Dan Uggla – Hopefully, you didn’t think he was going to hit .287 again this year. If you were smart enough to not draft him, it’s time to show off your smarts by picking him up on the cheap from your local disgruntled owner. As I mentioned recently, he’s been warming up over the last month, so make your move now.

Mark Teixeira – This one’s just for those of you who are in a league with someone who is dominating the power categories and dying in BA. The guy has hit 25 bombs, so he’s not coming at much of a discount, but his HR/FB rate is real and his BA is horrible due to a ridiculously low BABIP. You can expect similar power from him in the second half to go along with a much nicer BA. If you can get a discount on him, patent that sales technique.

Alex Rios – Again, hopefully you didn’t buy into the hype from last year’s explosion, but it’s time to cash in on his terrible first half. For those who don’t know, he’s at 6/.208/6 on the season. That’s crappy for Chris Coghlan. His line drive, fly ball, and ground ball rates are virtually unchanged from last year, his HR/FB rate is at an all-time low (and half that of last year’s), and his BABIP is 90 points below his career average. Check, check, check, buy low time.

Jayson Werth – Everyone’s really down on Werth this season, and I can only think it’s because they’ve set ridiculous expectations for him. The guy’s on pace to be right around 20/20, and that just doesn’t seem like that big of a letdown from his average of 25/15 in 2 of his last 3 seasons (with one outlier that happened to fall in the middle). Include the fact that his BABIP is 70 points below his career average (and almost 100 points below last year’s), and you’ve got a solid candidate for a bounce back in the second half. He’s not going to win any MVP awards anytime soon, but I see no reason to hate an annual 25/15 or 20/20 player just because he didn’t live up to unrealistic expectations. Make sure to reinforce how he hasn’t lived up to his owner’s expectations while pilfering him though.

Adam Dunn – This is about the weakest buy I could ever offer though. Allow me to reinforce that you should not be offering anything for him right now unless you have a bench spot that you have no use for. I just can’t let go of the fact that this guy can hit 30 HRs in a half a season if he gets his head together. Again, I’m disclaimering the crap out of this recommendation. Just keep an eye on him.

Buy, Buy, Buy! (Special Collector’s Pitching Edition)

Wasn’t that exciting? I actually have to give my dad credit for when he called me in the second inning and said, “Lance Berkman? Is this the 1999 All Star Game?!?” Nothing like seeing the young studs like Scott Rolen, the aforementioned Berkman, and David Ortiz out there showing off. Anyway, since I’ve now directed you to sell half your squad, it’s time to figure out who you should get in return. Also, there’s a 1:10,000 chance that this is a special Gold Leaf Edition blog and it’ll be worth an extra fifty cents in the next issue of Beckett.

Madison Bumgarner – Unfortunate Upper East Side socialite-wannabe name aside, Ol’ Bummy hasn’t been able to buy a break so far. He’s had the same amount of starts so far this year as he did last and upped his K/9 by a full K, so what’s he got to show for it? 3 fewer wins, an ERA almost a full point higher, a BABIP 40 points higher, and a strand rate almost 15% lower. His GB rate and BB rate are basically unchanged, so that’s good news for his upcoming starts. The catch is that his HR/FB so far is miniscule, so while his ERA will almost assuredly fall, that nagging HR/FB rate (which will always be a little low due to pitching the majority of his games in a pitcher’s park) could lead to some speed bumps from here on out.

Ryan Dempster – .326 BABIP, ERA just over 5, highest HR/FB in 5 years, and his second highest K/9 since converting to an SP? Buy.

Chris Narveson – So here’s an odd case. His strand rate is slightly low, his BABIP is slightly high, and his HR/FB rate is actually better than last year, but his ERA is considerably higher than it should be. Also, don’t forget that he gave up 3 or fewer earned runs in 12 of his last 14 starts last season. It’s a stretch to assume that it’ll happen again, but it’s the time to start playing hunches if you have significant ground to make up.

