The Cincinnati Reds are struggling. At 50-69, the Reds are in fourth place in the National League Central division and own the third-worst record in the NL overall.
That'll happen when your exciting young starters -- Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez and Micah Owings -- are all injured, another phenom, Johnny Cueto, is having trouble getting anyone out and your best pitcher record-wise is 2-0 Justin Lehr, who was last seen on a major league mound as a reliever in 2007.
Who are we forgetting?
Oh yeah, that's right. We forgot about the two guys who were supposed to be the most consistent Fantasy options for the Reds this season and have been so for years now.
Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are healthy and are the Reds' No. 1 and 2 starters. They are Cincy's best Fantasy options on the mound currently. Harang won 16 games in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007 and Arroyo picked up 15 wins last year.
Unfortunately, this season, the duo have combined to go 17-25 and have a collective ERA of around 4.50. Needless to say, consistent victories have been hard to come by.
But that doesn't necessarily mean it is time to cut bait. On the contrary, Harang, who is just 12-31 over his last two seasons, and Arroyo remain mixed-league Fantasy options.
How, you ask? The letter 'K.'
Arroyo (11-11) has 85 strikeouts this season over 153 2/3 innings. That is not a fantastic ratio, but he's picked things up of late and has always been recognized as a solid strikeout pitcher. He mowed down 163 in 200 innings last season. Incredibly, Arroyo has been the 35th best Fantasy starter over the past 21 days and is the only player in that grouping with two losses over that span.
The 32-year-old right-hander is coming off the best start of his season as he pitched a complete game shutout two-hitter against the Washington Nationals last Thursday. Owned in 65 percent of leagues, Arroyo could be saving his best for last this year.
Harang has been even worse, record-wise. At 6-14, he has two more losses than any other starter in baseball and his 4.35 ERA isn't much better. That said, he is still ranked 60th in Fantasy points among starters. He's won just once since the beginning of June and still he remains ranked among guys worth starting in all mixed leagues. With 117 strikeouts over 123 1/3 innings dating back to May, he remains worth having on all Fantasy rosters and worth starting more often than not simply because of his ability to send hitters back to the dugout shaking their heads.
In Fantasy, wins and losses aren't always the best sign of Fantasy value and no two players exemplify that notion more than the Reds' top-of-the-rotation guys. Keep sending 'em out there and don't worry so much that Cincinnati won't win them very many contests.
Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul
Rajai Davis, OF, Oakland
Owned: 43 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Trivia question: Who has been the best
Fantasy outfielder over the past three weeks? If you said Ryan J. Braun, Matt Holliday or Carl Crawford you are close. They are in the top 5. However, the No.
1 overall Fantasy outfielder over that span of games is the A's
slap-hitting outfielder. Davis stole 25 bases in 196 at-bats last season
for the A's, his first season in the majors with over 100 games played.
He hit .260 in limited action last year and was rewarded by spending
most of the first few months of 2009 on the bench. He didn't do much in
April and May with just 18 and 23 at-bats, respectively. Injuries gave
him a few more ABs in June and he hit at a .281 clip. In July, however,
Oakland began to realize they had an everyday center fielder on their
hands as the 28-year-old hit .405 and drove in 16 runs in 18 games. By
the beginning of August, Davis became a starter. So far he hasn't
disappointed as he's hit .355 over 62 at-bats this month. What he lacks
in power he more than makes up with stolen bases as he already has 10 in
August and 25 on the year to tie a career high. He's ranked as a top 5
Fantasy outfielder for over a month now and owners are finally beginning
to take notice. He should definitely be on most mixed-league Fantasy
rosters right now.
