If you enjoyed last week, great! We’re back to bring you another week of fantasy baseball goodness. It’s week two of the article, so you may be finding a diamond in the rough in this article, so we hope you enjoy it! So without further ado, let’s get this thing started!
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Yes, That is spelled correctly. Mr. Longname over here, has collected a hit in each of his last six games, and while he doesn’t offer you much more than points, he has minimal pop, and some speed, and if he retains a starting job, he could be a .290 10/15 player with value in roto leagues. It remains to be seen if he can retain the starting job when Andres Torres comes back from injury, but with the way he has been playing, they may decide to keep him in a starting role as the leadoff man. The only knock on him, though, is that the Strikeout Rate needs to decrease a bit to sustain his average but overall, in 32 at bats, he has 12 runs, two doubles, one homer, three RBI, four walks, and one stolen base. He’s not elite but he is start-able.
Mike Napoli
Napoli has hit 5 homeruns in the last 4 games. What CATCHER hits like that?! It may help him being a ‘tweener, as he splits time with Moreland at first, so that could be how all of the homeruns are getting just crushed. Some would believe that is because of the park change, but last year, he had 13 of 30 homers at home, and that’s 17 on the road, for those of you that you don’t like math.This year, all of his dingers have come on the road. The only explanation we have for his uptick in homeruns is the progression he has made each year in the power department. He has increased or stayed the same his homerun totals every year since his sophomore season. He is an elite catcher, and should be treated as such, though, since he’s on fire, we wouldn’t blame you for selling high on him if you can afford to.
AJ Pierzynski
AJ was my sleeper of the year coming in, as I called him Mauer-lite. People laughed and called me idiotic, but with the way he has hit, people need to realize that he can still put things together this season, with a .400 average. His four homeruns this season are equivalent to the number of runs he has scored, but that is because of the team he is on. He also has 13 RBI, a slugging percentage of .829, and a .429 ISO. He may be back. Just maybe. He is, however, worth owning in all leagues bigger than 8 teams. He has been hot, and I don’t mean in appearance. Okay, maybe I do, but let’s not tell anyone.
Chad Billingsley
Returning to 2007 and 2008 seasons? While it’s still early, Chad has 7.52 K/9, 1.33 ERA, 0.44 BB/9, 45.3 GB%. He also has a 2-0 Record. Those numbers are ace-worthy. He’s also just entering his prime, at 27 years old, so those may not be fluke-y numbers. Remember what he did in his early years, with 3.31 ERA in 2007 and a 3.14 ERA in ’08. He was 28-15 in those two seasons, and if he can keep up this kind of performance, don’t be surprised if he sees numbers like that again. He needs to be owned in ALL leagues. That’s all I need to say.
Bartolo Colon
BFBC! No, not Battlefield: Bad Company, I mean BIG FAT BARTOLO COLON! It’s pronounced Cologne. But he probably smells like ass. But doesn’t play like it, with a 2.63 ERA. He struggled in his second outing against the Mariners, allowing seven runs in 4.1 innings, but if you take away that horrible outing, he has allowed one run in 23 innings, only giving up 10 hits, and striking out 16. Those are great numbers from a guy that is looked at as a #4-#5 guy, if that. He won’t strike out many guys, but he saves your WHIP, if you play in roto leagues.
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