Everth Cabrera, Padres

As I embark upon writing this week’s column I should warn you that I am currently watching my sixth episode of “The Rockford Files” today.  Obviously, this means that I have had a pretty righteous day in spite of the total lack of satellite reception. 

 

In the episode that just began, Isaac Hayes is guest starring as Gandolph Fitch, an acquaintance of Jim’s from San Quentin.  Fitch wants Jim to work off a jailhouse debt by clearing his name and finding the real perpetrator of the murder for which he was convicted.  Of this I am sure:  Isaac Hayes was one formidable badass. 

 

Now, there may not be any badasses of the Hayes variety in the list of players forthcoming, but you may luck out and get Detective Becker from this list.  He is not without his occasional usefulness. 

 

Of course, Becker could just as easily throw you in jail to teach you a lesson.

 

 

Everth Cabrera – SS – San Diego Padres (22% Y! Plus, 5% Y!, 3.8% ESPN)

While Michael Bourn finds himself owned in 92% of Y! Plus leagues, Cabrera finds himself available in 70% more leagues than that.  The odd part of this is that over the past month Cabrera has given fantasy owners more production than Bourn, out-producing the Astros speedster by quite a lot in the RBI and OPS departments while nearly equaling his feats of thievery.

 

The clear problem with Cabrera lies in the environs he calls a home ball park.  His home splits are .225/.295/.373/.667 while he is hitting a robust .324/.425/.471/.896 on the road.  13 of his 16 stolen bases have happened on the road as well.  While it is hard to fathom a .099/.130/.098/.229 difference in splits to continue, it does seem as though Cabrera may be most valuable if played only on the road, at least in the short term.  This week, the Padres are at home.  Come the 25^th, they begin a six-game road trip to Atlanta and Florida.  That would be the ideal time to capitalize on Cabrera’s worth.

 

 

Chris Coghlan – 2B, LF – Florida Marlins (44% Y! Plus, 17% Y!, 8.5% ESPN)

After a 25-game acclimation period in which he laid an egg to the tune of a .205/.337/.282/.619, Coghlan has spent the past 57 games proving that he might actually be a real major leaguer.  Clearly, one can tell by looking at that split in his first 25 games that there is a glaring outlier.  Getting on base is not an issue for the young Marlin. 

 

Since June 6^th, Coghlan has hit .308/.372/.449/.821 with five homers, five steals, 38 runs, and 24 ribbies.  Granted, his BABIP over that stretch of time is a fairly lucky .355, but on the season it is .329, so at the very least his season line of .282/.362/.407/.769 is a somewhat realistic expectation for his level of performance.  Moreover, his 2B- and LF-eligibility brings value in flexibility.  Regardless, there is some value here, especially in deeper leagues while looking for the hot hand.

 

 

Mark Ellis – 2B – Oakland Athletics (16% Y! Plus, 11% Y!, 5.2% ESPN)

Since returning from the DL on June 28^th, the Pride of Rapid City has recovered nicely from an early season slump, hitting .306/.338/.497/.834.  Over his past 17 games, he has been scorching hot.  In that time, he has hit .413/.424/.587/1.012 with 12 R and 18 RBI. 

 

Jumping on the hot hand is always a dicey proposition, as they’re just as likely to cool off on you as they are to continue on their torrid pace.  Ellis is certainly not a player who has been without value in the past, however, and second base is always a shallow position in the world of fantasy baseball.  We are talking about a guy who has raised his batting average from .218 to .276 in those 17 games, so it is certainly worth the risk.

 

 

Derek Holland – SP, RP – Texas Rangers (25% Y! Plus, 10% Y!, 4.7% ESPN)

After experiencing more than his fair share of rookie troubles, Derek Holland has eased the concerns of the Rangers’ fan base ever so slightly with his post-break performance.  In the past month, Holland has maintained an ERA of 3.13 with a 1.12 WHIP on the way to three wins and 33 Ks in 37.1 IP.  That is with his first two rocky starts after the break.

 

In his past four starts, the 22 year old frosh has been a little more convincing.  Twice he has pitched into the ninth while dominating interdivisional foes Seattle and Los Angeles.  Over the course of those 28.2 IP, Holland has struck out 25 while walking eight.  Earning three wins in that time, he also maintained a 1.88 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.  Sure, he is a rookie pitching in what has historically been a park in which offenses have been known to put up big numbers, but there have been some encouraging signs lately.  It’s up to you as to whether or not you want to mess around with him (keeper leaguers notwithstanding).

 

 

Barry Zito – SP – San Francisco Giants (45% Y! Plus, 18% Y!, 11.0% ESPN)

I cannot believe I just typed that man’s name.  It was not without having to choke back vomit, if it is of any consolation.  We all know who Barry Zito has become.  It is not pretty. 

 

But… since the All-Star Break, Zito has collected three wins and 30 Ks while keeping a 2.75 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.  If you want to roll the dice, here is a pretty big gamble for you.

 

So maybe the last guy wasn’t inspiring, but you never know, maybe he won’t screw you over.  At least you got a lot of middle infield options from yours truly this time 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 (which is also syndicated at Bleacher Report, where he is a featured Royals columnist), and a pop culture blog, Inconsiderate Prick.