Stock Up
Jhonny Peralta, 3B/SS, DET – Peralta has filled the shortstop slot in Detroit with a .476BA/3HR/8RBI/5R line in the last week. That’s good stuff from a guy who was shuffled out of Cleveland last season because he wasn’t performing as well as he did earlier in his career. Peralta is still relatively young (age 28 season), so he’s also a decent keeper in very deep leagues.
Erick Aybar, SS, LAA – Aybar is a repeat performer on our list again this week. He’s put up a .362/0/8/7 with seven stolen bases in the last two weeks. It looks like he’s trying to make up for all the lost time that he spent on the disabled list in April.
Melky Cabrera, OF, KC – Cabrera is another repeat performer on our list, going .244/2/8/9/2 during the fortnight. Cabrera is not likely to be a regular for the rest of the season, but he’s a great guy to ride while he’s hot.
Eric Hinske, 1B/OF, ATL – Atlanta’s pinch hitter is on a tear, despite only 10 at-bats over the last week. In those 10 at-bats, Hinske has six hits, three of which are homers, five ribbies, and four runs scored. He’s not going to get regular at-bats unless there is a rash of injuries, but he gives you quality out of his few opportunities.
Austin Jackson, OF, DET – Jackson seems to be a very streaky player. The key here is to know when to hold them and when to fold them. Over the last week he’s compiled a .379/1/7/4/1line, so enjoy is while it lasts.
Rajai Davis, OF, TOR – The Blue Jays outfield is hitting well right now and Davis seems to be out in front. He posted a .333/0/2/5/4 line last week and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Davis is a great option for steals if you need them.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA – Ramirez was a regular on the Stock Down list in April, but seems to be fixing things. We all knew it was going to happen, and hopefully you were able to pry him away from his owner before the ship was righted. The last week saw him post .286/1/2/4/3 and you know there are only better things to come for the rest of the year.
Homer Bailey, SP, CIN – Bailey has been a highly touted prospect for a number of years and it was looking like he would never achieve that lofty status. He has certainly not disappointed in the last week as he is 2-0 with12 strikeouts, a 0.69 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.
Drew Storen, RP, WAS – Storen is trying to lock down the closer role in Washington and last week sure helped, going 2-0 with two saves, three strikeouts, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.43 WHIP. This guy has serious stuff and the only way he’s not a long term elite closer is if he is moved into the rotation.
Stock Down
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET – Cabrera always seems to find offseason problems, but he is most comfortable on a baseball field doing what he does best: hitting. He tore the cover off the ball in April, but has been slumping over the last week with a measly .125/0/3/5 line. This guy is an elite player, so have faith that he will turn it around any day.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL – Gonzalez is not a one year wonder, he’s the real deal. Despite the .130/1/2/2/0 line over the last week, he’ll give you your money’s worth. Stick with his and he will reward your patience.
Robinson Cano, 2B, NYY – Though a bad last week in the power and speed categories, his batting average is holding at .273. He just needed a plunk in the head Wednesday night to wake him up. Look for the power and speed to return very soon.
David Wright, 3B, NYM – Wright has been unusually streaky this season. He either tears it up or falls apart and right now he is in free fall mode posting .150/0/0/1/1 over the last seven days. This is just another case of an elite player that is going to fix things soon and you are better off keeping him in your lineup unless you have an excellent backup in the meantime.
Mat Latos, SP, SD – Latos has been quite an enigma. He had a super 2010 season and seems to be suffering from a bit of the old sophomore slump as he is 0-5 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.35WHIP and a 34/14 strikeout to walk ratio. Latos has a ton of potential and might take a bit longer to return to the form that caused many see him as a future superstar. Don’t give up on him in keeper leagues as he is the real deal.
Francisco Liriano, SP, MIN – This is what we have come to expect from Liriano: a bad game following a good one. He pitched a no hitter (while giving up six walks) last week in a start that might have been his last if it weren’t for the heroics. Then he came out and pitched a real stinker with 3 IP, 4ER, 3BB, and 1K in a losing effort. Liriano is a ticking time bomb and you should run away as fast as you can. He will have moments of brilliance, but he will also have many more that are awful.