Fantasy Baseball Bests, Busts and Waiver Wire: Apr. 30
Stay tuned each week to Athlon Sports for a 2012 Fantasy Baseball Weekend Waiver Wire every Monday and a Weekend Rundown every Thursday.
I gave owners the standard "don't panic" speech last week and Jay Bruce completely proved me right. On April 18, Bruce was hitting .191, went 14 straight games without a home run and hadn't stolen a base all year. Yet, Bruce belted a home run in each of his last four games, raised his average to .296 since April 18, stole three bases and drove in 11 runs. In a matter of 10 days, Bruce vaulted himself into the top five of all fantasy hitters. Never fear Albert Pujols owners, he will come around. So will Jose Reyes, Justin Upton, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Bautista.
Here are your current Top 25 fantasy baseball hitters:
| Name | Pos | Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OPS |
1. | Matt Kemp | OF | LAD | 23 | 11 | 24 | 2 | .425 | 1.383 |
2. | Josh Hamilton | OF | TEX | 20 | 9 | 25 | 2 | .395 | 1.182 |
3. | Edwin Encarnacion | 1B/3B | TOR | 14 | 7 | 20 | 4 | .310 | 1.005 |
4. | Adam Jones | OF | BAL | 17 | 6 | 12 | 4 | .330 | .973 |
5. | Jay Bruce | OF | CIN | 14 | 7 | 17 | 3 | .296 | .954 |
6. | Derek Jeter | SS | NYY | 16 | 4 | 13 | 1 | .396 | .954 |
7. | Ian Kinsler | 2B | TEX | 23 | 5 | 12 | 2 | .297 | .972 |
8. | David Ortiz | UTL | BOS | 14 | 4 | 18 | 0 | .395 | 1.098 |
9. | Miguel Cabrera | 1B/3B | DET | 15 | 7 | 20 | 0 | .298 | .939 |
10. | Evan Longoria | 3B | TB | 15 | 4 | 19 | 2 | .325 | .994 |
11. | Curtis Granderson | OF | NYY | 18 | 8 | 16 | 0 | .272 | 1.002 |
12. | Carlos Gonzalez | OF | COL | 16 | 4 | 16 | 4 | .288 | .892 |
13. | Paul Konerko | 1B | CHW | 13 | 5 | 15 | 0 | .383 | 1.123 |
14. | David Wright | 3B | NYM | 14 | 3 | 14 | 2 | .397 | 1.094 |
15. | Starlin Castro | SS | CHC | 10 | 0 | 13 | 10 | .326 | .774 |
16. | Carlos Beltran | OF | STL | 17 | 5 | 11 | 5 | .256 | .838 |
17. | Josh Willingham | OF | MIN | 13 | 5 | 15 | 1 | .353 | 1.163 |
18. | Desmond Jennings | OF | TB | 18 | 3 | 9 | 6 | .273 | .757 |
19. | Jose Altuve* | 2B | HOU | 15 | 1 | 10 | 4 | .373 | .984 |
20. | Yadier Molina | C | STL | 14 | 4 | 15 | 2 | .316 | .961 |
21. | Nick Swisher | 1B/OF | NYY | 10 | 6 | 23 | 0 | .284 | .972 |
22. | Corey Hart | OF | MIL | 16 | 6 | 13 | 1 | .286 | 1.049 |
23. | David Freese | 3B | STL | 10 | 5 | 20 | 0 | .333 | .935 |
24. | Mike Aviles | 2B/3B/SS | BOS | 16 | 4 | 13 | 3 | .284 | .832 |
25. | Andre Ethier | OF | LAD | 11 | 5 | 24 | 0 | .277 | .887 |
* - less than 70% owned in Yahoo! leagues
Rookies Unite
It happened a little sooner than maybe most fantasy GMs thought, but Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are both on major league rosters before May 1. Harper already has two hits in six at bats, including a double. He showed off his arm on Saturday night in center field and will hit seventh for now. With Harper's continued growth, and Ryan Zimmerman landing on the DL, there is certainly a chance for him to move up in the order. He plays every play at 100% and his talent is painfully obvious. I doubt he is on your waiver wire, but do not even finish reading this paragraph until you at least go and see if you can still add the 19-year old to your roster.
Trout has gone hitless in his first two games (0-7), but might actually have more fantasy value than Harper this summer. Trout has batted lead-off in his first two games and has 40 games and 123 major league at-bats under his belt already. He was crushing the ball in triple-A and has forced the flailing Angels to inject some energy into the line-up. Now, if they could just figure out a way to get Mark Trumbo into the line-up everyday. As a side note, Trumbo added 3B eligibity to his "1B/OF" status this weekend. Something tells me the Angels aren't done moving pieces around just yet.
Big Moves
Part of the reason the Halos had space to call-up Trout was the release of Bobby Abreu. The aging on-base machine could have some value if he lands, oh let's say, in Boston or New York. Keep an eye on this guy as he generally can contribute to most fantasy rosters across the board.
