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San Diego Padres pitcher Anthony Bass is 1-2 on the season, but he has been nothing short of outstanding. He has pitched in six games, starting four and has a sparkling 2.30 ERA and a microscopic 1.02 WHIP. He has racked up 27 strikeouts in 27-1/3 innings.
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Over is past three starts he’s been particularly nasty, striking out 22 batters in 19 innings of work. In his past two starts he’s allowed two earned runs over 14 innings (1.29 ERA). After walking three batters on April 17th and five more on April 22nd, he did not issue a free pass in his most recent start. Improving his control will be a key to continued success.
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His early success should not come as a surprise. The 24-year old was solid in 48-1/3 innings of work last year, posting a 1.68 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
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He was extremely effective at PETCO last year with a 1.04 ERA in 17-1/3 innings, though he got the job done on the road as well (2.03). This year he has had a little more trouble on the road (3.46 ERA), but he’s still been solid. He has been downright dominant at home once again (1.26 ERA).
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Bass is owned in only about ten percent of fantasy leagues. He has both starting pitcher and relief pitcher eligibility, which gives him added flexibility. If you are looking to rack up strikeouts he’s a nice option to plug into your RP slot.
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Wins could be hard to come by because the Padres just aren’t very good, but pitching in PETCO should make for nice peripherals. He is a quality streaming option and if he continues to pitch well will make a nice permanent member of your rotation.
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Cameron Maybin is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak that has allowed his average to climb twenty points from .259 to .279. His boost in average has been aided by his five multi-hit games during the stretch. Maybin has scored in all but one game (ten runs over all) during the stretch, which accounts for over 20 percent of his runs scored on the season.
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Maybin hasn’t been contributing in the power department as he only has one home run and six RBI over the hot streak, but his owners have been more interested in his .405 average and his nine stolen bases. He has swiped a bag in all but two games during the streak, and those nine account for over 40 percent of his season total.
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He obviously can’t keep this type of tear up, but can he continue to provide for fantasy owners?
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Maybin’s success hasn’t been limited to those nine games. He had mixed results in April hitting .239, but picking up six stolen bases. From there his average grew to .263 for May. He only stole one base though. In June he really started to put it together batting .288 for the month with four stolen bases. It was his third straight month with double-digits runs scored, but he was far from a must-start for fantasy baseball owners.
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Then came July.
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Maybin is hitting .324 for the month with 13 runs, six RBI, and nine stolen bases. Now that he’s contributing in three categories, especially a vital category like stolen bases, it’s hard not to have him in your fantasy lineup.
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His hot streak won’t last forever, but you owe it to yourself to keep using him while he’s red hot.
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Also check out:

• Week 17 Two-Start Pitchers
• Can Mat Latos Dominate Again This Year?
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• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 7

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Mat Latos has been good since starting 0-4 with a 4.98 ERA in April. He just hasn’t been great. Since that rocky first month of the year he’s 5-6 with a 3.78 ERA. He was solid in May picking up his most wins (3), but his ERA (3.38) wasn’t special. June (4.82 ERA) was a step above April only because he managed to pick up a couple of wins. July has been his best month for ERA (3.10), but he’s winless in two decisions.
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This is a guy that went 14-10 last year with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Obviously those numbers would be hard to replicate because they were so good, but can he be dominant again?
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I think it’s going to be tough. In Latos’ 18 starts he has just two starts that he pitched at least six innings and allowed one run. He’s had just five in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs. He has yet to have a scoreless start. In order to be truly dominant you need to be able to shut down your opponent at a much higher rate.
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Last year Latos’ best months were between May and August. His high monthly ERA during that span was 2.37. He was nearly unhittable. Then came September. He was downright rotten that month going 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA. In his cup of coffee in 2009 Latos struggled in August/September posting a 2-4 record with a 5.56 ERA.  Not exactly the trend you’re looking for from a pitcher as you head down the home stretch.
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Latos hasn’t been as lucky this year. After posting a .273  BABIP last year he is at .309 this year. He’s been better this month (.267), but Latos strikeouts are down(9.2 K/9 to 8.2 K/9), his walks are up (2.4 (BB/9 to 3.3 BB/9), and his strand rate is down (77.4% to 68.7%).
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Even if Latos can avoid the fall slump, his offense just isn’t potent enough to count on for wins. Latos has been able to avoid the disaster game this year so he’s still a must-start. He just won’t be reminding his fantasy owners of 2010 for the most part.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Run Scorers Vol. 7
• Is Cory Luebke For Real?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 7
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• Can Chris Capuano Keep Rolling?

