Category: MLB

Last Call On Carlos Lee

Carlos Lee has one game under his belt after a hamstring injury landed him on the disabled list.

Analysis: Carlos Lee drove in two runs in his first game back from the disabled list. He is coming off of two relatively down years for him but he is still productive. Lee’s average is up over .300 and he has 25 RBI in fifty games played this year. His slugging percentage is down but he will still get his fair share of home runs. You have to love that he’s only striking out at a 5.2% clip this year, absolutely impressive.

Keep in mind that Lee has outfield and first base position eligibility. He is only available in twenty percent of leagues so now is the time to pick up the aging slugger. He still has a bit left in the tank and who couldn’t use a little batting average and power depth on their squad? He will continue to get plenty of RBI opportunities hitting cleanup in the Houston batting order and hopefully JD Martinez can offer some protection for him. Lee won’t last long on the waiver wire so snatch him up now before it is too late.

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.