Player News – Page 66 – FantasySP Blog

Speed Help- Carlos Gomez

Carlos Gomez is finally getting some consistent playing time in the Brewer outfield and he is making the most of it.

Analysis: Carlos Gomez has eleven stolen bases this year, which is as much as Ichiro has but in 190 less at-bats. Gomez’s power seems to be peaking as well, his five home runs is just three bombs short of his career high while his .193 isolated power is a career high. Gomez has cut down on the strikeouts(down 5% from last year) which was always one of his biggest weaknesses. He possesses a power/speed combo that is vastly underrated because of where he plays and the limited playing time he saw earlier in the year.

Carlos Gomez is finally coming in to his own at twenty-six years old in the Brewer lead off spot. He’s slugging 70 points higher this year over his career average and his speed is still deadly. Gomez is widely available in fantasy leagues and has gone under the radar over the past few weeks. If he keeps getting consistent at-bats he will become a must own in all fantasy leagues. Gomez already has three stolen bases this month and there is certainly more to come.

Selling High- Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt may have two wins under his belt with the Texas Rangers but there are causes for concern.

Analysis: Lost in the mid season comeback for the veteran is the fact he has yet to face American League batters on a consistent basis. It’s one thing to dominate the National League in your prime but it is an entirely different animal against the AL at thirty-four years old on the decline.

There are positives here, Oswalt K’d 12 batters in 12.1 innings pitched while only walking three batters in the process. Obviously the two wins are huge and he will continue to get solid run support from that powerful Texas lineup. However, there are a few reasons to be concerned. Oswalt’s fastball just has not been the same over the past year plus, resulting in a career low 6.02 K/9 last year with the Phils. Oswalt also allowed twenty-two hits in those two starts giving him a 1.97 WHIP for the time being.

I’m not saying Roy Oswalt is washed up by any means… he will produce this year, but fantasy baseball success is about capitalizing on hype and there is no shortage of hype regarding the righty. It’s time to sell high before owners catch on that he’s just a 3.9 ERA type of starter these days.

Buying Low- Gavin Floyd

Gavin Floyd allowed four earned runs against the New York Yankees Sunday in 5.1 innings of work.

Analysis: While it was not Gavin Floyd’s best performance, he has been pitching well as of late. In his two starts prior to the Yankee beating, Floyd’s line was- 2 wins, 0 earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts. We know that Floyd has never been a low ERA type of starter but his 3.92 xFIP does indicate that his 4.91 ERA is much too high.

What Floyd does offer is strikeouts and plenty of them. Floyd’s 88 K’s are thirty-fifth in all of baseball and his 1.32 WHIP is good for fifty-eighth in the bigs this year. His 3.54 K/BB rate is better than Jordan Zimmerman, Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez and David Price’s K/BB rate. If Gavin can keep the ball in the park he is one deadly lower tier fantasy starter. He doesn’t walk hitters, he strikes out 8.5 batters per nine and his solid WHIP is near his career average. Floyd is available in about half of fantasy leagues and he definitely makes a great buy low option at this point in the season. There are tons of injuries out there and making smart decisions while some of your studs heal is imperative.

Deep League Help- Tyler Colvin

Tyler Colvin is loving life in Colorado as he continues to mash his way onto many fantasy rosters.

Analysis: Tyler Colvin is slugging .759 at home this year, so we might as well call him Carlos Gonzalez Jr. In fact, seven of Colvin’s eight home runs were hit at Coors Field. Even though he only slugs .384 away from home, his average away from Coors Field is a respectable .274.

Colvin isn’t going to walk much and he does strike out a ton but 30 RBI in 57 games and a .306 batting average is hard to come by on the wire. Keep in mind that Colvin has first base position eligibility in addition to his time in the outfield. He’s available in over ninety percent of leagues and in the deeper ones he is almost certainly a useful commodity. Colvin’s BABIP is inflated so his average will drop but he should continue to hit bomb after bomb at Coors Field along with CarGo and Dexter Fowler. Although Colvin is competing with numerous Colorado players for at-bats, he remains a better fantasy option than Tyler Moore and Seth Smith.

Under The Radar- Joe Blanton

Joe Blanton has pitched well over the past two weeks and certainly merits a look in deeper leagues.

Analysis: Joe Blanton’s ERA may be 4.87 but it doesn’t tell the complete story. Blanton’s xFIP is 3.43 this year, well below his career average. His HR/FB rate is up and his LOB% is down a bit, but these are things that will work themselves out by season’s end. Blanton is pitching deep into games and striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings pitched. His velocity is fine and his walk rate is just 1.19BB/9IP, good for second best in all of baseball.

I can see why the 4.87 ERA may scare away casual fantasy owners but the hardcore ones in deeper leagues have to love Joe Blanton. His strikeout rate and walk rate are solid and as soon as his HR/FB rate(seventh worst in MLB) comes back down to earth he will be a hot waiver wire commodity. Blanton is available in tons of leagues and you might as well grab him up now before the hype machine works its magic. Blanton’s 1.24 WHIP is better than David Price, CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez, so why isn’t he a bigger deal?