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Dexter Fowler Is Going Fast

If Dexter Fowler is available in your fantasy league you must pick him up now.

Analysis: Dexter Fowler is playing the best baseball of his career and his numbers are reflecting it. Fowler has three bombs, two steals and twelve runs in his last six games. He already has eight home runs to go along with five stolen bases and a 20/20 season is within reach for the twenty-six year old. Fowler is available in a little less than half of fantasy leagues but he is one hot commodity at the moment. He really isn’t just a “sell high” guy here, he will be producing from here on out.

Keep in mind that all eight of his homers this year have come when he’s batted left handed. He’s absolutely murdering right handed pitchers to the tune of a .329 BA and a .718 SLG%. Like Carlos Gonzalez he does most of his damage at home but who really cares if he is producing and growing? In daily lineups you can maximize Fowler by starting him when he’s playing at Coors Field or against right handed pitchers.

Deep League Help- Everth Cabrera

The San Diego Padres are even more committed to the future and that future has Everth Cabrera playing in the middle infield.

Analysis: Although Everth Cabrera has played a bit in the three previous seasons for the Padres, his career .237 batting average has prevented him from being a mainstay in the bigs. Cabrera rectified his batting average issues in Triple-A last year hitting .297 and .333 this year until his callup in mid May. After a rather lengthy slump Cabrera is on fire at the moment, well… at least for him. Everth has three steals, one home run and five hits in his last three games. He has also raised his batting average over .150 points in the last week to a somewhat respectable .245.

Cabrera has stolen 41 bags in 194 big league games, which translates to big numbers if he can keep hitting. He still strikes out entirely too much and cannot draw a walk but the playing time will be there for him to grow this year. Going forward, Everth remains a solid deep league middle infielder and is available in ninety-nine percent of fantasy leagues. As soon as his spot in the batting order settles, his run total may become an asset to his fantasy game.

Carlos Quentin Is Under The Radar

Carlos Quentin is two games in to his first(and only) year with the San Diego Padres.

Analysis: If you are in need of some power numbers for your fantasy squad, then you may not have to look further than Carlos Quentin. Quentin has hit cleanup for the Padres in his two games and already has four hits with a home run. Quentin has lifetime .490 slugging percentage and he has averaged twenty-five home runs over the past two years in some limited time with the White Sox. His knee appears to be fine and he is already mashing like the Carlos of old. He is playing for a new contract which means we may see one very motivated outfielder.

Quentin is available in over seventy percent of fantasy leagues but a bat like his won’t last long on the wire. He may be hitting at Petco but there are very few dominant pitchers in the NL West. It also makes sense that when the trade deadline approaches, Quentin will be shipped to a contender with some protection. Either way you slice it, Carlos Quentin is a must own if he is available in your league.

Last Call On Colby Rasmus

Colby Rasmus has a four game hitting streak going and is finally starting to turn his season around.

Analysis: Since Rasmus’ batting average dipped down to .203, he has amassed ten hits with seven being extra base hits in his last seven games. Rasmus has also homered in each of his last two games. Considering Colby is owned in just forty percent of fantasy leagues, it just may be the last call for the red hot outfielder.

There is a lot to like about Rasmus at the moment. He’s hitting second now in the Toronto lineup with Yunel Escobar moving up to leadoff. There really is nothing like hitting in front of Jose Bautista if you are in a slump, see what Escobar has done over the past two weeks. Rasmus may never live up to the hype that he received in St. Louis, but he is a solid ballplayer with some pop. Expect 20 homers, 10 steals and 60 plus runs by season’s end. His batting average going forward should be at or near his career average of .247. Rasmus really just needed some time to hit his way out of his slump, he clearly isn’t a .203 hitter with a sub .300 OBP.

Selling High- Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is hitting .348 with 5 HR and 3 SB this year. On the surface this appears to be a great line, however, these numbers are a bit inflated.

Analysis: Jeter’s five home runs is perhaps the biggest surprise considering he only hit six bombs in 131 games last year. Jeter’s HR/FB rate is at 21.7% this year, a career high and 9.2% above his career average. His home run total should not be above eleven or twelve by season’s end. Let’s move on to his .348 batting average. Jeter’s BABIP is over .370 this year and about twenty points above his career average. We also have to take into account that as the season wears on the thirty-seven year old, his stolen base numbers will start to taper off. Eleven and not eighteen steals is what Jeter will wind up with. His stolen base totals have declined in each of the last two years and he’s only stolen more than twenty bags once over the past five years.

Jeter’s run total is his true strength outside of his batting average and that run total will be there for you at the end of the season, but 14 HR or 14 SB will not. Regardless of his inflated stats, his name alone should be enough to sell high on.