Fantasy Baseball Around the Majors: 4/24: Clayton Kershaw, Barry Zito & More

Is the old Barry Zito back?  Will Clayton Kershaw ever learn to limit his pitch count?  Jayson Werth erupted.  Let’s take a look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Pitchers:

• Barry Zito (8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 10 K, W) - He outpitched Adam Wainwright (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K) and has been absolutely fabulous this season.  Early on, you could argue that he hadn’t been facing tough offenses, but the Dodgers and Cardinals?  Those guys can hit.  He has been enjoying a .205 BABIP and 82.6% strand rate, so while the results are nice, we all know it’s not likely to continue.
• Clayton Kershaw (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K) - He’s at it again, throwing too many pitches, crippling his chance to win ballgames.  He needs to find a way to go deeper into games or he is going to continue to be a good pitcher whose value is tremendously limited.
• Fausto Carmona (7.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K, W) - Should we just forget the past two seasons?  I know how good he’s been this season, but can we really expect him to continue to pitch like this?  He has enjoyed a BABIP of .221, so sooner or later that type of luck is going to run out.  Enjoy this while you can, but be prepared for some struggles.  It’s really just a matter of time.
• Ricky Romero (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K) - I feel like I’m having déjà vu.  Romero made a similar run to kick off his career last season based on a lot of luck.  His 1.80 ERA and 0.87 WHIP comes courtesy of a BABIP of .201 and a questionable strikeout rate (7.50 K/9).  If there’s someone in your league willing to buy high on him, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
• Brett Anderson (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K) - He was rolling right along before he was forced from the game with elbow tightness.  At this point the injury is said to be minor and unlikely to keep him from his next start, but it should be monitored closely.
• Ted Lilly (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, W) - It was his season debut, but you certainly wouldn’t have known it given the results.  He’s a must-use in all formats at this point.

Hitters:

• Austin Kearns (3-5, 3 RBI, 1 SB) - He’s hitting .367 in abbreviated playing time (30 AB), but with Matt LaPorta continuing to struggle (.208 average), it’s just a matter of time before Kearns sees more and more playing time.  He’s the same player who hit 24 HR back in 2006, so there certainly is some potential value there.
• Paul Konerko (1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - He’s now homered in three of his last five games and has seven on the season.  Considering where he was being drafted, he certainly has been a huge steal over the first three weeks of the season.
• Brett Gardner (3-5, 2 R, 1 SB) - With Nick Johnson out of the lineup, Gardner slid into the second spot and continues to thrive.  He has 9 SB on the season and is clearly worth using in all formats if you are in need of some speed.
• Matt Kemp (2-5) - The performance is not really noteworthy, but lifting him as part of a double-switch?  Really?  Wow.
• Will Venable (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) - He’s on a three-game hitting street, going 5-11 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 R and 3 SB over that span.  He’s hitting fifth and while he’s hot like this clearly has value in all deeper formats.
• Chipper Jones (0-2) - He left due to an injury.  Is anyone really surprised?
• Joe Mauer (5-6, 2 RBI, 1 R) - Just another ho-hum performance for Mauer.  The same can be said for Justin Morneau (2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R).  To me, the most important player for the Twins is Michael Cuddyer (2-4, 2 RBI, 1 R).  He’s now hitting .333 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, 10 R and 2 SB.  With his position flexibility, he’s a must-use option in all formats.
• Ty Wigginton (4-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - How hot is Wigginton?  In his last seven games, he’s gone 9-27 with 4 HR, 9 RBI and 7 R.  Depending on your league rules, he could be eligible at 1B, 2B and 3B and with every day AB, he certainly is worth using in deeper formats.
• Jayson Werth (2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) - Like his teammate, Raul Ibanez (2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R), it was just a matter of time before the power showed up.  Stay patient with both, obviously.
• Dexter Fowler (3-3, 2 R, 1 SB) - He now has hits in four straight games, going 6-17 with 4 R and 1 SB.  The Rockies outfield is still crowded, as we all know, which makes him a tough play outside of the deepest of formats.

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?  Which of these stories interests you most?  Did anything else catch your eye?

To view the top stories from Friday’s games, click here .

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