Edwin Jackson – Danger! Shaky ground ahead! I’m apparently never going to fully understand Edwin Enigma. I don’t know if he needs to say he’s sorry to Ms. Jackson or go see a witch doctor or what, but this guy’s performance is crazy. He was terrible with the Devil Rays, then he was decent with the Rays, then he was an All Star with the Tigers, then he sucked in Arizona, then he was lights out for the White Sox for a month, then he was full of terribleness for the White Sox for a month, then he was unlucky and had a crappy first half of 2011 for the White Sox. So, what’s the prediction? He’s going to be a roller coaster or he’s going to be awesome or he’s going to be horrific. All the statistics point to him improving greatly, but he’s Edwin Enigma for a reason. If the only thing keeping you from taking X-Games level risks was a complete lack of physical prowess as opposed to a tendency to poo yourself when trying to do a triple backflip sowcow with a spin on a tricycle, then here’s your virtual risk. Knock yourself out.

All star game tonight! You’ll recognize it because it will be missing a bunch of all stars! Now, hitters aren’t as crystal clear when it comes to selling because while some are lucky and will obviously regress, others hang out with Bautista/Granderson’s trainer and flick their respective noses at everything that says they’re a mediocre hitter. Also, note that I’m not going to mention those guys who are hurt (ARod) since you should treat them like any other injury, and just because I list someone here doesn’t mean you should trade them for Pedro Alvarez or something. I’m simply stating that I do not believe these players are going to match their first half stats in the second half.

Adrian Gonzalez – He sure likes that new park, huh? The reality is that his BB-rate is lower than it’s been in 5 years, his BABIP is 55 points higher than it’s ever been in his career, and almost 50% of his batted balls have been ground balls. His HR/FB is fine, so don’t be surprised if his HRs stay on pace, but he’s not hitting .350. I’m expecting a second half BA of about .300, which is fine, but if you’re going to sell him like a 35/.350 guy, this is the time to do it. That’s a top 3 type of player there.

Hunter Pence – So one of the downsides of writing a blog like this is that sometimes, you realize that some of your own players are sell worthy, and sometimes, they’re the guys you really like. I have Pence just about everywhere, so I hate to point out that his BABIP is 80 points higher than it’s been for the last 3 years even though his GB/FB rate is almost unchanged and his HR/FB rate is actually low. Basically, this guy’s a .280 hitter, not a .320 hitter. The good news is that in the second half, he’ll probably hit homers at a slightly greater pace, but his BA is going to fall. The bad news is that because he’s Hunter Pence and the reason I like him is because he doesn’t get the proper amount of respect, you’re going to have a tough time cashing in on his above average BA because he’s Hunter Pence and he doesn’t get the proper amount of respect.

Jose Reyes – Yes, I’m not mentioning hurt players right now, but this sell is working under the assumption that the Mets got a new team doctor who knows how to actually diagnose and treat injuries instead of the medicine man they were using in the past and Reyes is actually going to be back in a week to pick up where he left off. The reality is that he is definitely having an amazing season, but he’s not going to hit .350 all year. His BABIP is currently 55 points above his highest ever (and it’s not like the speed is a new thing), his LD rate is actually slightly below his career average, his infield hit rate is right in line with his career average, and his HR/FB rate is actually lower than it’s ever been. He will steal 60 bases because that’s what Reyes do, but his batting average is going to fall a little ways in the second half. His HRs probably won’t return, but there’s a chance that he could hit a couple to remind you of the Reyes of old. In keeper leagues, he’s probably still a very valuable player to have since he’s only 28 years old and he can put up a few more .300/10/60 seasons if he stays healthy, but in redraft leagues, ship him out to someone else. Note that he is a top 5 player right now, so get some serious bank in return.

Lance Berkman – Honestly, I would hope that everyone knows this is a sell. There’s obviously the chance that the revival is for real, but he’s got a higher HR/FB rate than he’s ever had in his entire career and he’s hitting less fly balls than he did back when he hit a bunch of homers. On top of that, reviewing ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, we find that 5 out of Berkman’s last 12 HRs have also been classified as “Just Enough”. These home runs can easily turn into doubles off the wall as the season progresses, especially when they’re being hit by an old guy that you would expect to wear down as the season goes along.

