Chris Dickerson (OF-CLE) - Since being acquired and subsequently called up by the Indians earlier this month, Chris Dickerson has been on a tear. The 32-year old outfielder is now with his 5th team in 9 years and has filled in admirably in the absence of Michael Bourn. In the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Dickerson powered the Indians offense by clubbing 2 solo homeruns. Since being called up, he's hitting .435/.480/.739 and will continue to see plenty of time against right-handed pitching as long as he can keep hitting. Dickerson has always been more of a free-swinger but he draws walks at an above average 10% rate and has significantly improved his contact rate this season. He's sitting on the wrong side of 30 so a true break-out is unlikely. Continue to ride the hot hand while you can but be prepared for the production to stop soon.
David Price (SP-TB) - David Price maintained his high trade value on Saturday by twirling 8 shutout innings against the Twins. Price is quietly putting together one of the best years of his career, sporting a 3.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and phenomenal 27% strikeout and 3.5% walk rates. Despite maintaining a 3 MPH velocity drop from 2012, Price has managed to put together his best swinging rate and contact rates since his rookie year in 2008. If he's traded, there's a good chance he'll lose some home park favorability but that will likely be offset by higher win potential.
George Springer (OF-HOU) - George Springer crushed a beautiful opposite field blast off homerun-prone Hector Noesi for his 20th of the season. After a red-hot May, Springer cooled down a bit in June and has hit just .152 in July. We have seen the tremendous power potential from the 24-year old but we haven't seen the speed translate to the big leagues yet. Springer stole 20 bases at 3 levels of the minor leagues and he continues to flash the skills that could lead to incredible fantasy league value sooner rather than later. The 61% contact rate is pitiful and 33% strikeout rate leaves much to be desired so he remains a work-in-progress before he can be considered an elite fantasy option.
Zach Putnam (RP-CWS) - Zach Putnam picked up his 3rd save of the year for the Chicago White Sox. Compared to the other guys in the bullpen, Putnam offers one of the lowest walk rates of the team while also striking out batters 33% of the time. He appears to have a leg up on the rest of the competition in the 9th inning and he should be owned across all league formats. His xFIP and SIERA point to a little regression to the ratios moving forward, but he should continue being a worthwhile addition to teams as long as he continues seeing the save opportunities.
Felix Hernandez (SP - SEA) - King Felix was his normal dominant self on Saturday evening, going 7 innings allowing just 1 unearned run on 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9 batters. Felix has lived up to his expensive price tag on draft day, compiling a 2.02 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while also setting career best strikeout and wall rates. The additional strikeouts look to be legit with an excellent 12% swinging strike rate and high 35% chase rate. Pitching in one of the league's most pitching friendly environments certainly helps Hernandez but he's showing why he remains a perennial top starting pitcher off the board year after year. With Darvish battling injuries and ineffectiveness at times, Hernandez becomes my favorite for the 2014 Cy Young award.
Follow me on Twitter @MichaelWaldo to get player tidbits this season. I'll happily answer any keeper or trade questions for your team. You can follow Fantistics on Twitter @Fantistics.
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