Stock Up

Ryan Ludwick, OF, SD – Ludwick put together a big week hitting .440 with three homers, 10 RBI and scoring 5 runs. That is quite a feat for a guy playing in an extreme pitchers park on an anemic offense. Don’t expect a repeat of his monstrous 2008 season, but a good season could be in the cards for Luddy.

Justin Turner, 2B, NYM – Turner is taking full advantage of the second base vacancy that was created by injuries and poor play. Over the last week, he has piled up .400/1/10/4 and is trying to make his case for the starting team. The Mets and Turner are hot right now and he could be a very useful middle infield piece for the time being.

Cameron Maybin, OF, SD – Maybin has been a highly regarded prospect for several years now and the luster is beginning to wear off as he has not lived up to his billing. Maybe a change to San Diego and the relaxing SoCal lifestyle has finally helped him find his place in baseball. He has put up .368/2/5/5 with a stolen base over the last week and seems to be the catalyst in the suddenly hot Padres offense.

Ronny Cedeno, SS, PIT – Cedeno has been losing some starts to Brandon Wood, but should find more starts with weeks like this one: .444/1/4/5. Cedeno has always had a little pop in his bat, but he usually struggles with batting average, meaning that this isn’t likely to last. But enjoy the ride while he’s providing you with quality numbers from the very thin shortstop position.

Brad Hawpe, 1B/OF, SD – Yet another Padre who is hot, Hawpe has crushed the ball to a .381/1/3/6 tune over the last week. This guy has always had the goods, but keeping it all together for lengths of time was always his problem. Enjoy it as he’ll probably add some homer power to these numbers.

Carlos Pena, 1B, CHC – Is that the same Carlos Pena who had great difficulty keeping his batting average above the Mendoza Line? Yes it is and he’s smoking the ball right now on the North Side with a .316/2/5/4. He’s always had great power, but ride him while the average is good.

Josh Collmenter, SP, ARI – Collmenter was the focus of a prospect report last winter and he seems to be living up to his billing. His delivery is tough for hitters as the ball seems to come out from right above his head. He’s 3-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP in two starts and seven relief appearances. As long as he keeps pitching like this, he’ll keep his rotation slot.

Ryan Vogelsong, SP, SF – Vogelsong has been a journeyman minor leaguer for quite a few years and San Francisco has found the right spot for him. He’s 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in four starts and two relief appearances. With question marks surrounding Barry Zito and Madison Bumgarner, Vogelsong should keep his spot in the rotation as long as he keeps pitching well.

Colby Lewis, SP, TEX – Lewis had a breakout season in 2010 after a journeyman’s career. He struggled in his first four starts going 1-3 with a 6.95 ERA and only 14 strikeouts, but he has really turned it around in the last four starts, going 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Buy now and point out the .500 record and hope that his owner hasn’t noticed the reversal of fortunes.

 
Stock Down

Albert Pujols, 1B, STL – Pujols got a second game this season at 3B and it is very possible that he might just find three more this season to get to five (an eligibility qualifying mark in many leagues), but his bat has been awful in the last week (.250/0/1/1/1). It has more to do with the surrounding cast than a Pujols slump, as Colby Rasmus, David Freese, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman have all sustained injuries. Without any coverage, there’s no reason for pitchers to throw Phat Albert anything decent.

Evan Longoria, 3B, TB – Longoria is still not back to full speed yet after his oblique injury. He posted a .185/0/0/3 line, something we might expect from Eva Longoria, not Evan. As he regains his strength and stamina, Longo will be back to top form.

Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI – Howard is suffering from the same lack of help that Pujols is facing. Without Chase Utley, Domonic Brown and Jayson Werth, Howard doesn’t see too many worthwhile pitches. As the team gets healthy and the summer heats up in Citizens Band Box Park, Howard will post the numbers you’ve come to expect.

John Danks, SP, CHW – Danks hasn’t been miserable this season, he’s just been unlucky. At 0-6, the quick glance looks bad but his K/9 rate of 6.48 is slightly below is career rate of 6.94 but his batting average against is .274 compared with a career mark of .251 which is probably caused by a BABIP of .313 compared to his career average of .286. His walks are also up a little bit, so he may be causing some of his own damage. There’s nothing that says he should be 0-6, but there’s also no indications that he’ll turn things around anytime soon. He’s a great guy to buy low and stash, but he’s probably not ready to start for your team until he shows some serious upward movement in his game.

Ryan Franklin, RP, STL – If the fact that Franklin lost his closer role didn’t tell you he’s sucking this year, maybe his 12.46 ERA and 2.54 WHIP over the last two weeks will. If he’s still on your team, dump him now. The Cardinals have two legitimate closer options in Fernando Salas and Eduardo Sanchez to make sure that Franklin is nothing more than a setup man for the rest of his days in St. Louis.