We’re just about to reach the all-star break, so the time is upon us to look upon our squads with hard hearts and make those tough decisions for the rest of the year. It’s time to prepare for the second half. It’s time to sell high with the confidence that you’re doing the right thing. It’s time for me to stop talking about what time it is.

Jeremy Hellickson – Note that this sell is for redraft leagues only. For keepers, hang on to this kid. For redrafters, if you can move him, do it now. He’s sitting on a 5.90 K/9, .224 BABIP, and only 33.1% GB rate. Not only will he be skipped/shut down in the near future, but there’s a good chance his stats are going to implode before that happens.

Josh Beckett – I’ve mentioned Beckett before on this site, but I want to reiterate this opinion now. Sell him now. Beckett currently has a .225 BABIP. The lowest he’s ever had in a full season was a .262, and his career average is .291. He currently has an 82.2% LOB rate. That’s over 5% higher than he’s ever had before. He’s got a 7.62 K/9. That’s his lowest in 5 years and second lowest ever. 38.8% GB rate, second lowest ever, almost 10% off his career average. 5.4% HR/FB, lowest ever, almost 10% lower than his career average. ERA of 2.27, FIP of 3.16, xFIP of 3.70. For perspective, in his other 9 seasons in which he’s posted more than 20 starts, his ERA has finished below his FIP once. That was when his ERA was 5.01 and his FIP was 5.12. This guy has more warning signs than the entrance to a nuclear plant. The meltdown is coming. You want to run.

Jhoulys Chacin – His fall has already begun, but perhaps you can still get some decent value for him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get shut down slightly early this year as well, and when he continues to fall apart, a DL trip would be likely. His HR/FB (17.6%) and GB (58.9%) rates indicate that his luck will improve somewhat, but he’s sitting on a BABIP of .227 and 80% strand rate with a BB/K under 2/1. Trust me, it’s not going to go well for him in the second half. Again, if you’re in a keeper, hang on to him, but otherwise, you need to sub-lys right now.

Alexi Ogando – Another likely candidate to get shut down early, you need to move him now. .240 BABIP, 37.3% GB rate, 7.8% HR/FB who will keep pitching in the Launching Pad in Arlington? No thanks, somebody else will have more faith than me.

Ryan Vogelsong – I think it’s cute when I see people argue that this guy is for real. His K-rate is still under 7, his BABIP is still under .260 (40 points below his career average), he’s stranding almost 85% of his runners (15% above his career average), and he’s got a HR/FB rate of just 8.0%. He was a waiver wire pickup that managers live for, namely, one that has been good enough that he can be upgraded into an underperforming stud. Move on up.

Jair Jurrjens – But, but, but…he’s a super stud! He’s good, possibly very good, but he is not this good. We had this discussion last year with one Ubaldo Jimenez. Jurrjens has a K-rate under 5.30, a strand rate of 84%, a BABIP under .260, and a HR/FB of just 4%. I know it’s damn near impossible to convince yourself to let go of the hottest player on your team, the one that carried you to this point, but you need to do it. Look at what happened to Ubaldo last year. These statistics catch up to you, whether you like it or not.

Jered Weaver – I’ll preface this one by stating that I own Weaver extensively. I had high hopes for him coming into the season, and he’s lived up to them in spades. However, I am looking to trade him now. Weaver’s 2011 K-rate has regressed to his career average from last year’s spike (7.70, 7.81, and 9.35 respectively), his BABIP is 35 points below his career average, his LOB rate is 5% above his career average, and his HR/FB is sitting at a miniscule 2.7%. Even with regression, you’re talking about a pitcher with an ERA around 3 and a K-rate around 8. He’s not going to regress to drop status, he’s just not going to be one of the top 3 pitchers in the AL at the end of the year. Don’t go trading him for some crappy player just to get him off your roster, but cash in on his insane level of performance now.

