Fantasy Baseball Around the Majors: 4/25: Price, Pelfrey & More

Jose Guillen & Paul Konerko continue to rake.  David Price showed his full potential.  Mike Pelfrey extended his scoreless inning streak.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Pitchers

Mike Pelfrey (5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 3 K) - It wasn’t a pretty performance, but Pelfrey was able to pitch in and out of trouble all night long.  He extended his scoreless inning streak to 24, though we all know a 93.6 percent strand rate is impossible to continue.  His next start comes in Philadelphia, so needless to say his luck may be about to run out.  As I mentioned in our Top 75 Starting Pitcher rankings for the upcoming week (click here to view), he’s worth using but certainly not a top option for the upcoming week.

David Price (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 K) - It was a tremendous performance for Price, who is finally beginning to look like he’s the type of pitcher everyone thought he’d be.  He’s now 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 26 K in 28.2 innings.  He’s had some good luck (.262), but it’s not too much that you think he’s going to have a complete collapse.  His next start comes against the Royals where he is a must use option.

John Danks (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K) - This was the first time he’s allowed more than one earned run in a start...He’s slipping, huh?  Starting in the new Yankees Stadium in his next start certainly brings concern, however, so tread carefully.

Chad Billingsley (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K) - He finally has a solid start and gets outpitched by Scott Olsen (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 8 K).  Figures, right?  At least he appears to have righted the ship.  With his next start coming against the Pirates, I’d certainly have him active in all formats.

Brad Penny (7.2 IP, 0 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 2 K) - I mean really, is Dave Duncan this good?  Penny is now sporting a 0.94 ERA.  It’s been a tremendous start and the BABIP is not unbelievable (.279).  What is, however, is his 0.96 BB/9 (career 2.88).  He’s going to struggle, sooner or later, but he should prove usable all year long.

Rick Porcello (4.0 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 3 K) - It’s the second consecutive start that he has been rocked (having given up 6 ER in 4.1 against the Angels).  Considering his next start comes as a rematch against Los Angeles, if you have another option you may want to consider using him for the upcoming week.

Colby Lewis (6.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 10 K) - I’d call these results mixed, but it helps to show the type of strikeout potential he has.  With his next start coming against the Mariners, he’s certainly someone that could be used in all formats.

Javier Vazquez (3.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K) - I know I said that he would likely struggle, but I never expected it to be quite like this.  A 9.00 ERA?  His next start comes at home against the White Sox, meaning I wouldn’t use him.  Until he proves he may be able to contribute, he’s just too big of a liability.

Hitters

Paul Konerko (2-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - He’s now homered in three straight games, with eight on the season.  Is anyone still talking about him being on the downside of his career?  While it’s impossible to expect him to continue this type of pace, he clearly is a solid corner infield option in all formats.

Jose Guillen (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R) - He’s hitting .351 with 7 HR and 17 RBI.  It’s simply unbelievable how hot he is at this point.  If you took the flyer on him on draft day, he’s certainly proved worth the selection.  We’ll have to take a closer look at his success in the coming days to determine if he’s a good sell high option or not, however.

Jay Bruce (3-4, 1 RBI, 1 R) - He has hits in five of his last seven games and is showing signs of turning things around.  If there is someone in your league who has lost hope, I’d certainly try to buy low on him.

Ryan Theriot (5-6, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB) - That lead the way for a Cubs team that scored 12 runs.  Four players homered as part of the onslaught: Kosuke Fukudome (3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R), Derek Lee (1-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R), Tyler Colvin (3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) and Geovany Soto (2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R).  Still, the biggest story was Theriot though I wouldn’t get too excited.  He had just 7 RBI heading into the game while having no power and just moderate speed (20-25 SB guy).

Michael Young (3-4, 5 RBI, 1 R) - So much for 2009 being an aberration, huh?  Granted, he’s not showing quite as much power, but he is on pace to come in right around 20 for the season.  He’s a low-end 3B option, but usable nonetheless.

Kevin Kouzmanoff (2-4, 3 RBI, 1 R) - So much for his injury, huh?  He’s finally showing signs of contributing at the plate, now with a three-game hitting streak (5-11, 5 RBI, 2 R).  The power hasn’t quite come around yet, but it likely will in time.  He’s certainly usable in AL-only leagues and is viable in deeper mixed leagues as well.

Mark Reynolds (3-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) - He’s got his average up to .254 to go along with 7 HR and 20 RBI.  When you drafted him, it wasn’t for the average though, right?

Seth Smith (2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) - With Brad Hawpe on the DL, Smith figures to see some extra playing time.  This was quite a way to make an impression, huh?  Of course, with Ryan Spilborghs also in the mix, Smith is not likely to see full-time AB, so he’s best left for just NL-only leagues.

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 Saturday’s games, click here .

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