Category: MLB

BJ Upton Update

BJ Upton was activated from the disabled list five days ago and has put together a solid stretch. He is capable of being a top twenty fantasy outfielder as long as his BABIP returns to his career average.

Analysis: BJ Upton has ten hits and is on a five game hitting streak since his return from the disabled list. He’s also added 3 stolen bases in that five game span and it appears that Upton is finally back. He’s still batting just .198 but his BABIP is .043 points lower this year compared to his career average. At the moment BJ is available in 30-40% of fantasy leagues. His batting average won’t be anything special going forward but his power/speed package is not matched by many in the fantasy world.

Upton isn’t the only power/speed option available on the wire. Will Venable has 13 home runs, 13 stolen bases and is hitting .251 this year. He’s available in 85-95% of fantasy leagues. Robbie Grossman of the Astros has 3 home runs and 6 stolen bases in just 38 games this year. Grossman is available in 70-80% of fantasy leagues.

Under The Radar- Tyson Ross

Tyson Ross has been impressive in his three starts since rejoining the San Diego rotation.

Analysis: Tyson Ross was rather pedestrian in his first three starts of the season but he’s back in the rotation and he’s dealing. He is the 26th best fantasy starter over the last month of the season. In his three starts since rejoining the rotation Ross has allowed just 3 earned runs in 20.0 innings of work while striking out 22 batters. Through 65.0 innings this year Ross is sporting a 1.22 WHIP and a 2.91 ERA. He is the ultimate under the radar starter on the wire right now.

The twenty-six year old is available in 80-95% of fantasy leagues. Ross isn’t just a deep league add… he’s striking out 7.7 batters per nine, he has an xFIP under 4.00 and his slider is absolutely nasty. He was never terrible at any point this season but he is obviously not a household name.

Up next for Tyson Ross is a Saturday start against the Reds who are 4th in the National League in runs scored.

Stock Rising- Moustakas

Mike Moustakas is finally mashing this year after months of disappointing play.

Analysis: Over his last seven games Moustakas has 3 home runs, 11 hits, 8 runs batted in and 4 runs. He’s been the 11th best fantasy third baseman over the last month and the 3rd best over the last week. He is batting just .234 this year but do not let that stat be a deterrent. His BABIP this year is .237 which is the third lowest in baseball. Keep in mind that Moustakas posted a .274 BABIP last year and a .296 BABIP in 2011. His batting average will continue to pick up the rest of the season.

Moustakas is available in 40-70% of fantasy leagues. He is a talented hitter who projects as a second tier fantasy third baseman in the future but as for this season he remains a solid waiver wire power bat. Although his fantasy stats are not pretty this year he is doing some positive things at the plate. His strikeouts are down 6% from last year and his walk rate is up just a bit. It’s August now and the stock of both the Kansas City Royals and Mike Moustakas is finally on the rise.

Mark Buehrle Is Surging

Mark Buehrle has not allowed a run over his last 20 innings pitched. Although the Blue Jays are tanking, Buehrle is surging.

Analysis: Buehrle has not allowed an earned run in three of his last five starts. He is the 12th rated fantasy starter over the last two weeks and the 21st best starter over the last month. Keep in mind that Toronto is the seventh highest scoring team in baseball which only adds to Buehrle’s value.

The thirty-four year old lefty is having a decent season. He’s sporting a 1.30 WHIP, a 4.18 xFIP and has pitched 139.0 innings which is 29th most in baseball. In some fantasy cases it is better to have a reliable ERA over many innings than a good ERA over a short span. Currently, Buehrle is available in 60-90% of fantasy leagues. His velocity may continue to fall off but his changeup keeps getting better and his cutter remains more than serviceable.

Not many people are paying attention to the Blue Jays at this point and even Mark Buehrle for that matter, but to his credit Buehrle is pitching well and isn’t just a deep league fantasy option.

Buying Low- Michael Morse

Seattle did not move Michael Morse at the trade deadline but he still makes a viable fantasy option going forward.

Analysis: Morse now has two games under his belt since returning from the disabled list with a strained quad. Morse is 0-9 in those two games but that isn’t the point. He has 11 bombs, 23 RBI and 24 runs in 58 games this year. He will see plenty of RBI opportunities the rest of the year hitting fifth or sixth and he is playing for a new contact which means if he stays healthy he will continue to mash.

Morse is available in 35-50% of fantasy leagues primarily because of his most recent stint on the disabled list. His kind of power isn’t common on the wire at this point in the season. In addition to Morse there are a few other power bats available on the wire that are of note- Carlos Quentin, Dayan Viciedo, Brandon Moss.

With all the hype surrounding the trade deadline Michael Morse is not getting the fantasy attention you would expect coming off of the DL. Expect 7-10 home runs and a .270 batting average the rest of the way.