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve mentioned Danny Espinosa. He hit his 16^th HR and stole his 10^th base last night. Currently at 72% ownership. Honestly, at this point, can someone explain to me why? The guy’s on pace to put up a 30/20 season with a BA around .250. Uggla hit 31 HRs in 2009 with a .243 BA and was owned in over 95% of leagues last season. Hell, he was ranked in the top 50 players at the start of the season. This kid’s gonna give you 20 free SBs to go along with Uggla numbers, and he can’t even break the 75% owned barrier? Did he punch your mother or kick your puppy or something? Sheesh, it’s like he’s in the mob or something.

Kelly Johnson – Hit his 15^th HR yesterday. Sure, he’s hitting .217, but he’s also got 15 HRs and 8 SBs on the season. Ask yourself, why is he only 76% owned while Placido Polanco (4/3/.274) is 79% owned?

Guillermo Moscoso – He’s given up 1 ER in his last 24.2 IP and has 1 win to show for it. The life of an A. Anyway, he’s also got a 3.24 BB/9 rate (haha), 4.86 K/9 (hahaha), and .190 BABIP (hahahahahaha).

Phil Hughes – He’ll get the Yankee bump, but he’s still only 43% owned. His velocity has recovered, he didn’t pitch terribly yesterday (5 IP, 2 ER, 2 K), and he’ll get plenty of run support. I would take a waiver on him if you’re hurting for some SP hugs.

Evan Longoria (per request) – Longoria’s been hot over the last 2 weeks to get his counting stats up to 11/41/1, but it’s highly doubtful that’s put his owners at ease just yet. They paid for 1^st round production, not James Loney. So why are his stats so ugly? Well, let’s not forget he missed a full month to start the season. That’s almost 30% of his season to date, so we need to add 50% (3 months of stats instead of 2) onto those counting stats. Now we’re looking at a 16/61/1.5 season to date. That’s more than a little lacking in the speed department (since he had 15 SBs last year), but predicting a 32/122 season isn’t too shabby for his owners. So what about the batting average that’s hanging around down in the basement? That’s a luck issue, folks. His LD rate is slightly below last year’s, his GB rate is slightly above last year’s, but the real key is that his BABIP is 70 points below his career average. Expect that to rebound in the second half, and expect a 15/60/1/.280 post-ASB.

Dan Uggla (per request), and by extension, Adam Dunn – What to do, what to do? These two freeswingers have been the epitome of the risk of drafting someone who Ks a lot (A LOT) early in a draft. Yes, they may hit 40+ bombs, but their slumps are ones of epic proportion. There’s at least sun on the horizon for one of them, though. Uggla has homered in 2 straight games, is hitting .250 over the last 7 days (yes, that’s improvement), and has hit 4 long shots in the last 2 weeks. Now, is this a sign that he’s over all his crap and back to just being a freeswinger that is useful? Not necessarily, but there are good vibes. To begin with, he has still been hitting quite a few HRs (14 on the season, pace of about 26 for the year). Secondly, his HR/FB is actually slightly down this year, and his K-rate (as hard as this is to believe) is actually slightly improved. Thirdly, and most importantly, his BABIP is 81 points below his worst season ever. Since he’s got the history or performance, I would pick him up/try to trade for him on the cheap in all but the shallowest leagues at this point. He honestly looks like he could post an 18/.250 second half, and who knows, maybe Danny Espinosa’s already taken in your league.

As for Dunn, I have to be honest and say that I was a huge Dunn lover at the start of this season. Some writers don’t like to admit it and like to just hedge their bets and say that they always had a doubt, but I was a true believer. My bad. As hard as it is to believe, Dunn is actually getting worse. “But Ping, how can that be?!? He’s only hit 8 HRs and has a .166 BA on the season!” Again, dividing by 3, he’s averaging 2.67 HRs per month. Over the last 30 days, he’s hit 3, so I guess the power still qualifies as being there, but his BA was only .138. Over the last 14 days, it’s at .111, and over the last week it’s at .091. At this pace, he’s more likely to end up with a Bingo number for a batting average than make to the Mendoza Line. His K% is actually up from his career average, his BABIP is only about 40 points off his career average, and his infield flyball rate is higher than it’s ever been. Sure, there are signs of bad luck, such as the aforementioned BABIP and his atrocious HR/FB rate that is half his career average, but the real question is whether he’s worth the wait. He could very well hit 25 HRs in the second half. He could also hit 8. If you’ve got bench room, screw it, stash him. If you don’t, I doubt he’ll leave the FA pool anytime soon. If you see him hit 2 bombs in a single week (he’s only done it once this year), pick him up and see if he gets hot. Otherwise, stop playing Bingo.

