(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
For anyone who may now be following the series, I must say thank you for the support and hope that your fantasy team jumped a couple spots in the standings after my opening week article.
Let's dig right in on what was one of the most exciting weeks in a long time. A couple cycles, a couple no-hit bids, and overall, a great week for some of the league's best and most valuable fantasy assets.
*Stats are from Apr. 13-Apr. 19*
American League Batter of the Week
Ian Kinsler, 2B, Texas Rangers: .556, 5 Runs, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 SB, 1.600 OPS
Before getting injured towards the end of last season, the Rangers second baseman was one of the favorites to take home the AL MVP award. Apparently Kinsler didn't want this season to end like the last one and found his groove during week two.
From Apr. 13-17, Kinsler had four straight games with two or more hits, but one of those games was clearly more important for the young stud than the others.
On the fifteenth, Kinsler went 6-for-6 with 4 RBI, which included one of the three cycles hit this week. Don't forget, he is also a running threat, which just adds to his fantasy value.
Looking Forward: The Texas Rangers open the week with a three game series against the Blue Jays, and face Roy Halladay in the opening game. Against the three projected starters, Kinsler is 5-for-17, so look for him to maintain the average and hopefully keep sniping the bases.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Aaron Hill, Brian Roberts
National League Batter of the Week
Ryan Ludwick, OF, St. Louis Cardinals: .417, 4 Runs, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1.315 OPS
From the very start of the season, I had a feeling that Ludwick would fall in some drafts. Due to his poor spring, and many critics saying that it could easily been a fluke year for in 2008 some people got a real bargain when they took him in the middle of the draft.
With a slow start to the week, Ludwick picked it up going 7-for-15 in his series with the Chicago Cubs, and also drove in seven runs. Most impressive however is his hitting streak of 21 games dating back to last season, which is something to keep an eye on.
Looking Forward: The Cards get a home stand with the New York Mets for the first three games of the week. Ludwick will see John Maine for the first time, as well as Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez for only the second time a piece. Looks like a pretty unpredictable week, but he should be able to keep it up.
American League Pitcher of the Week
Zach Grienke, SP, Kansas City Royals: 14.0 IP, 2-0, 19 K's, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP
Grienke is on complete fire right now. He has pitched an incredible 20 scoreless innings to open the season, and capped off his week with a stellar outing against Texas tossing a complete game and fanning ten.
Next Scheduled Start: Grienke will take the mound on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. The players on the Tigers current roster have only hit a meager .259 against Grienke. An added note: Those same Detroit players have struck out a whopping 31 times against ZG.
Honorable Mentions: Glen Perkins, AJ Burnett, Gavin Floydd
National League Pitcher of the Week
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