Category: Player News

Main player news sub category

Alex Rios Is Still Viable

Despite hitting just .199 this year and being benched often in the last week, Alex Rios is still a viable option for all fantasy squads.

Analysis: Yes, 2010 was a career year for Rios and to expect a repeat of his 2010 campaign this year was not expected. However, his career average over 162 games is a .277 BA with 17 home runs and 24 steals. He may only have four bombs and four swipes thus far this year but it does not warrant dropping the guy from your fantasy squad. Fantasy baseball is as much about patience as anything else. Rios is getting ready to explode and his numbers indicate that. His strikeouts are actually down from last year and his career average, his walk rate is at his career average, it’s just that his BABIP is just .205 while his career BABIP is .310. Rios is being dropped in many fantasy leagues across the country because of a lack of patience and when he explodes in the near future there will be many regrets. Rios may not reach a 20/20 season this year because it’s already June and he’s been unlucky but he’s a five category stud who should not be dropped from any fantasy squad.

Projection: Expect 12 homers, 14 stolen bases and a .275 batting average from Rios in his remaining ninety plus games.

Jeremy Hellickson Is Overrated

Jeremy Hellickson may have a 2.64 ERA this year with seven wins but there are some reasons for concern.

Analysis: The twenty-four year old is sporting a 2.64 ERA but keep in mind his FIP is 3.83 while his xFIP is sitting at 4.35. Hellickson’s fastaball velocity is down from last year in the bigs and his minor league average velocity. He’s walking 3.7 batters per nine while striking out a pedestrian 6.4 batters per nine. Hellickson’s 80% LOB rate is good for seventeenth among major league pitchers and his HR/FB rate is at 5.8%, good for eighteenth in the majors. Needless to say he has been one lucky pitcher this year. In keeper leagues, yes, he is a long term top of the rotation stud. However, this year we will be seeing a significant drop off in his performance sooner than later. Hellickson for a struggling ace and some depth on your fantasy squad is a trade you must consider before he loses value. Don’t get me wrong, staying with Hellickson isn’t a bad option at this point but he isn’t what his numbers are indicating. His strike out rates are no where near his minor league numbers and we cannot forget that he has pitched over 120 innings in a year just once in his professional career.

Projection: Hellickson’s ERA should inflate to about 3.5 by the end of the season which means you are getting a slightly better than a middle of the road pitcher the rest of the year. Act accordingly.

Corey Patterson Is Back

Corey Patterson is enjoying a fine season thus far with Toronto. In Patterson’s last 137 games going back to last year he has 28 stolen bases and hit 12 home runs, that’s a power-speed combo that’s flying under the radar.

Analysis: I don’t want to speak too soon because Corey Patterson has an uncanny ability to flake out but he may have found his groove. His strike outs are down, his contact rate and ISO are both up and it appears that he is a valuable fantasy commodity. Patterson’s BABIP is forty points above his career average so don’t expect his current batting average of .291 to stick around but you just cannot ignore what he is doing in the speed department. Twenty-eight stolen bases in his last 137 games if good just by itself but when coupled with twelve bombs and seventy-three runs then you have a guy that should be owned in more than just forty percent of fantasy leagues. If you are looking for outfield depth in deeper leagues you need not look further than the often disappointing yet surprisingly solid Corey Patterson.

Projection: A .270 BA, 10 HR, 20 plus steals and about seventy runs should be there for you at the end of the season.

JP Arencibia Is Still Available

From Buster Posey to Ryan Doumit to Nick Hundley, there certainly are a lot of injuries to catchers right now. JP Arenicibia has been a top ten catcher all year and is still available in over forty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide.

Analysis: Regardless of league format, the fact that JP Arencibia is still available in fantasy leagues is absolutely shocking. We’re talking about a twenty-five year old that is third in the majors among catchers in home runs with eight, eighth in runs with eighteen and fifth in RBI with twenty-six. You just cannot ignore Arencibia’s power, he hit 32 homers in just 104 Triple A games last year. He is easily a top ten catcher right now and in the foreseeable future. Arencibia is currently on a five game hitting streak with four runs and two RBI in that span. You can no longer overlook this power hitting catcher in any fantasy format, period. He is a legit twenty homer a year player that seemingly no one wants to give any love to.

Projection: Expect 20 home runs with 50 runs and 75 RBI as Arencibia’s 2011 totals. His batting average is hovering in the .250 range now and it shouldn’t dip below .240 unless his strike out rate goes up significantly.

Danny Espinosa Has Arrived

With four home runs in his last six games it appears that Washington second baseman Danny Espinosa has arrived as a force in the fantasy world.

Analysis: Over the last two years in the minors Espinosa has hit 40 bombs and stolen 54 bases, now that’s a power-speed combination. Thus far this year Espinosa has 10 homers with 4 steals and as expected is batting in the low 200s. He’s actually rated as the eleventh best second baseman in roto leagues this year yet he’s owned in less than thirty percent of fantasy leagues. Obviously, Espinosa will not be able to sustain his current streak but in the long term he offers power and speed from a disappointing fantasy position this year. The only red flag in roto leagues will be the batting average. He’s hitting just .217 this year and he’s striking out twenty-five percent of the time. His batting average shouldn’t dip below what it is now but if you need batting average help in your league then you want to look elsewhere(Ryan Theriot). Espinosa ranks second among major league second baseman in homers with 10, second in RBI with 33 and fifth in SLG% at .456, where on the wire are you going to find this much power widely available at any other position?

Projection: By season’s end expect 25 HR, 80 RBI, 80 R, 10 plus SB and a .220 BA. He’s not yet a fantasy star but he’s on his way.