It’s fitting that the day after Independence Day is the same as the day I finally get internet back. Since my most recent article, I’ve moved and required the services of a few friendly internet technicians to arrange for my triumphant return to the interwebz. So anyway, Ping now has a ping, and is back to catch up!

I recently took an informal survey amongst the fantasy baseball crowd on reddit about who hasn’t been written about enough by fantasy baseball writers this year. It happened a couple weeks ago, so some of the requests are now a little dated, but I figure I’ll work my way through the list while also covering some of what I saw from the previous day.

Aramis Ramirez – He plays for the crappier Chicago team and has flown slightly under the radar, but he’s actually having a pretty nice season. Knocked his 13^th homer tonight, and his BA has risen to a pretty nice .295. In the hitting wasteland that is 3B, he’s been quite a valuable player to own. That said, I’d try to trade him before the ASB passes you by. He’s been solid and with every other 3B breaking down, he’s been a great guy to have for the first half, but this guy is an injury magnet who happens to be playing on a field of injury landmines this year. He’s got that name recognition that can generate more response in a trade, and guys like Jhonny Peralta (85% Y! owned, 14/.314), Ty Wigginton (63%, 13/.260), and Michael Cuddyer (85%, 12/.290) have already had 3B breakouts in the first half this year. Guys like Ryan Zimmerman, Pedro Alvarez, Casey McGehee, and Pablo Sandoval are all possible candidates for second half breakouts and can either be traded for cheaply or picked up when they get hot. Remember, trade away when they’re hot. Especially when they’re as fragile as your grandmother’s china.

Zack Cozart (per request) – For those of you who don’t recognize his name, Cozart is the Reds’ AAA shortstop, someone who was drafted for his defense but has grown into a decent little hitter. In 2010, his first full season at AAA, he posted a 17/30/.255 line, which is pretty solid when compared to the current Reds shortstops, Edgar Renteria and Paul Janish. In 2011, he’s on pace for a 14/18/.318 season in AAA so far. That’s buoyed by a BABIP 70 points higher than last season, but the difference in SBs can be attributed to the fact that he doesn’t really have great speed as much as he’s simply a smart baserunner. I honestly doubt we’ll see 30 SBs from him again at any level (prior to 2010, he had never posted more than 10 at any level of pro ball). Note that the Reds’ management haven’t given any real impression that they’re on the verge of calling Cozart up, but when he does, he’s an iffy pickup. Simply put, he’s got a low BB rate (6%) and is only probably a 15/15 MLB player at best (right now, given a full season of ABs). While that’s obviously an improvement for the Reds over their current combo (on pace, combined, to go 2/12), it’s probably not much of an improvement for your team, at least not this year. Stash him for the future if you think he can grow into a 2010 repeat at some point, but I’d rather stash someone like Dee Gordon, if that were the case.

Carlos Carrasco – I certainly hope you were smart enough not to start him against the Yankees, especially while they are in the midst of an 8-2 run.

Matt Cain (per request) – I have to preface this section by stating that I’m not a Matt Cain fan. He defies the numbers every year, and sorry I just can’t get on board and accept that that’s just the way it’s gonna be. So, what’s different this year? Honestly, he’s actually pitching better. His K-rate is up by about a half a K/9, his GB rate is higher than it’s been in 5 years (though only slightly), his BB rate is lower than it’s ever been (again, just slightly), and his BABIP is closer to normal than it was last year (…slightly). All these things combine to push his xFIP down around 3.50, a half run lower than it’s ever been, which means he’s poised to post a season closer to his 2009 numbers (14-7, 2.89) than his 2010 numbers (13-11, 3.14). I’m still not buying, but I’m not screaming sell nearly as loudly as I have in the past.

