Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch – Ortiz, Morse, Espinosa, Patterson

Stock Up

David Ortiz, DH, BOS – Ortiz has built quite a reputation as a slugger over the last decade. A guy with a lot of power and a solid average started to show his age with a very slow start to the 2011 season. Many fantasy owners panicked and abandoned ship. He has hit .400 with six homers, nine RBI, and 13 runs scored over the last two weeks. Now is the time to grab him if he happens to be on your waiver wire or make an offer if his owner hasn’t noticed the fire that Big Papi has lit.

Michael Morse, OF/1B, WAS – After a big spring training, Morse came out in April very flat. He struggled so much that he even found himself on the bad side of a platoon with Laynce Nix and was losing a lot of playing time. When Adam LaRoche went down with an injury, Morse took over the full time job at first base and has flourished. In the last two weeks, Morse has pounded to a .395/5/13/8 tune. He won’t keep up the torrid pace, but he should be a fantasy asset for the rest of the season.

Raul Ibanez, OF, PHI – Ibanez is a relic from another epoch. He is a streaky player these days, so hang on for the ride as long as he’s hot. Over the fortnight he posted a .298/5/13/11 so grab and hang on for the wild ride.

Allen Craig, 2B/OF, STL – Craig plays most days, but isn’t a full-time player. In the last two weeks, he’s hit .450/3/10/7 with a stolen base. Right now he’s hot and the position flexibility is reason enough to grab him and pile up the stats as long as he’s hitting.

Danny Espinosa, 2B, WAS – At a thin position, Espinosa is a good grab at middle infield right now. If you’ve watched Espinosa over the last two weeks, you’ve seen him put up .268/5/11/7/1, and you know he’s a good buy. If not, grab him and use him until his bat cools off and then toss him aside for the next hot thing.

Corey Patterson, OF, TOR – Patterson has found a regular job in Toronto’s outfield thanks to a few injuries and is doing everything he can to prove he belongs there. The much-heralded former prospect seems to finally be realizing his potential and is more than just a short term pickup. Yes, his .311/2/8/11/1 line over the last two weeks is nice, but he’s certainly worth watching in keeper leagues to see if he can keep it up.

Mark Trumbo, 1B, LAA – Now that Kendrys Morales is out for the season, Trumbo’s job as the Angels first baseman seems very safe. As long as he keeps hitting like this, his job is definitely safe. The last two weeks saw him post a .280/4/10/6/2 line so grab him if he’s available.

 
Stock Down

Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA – We finally know why Ramirez struggled so mightily during the first month of the season as he has been playing with back and leg problems. He has been placed on the DL and will hopefully heal and be the old Han-Ram we know for the second half. This might be a good chance to talk his owner into selling Ramirez for a “more reliable” player.

Matt Holliday, OF, STL – Holliday has been injured and struggling of late, going .200/1/1/3 over the last two weeks while picking up only 15 at-bats. Holliday has a history of injuries but also a history of putting up big numbers when healthy. This might be a great time to buy low if you can get his owner to ignore all the All-Star votes.

Dan Uggla, 2B, ATL – Uggla typically struggles in April, but turns it on in May. Well, this year is not typical for Uggla. He claims he is pressing to live up to his new $52 million contract, which might be justified by the fact he’s swinging at a lot of balls out of the strike zone and hitting just .118 with runners in scoring position. Regardless, he’s hitting .075/0/1/0 in the last two weeks and just isn’t worth starting right now. Don’t waive him, but if you can find someone looking to pay full value in trade, this might be a good time to rid yourself of a guy who simply isn’t comfortable at the plate this season.

Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN – Stubbs was the chic 30-30 draft pick this season. Many believed that he was ready to bring the average up to a respectable range while hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bases for your team. He’s hit a lull and has only put up .188/0/3/7/2 in the last two weeks so sit him until he heats up again.

Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF, TB – Zobrist wasn’t supposed to be a fantasy stud, but he was supposed to be a significant producer at a very thin position and have position flexibility as well. Since his monstrous 10 RBI day in a double header on April 28, he has struggled badly. He has hit .248/2/5 in those 30 games and doesn’t seem to be showing signs of breaking out any time soon. Unless you are in a very deep league, cut bait and find a more useful bat.