Chris Young, Arizona

I took some time off from my strenuous workout regimen consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, and running up stairs to write this column.  The six vagabond ragamuffins who are watching over my training and fixing my stockcar have let me off for a little while so I can write this column.  I just hope that young Diane Lane doesn’t rush off to do something foolish.  She can be a handful.  

 

Jose Contreras – SP – Chicago White Sox (42% Y! Plus, 17% Y!, 6.1% ESPN)

There are few players who possess the maddening ability to both dominate for your fantasy team and completely screw it over.  Over his last 11 starts In 2005, he went 9 – 1 with a 2.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 62:19 K:BB, and average game score of 62 in 79 innings pitched.  During the course of 12 starts in 2007 (his 10^th through 21^st on the season), he went 1 – 10 with an 8.87 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 35:25 K:BB and average game score of 31 in 68 IP.  Obviously one of those stretches is extremely useful.  The other is the fantasy equivalent of that awful night in jail where Bobo decided he was going to prove who the man was.  He is nothing if not a streaker.

 

Since he has gotten back from a five-start stint in Triple-A Charlotte, his has strung together three straight solid starts.  In those starts, he has compiled a 2 – 1 record with a 1.23 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 13:3 K:BB, and average game score of 70.  Granted, it is only three starts, but it is reminiscent of the beginning of other such streaks on his resume.  If he has caught a hot streak—and his very unlucky 60.0 LOB% thus far would certainly indicate that much of his early season struggles can be attributed to something that should correct itself over the course of the season—then now is the time to pick him up.

 

 

Pedro Feliciano – RP – New York Mets (19% Y! Plus, 6% Y!, 1.5% ESPN)

While he is making entirely too many appearances to bank on anything of a long-term sort from him, Pedro Feliciano is the only reliable lefty out of the pen for the Mets.  This has led to a Major League leading 40 appearances through 67games.  While those 40 games played have only seen him throw a total of 30 innings while maintaining a WHIP of 0.90, the workload is worrisome. 

 

For fantasy owners, though, Feliciano can probably be ridden for just as long as Jerry Manuel does (read: until his arm falls off on the mound).  Feliciano has kept his ERA under 3.00 since May 15^th.  He has managed 28 Ks through 30 IP, good for an 8.4 K/9.  Compare that to the mere six walks issued, and you are looking at a pitcher who isn’t allowing many unnecessary base runners.  Given that 73 of the 116 batters he has faced have been lefties, who have hit a combined .155/.178/.310/.488, the likelihood of his continued success is fairly high.  If you are in a league that counts holds, Feliciano has 13 already, eight of those having come in the past month.  If not, he should at least be a stabilizer in your pen if you have lost a closer recently.

 

 

Scott Podsednik – LF, CF – Chicago White Sox (43% Y! Plus, 16% Y!, 13.5% ESPN)

Coming into this season, I would have put a lot of money against Scott Podsednik having any fantasy value.  The Colorado Rockies, who DFA’d him coming out of Spring Training this year, seemed to see things the same way.  Well, a return to the site of his greatest success—a pair of crucial post-season home runs on the way to a World Series title—seems to have been kind to the 33 year old West, TX native (and if you’ve been to West, TX, you know how impossible it is to fathom anything coming out of there).  The total failure of opening day starting centerfielder Dewayne Wise certainly hasn’t hurt either. 

 

On the season, Podsednik is raking at a .316/.371/.412/.784 clip.  Over the past month of getting to play every day, that split has been a stellar .342/.408/.453/.861.  In those 28 games, he has drawn 12 walks to his 11 strikeouts, knocked two out of the park, stolen seven bases in eight attempts, scored 16 runs, and driven in another 14.  Given that his BABIP on the season isn’t entirely out of character at .338 (obviously some regression is expected but over his career he has posted a .318 BABIP, and his two most valuable seasons saw him post even higher ones), it is certainly worth contemplating picking up Podsednik to ride out the hot streak.      

 

 

Mitch Stetter – RP – Milwaukee Brewers (19% Y! Plus, 5% Y!, 1.1% ESPN)

Yes, I realize that this is the second middle-reliever that has been mentioned in this week’s article.  If I were to venture a guess, I would say that this will not become commonplace.  In Stetter, we have another left-handed relief pitcher who will probably not get a lot of saves barring an injury to an entrenched closer.  Like Feliciano, Stetter has 13 holds on the season.  Where Stetter and Feliciano differ a bit is in how he is getting hitters out lately. 

 

In his last 11 outings, Stetter has thrown nine innings, facing 31 batters along the way.  Of those 31 batsmen, three have reached safely on one hit and two walks.  None of those three base runners have scored.  More impressive, however, is that Stetter has struck out 17 of those 31 guys.  His past 13 faced?  11 whiffs.  You might say he is feeling it right now.  Now if you told me that I could plug a guy in who faces mostly lefties, strikes out 11.28 per nine, and maintains a WHIP below 1.00, I would take you up on that offer regardless of whether or not holds were a category in my fantasy league.  Moreover, I would take him over someone like whoever the Nationals happen to be trotting out there to close games this week (I mean, the “Natinals” are not likely to provide that guy with a save opportunity anyway, right?). 

 

 

Chris Young – CF – Arizona Diamondbacks (38% Y! Plus, 37% Y!, 65.7% ESPN)

It has gotten to the point in the season where fantasy owners are cutting their losses on players like Young.  When May 28^th comes around and an outfielder is a vortex of suck on your roster (.169/.213/.313/.533 certainly qualifies as dreadful), it can be hard to resist the temptation to drop a mid-round pick despite the investment made.  So while Chris Young was obscenely bad, he was obscenely bad while on other owners’ rosters. 

 

In his last 19 games, he has started to show signs of fantasy life.  Through his first 46 games, his BB:K ratio was 8:44—a worrisome stat to be sure.  In those 19 games since, he has raised that to 12:15.  Three of his six home runs have come in this age of strike zone rediscovery.  Accompanying this improvement in plate discipline is a stretch in which he has hit .284/.392/.552/.945.  Throw in the 12 runs, eight RBI, and seven steals, and there is the recipe for resurgent relevance.  Now, Young sat out the weekend series against the Mariners with a groin injury, but he is expected to return on Tuesday or Wednesday.  A pick-up won’t kill anyone.  If you are desperate for immediate help, you can try your luck this week, as he was swinging quite the hot bat in the seven games leading up to the injury (.435/.552/1.000/1.552 with seven runs, two homers, four RBIs, six walks, three steals, and only two strikeouts). 

 

That’s all I’ve got this week.  Just remember, Love Will Turn You Around. 

 

Josh Duggan welcomes your comments at mister.josh.duggan@gmail.com.  If you are going to heave insults in his direction, at least be funny and creative.  He is also the author of a Kansas City Royals blog, Royalscentricity, and a pop culture blog, Inconsiderate Prick.