LestersLegends.com

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No, I didn’t misspell Cole Hamels name. Although if you only looked at their numbers, it would be hard to tell them apart. Cole is 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 26-1/3 innings. Baltimore’s Jason Hammel is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 25 Ks in 26 innings.
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Not bad for a 29-year old journeyman with a career ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.45. He got off on the right foot holding the Twins to one run on two hits over eight innings in his season debut. The Twins struggled out of the gate, but he has since quieted the Blue Jays bats twice. He also held the White Sox to two runs over six innings.
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Jason has yet to allow more than two runs or six hits in a game this year. He has walked eight batters, but his .194 BAA and 85.4 percent strand rate has kept the big innings away.
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Hammel is owned in less than a third of fantasy leagues. He has extra value in Yahoo! leagues because you can plug him in the RP slot. If you punted saves or injuries depleted your bullpen, you can stock up on wins and strikeouts by using starters with RP eligibility in those slots.
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He is slated to make two starts next week, but I would hold out on adding him. He will first take on the Yankees in the Bronx and follow that up with a trip to Fenway. If he can escape from those two starts unscathed, the bandwagon will fill up quick.
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If you go by the numbers, he is in for a regression. His K/9 of 8.65 is significantly up from his 6.33 career mark. Same with the strand rate (career 68.7 percent) and ground ball rate (61.8 vs. 45.5 percent). His HR/FB rate is significantly down (6.3 vs. 10.5 percent), and some of that could be escaping Coors Field, but his BABIP is also down big (.254 vs. .313).
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I would not add Hammel right now, but I would definitely monitor him.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Strategy
• Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ Paying Dividends
• Is Todd Helton Done?
• Is Denard Span Back?
• Should You Bail on Adam Wainwright?

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Over the past Matt Wieters has been on a roller coaster ride. He came into the league with huge expectations and lived up to the early hype by hitting .288 as a rookie with nine home runs in 96 games. He was labeled Mauer with Power and it showed.
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Then he struggled in 2010, hitting .249 with just two more home runs despite playing in 34 more games and taking 117 more at bats. Many expected a major jump into the elite category and he missed the mark big time.
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Last year kind of flew under the radar for Wieters, but he finally showed the power that he’s capable of, hitting 22 home runs. He didn’t quite bring the Mauer part of the equation hitting .262, but he did show some promise elsewhere.
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For starters, he scored 72 runs, which is exactly what he scored in his first two seasons combined. Baltimore’s offense improved last year and Wieters benefited. He also cut his strikeout rate down for the second straight year. It went from 22.3 percent as a rookie to 18.7 percent as a second-year player to 15.2 percent.
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Wieters BABIP also dropped for the second straight year from .356 to .287 to .276. If he can improve to .290 or so, his average could climb to a respectable level.
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Wieters has a Mock Draft Central ADP of 94, which puts him in the eight round of 12-team drafts. He’s the sixth catcher to come off the board. He certainly has the ability to be a top five player at the position and top three in AL-Only leagues.
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Wieters will turn 26 during the season, an age where a lot of hitters have taken the next step. I wouldn’t bet against Wieters doing the same.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Closer Options
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
• AL-Only Fantasy Baseball Rankings
• NL-Only Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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J.J. Hardy is hitting .310 in August with eight runs, five home runs, and 13 RBI in just ten games. He had been hitting .394 before a recent nine at bat hitless streak.
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Hardy’s average on the year is nothing special at .270. His run total (51) and RBI total (58) aren’t going to overwhelm anybody. He has yet to steal a base on the year, which is not ideal for a middle infielder. What he’s lacking in the speed department he’s more than making up for in the power department.
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After just two home runs through the end of May, Hardy has exploded for 21 home runs since the start of June. He hit nine in June, seven in July, and has five midway through August. The power alone makes him one of the top fantasy shortstops in the league.
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His problem remains inconsistency. Hardy hit .239 in April and May, .362 in June, .195 in July, and now .310 to date for August. He had a similar trend on inconsistency last year, hitting .209 during even months and .319 in odd months. In 2009 he was just plain bad for the bulk of the year and in 2008 he started and finished weak with a torrid stretch from June through August. He doesn’t even have consistent career trends.
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Hardy is a player to ride while he’s hot. If his production starts to wane then you might go in another direction, but with the exception of Troy Tulowitzki and Asdrubal Cabrera, you’re not getting better power numbers out of the shortstop position.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 8
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Strikeout Kings Vol. 8
• Is Alejandro De Aza Worth Owning?
• Hiroki Kuroda: Proof That Wins Aren’t Everything
• Can Josh Willingham Finish Strong?

