Jerry Lai/US Presswire
Derrek Lee had one home run in April but has hit 13 since May 1, including two on Thursday.
It was pretty standard thinking in the fantasy baseball community not only that Derrek Lee would never hit 46 home runs in a season again, as he did in 2005, but also that the power had become below-average for a first baseman. Lee did hit a combined 42 home runs the past two seasons, but that's not a special total for a first baseman. In April he hit one home run and batted .189.
What do people think of Lee now, I wonder, after he smacked a pair of home runs Thursday and knocked in seven runs?
With his six home runs in June and three more in only two days of July, Lee finds himself on pace to hit 33 home runs. That was fast, eh? Lee went from seemingly being done in April to again being one of the top first basemen in the game. There was no real warning that Lee would hit for big-time power again, and it's certainly possible that this is a blip he can't maintain, but the way the resurgent Lee has looked for the past month would make him a special fantasy option.
Lee hit a three-run home run in the first inning, then added a grand slam in the fourth, for seven RBIs. The last time a Cubs first baseman had two homers and seven RBIs in a game was Ernie Banks in 1969. What's amazing is that Lee nearly matched, on one night, his RBI totals for each of the first two months of the season. Lee knocked in 10 runs in April and nine in May. Since June 1, Lee has 29 RBIs, and after his brutal start he's risen to again become a top-6 first baseman over the past 30 days, and for the season he's in the top 20 on the Player Rater. Considering his rough start and the fact that he hasn't attempted a stolen base, this is promising news. Fantasy owners remained loyal to him, however, and at this point he's owned in 98.3 percent of ESPN leagues.
For his part, Lee hasn't been forthcoming about a noteworthy adjustment in philosophy or health being the key to hitting for power again, so fantasy owners probably shouldn't overthink the change. Just enjoy it. Derrek Lee is a power hitter again, which is good for everyone.
Previous editions: July 2: Romero's Canada Day heroics | July 1: Pirates make trades
•Not only did the Cubs' first baseman put on a show, but Geovany Soto and Jake Fox homered as well. Soto now has eight home runs and has extra-base hits in three consecutive games, and his batting average is up to .237, the highest it's been since Opening Day. Soto probably won't approach the .285 average he boasted as a rookie, but he could hit .285 the rest of the way, and he is near pace for a similar home run total of approximately 20. As for Fox, he's not going to play third base for much longer, since the return of Aramis Ramirez from the DL is pending, but it's possible he gets sent to a corner outfield spot if he keeps hitting. Alfonso Soriano sat for the second straight game, but he's not benched.
•If you listen to Yankees fans, ace CC Sabathia isn't supposed to lose home games to the Seattle Mariners, but he permitted 10 hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings, and his ERA rose from 3.55 to 3.85. Sabathia did fan eight Mariners, though, so all was not lost for fantasy owners. Ichiro Suzuki hit a pair of doubles off Sabathia and stole third base. The last time Seattle won in the Bronx was September 2007.
•A swarm of bees couldn't stop the Houston Astros from closing to within three games of first place with a 7-2 win in San Diego. The game was stopped for 52 minutes in the ninth inning so that a beekeeper could remove the guests. The beekeeper was rewarded with an ovation, and he certainly had a better day than Padres starter Kevin Correia, who entered as a top-10 fantasy pitcher over the past month and got roughed up for six runs. Meanwhile Wandy Rodriguez looked terrific and seems to be back on track. Despite a few struggles in June, he remains on pace for 15 wins and nearly 200 strikeouts, with a 3.21 ERA. Also of note was another 0-for-3 game for Adrian Gonzalez, whose knee might be hurting him more than he's letting on. His batting average drops to .265, his lowest since mid-April.
•Arizona lefty Doug Davis must feel all alone on the mound when he pitches. Davis is in the bottom five in the bigs for run support, and after seven strong innings at Cincinnati in which he allowed one run, lowered his ERA to 3.15 and left with a lead, he got a no-decision. Davis has serious numbers but only three wins in 17 starts. He and Aaron Harang did avoid their ninth losses, which would have tied them for the league lead. Losses don't matter in 99 percent of fantasy leagues, so choose the pitchers performing well. Davis is available in nearly 90 percent of ESPN leagues.
