Tag: BJ Upton

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.

Last Call On Desmond Jennings

With BJ Upton on the trading block, Desmond Jennings’ hot start for the Rays has the fantasy world buzzing.

Analysis: In Desmond Jennings’ first two games of his 2011 big league season he is 4-6 with two steals, a double, a triple and a walk. It has been a long time coming for Jennings and it took Carl Crawford to leave and BJ Upton on his way out to find an every day spot on the Tampa roster. Jennings is about as polished as a twenty-four year old with less than fifty big league plate appearances can be. In Triple A this year Jennings is hitting .275 with twelve homers and seventeen stolen bases in just eighty-nine games. He actually does project down the road very similar to numbers BJ Upton puts up with the expection of Upton’s poor batting average. Jennings is still available in about eighty percent of fantasy leagues and in two days it’s more than likely he will be unavailable.

Projection: Expect up to five homers, ten steals and a .270 batting average from the young speedster the rest of the season. His value is similar to Cameron Maybin.