Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds - Billy Hamilton had a day to remember Tuesday with his 10th steal of the yeah and his first career major league homerun. The homer was surprising, but it was even more of a shock that it wasn't an inside-the-park homer and actually went 6-7 rows up the right field seats. Hamilton has had a rough go of things so far but has really turned up his play over his last 10, hitting .304 with six steals and the homer. He still isn't walking (4.1% of AB's) and probably never will, but his BABIP climb to .300 has helped get his average up to .247. He is tied for second in steals with 10 and all the players tied with or above him have OBPs of .315 or higher while Hamilton sits at .284. His OBP will be almost directly tied to his AVG, so if he wants to get to an OBP around the .315 mark like the others he's group with he'll need to keep riding this hot streak into the .270 range.
Khris Davis, Milwaukee Brewers - Khris Davis has had some ups and downs this year, but over his past 10 games he has hit .239 with all three of his 2014 homers and five of his six RBI. While the average is still not where owners would like it, he is finally starting to produce in the other categories that made him a nice sleeper option after belting 11 homers in 56 games in 2013. A split that is awfully concerning his his 32% strikeout rate compared to his 1% walk rate. He is chasing a ton of pitches (40.9% chase rate, 50% contact rate on pitches outside the zone)and he will need to be more selective if he wants to get pitches to drive and produce with. A weekend set in Cincinnati followed by a series with the Diamondbacks could be exactly what Davis needs to help turn his season around.
Yusemiro Petit, San Francisco Giants - Petit was called upon to pitch for Matt Cain Tuesday when Cain cut his finger after arriving at the park. Petit pitched extremely well with six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out four while picking up his second win of 2014. Coming into Tuesday Petit had pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Giants and racked up 16 K's in 14.2 IP. His first start of the year lowered his ERA to 2.61 and his FIP to 2.31. Last season Petit had the highest whiff rate on curveballs with a minimum of 100 curves thrown so he could be an interesting option for Sunday if Cain is unable to go. Watch for news this week on Cain and his replacement and snag Petit if he is called upon again to pitch.
Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins - The Marlins young centerfielder had his 17 game hit streak snapped against the Mets a few days ago but is thriving hitting atop the lineup in 2014. He's now slashing .297/.366/.386 so far while going 4-for-4 on stolen bases. His batting average has been fueled by a .406 BABIP which is helping negate him striking out in 25% of his at bats. Just seven of his 30 hits have gone for extra bases (.073 ISO) and while he isn't considered a power hitter by any means, his ISO will rise as he continues to earn at bats and learns how to drive the ball (5.24 GB/FB). His average and OBP are nice for fantasy owners and his double digit steals with a couple homers here and there make for a solid OF option for mixed leagues and even a little higher for NL only leagues.
Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs - The Cubs are having a virtual closer by committee and while Strop has been given chances to earn the role outright he has struggled in taking the role as his. While he did toss a scoreless inning Tuesday, he allowed three hits bringing his WHIP up to 1.32. His ERA still sits at a solid 3.18 but his FIP shows he's been a bit lucky at 4.76. His 11.76 K/9 is excellent but he's now allowed 15 runners in 11.2 innings, so while he's been able to escape jams this season it will have to be seen if it will last. If you are a Strop owner, like myself, it's about time to part ways and find someone who has pitched better this year and is able to get more save chances on a better team.
Josh Sperry - @jsperry1991
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