•Pittsburgh lefty Paul Maholm seemed a wise bet against the Mets. First of all, look at that lineup. Second of all, Maholm entered with a 1.96 ERA in home games. The Mets tagged Maholm for 11 hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings. We already know Maholm won't pile on the wins -- as if his 2008 performance with a 3.71 ERA, 139 strikeouts yet only nine wins wasn't proof enough -- but now it seems he can't help you in other categories either.
•There was good news for the Pirates, however: Recently recalled outfielder Garrett Jones doubled, tripled and homered, missing a cycle in his second game of the season by a single. Jones isn't really a prospect at 28, but he hit for power all through his minor league days in the Twins organization. Jones will play if he keeps hitting, but that's a pretty big "if."
•Three of the first four Cardinals in the lineup registered two hits. The one who didn't have any hits was Albert Pujols. It is important, however, that Brendan Ryan, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick did well. Ludwick knocked in a pair of runs on his pair of singles; if he hits, Pujols might not get walked so much. Pujols has five walks in the past three games. Also, with middle infielders Ryan and Schumaker getting on base and playing strong defense, the pending return of Mark DeRosa from a brief injury is likely to send him to third base regularly.
•Closer follies: Francisco Rodriguez blew his third save of the year, allowing an infield hit and an Adam LaRoche home run, but he stuck around for the 10th inning and saved his own win. OK, he got only a win, not a save. K-Rod threw 46 pitches, which should render him unavailable Friday in Philly. … Because the Phillies are left-handed heavy, there was Atlanta "closer" Mike Gonzalez in the eighth inning yet again. Then again, Gonzo has been pitching the eighth a lot lately. He earned the win, and Rafael Soriano got his seventh save. Soriano has more saves than Gonzalez since June 1, three against two. … The Phillies don't have a problem only with closer Brad Lidge -- reliable set-up man Ryan Madson has allowed eight earned runs in his past seven appearances. … Shaky fielding cost Chad Qualls a save, but he didn't pitch poorly as the Reds tied the game in the ninth inning. Francisco Cordero earned the win but wasn't sharp, as he walked the bases loaded in his inning. … Speaking of walks, Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth with a 9-5 lead; when he issued a two-out walk, Kevin Gregg instantly began warming up. Marmol and his 1.55 WHIP are not going to get saves. … David Aardsma didn't get a save at Yankee Stadium, but fantasy's most underrated closer threw another scoreless inning, lowering his ERA to 1.45. Last time he allowed a run was in May.
Fernando Tatis, Mets
It takes a village these days for the New York offense, and Tatis was one of Thursday's heroes, with a home run, two RBIs, three hits and four runs scored against the Pirates. Tatis is getting the opportunity to play, but he hasn't hit like he did in 2008. His last home run had come May 13.
Mark Buehrle, White Sox
The veteran southpaw took a shutout into the ninth inning against the Royals, finally allowing a David DeJesus RBI double. Buehrle upped his record to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.09, giving up six hits and no walks in 8 1/3 innings. You'd think someone in the top 6 in the AL in wins, ERA and WHIP would be 100 percent owned. He's not.
Some might see the big news as Russell Branyan's batting average falling below .300, as he went 1-for-4. And you thought he might win a batting title! But Big Russ did hit his 20th home run, by far the earliest in a season any Mariner has done this; Branyan hit his 20th homer in 69 games, with the previous mark having belonged to Richie Sexson -- 85 games back in 2005.
•The Rockies didn't need the versatile Jeff Baker anymore, and the Cubs figured he was an upgrade on brittle Ryan Freel -- which he is -- so the teams made a trade, with a minor league pitcher heading to the Colorado organization. Freel was designated for assignment. Baker had been on the DL with a left hand sprain, but the Cubs activated him, and he could assume the role Mark DeRosa had once upon a time. It's certainly possible Baker will earn regular playing time at second base, but whether he hits is another matter.
•The Marlins signed Luis Ayala to a contract, and it shouldn't be long before he's on the active roster. Expect him to get some work in for Triple-A New Orleans. Ayala was designated for assignment by the Twins a few weeks ago, though his 4.18 ERA wasn't that bad. Could we see a scenario in which Ayala, who saved nine games for the Mets in 2008, ends up saving games for the Marlins? He absolutely could. Expect Ayala to enter the Relief Efforts rankings next Wednesday. At worst he should assume a late-inning role along with Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez.
