Author: TJ Streett

Juan Francisco Is Surging

Juan Francisco now has five home runs over his last nine games as he starts to make some noise in the fantasy world. He may not be widely known but he is not a fluke.

Analysis: Francisco has 9 RBI, 10 runs and 13 hits over his last nine games to go along with those five bombs. He has always been able to mash and his minor league numbers can back it up. In his 173 game Triple-A career Juan has 38 home runs and is slugging .559. Juan had 9 home runs last year with the Atlanta Braves in just 192 at bats and this year he’s up to 11 homers in 186 at bats. He has impressive raw power and thankfully the twenty-six year old is taking full advantage of his opportunity. His strikeout rate/batting average will be a concern going forward but it can be tolerated if he can continue to mash at this pace.

Juan has first base and third base position eligibility which does increase his fantasy value. In fact, over the last two weeks Francisco is the 8th best fantasy third baseman and the 9th best fantasy first baseman. He’s available in 80-90% of fantasy leagues.

Under The Radar- Lohse

Kyle Lohse recorded his fourth win of the season Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals. He lasted 8.0 innings, striking out seven batters while allowing four hits and just one earned run.

Analysis: Lohse now has his ERA down to 3.43 which is 36th in all of baseball this year. His 1.16 WHIP is 30th yet the thirty-four year old still flies under the radar. Lohse has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his last seven starts… he’s been dominant recently. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May. With such a great streak it is amazing that he is still available in 30-50% of fantasy leagues.

Aside from his impressive ERA and WHIP this year he has put together a few solid seasons. Lohse has recorded a sub 3.50 ERA each of the last two years as well as a sub 1.20 WHIP. His velocity is not falling despite hitting his mid-thirties but his control is improving. Lohse’s walk rate is 7th best in baseball which does make up for his pedestrian strikeout numbers. Grab him while you can because he should be getting more attention sooner than later.

Deep League Help- Blanton

Joe Blanton may have a 5.07 ERA but that does not mean he hasn’t been playing well recently or that he can’t contribute in deeper leagues.

Analysis: Blanton’s ERA at the end of May was 5.94 but in the month of June he posted a 3.44 ERA. In fact, Blanton has allowed more than three runs in just one of his last seven starts. He’s finally on track and his June numbers certainly show that. There aren’t many times when a case can be made for a pitcher with a 2-10 record but he can help in deeper leagues. Blanton’s walk rate is the 12th lowest in baseball and his 3.65 xFIP is 34th. His 81 strikeouts rank 43rd in baseball and his 4.50 K/BB rate is 15th and ahead of guys like Stephen Strasburg and Matt Cain.

I’m not saying Joe Blanton is a dominant ace but the guy has been unlucky this year- he’s 10th in ERA minus FIP. Expect an ERA around the 4.10 mark going forward to go along with his low walk rate and respectable strikeouts numbers. Blanton is available in 85-97% of fantasy leagues.

Stock Rising- Werth

Jayson Werth has played well over the last few weeks as his fantasy stock continues to rise.

Analysis: We know Jayson Werth was never going to live up to that $126 million contract but at least he is starting to hit again. Werth has 11 hits in his last eight games including 5 extra base hits. He also has 8 runs, 7 RBI and 1 home run on his current eight game hot streak. His batting average is back around his career average but his speed numbers do not appear to be returning any time soon. Werth stole 19 bags in 2011 and 8 bags last year in just 81 games. This year Werth has 2 stolen bases in 51 games played. Even when healthy the thirty-four year old is no longer a five-cat stud but he still has a place in the fantasy world.

Werth is hitting either second or fifth in the Washington batting order which is a great place to be with a healthy Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper. With this in mind his run and RBI totals should be solid going forward as his stock continues to rise. At the moment Werth is available in 15-35% of fantasy leagues.

Last Call On Rickie Weeks

Rickie Weeks is one of the hottest players in baseball right now after an abysmal first few months.

Analysis: Rickie Weeks is hitting .429 with 5 home runs, 9 RBI and 10 runs in the month of June. He has hit safely in ten of his last eleven games… he is simply on fire right now. He’s the 9th rated roto second baseman over the last month and in that span he has raised his batting average .056 points. We all know how inconsistent he can be but the man has averaged 23 home runs, 12 stolen bases and 91 runs over the last three years… so give Rickie some credit. His batting average has always been suspect but he is hitting .256 over the last three years which is a great improvement over his first few years in the bigs.

The thirty year old is currently available in 30-60% of fantasy leagues nationwide despite a lengthy hot streak. We have to remember that Weeks was hitting just .183 at the end of May with 3 home runs, now he’s hitting .235 with 8 bombs and we aren’t even out of June yet. He’s already back into the top twenty among fantasy second baseman and like always the numbers will be there for you by the end of the year.