The Hump Day Look See is your weekly Wednesday foray into all things fantasy baseball. Sneaky stat lines, rapid risers, trends and tricks to help maximize your roster are all celebrated here. Equal parts analysis and common sense with a splash of humor, served fresh every Wednesday morning right here on Full Spectrum Baseball.
THE END IS NIGH! RUN FOR THE HILLS!
That is, if you happen to own Roy Halladay or Jered Weaver, who were both shelved this week with injuries. Halladay is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, there is not yet a timetable for Jered Weaver to resume his duties on the bump. Also hobbling to the sidelines in the past two weeks: Ted Lilly, John Danks, Danny Duffy and Marco Estrada. LIGHT THE LANTERNS AND HEAD FOR THE SHELTER!
Or….you could look elsewhere on the disabled list to names such as Brandon McCarthy, Jonathan Sanchez and Vance Worley – all three should return in the next week and change. Aces they are not, serviceable stop gaps that could become more? Sure, it’s possible.
And don’t forget to frantically check the free agent pool in all of your leagues for Roy Oswalt, now that he has agreed to join the Texas Rangers. I have to imagine we’re looking at a couple of weeks minimum of stretching him out before he toes a major league rubber, so don’t expect a miracle this week. Also of note, his career OPS against at Ameriquest (Arlington) is .878, with a 4.78 ERA and 9 HR allowed in 52.2 innings pitched. Caveat Emptor my friends.
I had a couple of inquiries following the first HDLS post last week, wondering why I listed the top 10 added and dropped hitters, but not pitchers. A fair question. With a decent percentage of players in ESPN standard 5 x 5 rotisserie leagues streaming pitchers each week, I’ve found it skews the numbers, and paints a confusing picture. So to balance the coverage, I’ll make an effort to highlight pitching options in other ways each week – see above. You can also check out the AL and NL weekly Pitching Planning posts right here at Full Spectrum Baseball.
Top 10 Added Hitters in ESPN Standard Leagues – Last 14 Days:
| Player | % Add/Drop | % owned |
Notes |
| Dayan Viciedo CWS – OF | +52.8 | 83.2 | #4 last week, added +20% since. 22/55 with 7 HR, 20 RBI in last 15 games. |
| Jeff Francoeur KC – OF | +40.1 | 81.2 | Frenchy is too good to have been that bad for that long, .375 with 4 bombs in last 15, hope you bought low. |
| Jonathan Lucroy MIL – C | +34.4 | 78.4 | News of his broken hand will put out this fire, but keep him on your watch list for mid/late July. |
| Justin Morneau MIN – 1B | +33.1 | 91.3 | 5 HR and 16 steaks since his return from the DL. If he stays on the field he should stay in your lineup. |
| Mitch Moreland TEX – 1B/OF | +33 | 87.1 | On the fringe last week. Multi-position eligible, power stroke like the weather, getting warmer. |
| Chris Davis BAL 3B/1B | +25 | 74.4 | 6th most dropped last week, streaky hitter that will inspire the Yo-Yo effect. |
| A.J. Pierzynski CWS – C | +22.3 | 85.6 | Top 5 among ALL catchers in Hits, Runs, HR, RBI – How is he still available in 15% of leagues? |
| Jed Lowrie HOU – 3B/SS | +17.1 | 94.6 | Health and a change of scenery have done wonders – 1/2 of his HR (4 of 8) in last 15 games. |
| A.J. Ellis LAD – C | +16.5 | 28.2 | Almost June and still hitting .315, smells like a regression candidate to me (.282 career), but he’s extra scrappy. |
| Michael Brantley CLE – OF | +15.8 | 37.5 | Hit safely in 8 straight games, 7 RBI and 6 SB in that stretch. |
And the Yang of failure, also known as the 10 most dropped:
| Player | % Add/Drop |
% owned |
Notes |
| Cody Ross BOS – OF (DL) | -37.3 | 27.3 | Victim of nervous injury drops, might be back in a couple of weeks. |
| Chipper Jones ATL – 3B (DL) | -37.2 | 47.3 | Hopes to return soon, surgery to drain fluid from his leg not an encouraging sign. |
| Lance Berkman STL – 1B/OF | -22.4 | 49.8 | Residual dropping from 6-10 week prognosis of last week. |
| Miguel Montero ARI – C | -21.7 | 67.9 | Missed 5 games with a groin injury, signed a massive new deal, still hitting .248 with only 2 HR’s, but OBP .342 – excellent buy low candidate. |
| Torii Hunter LAA – OF | -13.6 | 61.4 | Hangover droppage from time away for family issues. Returns Tuesday night. |
| Bryan LaHair CHC – 1B/OF | -12.9 | 87.1 | Returned to earth with a miserable week. 3 for 4 Monday, but likely to sit against lefties (3-22 this season). |
| Emilio Bonifacio MIA – 2B/SS/3B (DL) | -11.2 | 86.7 | Oh sweet Emilio, curse your balky thumb. Out for a while but speed doesn’t slump, keep your eyes on him close to his return. |
| Jon Jay STL – OF (DL) | -8.8 | 29.4 | Could be back in 10-14 days, should resume a starting role then. 9 Hits and 8 Runs in final 10 games before injury. |
| Jemile Weeks OAK – 2B | -8.2 | 51.5 | .235 with 3 Runs, 1 SB, 0 HR, 0 RBI in last 15 games. Perhaps track is his forte. |
| Robert Andino BAL – 2B/SS/3B | -7.8 | 31.4 | Ladies and gentlemen, this is what regression to the mean looks like while wearing an orange hat. |
And for the value shopper, this week’s 5 Under 50 – five players owned in less than 50% of ESPN standard leagues that can help your roster right now. Last week I recommended Anthony Bass of the Padres, who then proceeded to have his worst outing of the year, arguably. Consider this proof I am not in fact omnipotent. With that being said, stick with the kid, he’s been far more good than bad this season. I also pointed a finger at Joe Blanton, insert joke here. On the upside, Alcides Escobar, J.P. Arencibia and Daniel Nava did not burst into fantasy flames (Arencibia did hit .136, but had 2 HR), so I suppose there is hope after all.
Paul Goldschmidt ARI – 1B 35.4%: He hit a 471 foot HR the other day. Not kidding. 471 feet. The former prized prospect has hit in 7 straight games through Monday, with 4 doubles and 7 runs scored over that span. He’s at least worth a stash if you’re thin at 1B short term.
Michael Brantley CLE – OF 37.5%: As mentioned above in the most added section (#10), he’s been hitting and running and doing all sorts of fun fantasy things. If he keeps it up he’ll be ineligible for this category in no time.
Gregor Blanco SFG – OF 19.6%: 21 runs scored with a .397 OBP in 95 at-bats from the leadoff spot this year. Sustainable long term? Eh, perhaps not, but even with a bit of a slide he’ll remain above average. 6 steals on the year to boot.
Casey Janssen TOR – RP 46.6%: He’s picked up 4 saves since taking over closer duties in Toronto, and boasts a respectable 2.89 ERA and an impressive 0.91 WHIP in that time. Most closers suffer a hiccup here and there, and he won’t be immune, but he should bolster your bottom line more than he hurts it.
Homer Bailey CIN – SP 12.5%: As I type this Bailey just nailed down complete game win, allowing 1 run on 4 hits against the Pirates. That’s 3 straight wins and 4 consecutive starts with 3 or fewer earned runs allowed. He’s walked 5 in those starts while striking out 21.
Your questions and thoughts are welcomed, and encouraged, both here in the comments and on twitter @lembeck451. All stats accurate as of 10 PM EDT 5/29/12.
