Fantasy Baseball Super Stuffed Weekly Recap: Week I

As the first article, in what I expect and hope to be a very long running and successful series, it would be a good idea to fill you in on what this article will deliver week in and week out.

First off, I will be ranking the best hitters and pitchers of the week and will also do it by National or American League for the people who play in NL/AL Only Leagues.

Toss in some waiver wire suggestions and a random assortment of facts, and you have yourself a solid guide to hopefully open up your eyes to the fantasy baseball week that just flew by. Not wanting to waste precious time, let's dive in (Stats are from April 5-April 12).

American League Batter of the Week:

Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B, Detroit Tigers: .520, 5 Runs, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1.546 OPS

Quite contrary to the beginning of last season, Miggy went ballistic in the first week of the 2009 season. Reeling off four multi-hit games in the first six and capping it all off with a stellar Friday against the Rangers, going 3-5 with a Grand Slam and six RBI.

Looking Forward: The Tigers get to square off against the Chi Sox for a three game series in Detroit and then travel to Seattle for three more. Cabrera is hitless against Felix Hernandez in only two at bats, and hasn't fared any better against Bedard (1-6 in his career) but has hit Carlos Silva very well thus far (6-15).

Honorable Mention: Evan Longoria, Adam Lind, Kevin Youkilis

National League Batter of the Week:

Emilio Bonifacio, 2B, Florida Marlins: .500, 9 Runs, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 1.232 OPS

If I wanted to give this to two people, Albert Pujols certainly would've shared it with Emilio, but I figured I would give the kid his dues.

Bonafacio opened the season with five straight multi-hit games, and three of those bouts ended with him notching three or more hits. Bonifacio will certainly help in your league’s steals category and give an added boost to your average, if he continues to smack the ball the way he has.

Looking Forward: Thus far, the Marlins are a surprising 5-1 and look to pile the W's on when they travel to Atlanta and Washington for a three game series. How will Emilio fare? Your guess is as good as anybody's.

As far as projected starting pitchers go, Bonifacio has only faced Derek Lowe six times, only grabbing one hit. The Nationals, however, have been a favorite of the young stud, as he has gone a combined 3-5 against Scott Olsen and Daniel Cabrera.

Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols, Christian Guzman, Ryan Theroit

American League Pitcher of the Week:

Kevin Millwood, SP, Texas Rangers: 14.0 IP, 1-0, 11 K, 0.64 ERA, 0.72 WHIP

Millwood opened up the season in a position not many would want. He squared off against the reigning AL Cy Young, Cliff Lee. To many, including myself, it was quite shocking how dominant Millwood has been, and even more surprising, how weak Lee has been. Kevin went a strong seven innings, only giving up one run, while striking out five.

Millwood's second start was even more dominant, traversing all the way through the seventh inning, while only letting through four hits and knocking down six. Leaving with a four run lead, Millwood would have his win escape him when the Tigers reeled off six runs in the eighth inning.

Looking Forward: His next scheduled start is Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, whom he is 4-2 against in the last three years. Should be another solid outing.

Honorable Mention: Josh Beckett, Jeremy Guthrie, Edwin Jackson

National League Pitcher of the Week:

Josh Johnson, SP, Florida Marlins: 15.2 IP, 2-0, 15 K, 0.57 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

With an amazingly low ERA, and a ridiculous K:BB ratio (15:1), what more could be said about Josh Johnson. He out-dueled Johan Santana, while going a full nine innings and struck out seven? Get outta here. Sat down eight against the Nationals and only went 7 2/3? Yeah, hes pretty damn good so far.

Johnson is a stellar 9-1 since returning from Tommy John surgery, and looks to add to his dominance this season after two great starts.

Looking Forward: Johnson makes his next scheduled start against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. In seven career starts against the Nats, Johnson has only lost one time, and only went two innings and allowing one run in the shortened outing. Johnson should cruise to 3-0.

Honorable Mention: Derek Lowe, Kyle Lohse, Jake Peavy

Waiver Wire Wonders:

Have an empty spot on the roster due to someone going on the DL or just need someone to replace the flat tire on your all-star squad? Look for these guys.

Christian Guzman (Wash, SS): Went 5-5 on Monday night and was already batting .400+
Nelson Cruz (Tex, OF): Already cranked out three homers, and is batting a solid .300
Ryan Church(NYM, OF): While lacking Runs and RBI early on, it won't last long in that powerful New York lineup, plus, he's hitting .450+, so who can complain?
Marco Scutaro (Tor, INF): Already racked up an incredible ten runs, and five RBI, while still delivering a solid average
Kyle Lohse(STL, SP): Two solid starts already, but beware: next scheduled start up against rival Cubs
Fernando Rodney(Det, RP): When Detroit wins games, he closes them...and throws in a couple K’s for good measure

Random Ramblings:

What's better than some completely random thoughts, that might actually offer some sort of weird assistance? Nothing.

    * Kevin Gregg has been getting shelled. Pinella will no longer use him for more than one inning of work
    * Max Scherzer, Scott Baker, and Brandon Webb, are all scheduled to make their first starts this coming week
    * The top five pitchers in terms of K's, Johan Santana leads with 20, but also has pitched less innings than the other four
    * David Aardsma is leading the saves race for Seattle, and a whopping 97.4 percent of ESPN Leagues have him available for pickup
    * Chien Ming-Wang and Jon Lester will be fine
    * Kevin Youkilis is on complete fire, and we could see two years of a Boston MVP
    * If your in a league that penalizes for batters striking out, consider dropping Mark DeRosa or Casey Blake, who are a combined 7-50 with 22 strikeouts

Extra Innings:

I look forward to reading your comments and getting insight on what you might like to see in future articles, until then, good luck to each and every fantasy league you might be in!

Must Watch Fantasy Game of the Week:

A pitcher's duel between Kyle Lohse and Carlos Zambrano, could turn into a slugfest with the bats of Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick up against Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee. Add in the spice of a Friday night, and you have yourself a perfect ballgame.