Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Welcome back to BTWL, the fantasy baseball article that takes a closer look at the transaction trends from the past week of baseball.
Top 5 Added:
1. Mike Lowell - 3B Boston Red Sox (.319, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 9 R)
Mike Lowell leads the AL in RBI and is still available in nearly 23% of leagues. If you live in New England, I am pretty sure he's already taken though. Lowell has certainly surprised me with his production coming off his hip injury. He's done nothing but produce in Boston, so as long as he stays healthy, he'll continue to drive in runs.
2. Ryan Franklin - RP St. Louis Cardinals (0-0, 6 S, 0.00 ERA, 0.52 WHIP)
Ryan Franklin has taken over the closers role for the Red Birds and has pitched phenomenal after taking over for Jason Motte. He's available in nearly 30% of leagues. If you need saves, pick him up. He may not last very long as the closer, but had 4 saves this past week. Ride em' while he's hot and get ready to drop him for the next sensation
3. Asdrubal Cabrera - 2B, SS Cleveland Indians (.317, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 14 R)
Has Cabrera settle down and found himself again. He was a huge disappointment last season coming off a great playoff performance in 2007, but seems to be comfortable now. He's eligible at both middle infield positions so he offers more versatility. I am not sold on him yet, and many others aren't as he's only owned on 40% of ESPN leagues. I would suggest holding off and seeing if he's for real.
4. Scott Downs - RP Toronto Blue Jays (0-0, 2 S, 0.84 ERA, 0.47 WHIP)
Until BJ Ryan returns from the DL, it looks like Downs will be the closer. He's notched 2 saves this past week and has pitched extremely well in that role. Make sure you have him if BJ was on your team, or if you need to add saves, but understand he's only a temporary pickup. He should be still out there in most leagues. Go and grab him as insurance for now.
5. Yadier Molina - C St. Louis Cardinals (.338, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R)
Yadier is all grown up and become a pretty good hitter, especially for a catcher. It seems his .304 average in 2008 is not a fluke. He'll never be a power hitter, but has shown to be a clutch performer who can drive in runs. He's hitting .391 this past week and drove in 5 RBI and owned in only 64% of leagues. Catcher is always a lean position so make sure to get him because he's for real.
Top 5 Dropped:
1. Emilio Bonifacio - 2B, 3B Florida Marlins (.226, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 14 R, 5 SB)
What did I tell you during the first edition of BTWL? Emilio is a fluke, a pretender. I hope you were able to trade him back then because he's practically worthless now. He hit only .133 this past week with only 1 run and 1 stolen base. He's an effective fantasy player if he can get on base and steal, but you can't steal first base (cliche warning!!). Drop him now if you have him.
2. Ryan Doumit - C, OF Pittsburgh Pirates (.244, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R)
Doumit is being dropped because of his time on the DL, and looks like he won't return until June. What worries me most is the fact that it's a wrist injury. Even when he returns, it's likely his wrist will not return to normal strength until after this season. He was a very good fantasy catcher last year, but I don't see him returning to form until 2010.
3. Ubaldo Jiminez - SP Colorado Rockies (1-3, 6 S, 7.58 ERA, 2.11 WHIP)
Jimenez has allowed 16 earned runs in his last 12 innings pitched. Ouch! That is not good for the youngster. 13 of those runs did come against the Dodgers, but two out of the 3 starts were on the road, so you can't blame it on Coors Field. He has been inconsistent at best since the Rockies run to the World Series in 07, so stay away from him unless you're desperate for starters.
4. Mike Aviles - 2B, SS Kansas City Royals (.182, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R)
I seriously believe the shortstop position for the Kansas City Royals has become a black hole. Angel Berroa won the ROY a few years ago and then went into the tank. Tony Pena started off hot and went into the tank. Mike Aviles had a great 2nd half last season and seems to be going right into the tank. Aviles is in a 2-22 slump and only hitting .182 for the season. If you have him and can stash him for a few weeks to see if he comes out of the slump, then do so.
5. Huston Street - RP Colorado Rockies (0-1, 1 S, 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)
The opening day closer for the Rockies has the distinction of making this list two weeks in a row. He's been terrible to start the season and is now a mop up reliever for the Rox. He has pitched better this past week not allowing any runs in 4 out of his last 5 appearances. I think he'll get another shot at closing games for the Rockies, so he may be a good long term pick up. He's out there in 52% of leagues. His WHIP was a very good .92 this week which is encouraging.
Players who need to be on your radar:
Nyjer Morgan is off to a tremendous start hitting .338 with 10 RBI, 16 runs and 6 stolen bases. He is coming into his own and doing what a leadoff hitter needs to do. Get on base, steal bases and score runs. He's still out there 43% of leagues so go get him if you need stolen bases. Dexter Fowler is another player to pick up. He's owned in only 23% of leagues and already has 9 stolen bases. He's been so good and has worked himself into the top of the Rockies lineup. His power numbers should be better than normal playing half of his games in Colorado. If you need a catcher, don't worry about picking up Kurt Suzuki. He can hit for average, .337 on the season, but that's pretty much it. I have an absolute void at the position in one of my leagues and picked him up this past week. He's hit over .500 this week and helped me pick up several points in my roto league. Jordan Zimmerman is quickly becoming the better Zimmerman on the Nationals. He won his 2nd game of the season on Sunday and has put up very good stats (2-0 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP). I know the WHIP is not great, but he's young and get get people out. Due to his age, the Nationals may choose to limit his innings pitched towards the end of the season, but jump on the bandwagon while you can. Has anyone else noticed that Wandy Rodriguez has a 1.82 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP in 4 starts this season? He's still available in 29% of leagues and has been a solid starter all season. He's only 1-2 on the season, but will provide you with good strikeout and innings this season.
Well, I am done for this week, but make sure to keep checking back for the latest in fantasy baseball.
(Coming Friday: Frozen Ropes by Jim Ingram & Chin Music by Chad Garner)
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