There have been some great surprises this year, but the two biggest were players that were traded for one another; Josh Hamilton and Edinson Volquez. Both players are off to fantastic starts, especially after people expected their hot streaks to wear off. However, each player is continuing to play and are putting up spectacular stats. There are also many players who have surprised in terms of not being as good as predicted, as well as players who are resurrecting their seasons, and in some cases their careers, who deserve recognition. This version of MLB Status Check will focus on three players who lived up to the hype, three who did not, and three players who have surprised for the week.
Lived up to the hype:
1.) Josh Hamilton (CF/RF - Texas Rangers) - Hamilton is the biggest and best surprise of baseball this season. He is hitting the cover off the ball, but his streak of games with a homer recently ended at four. There are many players in the league who would die to have the talent to hit four homeruns in four games, but Hamilton seems to be in a league of his own. He is trying very hard to go for the triple crown and is among the leaders in homeruns and average, not to mention he's leading the entire league in RBIs. His incredible stats for the week are as follows: 9/26, 9 runs, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB, .346 AVG. He is the best thing in fantasy baseball at this point. It's nice to see his talent finally shining after getting his life straightened out.
2.) Ryan Braun (3B/LF - Milwaukee Brewers) - Last year Braun was incredibly valuable. In fact, aside from A-Rod, he was the most valuable fantasy player on a game-to-game basis. He got off to a very rough start, but it seems like things are finally clicking for him. After a horrible start to the season Braun has been on an absolute tear. In many drafts he went in the early second round and he is playing like a high draft pick now. His stat line for the week is as follows: 11/28, 8 runs, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB, .393 AVG. Braun's numbers seem to be getting even better now that Prince Fielder is heating up. The future looks great for Braun.
3.) Edinson Volquez (SP - Cincinnati Reds) - The Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez trade didn't look like much at first, but now it is just amazing to reflect on. Who would have thought that each player would contribute at this level after getting a change of scenery? Volquez has been one of the best pitchers in the entire league and is the current leader in terms of strikeouts and ERA. If he can put up such great numbers in those two categories, well, the future is definitely bright for him. His stats for the week are as follows: 1 win, 13 IP, 15 K, 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP. He has pitched well enough for two wins this week, but owners will have to settle for the single one. Volquez's stuff is good enough to keep him in line for many more wins to come.
Failed to live up to the hype:
1.) Aaron Harang (SP - Cincinnati Reds) - Harang has been pretty frustrating this season, but this week takes the cake. He's got a decent ERA and WHIP, but batters are hitting better off of him this year, plus he's not getting much run support. However, the last two games he has given up 11 earned runs. That is far from acceptable. His stat line for the week is as follows: 0 wins, 2 losses, 10 IP, 6 K, 8.10 ERA, 2.00 WHIP. He's been hurting fantasy owners lately, but he is a very talented pitcher. Harang is the definition of a workhorse, therefore there's a good chance he'll rebound from this. The only question is when.
2.) Erik Bedard (SP - Seattle Mariners) - The bigger they are the harder they fall. That is definitely the case when it comes to Bedard. He has been one of the most talented pitchers over the last few years, but this year has been awful. Perhaps it's the fact that he's still getting used to being on a new team. The one thing that is certain is that Bedard does not look like his old self. There are times when he'll show flashes of it and have a good game, but then he'll follow that up with a horrible game. He lacks consistency and his value is suffering. His numbers for the week are as follows: 0 wins, 1 loss, 3.1 IP, 1 K, 10.80 ERA, 3.00 WHIP. Bedard still has plenty of time to turn it around, plus changing places in the rotation could help him as well. He definitely needs to work out of this funk though because he's way too good to be suffering like this.
3.) Vladimir Guerrero (RF - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - Vlad has been extremely frustrating this season. His average is currently at the lowest point this far in the season, his power numbers have been down, he's striking out a lot more than usual, and he's getting hurt. There is plenty of time for his numbers to get better, but he just hasn't seemed to be able to get a streak going. It seems like he'll have one game, hit a HR or two, then he'll go on a 2-20 slump. He is a great hitter, with the widest strike zone of any player who's ever played, but he needs to find a way to snap his slump. The fact that he's got a gimpy knee doesn't help his value either. In the time he did play this week his stat line is as follows: 1/11, 0 runs, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, .091 AVG. It isn't exactly a large sample size, but Vlad is on the list because he is having a terrible season by his standards.
Keep an eye on:
1.) Manny Parra (RP/SP - Milwaukee Brewers) - What a week for Parra. The only word to describe him that can come to mind is: Wow! His numbers have been incredible this week. The Brewers had some injuries to their rotation earlier in the year, but Parra has done a great job to help hold the team together. His stat line is as follows: 2 wins, 13 IP, 14 K, 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP. He was solid in every fantasy category and really opened the eyes of alert fantasy owners. If he is available he may be worth picking up, especially after putting up such solid numbers this week.
2.) Mike Mussina (SP - New York Yankees) - It seems like Mike Mussina took a page out of Greg Maddux's book and learned how to be effective at an older age. Mussina has been great as of late, excluding a certain start against the Orioles. How effective has Mussina been lately? Try eight wins out of his last nine decisions. Moose has been the most effective Yankees starter. Nobody in their right mind would have predicted Moose to have better numbers than Chien-Ming Wang, but here we are. His numbers for the week are as follows: 2 wins, 12 IP, 10 K, 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP. The odds are against Mussina keeping his current pace alive, however, stranger things have happened. This is the most wins that Moose has ever had this early in a season. He has definitely been a fantasy surprise.
3.) Milton Bradley (LF/CF/RF - Texas Rangers) - Bradley has been a very pleasant surprise for the Rangers. His versatility also offers a lot of value to fantasy owners. Bradley wasn't exactly expected to do much, but he is playing with a passion so far this year. He is displaying great power, including three homers in two days, and is hovering near the leader in terms of average. If he can stay healthy, which always seems to be a big if, Bradley may very well put up the best numbers of his career across the board. He's already only seven away from tying his career high, plus he's more 28 RBI away from his career high. His stat line for the week are as follows: 6/18, 7 runs, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .333 AVG. He has been a very pleasant surprise and those who own Bradley got great value with the pick.