You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and his value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP
J.J. Hardy, SS, Milwaukee
Owned: 52 percent of
leagues
Analysis: As a 24-year-old hot-hitting shortstop in
2007, Hardy was a darling in Milwaukee and was sitting on top of the
world. He hit .277 with 26 homers and 80 RBI that year and made the
All-Star team. Life couldn't get any better. He hit 24 homers the next
year and batted .283 and the good feelings kept rolling. Here we are
less than one year later and Milwaukee has seemingly abandoned Hardy,
moving on instead to young slick-fielding top prospect Alcides Escobar. Hardy was sent to the minors. Of course, hitting .229
with 11 homers and 45 RBI and on pace for a career-high in strikeouts,
it isn't like the demotion wasn't warranted. Hardy should bounce back,
but it is getting harder and harder to believe that it will be with the
Brewers this season. More likely, he'll find a new home in the offseason
and hope to rebound in 2010. Hardy belongs on keeper league rosters for
sure but is no longer an everyday mixed-league Fantasy option,
especially while toiling away in the minors.
Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks
Carlos Marmol, RP, Chicago Cubs
Owned: 46 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Fans of the Chicago Cubs -- and Fantasy
owners with Kevin Gregg on their roster
-- have been watching this soap opera all season waiting for dramatic
plot twist. Monday night in San Diego, it happened. Chicago has stuck
with closer Gregg all season as Carlos Marmol,
the supposed closer of the future, waited in the wings as the setup man.
After allowing four runs in the 9th inning against the Padres, his 6th
blown save of the season, manager Lou Piniella finally made the switch.
Marmol hasn't been much better than Gregg this season and much of the
reason he's remained the setup guy is because every time an opportunity
arose for him to grab the 9th inning job, Marmol fell flat. He's 2-2 on
the year with a 3.51 ERA and four saves. Marmol gave up eight runs in 13
1/3 innings in June and walked 17 batters. Walks have been his issue all
season with 52 in 56 1/3 innings and a WHIP of 1.47. Granted, he's been
much better of late with an ERA under 3.00 over July and August thus
far, but he's still walked 14 in his last 20 innings. The job is
Marmol's to lose but we'd continue to monitor the situation because a
few poor performances will make Piniella go right back to the drawing
board.
Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar
Freddy An. Garcia, SP, Chicago White Sox
Owned: 3
percent of leagues
Analysis: With a career record of 118-77,
it is certainly worth mentioning that the White Sox have decided to
recall Garcia from the depths of the minor leagues. Garcia began the
season with the Mets' Triple-A team and was released in April because he
struggled. At 34 years of age, Chicago decided to take a chance on him
and signed him to a minor league deal in June. He's gone a combined 0-3
with a 6.35 ERA in various levels of the minors since joining Chicago's
organization but his latest outing, with Triple-A Charlotte, was solid
as he gave up two runs over six innings in defeat and struck out eight.
Apparently that was enough for manager Ozzie Guillen, who called him a
"warrior" and gave him the starting nod Tuesday, a less-than-inspiring
effort against the Royals. However, his career history alone makes him
at least worth monitoring for the contending White Sox down the stretch.
Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.
Dave Bush/Jeff Suppan, SP,
Milwaukee
Owned: 19/8 percent of leagues
Analysis:
The Brewers rotation has been banged up this season and the current
back-end is struggling big time as Manny Parra,
Carlos Villanueva and Mike Burns aren't exactly cutting it. The Brew Crew is soon to get a
boost, however, as Dave Bush (triceps)
and Jeff Suppan (oblique) are nearing
returns from the disabled list. Bush is expected to make two more rehab
starts, Tuesday for Class A Wisconsin and Saturday for Double-A
Huntsville. If all goes well, he'll return to the rotation for a start
on Aug. 27 against the Reds. Suppan struggled in his latest rehab outing
and will get another, Thursday for Triple-A Nashville, meaning he'd be
able to return for a start on Aug. 25 vs. Cincy. This season, Suppan is
5-8 with a 5.27 ERA and Bush is 3-4 with a 5.67 ERA so it isn't like
they were lights out before they left. Still, their return is worth
noting for Fantasy owners in NL-only and the deepest of mixed leagues.
They have sleeper potential down the stretch.
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