Jedd Gyorko - Gyorko is definitely starting to heat up, as another homer last night gives him 3 to go along with a pair of doubles in his last 6 games. Let's set aside his time at Lake Elsinore and Tucson, as the park comparison between there and Petco is like your local playground versus Yellowstone. Instead, let's look at his time in San Antonio, which correlates rather highly with Petco Park. Gyorko posted over a 10% walk rate to go along with a .280 AVG and 13 HRs in roughly 3/5 of a season at AA at age 22-23, which is very solid production in a park that depresses run scoring by 7% and HRs by 17%. Gyorko has the same issues working against him up in San Diego, not to mention the difficulty adjustment, but a 31% LD rate illustrates to me that AVG isn't likely to be a problem. The power numbers likely won't be spectacular, and he obviously doesn't have a ton of speed, but I do like what he brings to the table. I think ultimately he is a .275-.290 hitter that should produce 15-20 HR in a neutral park, and even in his rookie campaign I do think that he's worth starting in 12-team mixed leagues and deeper at 2B.
Marcell Ozuna - Ozuna finally took an 0-fer yesterday, snapping a 6-game hitting streak to start his big league career. The 22 year old has performed even better than you'd expect from the guy he replaced temporarily thus far, but Ozuna is still a fairly raw player, with only this year's 42 ABs at AA the sum total of his experience above Class A. Ozuna has a long, powerful swing that is perfectly capable of generating HR power, projecting as a 30+ HR threat down the road, but the K numbers (although slowly improving) should always be at least somewhat of an issue for him. He has more speed than you'd expect from his build as well, making the contact issues likely the major roadblock to his potential productivity for our purposes. He's an OK start while he's hot like this, but that AVG is going to come flying down sooner or later, and he's likely to head back to AA for some more seasoning once Stanton and Morrison come back from the DL, so Ozuna is still best served as a prospect in leagues that allow minor leaguers to be stashed.
Cliff Lee - Lee was very solid in San Francisco last night, tossing eight innings against the Giants and allowing only five hits and two runs, striking out six without walking a batter. The subtle signs of deterioration are there for the 34 year old Lee, as a velocity drop of 1.5 mph has been accompanied by a second straight drop in K rate and GB rate this season. He's still a very capable starter, and for this season is likely to retain #2 starter value, but those in dynasty leagues would likely be served well by beginning to consider trading him in for a younger model. His excellent control and still-solid stuff will sustain him for a while yet, but as Branch Rickey once said, "better to trade a player a year early than a year late."
Dee Gordon - The Dodgers have an entire infield on the shelf right now, which once again opens up a spot for the blazing fast Dee Gordon. The 25 year old was showing improved patience to go along with a touch more power and his typically ridiculous speed down at AAA, and he's opened up his 2013 MLB campaign going 3-10 with a triple and 3 SB already. He's going to play just about every day for the next few weeks at least I'd imagine, as Luis Cruz has been awful while Mark Ellis, Hanley Ramirez, and Jerry Hairston just hit the DL in the past few days. Particularly in 5X5 leagues, Gordon becomes an instant starting-caliber option at SS due to his speed alone, and despite last year's performance with LA I do actually think he can be a positive in the AVG category as well....guys with his speed and LD rate typically don't post BABIP's under .300.
Andrelton Simmons - A quick two game hot streak (5-9 with 2 2B and 2 HR) has brought Simmons' line back from the dead, as he's now hitting 252/305/402 on the year. There's a lot to like about the 23 year old, as his contact rate is pushing 90% now, the ISO continues to improve, and he's bumped his LD rate up above 20% (although you wouldn't know it from the .247 BABIP). The one thing to quibble about is that he just isn't running like he did in the minors, but he does have speed, so the double-digit SB threat is there in the background somewhere. He's very inexperienced for a player his age, and much like drafting players from the northern states, you always wonder if there isn't the likelihood for a bit more improvement once they start playing more often against better competition. I feel that way about Simmons, who I think has the chance to be a bonafide star. I love the upside here.