Jeff Karstens – You remember when I’ve written about some of those other pitchers out there and I’ve cited their BABIP and LOB% and K rate and said they’re due for a correction? Karstens’ BABIP is .239 (50 points below his career average), LOB% is 86.7% (17% above his career average), and K rate is 5.40 (crappy). Guess what my recommendation is.

Nick Markakis (per request) – Remember when he went 23/18/.300 in his sophomore season? Those were the days. Honestly, it’s like the guy has completed an entire career arc in a matter of 5 seasons. 16/2/.291 as a rookie (next big star!). 23/18/.300 as a sophomore (peak!). 20/10/.306 in his third year (getting older, speed starting to go a little). 18/6/.293 (hanging in there, but starting to see all-around drops). 12/7/.297 (hitting the wall, still can hit for average, but otherwise looks washed up). 7/7/.292 so far this year (again, hanging on, but barely above replacement level). Basically, the guy is still just turning 28 this year, so there’s a very real possibility that he could show up with guns blazing one year and put up another 25/15/.300 season. His GB rate is slightly less than it was his sophomore year and his LD rate is higher, but his 2Bs have almost vanished (averaged 45 per season for the last 4 years, on pace for 22 this year), his FB rate is 5% lower than it was in 2007, his HR/FB rate is almost half what it was then, and his BB rate is almost half what it was as recently as last year. At this point, I would consider him bench material at best in all but deep leagues, but he’s worth keeping an eye on just in case his old self suddenly shows up. I don’t know how he did it, but he packed a 20 year hitting career arc into 5 years.

Albert Pujols – Expect this injury recovery to be brought up again in the future whenever people look for proof that he was on steroids.

What a frustrating night for pitching. Liriano, 0 ER, L. Hand, 1 ER, L. Moscoso, 2 ER, L. Hudson, 1 ER, ND. Marcum, 0 ER, ND. Ubaldo, 2ER, L. Sanchez, 2 ER, L. This is the price you pay for investing in starting pitching on teams that have no offense, like the Rockies, DBacks, and Brewers. Ridiculous.

Carlos Carrasco – Two days in a row, the first bullet is about an Indians pitcher? Blasphemy. Amazingly enough, I’m recommending against picking them up both times. Yes, he had a fantastic outing tonight, but it was against the Junior Twins. He’s given up 4+ ER in 3 of his last 6 outings, but those 3 were against the Rangers, Reds, and Rays, so you gotta keep that in perspective. Carrasco could be decent if you don’t mind him not being dependable at all. If you’re looking for that type of thing, though, you probably want to avoid him for now.

Jacoby Ellsbury – Hit his 7^th HR today. Here’s what I said in April, “If you’re deep in speed and someone thinks this is Ellbury’s breakout into becoming more of a power hitter and wants to trade like he’s gonna go 20/50, you exploit that now.” It still applies.

J. J. Hardy – Oh look, another HR. This feels familiar.

Luke Scott – First home run since May 3^rd. He hit 9 HRs in August 2010, 7 HRs in May 2010, and 8 HRs in May 2009. When he gets hot, he hits a lot. If he hits a second one in the next 3 days, I’d pick him up just in case.

Dee Gordon – Called up to replace Broken Furcal. He’s silly fast (148 SBs in his last 316 games in the minors), so he appropriately stole a base in his debut. With Ethier (.324 BA) and Kemp (.320 BA) hitting behind him, he could provide some serious SB/Run help if he can get on base regularly (only 6% BB rate in the minors), so if you’ve been holding out hope that Chone Figgins would turn it around in your MI spot or that Hanley would decide he wanted to play baseball more than go on the DL, I’d take the leap.

Jonny Gomes – Remember when he was finally having his breakout and setting the world on fire? Well, he’s got a 2-game hitting streak going, which is something for a guy hitting .197 on the year. He’s not gonna hit 35 HRs, but if he starts to get hot again, he’s a worthwhile short-term investment.