•Strange trade of minor league relief pitchers Thursday, as the Rays sent Winston Abreu to the Indians for Jonathan Meloan. Abreu was the closer at Triple-A Durham and had awesome numbers, with a 1.41 ERA and 0.75 WHIP (14 hits allowed in 32 innings, 49 strikeouts), but somehow the Rays felt they didn't need the 32-year-old right-hander on the active roster. Meloan was acquired by the Indians in the Casey Blake deal, and they yo-yoed him between starting and relieving. The Rays get a good, young arm who will likely head to Durham. The Indians get more major league depth in Abreu. Neither has fantasy value this season.
•Is it an official transaction when one of Cuba's top pitchers defects? Well, it deserves mention somewhere, and it shouldn't be too long before 21-year-old lefty Aroldis Chapman is snatched up by a major league team. Chapman looked like he had big-boy stuff in the WBC earlier this year, throwing consistently in the high 90s, and former Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez told reporters the southpaw once hit 103 mph on the radar gun. Expect a bidding war with the normal suspects like the Yankees and Red Sox, much like what happened with Jose Contreras years ago. Chapman has already been signed in one of my deep keeper leagues.
AJ Mass: He's too talented to cut, but you can't start him right now either. I don't know why so many people are resistant to the idea that he's not pitching well this season and isn't going to snap his fingers and suddenly be OK. I keep him, but I bench him.
-- Full chat transcript
Jason Grey: Well, Beckham was getting playing time regardless of Ramirez because he was playing third base, so it doesn't really matter, and absolutely Beckham is a reliable choice in my opinion, especially now that he's had 12 hits in his last six games to raise his average 100 points. There's a little more upside there that I want to see if I can get lucky and tap into than [there is] going with one of the "old hands."
-- Full chat transcript
Friday's fantasy chat schedule:
No chats because of the July 4 long weekend.
•Edwin Encarnacion continued his rehab assignment for Triple-A Louisville by batting second and playing third base in both ends of a home doubleheader sweep over Indianapolis. Encarnacion had two hits in six at-bats and is batting .235 in 10 games on the assignment with two home runs. The Reds intend to be patient with Encarnacion, who batted .127 in 19 games this season before hitting the DL with a chip fracture in his left wrist. He is eligible to come off the 60-day DL this weekend, but the Reds might wait to activate him until after the All-Star break. By the way, Encarnacion hit 26 home runs last season, so yes, he should matter in fantasy.
•Clay Buchholz continues to toy with the International League, yet he's probably no closer to returning to the Red Sox, who have enough rotation depth to leave him in Pawtucket for as long as they desire. Buchholz beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, allowing five hits and three runs over seven innings, striking out seven. His ERA actually rose from 1.90 to 2.05. Maybe Buchholz is bored.
•There was a buzz much of this week that the Phillies would call up prospect Carlos Carrasco to pitch Friday's game against the Mets. Well, they're not. Former Orioles right-hander Rodrigo Lopez is getting the call, and while he's probably not fantasy-relevant, he does have a pair of 15-win seasons on his ledger. Carrasco instead started Thursday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, permitting only one run in six strong innings. Carrasco looks ready, so if you're disappointed he won't pitch in the bigs Friday, chances are he'll get his shot later in July.
•It's a big three-day weekend for many, and baseball will have some signature series, including Mets-Phillies, Blue Jays-Yankees and Brewers-Cubs. The Rays travel to Arlington to meet the Rangers for the ESPN Sunday night game. Fantasy owners will be watching Tampa's pitchers this weekend. Is Scott Kazmir safe to use? Can David Price stop the walks? And why doesn't anyone want to own Jeff Niemann? So many questions.
•Fantasy owners might think the bubble has burst on this fine Joel Pineiro season, since he's 1-6 in his past seven outings, but the St. Louis right-hander has actually lowered his ERA in that span. Run support has been a big problem, as the Cardinals last scored more than three runs for Pineiro 10 starts ago. On Friday it's Pineiro, and Homer Bailey is pitching for the Reds. Runs should be scored by Albert and pals.
•Who is this Manny Ramirez fella we keep reading about in the minors? Well, that era is over, as Ramirez's 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy has expired and the power hitter returns to the Dodgers on Friday in San Diego. On Thursday the Padres got bees, now they get Mann-ee! Fantasy owners should activate Ramirez right away. Even in a pitcher's park, he can do major damage at the plate. The Padres send future Cy Young winners Chad Gaudin, Josh Geer and Josh Banks to the mound. Batter up! Happy Independence Day weekend to all!