The Week That Was: “Hunter Pence Keeps You in the Hunt”
Hunter Pence keeping his fantasy teams in the hunt highlights this week’s Week That Was.
Hunter Pence: Hunter Pence had a big night Friday going 3-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Yes, he would be the last player in the major leagues whose swing and approach would be used to train youngsters but the dude can hit and he is sharpening his arrows for the pennant race. Over the last two weeks, Pence is hitting .327 with 3 HR and 10 runs and RBI and over the last week, his average is a cool .417. This guy never gets enough respect so capitalize on that and grab him for your fantasy pennant race if you can. [Note, he is also consistent as his three year average coming into this season was .282 with 24 HR, 100 RBI and 11 SB].
Arismendy Alcantara: Arismendy Alcantara hit his sixth dinger Friday. Forget stats and sabremetrics for a moment and think human being with all the things that affect us humans. Is it really a surprise that the 22 year old struggled at the dish while learning a new position in the big leagues? Will it be a surprise that he settles into a groove after becoming comfortable in CF and being joined by his buddies and minor league teammates Javier Baez and Jorge Soler? Hardly. He may not hit for a gaudy average in September but the counting numbers will be there. Grab them if you can afford a possible average hit.
Delmon Young: Delmon Young went yard Friday as he continues to provide production for the Birds. While it seems like Young has been around forever, he is just 28 years old. Loyal readers and listeners have heard me say many times that only the very talented make the majors at a very young age (Young made his debut at 20 years old). Yes, he has disappointed over and over again. However, he has shown flashes, did hit for the Tigers in a pennant race and the playoffs and does seem comfortable in Baltimore. In 200 AB for the Birds this year, he is hitting an even .300 with 7 HR – not all-star numbers but quite solid. Invest the very little bit it will cost to roster Young and you will make a nice return on investment for September.
Alex Gordon: Alex Gordon had a big game Thursday going 2-5 with a home run, two RBI and a pair of runs scored. His .277 average with 17 HR and 8 SB on the year is pretty solid though not jaw-dropping. Given that 8 of his dingers have come in the last 30 days, there is good reason to think that he will out-produce his year-long power numbers. The advanced stats also show growth and reason to believe the average and OBP will rise: contact rate up, walk rate up, strikeout rate down. Bottom line – BUY!
Emilio Bonifacio: Emilio Bonifacio does not play as much as he should but took advantage of the opportunity Thursday going 4-5 with a triple, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Given that he can play all over the field and given that his competition for at-bats is not exactly lighting the world on fire (e.g., BJ Upton .205) or are not exactly big names you have to pencil into the lineup (Gosselin, LaStella), you have to think that a MI eligible fantasy player can provide positive value and out produce his modest cost this September. Buy!
Daniel Murphy: Daniel Murphy went on the DL this week with a calf injury. This is bad news for the Mets and worse news for any of his fantasy owners in a pennant race. There is no way to replace his.301 with 73 runs, nine home runs, 53 RBI and 13 stolen bases at the weak 2B position. That said, you have to try and replace some of those numbers. The Mets will go with Dilson Herrera. He is worth a flyer as he did register an OBP over .400 at AA this year with 10 homers in 241 AB. Just do not overpay. AA stats do not translate to majors so easily or so quickly.
Carlos Carrasco: Last week, we wrote “the window on buying Carlos Carrasco low is closing fast. Carrasco pitched six innings of one run, two hit ball while striking out eight Friday. That makes three strong starts in a row in which he has pitched 18 innings with a 17/2 K/BB ratio and only one earned run allowed. At 27 with an average fastball velocity of 95 mph, Carrasco is the classic post-hype sleeper. I am all in on this one!” I hope you listened. This week, Carrasco pitched 6.7 innings of one run ball while striking out 7 and walking just one. Convinced yet?
And last and but not least, this from the Baron of the Bottom of the Page. Schultz says: “Someone who presumably knew what they were talking about once said that you should write about what you know. Schultz is aware that believers in this maxim may then query as to why Schultz would think he could write about rotisserie baseball. In response, Schultz would borrow from a famous Scottish groundskeeper and retort "Schultz hears you. Schultz don't care." One thing Schultz does know about (other than how to abuse the use of the third person) is his beloved Cleveland Indians who, despite injuries, have remained surprisingly feisty in keeping themselves on the fringes of the post-season discussion.
Jose Ramirez has been integral to the Tribe's recent success. Once the Indians shipped Asdrubal Cabrera to Washington for Zach Walters (more about him in a second), Ramirez embedded himself as the new shortstop. Enduring some growing pains, Ramirez has shown himself to be a gifted fielder and, more importantly for roto-purposes, an increasingly patient hitter. Lacking true power, Ramirez has figured out how to take advantage of his speed and learned how to get on base, which has led to a nice uptick in his steals and runs scored. For those struggling at middle infield, Ramirez will keep you afloat in September. Where he may end up next year is an interesting question. He isn't supplanting Jason Kipnis at 2B or Lonnie Chisenhall at 3B and Francisco Lindor is poised to take over SS in 2015.
If you're feeling confident with your team's batting average, the aforementioned Walters will provide a significant boost to your power numbers. Walters has struggled to make consistent contact but when he does, the ball goes quite far. He may only have 19 hits in his 98 at-bats this season. However, 9 of those hits have been home runs and Terry Francona is looking for ways to get Walters into the lineup. Those playing for 2015 would do well to pay attention to the young slugger.
On the mound, those with patience in Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are going to be greatly rewarded in September. The sole remaining player from the Cliff Lee trade, Carrasco has battled wildness both on the mound and in his own mind. However, his stint in the bullpen has done wonders and he's now pitching like the prospect he's always been touted to be. The same can be said of Danny Salazar. A few weeks back, I suggested that hanging on to him might be equivalent of buying a lottery ticket. Well, it may not have paid off with retirement money but over the last two outings, Salazar has pitched with mettle and intelligence. Oh yes, he also strikes out a ton of hitters. Although he's shown a penchant to regress without notice, Salazar appears to have turned the corner and may repeat his September from 2013. If either Carrasco or Salazar are sitting on your league's waiver wire: pounce.
On a separate note: I do believe there has been a challenge made to Colton & The Wolfman. Care to comment oh wise and beneficent overlord?”
Response: It scares me that we independently wrote about Carrasco. Oh well, we are both right! As to Ramirez hitting the ball on the ground and using his speed, I wonder if Tito took a page out of Lou Brown’s book and made Ramirez do pushups every time he hits the ball in the air (Major League reference). As to the “challenge”, I have heard rumors of a facebook challenge but I do not do facebook so there you go.
It’s Time for Football: I know that while you read this column for fantasy baseball, you are also starting to get ready for your last fantasy football drafts this week. Without the truly amazing Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Football Draft Guide, well … wait, draft without the guide? Who would do that? Get the draft guide here: fantasyalarm.com/draftguide.php