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Pittsburgh’s James McDonald has had moments where he was a viable fantasy baseball pitching option, but with just 20 career wins he’s not high on my radars.
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This year he has been outstanding, holding the opposition to three or fewer runs in all six of his starts en route to a 2-1 record with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 36-2/3 innings. He has really dialed things up in the strikeout department, racking up 25 in his past three starts.
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Last year McDonald was 1-2 in both April and September with 7.66 and 4.95 ERAs respectively. In those middle months though, James was outstanding posting a 7-5 record with a 3.42 ERA.
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Part of the reason for McDonald’s success this year has been his effectiveness on the road. Last year he posted a 3.19 home ERA and a 5.42 mark on the road. This year, he’s still been much better at home (1.86 ERA), but he has been just as impressive fixing his road ERA (3.63).
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McDonald has been particularly effective against right-handed hitting this year, allowing the opposition to hit just .169 with a .524 OPS. He’s been tough on lefties too though. They are hitting just .250 with a .606 OPS.
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McDonald is owned in a little over ten percent of fantasy leagues. Not a lot of love for a pitcher that’s having his success. Sure, he’s on the Pirates so wins could be hard to come by, but his early success is hard to ignore, especially in streamer circumstances.
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Speaking of which, his next start is Friday against the Astros in Houston. That’s certainly a favorable match-up that you most likely don’t want to miss.
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Erik Bedard, who has been pitching in the big league since 2002, owns a 56-51 record in 166 starts with a rock solid 3.68 ERA. He also has 930 strikeouts in 958-1/3 career innings for a solid 8.7 K/9 ratio. Everything about Bedard except for his durability.
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From 2004-2007 he was a fairly durable pitcher, averaging 27.8 starts and 164.3 innings pitched per season.
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In the next four seasons he has managed just 54 starts (13.5 per season) and 293.3 innings pitched (73.3 per season), including a lost 2010 season.
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He is healthy now though, so that is the important thing. He made his Pirates (and National League) debut on Thursday and it couldn’t have gone much better, despite taking a 1-0 loss. There is no shame in losing a pitchers’ duel with Phillies’ ace Roy Halladay.
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Bedard gave up six hits and one walk over seven innings for a sparkling 1.00 WHIP. He gave up just one earned run for a dazzling 1.29 ERA. He only struck out four batters, but that isn’t grounds for complaints.
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Obviously with Bedard you have to worry about his health. His track record is too checkered not to have that concern. Then again, it’s not like your rotation hinges upon his left arm.
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Bedard is owned in just 44 percent of Yahoo! and 7.7 percent of ESPN leagues. He definitely has the abilty to be a quality starter for the Pirates and your fantasy team alike. Luckily, unlike the Pirates, you can easily move on if his injury problems return.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings
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• Can Max Scherzer Be Elite?
• Can Matt Wieters Continue to Improve?
• Can Chris Young Blow Up in 2012?

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Garrett Jones started off the season well hitting .265 with nine runs, five home runs, and seven RBI in April. Not rock star numbers, but they were solid considering where you drafted him.
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Then can his May crash. Jones hit .179 for the month with five runs and one home run. He did salvage a little value with ten RBI, but he wasn’t making his fantasy owners very happy.
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Through the first two months he combined to hit .222. One of his main issues was the number of times he was striking out. Jones struck out every 3.75 at bats (36 strikeouts in 135 at bats).
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His strikeouts dipped to once every 5.82 at bats in June (11 strikeout in 64 at bats) as his average rose to .297 for the month. Jones scored eight runs, hit a pair of home runs, and drove in 11 runs. We’d like to see a little more pop out of his bat, but at least he was back to meeting (or exceeding) expectations.
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He’s only had 20 at bats in July, but he has continued to hit well. He has just two strikeouts and is hitting .300 with four runs, a homer, and four RBI.
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Garrett trailed off in the second half last year, but was very productive in 2009 when he was called up in July. Frankly, the track record is not there to suggest whether or not he will finish the year strong. I would suggest continuing to play him while he is hot.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 6
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• Has Ricky Nolasco Turned the Corner?
• Should You Trust Colby Lewis?