Rick Porcello – He’s channeling 2009 again. He’s given up 2 or less ER in 9 of his last 10 outings, so you basically have to use him, but he’s also only got 15 Ks in his last 35 IP. His GB rate is actually down almost 10% compared to 2009, so don’t expect the extremely low recent ERA to continue, but his xFIP of 3.92 is certainly maintainable.

Eric Hosmer – I’m surprised his ownership numbers aren’t higher (56% in Y!) since he was a hyped prospect. He’s hitting over .300 and on pace for 15-20 HRs on the season. Not bad for a 21 year-old.

Angel Pagan – Hits in 10 of 11 games he’s played since he came off the DL. Okay, I promise to stop talking about him for a couple days.

Phil Humber – What a story! Career minor leaguer who’s never posted an ERA under 4.27 at the AAA level suddenly has a sub-3 ERA in 75 IP. That totally doesn’t sound like he’s due for a correction, does it? Yeah, 5.05 K/9 with a .224 BABIP and 5.6% HR/FB says, “Sell high!”

Alex Cobb – Posted a 5-0 record at AAA this year with a 9.51 K/9 before getting called up. He’s had control issues so far in the majors, but perhaps his fine outing against the Angels can be the start of something nice. If he posts another solid outing, I’d take a flyer on him for the summer.

In his last 7 outings, Lil’ Franky has thrown 5.1 innings and has recorded 2 blown saves, 3 losses, 7 ER, 14 hits, 2 BBs, and 5 Ks. For general purposes, it’s a safe bet that you want your pitchers to have more Ks than earned runs. If you need saves, I’d say investing in Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel (in that order) wouldn’t be a bad move if they’re available. Don’t be shocked if the carousel includes Jason Frasor and Casey Janssen in the rotation.

Josh Tomlin – Did you know he’s tied for the AL lead in wins? Did you know people thought he was for real? Going into tonight, he possessed a .213 BABIP with a strand rate of almost 80%. Yeah, that’s correction material there. Now, allow me to feel vindicated by his 6 IP/6 ER performance tonight against the Junior Twins.

J.J. Hardy – Hits in 8 of his last 11 games along with 2 HRs. He could hit 15 HRs or so on the season, and he’s only owned in 15% of Yahoo leagues. Compare this to Theriot’s 31%. Miguel Tejada is owned in 19% of leagues. Seriously, did 85% of owners just give up on shortstop? What the hell?

Matt Garza – Hopefully, if you have him, you were smart enough not to start him against the Reds. That would have been dumb. However, I still think he’s going to see some serious correction in a positive way. Hang on to him/acquire him if you can. Just don’t start him against the Reds. Again, that would be dumb.

Logan Morrison – I just saw him get dropped in a 12-teamer yesterday. Did I miss where 12-teamers don’t have a use for guys hitting .300 while on pace for 20-25 HRs?

Colby Lewis – Ouch. And to get roughed up by the Kittens, too. Note that the Kittens have actually been hitting well over the last 10 days or so, but still, this one had to hurt.

John Danks – His first win of the season was almost enough to land him in the intro, but it was still against Seattle. For the record, while he is due for a correction to some extent in a positive way (4.20 xFIP), it’s still not that great. He really just hasn’t been pitching all that well. Gotta say, I’m not on board with hoping for much more from him at this point.

Matt Joyce – Hate to say it, but you need to move this guy. He’s at 88% ownership in Yahoo leagues, and while his power is probably for real, his .340 BA is not, and he won’t be worth much more than he is at the moment. There are plenty of underperforming studs so far this year, so shoot high.

Clayton Richard – Yes, he’s 2-7, but you should still be using him at home. Sure, he probably won’t get the win because he’s got a high school offense behind him, but his ERA and WHIP are still worth it. Hell, he even had 8 Ks tonight as a bonus.

Michael Morse – Did you know Morse is only owned in 54% of Yahoo leagues? He’s also on pace for 25-30 HRs and is hitting .300. Yeah, really.