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Nick Markakis’ home run total decreased each year since 2007 (23, 20, 18, 12). He has four through sixty games, which puts him on pace for 11. He’s on pace for 68 runs and 51 RBI, which would also be career lows. His run totals have decreased each year since 2008 and his RBI total is on pace to decline for the third straight year.
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Markakis is no longer considered an elite fantasy outfielder. Right now, given the aforementioned decline in production and his .238 batting average, he is becoming hard to justify a roster spot. Yet, he is owned in 70 percent of fantasy leagues. When he was averaging a .300-99-20-100-11 line from 2007-2009 it was easy to give him the benefit of the doubt. Now he’s in his second season of mediocre play.
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I considered him a candidate to bounce back heading into the year, and things have gotten worse. Is it time to write Nick Markakis off or can he turn his season around?
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There is certainly room for batting average improvement. Not only because his .238 is well below the .298 lifetime average he had entering the season, but because his BABIP of .252 is well below his mark in other years. His career low was .314 in his rookie season. Since then it’s been .331, .350, .317, and .331. Baseball has a way of averaging itself out, so as his BABIP returns to form, his average should climb.
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He’s also a better second half hitter. His career mark before the All-Star Break is .284 and .305 after. The same goes for his OPS (.781, .859). He has seven more home runs in 470 fewer at bats. His sweet spot is June-August when he has hit .314. For some strange reason he only has five home runs in 134 June games, but August is his top month with 24. Even in his down 2010 season he finished strong hitting .344 with 21 runs, 4 HRs, and 15 RBI in his final 122 ABs.
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A return to the pre-2010 level seems like a long shot, but I still think he can help fantasy teams. If he’s available on your waiver wire, he’s worth a look. He’s also worth a trade attempt. You should be able to get him at a discount.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Run Scorers Vol. 5
• The Stream Team
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 5
• Where’s the Love for Miguel Olivo?
• Should Justin Masterson Owners Be Nervous?

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Nick Markakis averaged 99 runs, 20.3 HRs, 100 RBI, and 11.3 SBs while hitting .299 from 2007-2009. He didn’t excel in any one category, outside of the 112 RBI in 2007, but he was a solid contributor across the board.
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Then last year happened. The only area in which Markakis looked like himself was his batting average of .297. He scored just 79 runs. He hit just 12 HRs. Those dips were bad, but his 60 RBI was perhaps the worst of the bunch.
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Those look more like middle infielder numbers than what an all-round top 20 outfielder should produce. He ranked fourth on the team in RBI, behind Ty Wiggington, Luke Scott, and Adam Jones, all of which had fewer at bats than Markakis. Wiggington and Jones has 48 fewer ABs, while Scott had a whopping 182 fewer.

Today a trio of fantasy notables landed on the DL to go along with Brian Roberts and Aaron Hill, who recently found themselves there. Those notables are Phillies’ shortstop Jimmy Rollins and closers Brian Fuentes (Angels) and Mike Gonzalez (Orioles).

Fernando Rodney should keep the spot warm for Fuentes whiel Jim Johnson will hold down the fort for the O’s. Go ahead and grab those guys if they are available.

Replacing J-Roll will be a tall order.  Alex Gonzalez (Blue Jays), Edgar Renteria (Giants), Cliff Pennington (A’s), Juan Uribe (Giants), and Ronny Cedeno (Pirates) are off to solid starts and could soften the blow.

Uribe and Cedeno can also be used at 2B for Roberts or Hill, along with Kelly Johnson (Diamondbacks), Aki Iwamura (Pirates), Casey McGehee (Brewers), Joaquin Arias (Rangers — while Kinsler is out),  Clint Barmes (Rockies), and Scott Sizemore (Tigers).

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Adam Jones had it going on last year. He was hitting .303 with 55 runs, 12 HRs, 47 RBIs, and 6 SBs before the All-Star Break. He started off red hot hitting .344 with 40 runs, 11 HRs, and 36 RBIs in the season’s first two months. Jones struggled in June hitting a dismal .229 with 10 runs, 1 HR, and 8 RBIs, but rebounded with a .270, 15 run, 5 HR, 15 RBI July. He sunk to .211 in August, but managed 18 runs and 11 RBIs. Then Jones shut it down in September with an ankle injury.

Talk about a tale of two seasons. When you look at the aggregate you see a player who improved dramatically in 2009.

2008:  477 ABs, .270, 61 runs, 9 HRs, 57 RBIs, 10 SBs, .711 OPS
2009:  473 ABs, .277, 83 runs, 19 HRs, 70 RBIs, 10 SBs, .792 OPS

He’s still a very young hitter, he’ll turn 25 in August, with plenty of room for growth. He showed a knack for scoring runs even when he struggle with his average. With Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold, Garrett Atkins, Luke Scott, and Miguel Tejada hitting behind him, he should be in line for 100 runs. He showed some pop in that bat, and if he’s able to give the Orioles 500+ ABs, he should continue to improve on the power numbers.

He doesn’t excel in any particular category so I would prefer him as a him as a number three fantasy outfielders, but I would be OK with him as my number two. He should be a top 25 fantasy OF in 2010.

Prediction:  .285, 100 runs, 24 HRs, 82 RBIs, 12 SBs

Past profiles:
Arizona Diamondbacks:  Brandon Webb
Atlanta Braves: Yunel Escobar