h2h Corner ~ Deep League Detective

A line-up consisting of barely owned players who can help you fill gaps

C: Josh Thole would have been my guy but he just took a ball off the hand – not so good.

Salvador Perez – On August 29, the plucky Perez came a triple short of the cycle and smacked his first major league dinger against Max Scherzer. Perez, just 21-years-old, decided to run roughshod over AAA in his limited time there: 49 plate appearances with a .333/.347/.500 line. His promotion to AAA was a little odd, given that he looked good at AA but not otherworldly (.283/.329/.427). Still, he had 10 homers across 358 plate appearances in the minors this season. While he doesn’t strike out a lot, he also doesn’t walk a lot, so he relies heavily on the balls he puts in play. So far, his line drive rate (22%) is impeccable and his swinging strike rate (9.2%) is serviceable. I think Perez is capable of three more homers and a .270 rest of the way.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Flowers

1b: Juan Rivera – Since July 30, Rivera has 108 plate appearances and a .281/.343/.406 line. Without striking out more or walking more, Rivera has improved considerably since joining the weaker league even though his line drive, ground ball and fly ball percentages remain similar. What has changed then? Well he’s making a lot more contact – his swinging strikes have gone down and his contact rate has jumped four percent. He is likely not a .285 hitter, but .270 with three or so more homers? Yeah, I’d bank on that and I am in some deep leagues.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Blanks, Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Allen who I’ve covered a ton and are probably owned in competitive leagues

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Luke Hughes – five hits, four homers and 10 RBIs over the last seven days will get you noticed. However, the Australian has not really been good in the majors or the minors ever, certainly not in the last few years. He’ll swing and miss north of 10% of the time and strike out well over 20% of the time, but he can take a walk, so he’ll post an OBP that barely scrapes over the .300 line despite a horrid average. He has shown flashes of power in the past (hitting 18 HRs across AA and AAA in 2008) but he’s by no means an elite or even decent power source. Couple that with a lack of batting average, speed or on base ability, and Hughes is not much of an option. Maybe in a 20-teamer or AL-only given he qualifies at multiple positions, but that’s it.

Cliff Pennington – Pennington has been a top five SS over the last 30 days. All he did over the last seven was outpace the position by going 13/31 with four steals. There are only a handful of shortstops I’d rather have than him the rest of the way: Reyes, Tulo, Asdrubal, and Hardy. You can make arguments for Castro, Andrus, and Peralta, but I’m taking Pennington.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

 Jose Constanza – I’ve resisted writing about Constanza for as long as humanly possible. But, as noted in the Chicken Roaster episode from Seinfeld, you just can’t shake the name or the jingle “By Mennen.” Alright readers, I’ll be honest, the first time I heard about Constanza, I found him very irritating, but after seeing him play for a couple of times, he sorta got stuck in my head, Constanza! Well, over the last seven days, the plucky fourth outfielder has gone 10/23 with a homer and three steals. After looking like a promising little player in 2008 (at AA for the Indians he went .282/.378/.342 with 49 steals), Constanza hasn’t done much of note. Even that impressive season is marred by the fact that he was repeating the level. Constanza’s one positive attribute, speed, is rendered nearly void by the fact that he hasn’t figure out how to walk or really get on base without a BABIP north of .360. His MLB BABIP sits at .450 this year despite a paltry line drive rate (15.4%) and massive ground ball rate (69.2%). He doesn’t swing and miss, so he will put the ball in play, and we all know how many seeing eye grounders it takes to turn a .250 hitter into a .300 hitter, but he’s never going to get on base enough to make his speed matter. His upside is a slightly broken down version of Juan Pierre.

Baseball Daily Digest Radio wtih Joel Henard, Albert Lang and special guest Grey Albright

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf

Listen to internet radio with JoelHenard on Blog Talk Radio

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Hideki Matsui: Man, Matsui has come back from outer space over the last seven days: 13/29 with two dingers. It raised his disappointing season average to .244 and has him on the cusp of double digit homers. Matsui, who hasn’t hit less than 21 homers or batted less than .273 in his last three full seasons, could make a decent down the stretch addition. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hit around .270 the rest of the way and doubled his homerun output.

Cliff Pennington: I’ve always loved Cliff Clavin (Hey he did predict Obama) and always kind of liked Cliff Pennington. However I hate the Jets and I hate Chad Pennington, go figure. Anyway, back to whatever the point of this was: Pennington has smoked the ball of late (12/26 with two dingers). He hit a modest .250 last year, but did steal 29 bases in 34 attempts. Unfortunately, this year he is abysmally 6/15 in SB attempts. With shortstops and middle infielders around the world falling like fruit flies, Pennington is worth a look. The batting average is decidedly average and the power is non-existent, but he could go on a decent steals “tear” down the stretch. Hey, when Alexei Cassilla hitting the DL is a blow, people like Pennington become relevant.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Danny Valencia – I don’t really like oranges, but for some reason a Valencia Orange just sounds good. Or maybe it’s because Valencia is in Spain, perhaps my favorite country to visit (and one I’ll be going to in 8 days!). Anyway, I really want to like Danny Valencia (and seven-day stretches like his most recent (13/27 with two homers) make it easier), but I have to offer a word of caution. On the year, his HR/FB rate and gross HR numbers have improved in relatively the same amount of at bats as last year. Of course, the average is nowhere near 2010 levels.  His .345 BABIP in 2009 was clearly not repeatable, but is he a .261 guy on balls in play? I can’t imagine it’s that bad especially given little change in his LD rate. Still, Valencia is not much more than a .260 hitter ROTW with maybe eight HRs. I get how bad 3b is, but Valencia could hurt more than help.