That’s 4 HRs in 2 days! Huff is back! Well, maybe he is. I’ll admit that I was not a believer that he could repeat last year again this year before the season, but his numbers aren’t as terrible as they appear at first glance. We’ll ignore that 50% of his HRs on the season came in the last 2 days and instead focus on some of the other numbers. The .247 BABIP, for example. That’s 50-60 points below his career average, so expect his BA to come up a fair amount. His HR/FB rate going into tonight was about 5% below average as well, so we can expect that he won’t just hit 12 HRs this season. Take these things into account, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Huff could still go 25/.270. Granted, that’s not exactly ideal, but it’s better than 2009’s 15/.241, and it’s better than a whole lot of other deep league options. If someone’s looking to move him for a sack of Battlestar Galactibeets, I’d take the risk.

Matt LaPorta – Remember when Matt LaPorta was hyped all over the place after he was traded as the key prospect that Cleveland received in exchange for C.C.? Yeah, those were the days. Coming into 2011, he had hit 19 HRs at a major league level in approximately 550 ABs and pulled a smooth .230-ish batting average in his big league time. Labeled a Quad-A all-star and dismissed by the fantasy community, LaPorta became a bit of a hot sleeper prediction this spring. He was finally going to break out and show everyone why he had been so hyped. Well, so far, he’s been meh. He hit his 8^th HR tonight and is batting .255 on the season, so he’s pretty much matched what his entire major league resume has been to this point. While a 24/.250 pace from your 1B may not be ideal, having that as a base with a bonus side of LaPorta’s potential could be worse. If you’re suffering through Dunnslump ’11, you might want to try grabbing a glass of Port and letting that calm your nerves for a little while.

Kansas City Royals – Oh, for it to just stay April forever. They’re now 6 games under .500 as their pitching staff realizes there’s more wrong with them than just an anxiety disorder. There’s still some life in the offense though, with Francoeur, AGord (it’ll catch on), Hosmer, Melky, BBut (less likely to catch on), and Betemit all still having viable seasons. Don’t get me wrong, they’re coming back down to Earth as well, but they’ve got enough pop as a group to remain useful. Now if someone’ll wake up Alcides and let him know that he’s really fast but apparently a terrible hitter, that would be swell. I think I still have him in one submarine-deep league. I may drop him for a pigeon though.

Matt Joyce, Danny Espinosa, and Angel Pagan – Think déjà vu. Then pick them the hell up!

Matt Holliday, Jason Kubel, Alfonso Soriano – To the disabled list with thee! Honestly, I won’t mention injuries all that often because every online fantasy baseball game out there gives a little note/DL logo/bright red flag when guys are on the DL. If you’re reading this blog, I’m assuming you are using one of these online fantasy baseball games. If you’re still doing it by pen and paper, well by gosh, you’re old. Congratulations, consider yourself informed.

Honestly, today wasn’t all that surprising for recap purposes. No real news and it’s the 1^st of June, so let’s play a game based on Yahoo ownership levels. Write your answers down, I’ll give them all at the end!

Let’s start with a look at how much you invested in outfield speed this year. Can you guess who each of these players are?

A)     6 HRs/19 SBs/.292 BA/95% owned.

B)      1 HR/22 SBs/.273 BA/82% owned.

C)      4 HRs/7 SBs/.234 BA/98% owned.

D)     1 HR/15 SBs/.275 BA/53% owned.

E)      2 HRs/17 SBs/.272 BA/55% owned.

And then we go for closers!

A)     19 SVs/27 Ks/3.00 ERA

B)      16 SVs/20 Ks/1.88 ERA

C)      15 SVs/17 Ks/4.87 ERA

D)     13 SVs/17 Ks/2.11 ERA

E)      10 SVs/32 Ks/3.33 ERA

So, what’s the point of exercises like this? It’s to help reinforce the point that you should never, ever, ever pay for saves or speed. They’re cheap. They come and go. Oftentimes, they’re also still available in your league. Oh, and the answers are…

1A) Jacoby Ellsbury

1B) Michael Bourn

1C) Carl Crawford (1^st round bonus!)

1D) Rajai Davis

1E) Coco Crisp

and

2A) Leo Nunez

2B) J.J. Putz

2C) Brandon League

2D) Mariano Rivera

2E) Carlos Marmol

Class dismissed!