Here's the latest news and notes from around the league that could impact your fantasy baseball rosters:
- 25 year old catching prospect Josh Phegley was called up by the White Sox yesterday and made an immediate impact, going 1 for 3 with an RBI single and a sac fly. In 61 games at AAA this year he posted a .316/.368/.597 line with 15 HRs and 41 RBIs. While those numbers may look great, especially at the catcher position, don't expect him to approach those numbers in the majors this year. He has below average bat speed and struggles with breaking balls, so his career .263 batting average in the minors is a better indication of his potential than his .316 mark so far this year. He has legitimate power, but he'll hit at the bottom of the order and won't help you in any other category. If you're looking for an impact bat at the catcher position for the second half, look elsewhere...
- ...starting with Wilson Ramos. The Washington Nationals catcher recently returned from injury (hamstring issues) and has gone 5 for 8 with a HR and 8 RBIs. Injuries have prevented the talented backstop from doing much since he hit 15 HRs in 2011, but he's still only 25 years old (just 6 months older than Phegley). With a talented lineup in front of him he'll have plenty of RBI opportunities if he can manage to stay healthy. If his legs hold up, Ramos has top-ten fantasy catcher potential in the second half.
- First baseman Ike Davis was called back up from AAA by the Mets yesterday and went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs while batting cleanup. I'm surprised they called him up now, considering Josh Satin was hitting well, and I'm also surprised they had him batting 4th. After all, he does have a .173 batting average on the year. Despite his disastrous first half, he did perform well during his AAA vacation (.293/.424/.667, 7 HRs) and had 20 homers in the second half last year after a similarly disappointing first half. It's hard to recommend a guy coming off the first half he has had, but the power potential is there if he starts to hit, as evidenced by last year. If you're willing to take a chance, I'd suggest sitting him against lefties, particularly at home.
- Impressive performance by Ivan Nova yesterday for the Yankees. Against a dangerous Orioles lineup, Nova went the distance surrendering just 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 11 helpless Oriole hitters, his only mistake being a 2-run homer by Matt Wieters. He's been impressive in 3 straight outings now, with 22 strikeouts over 21 1/3 innings while limiting opponents to 3 runs or less in each. He doesn't officially have a spot in the Yankees rotation yet, but I expect him to get David Phelps' spot in the second half, barring a trade or injury to another pitcher. He'd be a risky play, especially pitching in Yankee stadium with a poor offense behind him, but his strikeout rate has gone up every year in the league and he was victimized by an unlucky BABIP last year (.333). If he earns a spot in the rotation he could surprise in the second half. However, I'd only recommend him if you are really desperate for innings.
- Matt Cain was torched by the Dodgers for 8 runs in just 2 1/3 innings yesterday. Now is the time to get this guy! Seriously, he's healthy and has as good a track record as any pitcher in the game over the past few years. Over his last 10 games he has given up 6 runs @ Colorado (it happens), 7 runs @ St. Louis (best offense in the N.L. by far), and now 8 runs against the Dodgers, who have been hitting everyone hard since Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig have been doing their best Ted Williams impersonations. He only gave up a total of 11 runs in the other 7 games. He may not get many wins with a poor offense backing him up, but he'll help you in every other category and I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants traded for a bat or two. They're only 5.5 games out of first in a competitive N.L. West. The time to steal Cain from impatient owners is now!
As usual, thanks for reading. Please post some comments below if anything comes to mind, or if you have any questions that you may want answered. Add/Drop questions, trade evaluations... bring it all on! I'll do my best to reply promptly and informatively. :D
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