Mark Ellis – I really like ballplayers with the last name Ellis (see AJ love here, and Mark love here, here, here, etc.). Mark has never been healthy, but the move to Colorado is interesting as it puts him in a favorable ballpark and league. Last week, he torched the ball, going 11/28 with two homers and a steal. I think his average will be better (he is a career .266 hitter) and he is good for at least 5 more homers and steals with upside to maybe 8-10 of each. He’s a neat play, especially in NL-only, but the batting average will likely not be helpful.

Don’t Look Back In Anger: Adam Lind, Brandon Morrow, Justin Masterson

At Razzball: http://razzball.com/dont-look-back-in-anger-adam-lind-brandon-morrow-justin-masterson/

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Jordan Schafer – 2009 must seem like a long time ago for Schafer (incidentally a piss-cheap beer one can buy on their way to casinos in Connecticut). In ’09, he started off with a bang before ending up .204/.313/.287 and then there was the suspension. With Nate McLouth being his typical injured/crappy self, Schafer has gotten some run and, well, run with it: 11/31 with eight runs and four steals over the last seven days. He’s at .256/.330/.341 for the season, which is actually better than what he was doing at AAA. He already has seven steals (albeit in 10 attempts) so he should be owned in most deep leagues. However, I find it hard to believe he’ll continue to post an 88% contact rate and miniscule swinging strike percentage. At a certain point, he’ll stop getting on base and then stop stealing. Ride while he’s hot, drop when he’s not.

Scott Sizemore – I’ve always like Grady and Tom, which, by the transitive property, makes me intrigued by Scott. Over the last seven days (8/19) Scott is making Billy Beane look like the guy featured in Moneyball, not this 1987 Topps card. Sizemore, just 26, has absolutely lit up AAA pitching throughout his career. However, his major league numbers .243/.327/.335 leave a bit to be desired. The OBP for a middle infielder isn’t bad, but it has come with no power and no speed. Right now his BABIP (.365) seems a lad high for a guy with a 17.5% line drive rate, so I can’t imagine him continuing to put up a .276/.376 line. The extra base hits haven’t been there (.333 Slugging percentage), so his upside is minimal. He’s a deep leaguer, don’t be fooled by his hot start with the A’s.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Miguel Olivo – Exiled to the offensive haven that is Seattle, Olivo hasn’t been on a lot of fantasy radars. However, over the last seven days, Olivo smacked four dingers and collected 11 RBIs. Of course he batted .240, but come on, he’s Miguel Olivo. This power binge likely represents the best stretch of the year for Olivo. But, he can still put up 9 – 10 more dingers. If you need power, go ahead, just make sure you can alleviate the horrid batting average that comes with it.

Mark Reynolds – Speaking of horrid batting averages and power, Reynolds hit three homers and went 5/17 over the last seven days. He does have seven round trippers in his last 83 ABs, however, he is hitting just .229 during that stretch. As the summer heats up Camden Yards, Reynolds’ power stroke should come with it. I think he’s good for 20 more HRs and 10 more steals, of course that will come with a batting average within sight of the Mendoza line.

h2h Corner ~ Katy Perry (Hot ‘N’ Cold Fantasy Baseball) All-Stars

Players get hot and cold over a seven-day period, it’s as sure as the samples are small.

That is why Katy created the Hot ‘N’ Cold All-stars.

‘Cause you’re hot…you’re yes…you’re in…you’re up

Corey Patterson – One time Oriole great (I kid), Patterson is getting consistent playing time for the Jays. In the last week, he went 11/29, scored eight runs and hit two homers. He now has four bombs and seven steals on the year. Last year, Patterson hit .269/.315/.406 with eight homers and 21 steals in 341 plate appearances for the Orioles. At this point, a 10 HR, 20 SB campaign is almost a given. There will be a dry spell, but, so far, he has cut down on the strike-outs a tad. Patterson is now a quality player for 12-team leagues, my god.

Allen Craig – Even without the second base eligibility, Craig would have been a star over the last week (11/22, eight RBIs). Also with just 98 at bats, Craig is the 16^th ranked second baseman on the year – and can only go up. Craig, an eighth round pick in 2006, has torched minor league pitching (.308/.369/.517) and AAA especially (.321/.380/.548). With the various injuries surrounding the Cardinals’ offense, Craig’s bat will find a consistent place. As that happens, he’s going to hit over .300 with at least 10 more homers on the year. Sounds like the makings of a near top-10 second baseman.