Author: TJ Streett

Deep League Help- Ben Revere

Ben Revere’s batting average is up to .331 at the moment as he continues to put together a solid 2012 season.

Analysis: Ben Revere may not have a home run this year but his slugging percentage is up over .90 points and his isolated power is up .33 points from last year. Revere has his strikeout rate down to 6.2% thus far this season, which is third lowest in all of baseball. The outfielder simply puts the ball in play and uses his speed. He stole thirty-four bags last year and is on pace to steal nearly thirty again this year. His batting average and speed numbers are enough to justify a roster spot on most squads in deeper leagues. Revere is hitting in the two spot in the Twins order in front of Joe Mauer which is always a good place to be for a solid run total.

There isn’t much to dislike about Revere aside from his lack of power. He puts the ball in play, steals bases and as long as his BABIP doesn’t dip below .320 he will remain a valuable outfielder. Revere is available in sixty percent of fantasy leagues and he is certainly worth a look.

Not Buying Ubaldo

Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched two great games in the past week but I’m not buying it and here is why.

Analysis: Ubaldo Jimenez has allowed just two earned runs in 13.2 innings of work over his last two starts. That still leaves Ubaldo’s ERA at 4.91 with an xFIP of 5.56. When Ubaldo was at his best he was a flamethrower with a bit of command, now it is just the opposite. Ubaldo’s average fastball is just 92.3 MPH, down 4 MPH from his 2009-2010 prime. The strikeouts are obviously down as well. This year he’s averaging 5.6K/9IP compared to over 8K/9IP over his last three seasons. His walk rate of 5.7BB/9IP is concerning as well, it’s second most in baseball among qualified pitchers. In year’s past he was walking just 3.7 batters per nine.

A few solid starts and a 6-4 record isn’t going to fool anyone here. His velocity is down, his strikeouts are down, his walks are sky high and he has yet to strike out eight batters in one game this year, something he did seven times last year in a down year.

Buying Low- Alcides Escobar

Alcides Escobar is falling out of favor in many leagues but he still has some solid fantasy value.

Analysis: Even though Alcides Escobar hit .254 last year, he did so with a very low BABIP of .285. This year his average is up to .288 where it should be and he still gets no love. Escobar stole twenty-six bases last year and is on pace for nearly thirty this year. He may not be a flashy offensive player but he puts up solid numbers for a shortstop.

Alcides Escobar is available in about half of fantasy leagues across the country and that number should maintain until fantasy owners catch on that his batting average is for real. He may not have hit for a high average the past two seasons in the bigs but he is a solid contact hitter. When his BABIP is respectable like it was in 2009 and his minor league career, he will hit for an average in the .280 range. He is currently the fifteenth ranked shortstop on ESPN’s player rater, ahead of guys like Jimmy Rollins, Alexei Ramirez and Jhonny Peralta. You could do a lot worse than Escobar who offers speed, a solid batting average and some RBI potential hitting deep in an underrated Royals batting order.

Under The Radar- Liriano

Francisco Liriano has been one inconsistent starter this year but he still has some significant fantasy value.

Analysis: Liriano allowed four or more earned runs in his first six starts of the year but since May 7th he has lowered his ERA by three runs. Liriano’s velocity is fine even though he should be throwing his slider a bit more. He is actually striking out more than one batter per inning but the real problem is his location. He’s walking nearly six batters per nine innings pitched and his HR/FB rate of 14% this year is four percent higher than his career average of 10%.

Liriano still has plenty left in the tank. In fact, his xFIP is just 4.29 compared to his current ERA of 6.45. It does not help that Minnesota does not score much but Liriano isn’t a 1-7 type of pitcher anyway. He’s available in over seventy percent of leagues and his value will be increasing in the near future. Liriano is a free agent next year so a trade deadline move would not be out of the question. Put Liriano on a contender with run support and you have a waiver wire steal.

Deep League Help- Aoki

Norichika Aoki is finally getting some valuable playing time in the Brewers outfield and he is as advertised.

Analysis: With Nyjer Morgan hitting just .233 on the year and only four extra base hits to his credit, Norichika Aoki has played very well in center and right field for the Brew Crew. Aoki actually has seven more extra base hits and five more RBI than Morgan in nineteen less at-bats. Aoki is a former three time Central League batting champ in the NPB, so his .289 batting average thus far should come as no surprise. His tools do resemble Ichiro’s a bit but he does not run as much as Ichiro.

Aoki is available in ninety-nine percent of leagues and if you are in a deeper league an outfielder with his upside can be hard to come by. It still may take a few more months before Aoki is fully acclimated to MLB pitching but you have to like his small sample size thus far. Expect a batting average in the .280-.300 range, five more home runs and ten more stolen bases if he continues to get consistent playing time.