Allen Craig (1B/OF-STL) - This is no fluke folks. In close to 2,000 minor league at-bats, Craig is a career .308/.369/.518 hitter. After hitting his 11th homer of the season Sunday, Craig is batting a healthy .311/.382/.608 this season and he's driven in 39 runs in 39 games to go with the .297 ISO. He's a relatively poor defender, but in fantasy leagues that's largely irrelevant unless it starts to impact his playing time, but with a .980 OPS, that's unlikely. Craig won't keep this up, but he's also good enough that we can say with relative certainty that he won't go into the tank either.
Michael McKenry (C-PIT) - Given he's a backup to Rod Barajas, McKenry's value is limited to NL-only leagues as a second catcher, but Sunday he blasted his sixth home run in 91 at-bats to go with a .242/.324/.495 slash line. When you factor in Barajas is an old guy on a non-contender hitting .218/.377/.382, it seems likely McKenry will continue to be phased in more as the season progresses. With supposed franchise prospect Tony Sanchez hitting just .180 in Triple-A, McKenry could be the primary guy sooner rather than later. He's already 27, but including his minor league numbers, McKenry at least has shown he can hit for power.
James Loney (1B-LAD) - As I write this, it appears Carlos Lee won't accept a deal to the Dodgers, thus preserving Loney's job for now. By "for now", I mean that it's very clear that the team has targeted first base and likely third base in potential trades to upgrade what has been an anemic offense. Loney entered Sunday night's game batting just .236/.303/.323 with as many home runs (two) in 221 at-bats as pitcher Mike Leake has in 28 at-bats. Loney has a very good glove, but since batting .331/.381/.538 in his rookie season, he's disappointed in every year since. Look for him to be a reserve come August 1, if not sooner.
Dexter Fowler (OF-COL) - I've always liked Fowler's athleticism, upside, and home park, but until this season, he's really failed to put it all together. That's no longer true. Sunday, while throwing a guy out at home plate, Fowler also went 2-for-4 with his ninth triple of the year, raising his slash line to .289/.383/.544 to go with 10 homers and seven stolen bases. With that OBP, there aren't many better leadoff men right now. With a 70.6% contact rate, Fowler still has a big weakness, but given that he's also walked in 13.1% of his PA's, we're willing to overlook that fault. Just keep in mind that as much as he misses pitches, he's unlikely to be a .300 hitter any time soon, but hey, no one is perfect.
Brandon Belt (1B-SF) - It's very likely that if Belt had received regular at-bats from day one this year, the Giants would have an even bigger lead over the offensively-challenged Dodgers. Belt was 3-for-4 with a double on Sunday against the Reds, pushing his slash line up to .269/.376/.446 with four homers and an impressive 29 driven in in just 175 at-bats. He's striking out too much (71.9% CT%), but Belt is also walking in 15% of his PA's. I don't see him reaching superstar status ever, but something like .300/.380/.470 in his prime years is very attainable.
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