By Dalton Del Don
After another dominant performance by Cliff Lee on Thursday, he easily needs to be viewed as a top-15, if not top-10, fantasy starter right now. The move to the NL cannot be understated. The switch in ballparks is an obvious concern, as Cleveland currently ranks as the toughest stadium to hit home runs according to park factors, whereas Philadelphia consistently ranks as one of the most homer-prone venues in the league. However, Lee isn’t nearly the flyball pitcher he used to be, and he’ll certainly get a bunch of run support from the Phillies. Lee hasn’t been as good as he was last season, but with a 28:4 K:BB ratio over his last five starts and now in the Senior Circuit, expect a strong finish.
Since the All-Star break, Kosuke Fukudome has posted a 1.001 OPS. His power remains extremely limited, as he’s hit just four homers over his last 261 at-bats after hitting four long balls in April alone. He’s also been caught on each of his past four SB attempts. Still, in daily leagues Fukudome has plenty of value, as he’s great to platoon. He has a .280/.395/.464 line against right-handers this season, scoring 44 runs over just 289 at-bats.
Over his last 10 starts, Ricky Nolasco has posted a 2.58 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with a 77:12 K:BB ratio over 66.1 innings. Despite a season ERA of 5.00, he has to be considered a top-15 fantasy starter. His 4.21:1 K:BB ratio ranks eighth best in the game. In fact, his xFIP (3.29) is the sixth best in all of baseball – ahead of Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Josh Johnson, Chris Carpenter, Josh Beckett, etc. Because of his horrible luck this year, Nolasco should come at a discount at next year’s draft table, so take advantage of it.
Speaking of undervalued starting pitchers, I’ve read at least five updated rankings over the past few weeks that didn’t have Javier Vazquez in the top-15 SP. What?! On my list, he’s No. 3, and I don’t really see how he can rank much lower, really. I mean, the guy has a 164:30 K:BB ratio over 147.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. His 10.02 K/9 mark is fourth best in major league baseball, but his control is significantly better than the three who have better K rates. Vazquez’s 2.78 xFIP is second only to Tim Lincecum’s 2.67 mark, so it’s safe to say the switch back to the National League and out of U.S. Cellular Field has been beneficial. Make no mistake, Vazquez is putting together a Cy Young worthy campaign (not that he has any chance to win with Lincecum pitching in the same league).
We now take a small break from baseball, because this headline regarding Calvin Johnson absolutely killed me. Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure he “broke out” last season. If getting 1,331 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns isn’t doing so, I’d love to know what is. What will it take to satisfy this writer – 2,000 yards enough? Will 20 receiving scores be acceptable for the third-year wideout? And to make my blood pressure rise even more, “Sports Illustrated” put him as their 11th ranked fantasy wide receiver! That has to be some sort of sick, distasteful joke that I‘m not in on. There are so many superlatives to describe Johnson, I’ll need to put on kneepads before I start. What he did as a sophomore is nothing short of amazing, especially when you consider the Lions’ quarterback situation. The most physically gifted athlete in all of sports, Johnson’s ceiling is slightly higher than Randy Moss in his prime. Detroit’s QB play can only improve in 2009, the defense should still be terrible, leading to a lot of second half passing attempts, and new OC Scott Linehan loves to throw near the goal-line. Johnson is a legitimate top-five pick in fantasy leagues this year.
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