Chase Utley is
the most valuable player in fantasy baseball this year. I touched on this
briefly yesterday and after a little more thought, I figured I’d expand on it
today. I know it’s still early and I know he’s on a hot streak right now and
will slow down, but he is so far ahead of every second baseman right now… it’s
ridiculous. Here’s a breakdown of his stats:
- .368
AVG: Nine points better than the next
best (players with at least 60 AB).
- .441
OBP: 33 points better than the next best.
- .839
SLG: A whopping .328 higher than the
next best.
- 19
runs: Tied for most.
- 21
RBI: Four more than next best.
- 10
HR: Seven more than next best; no other
second baseman has more than three.
Utley is first in
five of the six hitting categories (leading by quite a large margin in some) and
tied for first in the other. Currently, there isn’t a single player in the
majors who dominates his position like Utley does — distancing himself so much further
than the next best option. A popular thought going into this season was that Brandon Phillips could be a better pick
because you could get him a little bit later in the draft and he’d put up
similar numbers. The ’08 numbers aren’t even close, with Phillips having a line
of .250/.302/.400 and only having one more stolen base than Utley. Obviously,
it’s still early and Utley is going to trail off at some point. However, this
goes to show why it’s always smart to take a guy who has proven himself over a
longer period of time than a player who’s only had one good season when you
make your early round picks.
Elsewhere...
* Enigma extraordinaire Daniel Cabrera pitched his third
consecutive gem last night — W, 8 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 B, 5 K. The most glaring
stats are the zero walks and the fact that he threw just 95 pitches in those
eight innings. It’s tough to recommend him because we’ve seen flashes of this
in the past only to be followed up by several five inning, seven walk outings. Be
cautious.
* Hunter
Pence went 3-for-4
with two runs and two RBI last night. He now has 11 hits in his last six games
and seems to be breaking out of his early season funk. Take advantage while
he’s hot and get him in your lineup.
* Another player looking to break out
of an early season slump in Prince
Fielder. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs — his second and third of the
season — and four RBI. Even with the
poor power numbers he’s maintained a .385 OBP, so I’d expect him to continue to
turn things around.
* Manny
Corpas could be on
the cusp of losing his job after blowing his second straight save on Wednesday.
Manager Clint Hurdle said he needs to talk to some players before he does
anything — obviously not a good sign for Corpas. Brian Fuentes would figure to get the job.
* Carlos
Marmol picked up
his second save after Kerry Wood
blew his second save but got the win. Marmol is at the top of the
closer-in-waiting list as Wood will most likely go on the DL at some point.
* Trevor
Hoffman blew his
second save of the year as he continues to struggle. Meanwhile, Heath Bell pitched the inning before
him and struck out two. If Hoffman goes out, Bell goes in.
* Chad
Cordero will not be
put back on the DL according to the Nationals. That’s the good news, I guess.
The bad news is he has tendinitis and weakness in his shoulder. He will go on a
shoulder strengthening program to help this problem. I’d be a bit leery of
Cordero at this point, but if you own him you just need to hope this program
works and that he regains his closer job — which the Nationals say he will.
* Curtis
Granderson has been
activated from the DL and led off last night’s game for the Tigers. He wasted
little time getting involved going 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. Get him
into your lineup if you own him.
* Scott
Kazmir pitched 4.2
unimpressive innings (4 ER) in a Class A rehab start. He is scheduled to rejoin
the Rays in about ten days barring any setback.
* The Mets are expecting to have Pedro Martinez back in three weeks. He
should start throwing off the mound in 10-14 days first. As always with Pedro,
you still have to be cautious. Three weeks is a long time out and a lot could
still happen.
* Alex
Rodriguez will most
likely return to action this weekend.
QuickTIPS
Spot-start
candidate:
Dustin McGowan
at Tampa. McGowan has a 3.58 ERA and a better than 4:1 K/BB rate in 27.2 IP
against the Rays.
Avoid:
Jarrod Washburn vs. Baltimore. Washburn has a 4.52 ERA in 77.2 IP
against the O’s.
QuickTIP Results:
I said start:
Matt Cain -
ND, 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 K
I said avoid:
Jon Garland - W, 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Javier Vazquez - L, 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Recent Comments