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Andrew McCutchen is batting .235 this year, which hides the fact that he’s having a solid all-around year. McCutchen has scored 20 runs and knocked in 20 more. He’s not putting up elite power or speed numbers, but his seven home runs and five stolen bases are solid. He’s on pace for 81 runs, 28 HRs, 81 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
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After a .286-94-16- 56-33 season and a .286-74-12-54-22 debut most were expecting greater things from Andrew.
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There are some encouraging signs though. After a dreadful April that yielded a meager .219 batting average, McCutchen is batting .264 in the first half of May. He’s too good of a hitter to continue to produce such a low average, especially given his speed.
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Speaking of his speed, it’s a mystery how his BABIP can be just .250. Aside from a “down year” of .296 in 2007 for Double-A Altoona, he has always been .311 or greater. If his luck can improve  even twenty points, that would make his batting average at least palatable.
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McCutchen is hitting just .219 against left-handed pitching. He hit .324 against lefties last year and .310 as a rookie. Clearly there is room for improvement there as well, which would also help his average climb. After his slow start, I’m not sure he can reach the .286 mark he set in his first two years, but he should make a run at it.
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McCutchen owners won’t necessarily be thrilled to deal away their early draft pick, but they will be more apt to do so than if he started off the year raking. His suspension for not running out a ball last week could also play a role if his owner is nervous that it might happen again.
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Don’t give away the farm for him, but if you really want McCutchen on your team, now may be the best time to get him.
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Kevin Correia has got out of the gates quickly winning five of his seven decisions while posting a 2.91 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.
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He has given up two or fewer earned runs in five of his seven starts. He had a solid season in 2009 going 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA in 198 innings for the Padres, but for the most part has been nowhere near a fantasy option. So at 30 has he finally arrived or will he come crashing down?
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There are some indications that it will be the latter. For starters, his WHIP is well off his career mark of 1.42. While it is possible to improve in that category, one that dramatic at his age seems unlikely for the course of the year.
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Correia’s BABIP is also significantly lower at .237. His career mark is .295, and in the past three years when he had 78 of his 112 career starts his BABIPs were .330, .294, and .302 respectively. The likelihood that his BABIP remains below .250 is low considering his history.
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Correia’s strand rate (70.5) is in tune with his history, but his K/9 is down significantly. Correia’s rates were 6.45 and 7.14 the past two years, but just 4.08 this year. If his K/9 rate continues to remain low, it could catch up with him.
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Another thing to be cautious of is the fast start Correia had last year. He was 4-1 in April with a 3.86 ERA before finishing 6-9 with a 5.77 ERA the rest of the way.
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The warning signs don’t mean you should avoid Correia. In fact, he makes a decent start tonight against a struggling Dodgers team. I’m just urging you to use caution with him.
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Most of the love for the Pittsburgh Pirates is reserved for Andrew McCutchen or Pedro Alvarez, but Jose Tabata has a chance to make fantasy owners very happy in 2011. Just like he did in his 102 game rookie debut for the Bucs.
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Tabata took a little while to get accustomed to big league pitching. He went 19 for 78 (.244) in June with eight runs, a home run, and four RBI. He did make his presence felt on the basepaths though, collecting five stolen bases. After that relatively slow start, Tabata took off.
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He went 34 for 102 (.333) in July with 19 runs, a HR, 11 RBI, and four SBs. He followed that stellar month going 37 for 109 (.339) in August with 18 runs, two HRs, 8 RBI, and five SBs. He kept rolling in September going 30 for 104 (.288) with 16 runs, 12 RBI, and five SBs. He only got one hit in 12 October at bats, which prevented him from a .300 season, but his final line of .299-61-4-35-19 was impressive. If you prorate those numbers to 162 games, you’re looking at a .299-97-6-55-30 season.
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While it’s unlikely that he plays all 162 games, it isn’t a stretch to think he can score 100 runs and swipe 30 bags. He’s likely to bat leadoff for the Pirates, and with Neil Walker, McCutchen, Alvarez, and Garrett Jones hitting behind him, the Pirates could actually score some runs this year.
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Tabata has certainly shown that he can can on base and be a terror once he’s on. In his 85 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, Tabata scored 63 runs and stole 29 bases. The bulk of those numbers coming last year, when he scored 42 runs with 25 SBs in 53 games before getting the call. He combined for 103 runs and 44 SBs between the Indianapolis Indians and the Pittsburgh Pirates last year.
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He has the potential to be an outstanding value pick this year in fantasy baseball drafts. His Mock Draft Central average draft position is 222, putting him in the 19th round. He’s the 50th rated outfielder. Every year there are great value speed picks at the end of the draft. Jose Tabata is one of them this year. Don’t shy away just because he’s a Pirate.
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What’s your take on Jose Tabata?
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
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• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings

Usually when I draft a closer I would hope he has topped 16 saves more than once in his career. If he doesn’t have a long track record as a closer, at least he’s the primary setup man. Strike two. Dotel has just two years of 30+ holds, and they date back to 2002 & 2003. If neither of those are the case, I hope he’s on a good team.  Foul tip. The Pirates are not good, but quality closers can come from bad teams. If those aren’t true, I hope he is full of potential. Strike three, you’re out. Dotel is 36 years old. You know who he is and what you’re going to get from him.

He struck out, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want him. Certainly not as a top 15 closer (Click to see Closer Rankings), but he’s a decent #2 and a solid #3.

Why you ask? Because of his strikeout potential. He’s been a beast the past two years with the White Sox with 167 strikeouts in 129.3 innings (11.6 K/9). That’s nothing new for Dotel. In fact, he has 940 strikeouts in 770.3 career innings (11.0 K/9).

While I don’t expect a gaudy save total from Dotel given the circumstances, but he should have a fair share with a decent ERA and WHIP. His biggest plus will be those strikeouts. That and the value he’ll come with as he goes in the latter stages of your fantasy draft.

Prediction:  27 saves, 3.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 85 Ks

Past profiles:
Arizona Diamondbacks:  Brandon Webb
Atlanta Braves: Yunel Escobar
Baltimore Orioles:  Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox:  Clay Buchholz
Chicago Cubs:  Geovany Soto
Chicago White Sox:  Jake Peavy
Cincinnati Reds:  Joey Votto
Cleveland Indians:  Grady Sizemore
Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera
Florida Marlins: Cameron Maybin
Houston Astros: Lance Berkman
Kansas City Royals: Billy Butler
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Howie Kendrick
Los Angeles Dodgers: James Loney
Milwaukee Brewers: Corey Hart
Minnesota Twins: Joe Nathan
New York Mets: Jason Bay
New York Yankees: Robinson Cano
Oakland A’s: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins