A quick look at Week 11’s Fantasy Baseball top performers and least owned players on the waiver wire. Justin Smoak is smoking the ball and Max Scherzer dominates twice. Can they really keep it up for another week?
Check out who’s a Must or a Bust.
SWINGERS
John Buck —40 percent of Y! Leagues
4 R / 3 HR / 8 RBI / .389 BA
With all the hype surrounding catchers this year, most owners seem to overlook guys like Buck. If you are a win-now kind of fantasy player, then having Buck on your team may benefit you over a player like Matt Weiters. Buck’s problem has always been hitting for a decent average. So far, he’s 33 points above his career numbers. He also has three multi-homer games already, and he could easily hit 25 by season’s end.
Chipper Jones —53 percent of Y! Leagues
5 R / 1 HR / 7 RBI / .471 BA
Yes, he’s older and hitting 50 points below his career .306 average. But he’s still one of the best third basemen of the past 20 years. If Troy Glaus can have a comeback year, then Chipper can too. Expect better numbers in the second half, assuming he doesn’t battle injuries like he has over the past few seasons.
Scott Podsednik —53 percent of Y! Leagues
5 R / 1 HR / 7 RBI / 2 SB / .286 BA
I’m so tempted to call the Royals the worst team in the league, but the truth is that the Indians and Orioles are certainly worse. Regardless, Speedy Scotty is back to his old form, running the bejeezus out of the bases. Injuries have really dropped Podsednik off the radar. But he’s healthy this year and on track for at least 40 stolen bases.
Justin Smoak —13 percent of Y! Leagues
5 R / 2 HR / 8 RBI / .320 BA
After a dismal start, Smoak has put together a solid last month (15 R / 4 HR / 21 RBI /.278 avg). With the influx of all the call-ups, owners have forgotten to come back around to take a look at what Smoak is doing. He won’t be available for much longer. Go get him.
Angel Pagan —33 percent of Y! Leagues
3 R / 5 RBI / 2 SB / .417 BA
Pagan has been on fire the past month, batting .327, with 15 runs, 13 RBIs, and nine SB. I seem to be less and less worried about Beltran coming back and squeezing Pagan out. Angel really has been at the center of the revitalized Mets.
HURLERS
Carl Pavano —16 percent of Y! Leagues
16 IP / 2 W / 7 K / 2.25 ERA / 0.63 WHIP
Despite Pavano’s 8-6 record, this is actually his best season since 2004. There’s still plenty of time for Carl to get back to his usual mediocre numbers. But right now, he is pretty much holding career bests in ERA, WHIP, and BAA. His last game was a gem against the struggling Phils. Pavano went nine innings and only gave up one run. Ten of his 15 outings have been quality starts!
Max Scherzer —34 percent of Y! Leagues
13 IP / 2 W / 17 K / 2.77 ERA / 1.15 WHIP
This kid has so much talent. Owners were expecting a lot more out of Scherzer this year, and a few have jumped back on the boat since his return. In five games since returning, he has a 3.48 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 41Ks. If you lack strikeouts, Mad Max is your guy!
J. J. Putz —3 percent of Y! Leagues
3 IP / 1 W / 1 SV/ 3 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.33 WHIP
It’s truly amazing how quickly relief pitchers fall from grace. From 2006 through 2007, Putz amassed an amazing 76 saves with just a 1.86 ERA. Those days are long gone and J. J. has been reduced to a set-up guy, just silently waiting for Jenks to get injured or implode. Unless you are in a crazy deep league, there are better middle relievers out there.
Joel Pineiro —27 percent of Y! Leagues
8 IP / 1 W / 5 K / 1.12 ERA / 0.50 WHIP
I feel like a broken record saying this, but Pineiro is a roller-coaster ride. He pitches well against the tough teams then blows-up against clubs like the Royals. There is no rhyme or reason to whether he will have a good game or not, and so I’ve always stayed away.
When he is on though, he can be as good as they come. In his last two games, Pineiro has pitched 17 innings, and allowed just eight hits, two runs, while striking out 12 against only two walks!
Like clockwork, though, Joel will have a bad game at some point in his next one or two outings, regardless of who he is facing.
Jason Vargas —29 percent of Y! Leagues
7.2 IP / 1 W / 4 K / 1.17 ERA / 0.65 WHIP
After his first game, Vargas has put up a quality start in all of his games since (one game was only five innings, but he still only gave up two runs). Honestly, if the Mariners we’re any better, we could be looking at 9-2 record instead of a 5-2 line.
Vargas’ season ERA is under 3.00, his WHIP is just above 1.00, and batters are only hitting .225 against the pitcher. In his fifth year, Vargas may have finally figured it out.
Who do you think is the best waiver wire pickup of the week? Can Smoak keep it up?
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Article by Evan Marx exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Evan writes a Must or Bust article and a few other gems weekly. He likes long walks on the beach and quoting Ivan Drago at least once a day.
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