Hitters
- Kyle Blanks homered on Saturday and Sunday, powering the Padres to a pair of victories over the D’Backs. Blanks now has 8 HR, 26 RBI, and a .281/.365/.511 line through 135 AB this season.
Fantasy spin: His bat is too hot to take out of the lineup anyway, but with Cameron Maybin set to miss several weeks with a knee injury and Carlos Quentin in danger of landing on the DL as well, Blanks has an easy path to playing time for the foreseeable future. Blanks, 26, is the definition of a post-hype sleeper, as he missed most of 2011 and 2012 with injury, but now fully healthy, the 6’6” 270 pounder has massive power potential. Make sure he’s not floating around on any waiver wires.
- Adam Lind also hit a pair of homers over the weekend, going a combined 5-for-9 with 3 runs scored, 2 homers, and 5 RBI in a pair of Blue Jays victories over the Rangers in Arlington.
Fantasy spin: Lind has been arguably the hottest hitter in baseball this month, hitting .439 (25-for-57) with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 13 games. On the season Lind is hitting .350, and although it’s a small sample, he’s actually hitting lefties better than he’s hitting righties, going 13-for-25 (.520) against southpaws. Suffice it to say that Lind is locked and loaded as Toronto’s DH and cleanup hitter, and with Melky Cabrera, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion in front of him (and Jose Reyes not far away), he’ll be in position to drive in plenty of runs. There’s no way I’m “selling high” on Lind right now. In fact, I’m buying if given the opportunity.
- Anthony Rendon had a big weekend, collecting three hits on both Saturday and Sunday, including a pair of doubles and his first major league homer. Rendon is now sporting a gorgeous .361/.426/.525 slash line on the season. Since his latest call up, Rendon is batting .444 (16-for-36). He’s hit safely in all 9 games he’s played in, and he has 6 doubles and a homer.
Fantasy spin: Rendon apparently has no interest in going back to the minor leagues, as he’s forced his way into the everyday lineup and even ascended to the 2 hole for the Nationals with his hot hitting. His advanced approach made him a great bet to post an excellent OBP, but it’s nice for fantasy owners to see plenty of doubles and a homer from Rendon. Bryce Harper’s return to the Washington lineup should help Rendon’s counting stats going forward as well. With 2B/3B eligibility in most formats, Rendon has become quite the valuable asset.
- Wilin Rosario had a nice weekend, going a combined 5-for 8 with 2 doubles, a triple, and a homer in a pair of Rockies victories over the Phillies. The 4 extra-base hits helped raise Rosario’s OPS from .696 to .753.
Fantasy spin: Rosario has been in a prolonged slump since basically the end of April, so the barrage of XBH was a nice sign for patient owners. Hopefully he can keep the momentum going on the Rockies upcoming road trip, where he may get a chance to DH in some American League parks.
- Tyler Colvin went 2-for-5 with 2 runs and a 2 run HR on Saturday. Since his call up on June 8th, Colvin is hitting .304 (7-for-23) with 3 HR and 9 RBI.
Fantasy spin: Colvin was pretty excellent last year, hitting 18 HR and driving in 72 runs with a .290/.327/.531 line in 420 ABs for the Rockies. Unfortunately for him, he has no easy path to consistent playing time, as the Colorado OF is crowded with the likes of Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, and Michael Cuddyer, and Todd Helton and Jordan Pacheco are clogging up 1B. With several upcoming games in AL stadiums, Colvin may get some AB from the DH spot, and if he can keep slugging perhaps the Rockies will be forced to play him over Helton at 1B. It’s really high time that Colvin gets an everyday job, especially with Tulowitzki’s bat out of the lineup.
- Wil Myers was called up from Triple-A Durham on Sunday and will make his Major League debut against the Red Sox on Tuesday in Fenway Park. Myers was batting .283/.354/.514 with 14 HR and 57 RBI in Triple-A this season.
Fantasy spin: Myers has great power, but like so many young hitters he may have a tough time making consistent contact, so don’t expect a great batting average. Still, he’s worth an add in all formats because power is always scarce and Myers could have 20 bombs in his bat the rest of the way.
Pitchers
- Corey Kluber hurled 8 shutout innings against the Nationals on Sunday, scattering 7 hits and striking out 8. Kluber improved to 5-4 on the season, and now has a 3.58 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 65 Ks in 65.1 IP. Perhaps most impressive is his K/BB rate, which is 65/12.
Fantasy spin: Kluber is a darling of the sabermetrician crowd, as his peripheral stats are even stronger than his actual numbers to date. Kluber doesn’t exactly have a track record to support this level of production, but he certainly passes the eye test with his mid-90s sinker and sharp biting slider and curveball. He’s 27 years-old, so he’s hardly a prospect at this point, but it looks like Kluber is a late bloomer who has finally figured things out. He should be owned universally at this point.
- Ricky Nolasco was sharp on Sunday, limiting the Cardinals to 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings. Nolasco now has a 3.61 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season, but his record still sits at a disappointing 4-7.
Fantasy spin: Nolasco is expected to be traded at or before the deadline this year, and it will be very interesting to see where he lands. On the one hand, he should have a much easier time getting Ws with a team who can actually provide run support consistently, but on the other hand he will be leaving the friendly confines of Miami, one of the best (if not THE best) pitcher parks in baseball.
- Jon Lester struggled again on Sunday, yielding 5 runs on 9 hits in 5 innings of work against the Orioles. On the bright side, Lester struck out 8 and didn’t walk anybody in this one, after walking 7 and striking out just 3 in his last outing.
Fantasy spin: I suppose this is a small step in the right direction for Lester, but fantasy owners would really like to see him buckle down and start pitching like he was in April. Lester’s next two starts will come @ Detroit and vs. Toronto, so he will certainly be put to the test.
- CC Sabathia bounced back from a pair of rough outings with a prototypical CC Sabathia start on Sunday. Sabathia went 8 strong, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. He earned his 7th win of the season.
Fantasy spin: With a 3.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP on the season, Sabathia has been a mild disappointment to this point. Having said that, he’s always been a second half pitcher, with August and September being his best months historically. Now is the time to buy Sabathia, not sell.
- Hisashi Iwakuma turned in his worst start of the season on Sunday, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in just 5 innings of work. It was just the third time all year Iwakuma failed to record a quality start.
Fantasy spin: Despite the poor outing, Iwakuma still boasts a 2.06 ERA and 0.89 WHIP on the season, and has 90 Ks through 100.1 innings pitched. Keep him active in all formats, as every pitcher has a tough start every once in a while.