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals on Saturday, but he remains mired in a month-long slump. Since May 1, Heyward has batted just .204 and his season average has dropped from .282 to just .234. He is striking out more than 25 percent of the time and his Contact rate has dropped from last season's 77.1 percent to just 72.2 percent this season. He is chasing more pitches than ever outside the zone (32 percent O-Swing) and his Swinging Strike rate (12.6 percent) is at an all-time high for him. Heyward's batting EYE was 0.71 during his breakout campaign in 2010, but it dropped to 0.55 last season and stands at just 0.44 this season despite his 11.2 percent walk rate. It's the strikeouts that are killing him, and there is no cure in sight for Heyward, who should be excelling in this his third season in the major leagues. About the only positive to take away right now is that he is stealing bases whenever he does get on. His nine steals to date already matches last season's total output in that category. If he could manage to get on base more effectively than his current .327 OBP, he has the speed to put up 30 or more steals over the course of a season. However, until he cuts down on the strikeouts and raises his contact rate, Heyward is nothing more than a fourth outfielder in mixed league Fantasy formats.
5) Tyler Clippard (RP, WAS) - The Nationals seem to have found the solution to their closer problem until Drew Storen finally returns. Clippard notched his fourth save in as many chances Saturday, striking out two Braves to help the Nationals to their seventh win in their last 11 games. Clippard inherited the closers job after Henry Rodriguez fell apart too often. For the season, Clippard has a strikeout rate of 11.5 K/9 and a walk rate of 3.57 BB/9. He has yet to allow a home run in 22.2 innings of work and he has an ERA of 2.78 with a WHIP of 1.06. His FIP of 1.78 indicates that he's pitched much better than his ERA would seem to indicate. His Strand rate of 65.2 percent bears this out. Clippard has gained a little velocity on his fastball, and he's abandoned his slider for a cut fastball. He's also throwing fewer curveballs this season in favor of more changups and the results speak for themselves. Clippard's fantasy value will never be higher than it is right now as long as he remains the closer for the Nats. Once Storen returns, Clippard will likely be relegated to seventh inning duties once again, so this is your best chance to trade him away for value in return.
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