Fantasy Baseball By The Numbers: Week Six

As I hope at least some of you noticed, there was no By The Numbers article last week. My apologies, it was a big week with finals and graduation from Indiana University where I got a Bachelor’s in English. I’m still in a bit of shock that I won’t be going back again and that I will have to be, as the freshly graduated like to call it, “a real person” now. No longer am I working merely for beer money but to pay bills as well. Soon I will have a real job, where people will be relying on me to do an assigned job or else I will be released, just like the players on your fantasy squad. Clever transitions:just one of the many wonderful things you learn in college!

So with this momentous life shift on my mind, this week I’ll focus on many of the players this season that are emerging to become “real people” in fantasyland, half of which are apparently listed on the Texas Rangers’ line up card, hence this being the “Chuck Norris” edition, a very real person, though if you answered B. “mythical Man-God”, that will be accepted as well.

Consecutive game hit streak for Elvis Andrus, whose been on a tear since being given the lead off spot in the potent Rangers line up. In the 18 games since he took over, he’s batted a very solid .286 with a .419 OBP. He’s scored 18 runs over that period and most intriguingly swiped 12 bases, a total of 13 tying him for 3rd in the majors. His .378 BaBIP suggests his batting average will drop some, but he’s also accumulated 16 walks while only striking out 14 times, a ratio that definitely won’t hold up but bodes very well for the emerging shortstop’s future productivity. With masherslike Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, and the soon-returning Nelson Cruz batting behind him, dare I predict 90 runs and 50 stolen bases for Andrus in his sophomore season? Look for him to be a top six SS at the end of the season and a viable starter in all formats.

Batting average for Vlad Guerrero, A man quickly coming back to “real” status since joining Texas this offseason. An injury plagued 2009 season had many wondering if he was finally washed up, but clearly he has a lot more in the tank. A guy whose batted over .300 for nearly 12 consecutive seasons excluding 2009 (and even then he batted .295) does not simply fall off a cliff. Christ he almost went 40/40 in 2002. So far he has six homers and four steals, putting him on pace for a 30/20 season. Not bad for a guy you probably got for a discount in the draft considering he only qualifies at the utility spot in Yahoo leagues. Oh, did I mention he’ll be OF eligible in two more starts?

See more "real people" here.