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Dan Haren, SP, Angels – Santa Claus came early for Dan Haren this year, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Sunday, July 25 for Joe Saunders, two prospects (Patrick Corbin and Rafael Rodriguez), and a PTBNL. Congratulations, Mr. Haren, and be sure to let us know what it’s like to play for a Major League team again. He’s currently tied for the NL lead with 141 strikeouts and has a 7-8 record with a 4.60 ERA. His BABIP is a ghastly .350, he hasn’t won in seven starts (0-4, 3.29 ERA), and he’s given up 23 home runs on the season. So, besides the strikeouts, what’s to like? Plenty. Haren has won 30 games over the past two seasons and averaged just over 14 wins per year in the last five years. His 4.60 ERA is his highest in seven years, yet his K/9 is a career-best 9.00, and his K/BB ratio is the third-highest of his career (4.86/1). Haren was 43-34 with a 3.64 ERA when he was with the Oakland A’s, so the move back to the AL shouldn’t affect his overall numbers in a negative way. His new team sports a better bullpen and a better offense, and Angel Stadium is the anti-Chase Field: a pitcher’s park where his numbers—and yours—will benefit from the trade. Go strong, though, as many will be clamoring for his services, but use his current stats as ammo in your persuasive argument. Gavin Floyd, SP, White Sox – He’s 5-8 on the season, but he’s given up just three earned runs in four July starts while posting a 2-1 record with a sparkling 1.01 ERA. Unimpressed? He also hasn’t given up a home run since June 2—nine starts ago—and has only given up seven on the year. He’s 3-1 over his last seven starts with three no-decisions while posting a 3.12 K/BB ratio and dropping his ERA by 1.33 runs. This is a far cry from the Floyd we saw at the beginning of the season. In April-May he was a combined 2-5 with a 6.02 ERA and had given up six home runs. His K/BB ratio was 2.4/1, he gave up at least five earned runs in five of his first 10 starts, and his BAA stood at .293. Since then his BAA is .225 and he has given up two earned runs or less in nine consecutive starts. Not too shabby. With a White Sox offense that has rounded into form averaging 4.75 runs per game in his last four starts, Floyd’s early season struggles should be a thing of the past, and just in time; just in time for you to snag him on the cheap. Sell High: Rickie Weeks, 2B, Brewers – Weeks is having the best season of his career—by far: .274/20/64/.855 OPS and he ranks in the NL Top 10 in home runs (20), runs (68), and RBI (64). Could it be that he’s finally arrived and is ready to fulfill his superstar promise? It appears he’s well on his way with numbers like these. Before we anoint him the second coming of Ryne Sandberg let’s take a look inside some of the reasons for his success. Reason No. 1: Health. He’s finally healthy and has missed only one game this season, an oddity for him considering a DL trip is practically an annual rite of passage. Prior to this season Weeks’ career high games played is 129, or a little over 3/4 of a season; he’s at 98 right now, or his average games played for an entire season (actually three games over his 95 GP average). The question is, will his health hold up? Reason No.2: His BABIP is .331, which says he’s been a little lucky so far. Will his luck continue to hold out? Maybe, but not likely. Reason No. 3: Historically, Weeks is better during the first half of the season versus the second half. His first half career slash line: .252/50/166/.769 OPS; and his second half career slash line: .252/29/78/.812 OPS. Sure, you could argue that he’s missed a ton of games in the second half, notably last season, and you’d be justified in doing so, but the numbers don’t lie. He’s having a monster July (.280/6/15/.943 OPS) and his value has never been higher. You’d be smart to hang on to him; you’d be smarter to trade him for a slew of players. Jayson Werth, OF, Phillies – Why all the fuss over this guy? He’s having an okay season (.286/13/52/.885 OPS) and he’s a nice player, but there are lots of nice players out there. This season is proving that last season was an anomaly; a statistical sham. He’s reverted back to the player he was prior to 2008, a guy that won’t hurt you. Currently his BABIP sits at .348 which says he’s getting lucky, and his numbers could actually trend down once his BABIP normalizes some. He’s always had a good eye at the plate (career 2.04/1 K/BB; 1.84/1 this season) which helps his OBP, and his NL-leading 31 doubles propel his SLG percentage. His LD (line drive) percentage is a career low 17.3, and his 11.4 HR/FB (home run to fly ball ratio) is his second lowest since he became a regular in 2004. Werth is oh-for-July in the home run department (he hit his last one June 23) and has mustered just five RBI. He seems to have snapped out of a recent slump as he has 10 hits in his last seven games but is still hitting just .254 for the month with a .338 SLG and a .714 OPS. If you want to hang on to him August is, numbers wise, his best power month (22 career home runs and 66 RBI) and he posts his best average as well (.299). Just don’t hold your breath. Maybe all the trade talk has gotten to him, and maybe he’ll rebound with a strong finish. Or maybe he’s just a nice player who could bring you something nicer in return. Trackback(0)
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Tags: MLB Fantasy Baseball Buy Low Sell High Fantasy Baseball Week 17 Dan Haren Gavin Floyd Rickie Weeks Jayson Werth
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