Jeter continuing his hot start against the Royals
It has been a little over a month of baseball and there has been some major developments with players and teams all over the MLB. If you haven’t already adjusted your fantasy baseball roster, now is the time to do it. There are players that are producing some impressive numbers early in the season and its time to get your lineup ready for upcoming fantasy sports games.
AL Batting
Derek Jeter- In all of 2011 Jeter had six home runs. So far in 2012 he has five. Jeter is on fire and is in 3rd in the majors in batting average with a .397. Jeter is 4th in the AL in Runs (20), 9th in AL in Slugging (.605) and 4th in AL in OPS (1.044) Bottom line Jeter is going to get on base and is batting .474 in May. His upcoming series with the Rays shouldn’t hamper his stats and is a must start.
Josh Hamilton- On Tuesday Josh Hamilton joined a select few MLB players to hit four home runs in a single game. Hamilton is hitting anything he sees with power and the numbers back it up. Hamilton is leading the American League in three major categories, Batting Average (.406), Home Runs (14) and RBI’s (36). If there is an early favorite for the Triple Crown there is no doubt that its Josh Hamilton.
Edwin Encarnacion- Designated Hitter Edwin Encarnacion has gotten off to a great start this season. If you’re looking for a player who is going to give you power and RBI’s Encarnacion is a great choice. He is currently 2nd in AL home runs (10) and 2nd in RBI’s (26). Tomorrow Edwin faces off against Jason Marquis of the Minnesota Twins. Encarnacion is 8 for 16 (.500), 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s
AL Pitching
Yu Darvish- Darvish is showing why the Rangers spent the big bucks to sign the prodigy from Japan. Darvish is putting together an impressive rookie season and is 4-1 in six games with a 2.54 ERA. Darvish’s numbers are more impressive when you break down his starts against some potent offenses. Against the New York Yankees Darvish pitched eight shut out inning and recorded 10 strikeouts. The Detroit Tigers had little success, Darvish only allowed 1 earned run and 2 hits.
Smyly pitching against the Yankees in the Bronx
Drew Smyly- Smyly is another rookie from the Detroit Tigers to keep an eye on. Smyly has an ERA of 1.61 over five starts. In his five starts he has only given up 3 home runs but has 29 strikeouts. Don’t let Smyly’s record (1-0) scare you. He is bound to rack up more wins if he continues to dominate the way he has been early in the season. Against the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers COMBINED he has gone 6 innings each game, given up 7 hits and 2 earned runs.
NL Batting
Matt Kemp- Hands down the best hitter in the NL so far, 1st in home runs (12), 1st in batting average (.404) and 2nd in RBI’s (27). Kemp is doing well in Los Angeles with a .479 average at Dodger Stadium. Kemp will be home against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. He will be facing Jamie Moyer and he is 3 for 7 (.429) with 1 Home Run and 3 RBI’s. Kemp is a five-tool player and will be a solid start year round in fantasy baseball.
LaHair conecting with a home run at Wrigly Field
Bryan LaHair- LaHair is a second year player that is having a great start to the season for the Chicago Cubs. Currently he is 2nd in batting average in the NL (.384) behind Matt Kemp. He is also in 5th place in the NL in home runs with 8. LaHair looks to be a solid 1st baseman that will be consistent with batting average and multiple hit games. LaHair is responsible for seven of the 11 homeruns on the Cubs season. LaHair has reached base in 20 strait games.
Jose Altuve- Altuve is a 2nd baseman from the Houston Astros, he may be a fantasy baseball sleeper but he is certainly making strides to become a force in the MLB. Altuve has the 5th best batting average in the NL and is racking up a lot of hits. Altuve has 36 hits in 25 games. Altuve is in some good company because the only other player to have 36 hits in 25 games was Craig Biggio. Altuve has had multiple hit games this year as well as a 4-for-5 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Altuve will also give you stolen bases as well and currently has five on the season.
NL Pitching
Ryan Dempster- Dempster is leading starting pitchers with the lowest ERA of a ridiculous 1.02. While this number is bound to go up, Dempster is averaging a little over a strikeout per inning pitched. This year Dempster has had 35 innings pitched and 36 strikeouts. The Chicago Cubs have not given Dempster the run support he has needed to secure wins but if your looking for a pitcher who will go deep into games, give you strikeouts and a low ERA, Depster is your guy. Dempser has given up four earned runs in his last five games and the most earned runs he has given up in a single game is two.
Joe Saunders- Saunders is an underrated pitcher out of Arizona that could be a steal in your fantasy league. Saunders currently has a 2.50 ERA due in part to a terrible outing on Monday. Before Monday, Saunders was posting some gaudy numbers. After his game at Washington, Saunders had a 1.24 ERA, 24 Strikeouts in five starts and a complete game shut out of the Miami Marlins where he allowed only three hits.