Part of the reason the Nats called-up Harper was Ryan Zimmerman landing on the disabled list. After an MRI on his shoulder was negative, the Nationals are expecting their stud third-sacker to be back when eligible. It doesn't appear to be a long-term injury and it certainly explains his slow start to the season. But fans and fantasy GMs alike have to be nervous about a guy who has spent the better part of two seasons on the DL.
DL Watch
-Zimmerman lands on 15-day DL after second anti-inflammatory injection. Brad Lidge has also landed on the 15-day DL with an abdominal issue. Henry Rodriguez is clearly the full-time closer.
-Jim Johnson is dealing with an illness that has made him questionable of late for late-inning usage. Pedro Strop looks like the hand-cuff option for now.
-After seeing multiple experts, Carl Crawford appears to be out for at least a few months. For you keeper leagues, look to pick him up off the wire in late June.
-Kevin Youkilis is questionable for this week's early games with a back issue.
-Paul Konerko is questionable for Tuesday's game with a neck injury.
-Shin Soo-Choo hasn't seen the field since April 24 and is questionable with a hamstring issue for Tuesday's game.
-Josh Hamilton left Sunday night's game with back stiffness and is questionable, however, it appears he will give it a try today. Monitor closely!
-Carlos Lee is questionable for Tuesday with an ankle issue.
Current Top 25 fantasy pitchers:
| Name | Team | IP | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP |
1. | Jake Peavy | CHW | 37.2 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 1.67 | 0.69 |
2. | Lance Lynn | STL | 27.0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 1.33 | 0.81 |
3. | Stephen Strasburg | WAS | 32.0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1.12 | 0.88 |
4. | Kyle Lohse | STL | 33.1 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1.62 | 0.84 |
5. | Jered Weaver | LAA | 35.2 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 2.02 | 0.95 |
6. | Justin Verlander | DET | 37.1 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.86 |
7. | Gio Gonzalez | WAS | 29.2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1.82 | 0.94 |
8. | Roy Halladay | PHI | 37.0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 1.95 | 0.95 |
9. | Joe Saunders* | ARI | 30.0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0.90 | 0.87 |
10. | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | 30.1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1.78 | 0.89 |
11. | Matt Garza | CHC | 33.2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 2.67 | 0.89 |
12. | Colby Lewis | TEX | 32.2 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1.93 | 1.04 |
13. | Matt Cain | SF | 30.1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 2.37 | 0.63 |
14. | Johnny Cueto | CIN | 32.1 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1.39 | 1.05 |
15. | Jason Hammel* | BAL | 26.0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 1.73 | 1.00 |
16. | Fernando Rodney | TB | 9.1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0.96 | 0.64 |
17. | Bartolo Colon* | OAK | 42.2 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 2.53 | 0.94 |
18. | Wade Miley* | ARI | 21.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1.29 | 0.81 |
19. | Aroldis Chapman | CIN | 12.1 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
20. | Brandon Beachy | ATL | 25.2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1.05 | 0.97 |
21. | Kenley Jansen* | LAD | 14.2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 5 | 2.45 | 0.89 |
22. | Jordan Zimmerman | WAS | 27.0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1.33 | 0.70 |
23. | Cole Hamels | PHI | 26.1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2.73 | 1.03 |
24. | Jake Westbrook* | STL | 27.2 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1.30 | 1.01 |
25. | Felix Hernandez | SEA | 36.1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 2.48 | 1.02 |
* - less than 70% owned in Yahoo! leagues
The Ninth Inning
The ninth inning revolving door has been a clear issue for most fantasy teams this year. Matt Thornton, Sergio Santos, Brian Wilson, Drew Storen and Jordan Walden were all quality options come draft day. Hector Santiago is now closing games for the White Sox, however, Addison Reed has yet to allow a run and could figure in should Santiago struggle. Santos, Wilson and Storen are all out for the time being. Brad Lidge was going to close in place of Storen but is hurting himself now. Henry Rodriguez and his unpredictable 100-mph fastball is now firmly entrenched in the ninth. And aging lefty Scott Downs is filling in for Walden while he tries to regain his control. Walden won't be used in even eighth or seventh innning roles either (so don't expect holds) for the time being. He should be the closer at somepoint, but track his "down-by-six-run sixth inning outings."
Keep this link handy as Athlon keeps its Closer Grid up to date all season long.
Timm-Ah!
One of my favorite pitchers of the last decade has been Tim Hudson. He made his season debut this weekend and his tidy line (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) allowed him to get the win. First, it was against the Pirates, so he will deal with some lumps. But Huddy should be rostered and close to a near-start every time to the bump. With Jair Jurrjens down on the farm, it appears that Randall Delgado's spot in the rotation appears to be safe.
Waiver Wire Starts This Week
1. Lance Lynn, STL: at PIT (Wed.) Stats:
2. Wandy Rodriguez, HOU: NYM (Wed.) Stats:
3. Mark Buehrle, MIA: at SD (Sat.) Stats:
4. Daniel Bard, BOS: OAK (Wed.) Stats:
5. Jeff Niemann, TB: SEA (Thur.) Stats:
5a. Jonathan Niese, NYM: at HOU (Tues.) Stats:
-by Braden Gall