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Cory Luebke couldn’t have asked for a much better run in his four starts since joining the Padres’ rotation. He’s 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA, a 0.67 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 24 innings. Considering how well he pitched as a reliever, his success isn’t all that surprising.
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In 39  innings over 29 relief appearances Luebke was 1-2 with a 3.23 ERA, a 1.00 ERA, and 43 strikeouts.
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Luebke has been better this year as a starter. In a brief taste last year (three starts), Luebke allowed eight runs over 15-2/3 innings (4.60 ERA). He’s living up to the potential that made him the 63rd overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft following his 9-1, 2.07 ERA season for Ohio State.
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Luebke had his ups and downs in the minors before putting it all together last year. He went 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA for Double-A San Antonio to start the year. He was not intimidated by the jump to Triple-A as he went 5-0 with a 2.97 ERA for the Portland Beavers.
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What is surprising is his strikeouts per nine innings ratio. After striking out 7.54 K/9 in the minors, he has improved to 9.71 in his 80-2/3 big league innings.
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Luebke is likely to regress some in the  second half, simply because he set the bar so high in his four starts. His BABIP of .231 won’t likely hold. It’s been even better (.185) as a starter. That said, Luebke has been even better on the road (1-2, 1.82 ERA) that at home (2-1, 3.24 ERA) despite pitching in pitcher-friendly PETCO Park.
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If you are hurting at pitcher, Luebke has the goods to help your rotation. If he’s available in your league, why not give him a try?
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 7
• Does Mark Buehrle Have Fantasy Value?
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• Can You Rely On Alcides Escobar?
• Can Danny Valencia Finish Strong?

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Tim Stauffer wasn’t on the minds of most fantasy league owners despite going 3-2 with a 2.10 in six starts last year to close out the season.
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Even with some decent numbers this year (1-3, 3.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 51 Ks in 61 innings) he is owned in only about a third of fantasy leagues.
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Stauffer has allowed two of fewer runs in seven of his 11 starts, with another start in which he allowed three runs in six innings for a quality start. Stauffer has seven quality starts in all.
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While he is not going to make any Padres fans forget about Jake Peavy, he does have some room to be more than a streaming option.
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Stauffer has one of the highest BABIPs in the league at .328. The past two years his mark has been .263 and .292 respectively. If he can improve his luck his WHIP could improve as well.
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He also hasn’t pitched well at PETCO Park, a notorious pitcher’s park. His home ERA (3.58) is only slightly better than his road ERA (3.62). Last year he had a 2.17 ERA at PETCO. In 2009 it was 2.94. There is room to lower his ERA if he can improve his mark at home.
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Stauffer’s strand rate is just 75.5 percent, down considerably from last year’s mark of 84.1 percent as well as 2009′s 80.0 percent.
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He is by no means a fireballer, but is K/9 ratio is up to 7.06 while his BB/9 ratio is down to 2.35. Last year those marks were 6.64 and 2.61.
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Stauffer has been good enough to win at least three games this year. He has a favorable match-up tomorrow against Houston so perhaps he can pick up his second win today. He is not good enough to anchor your fantasy team, but he can give you some quality starts.
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Mat Latos’ shoulder continues to be troublesome forcing the gifted young Padres ace to start the year on the disabled list. Latos is eligible to come off the DL on April 6th meaning he will likely only miss a start or two.
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Latos has struggled this spring sporting a 9.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, and .381 BAA, but was 14-10 with a 2.92 ERA. He wore down at the end of the year posting a 6.21 ERA in September so maybe this will be a blessing in disguise as he keeps his innings down. In reality that could just be what I’m telling myself because I have Latos on one of my teams.

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Mat Latos has the 18th highest average draft position according to Mock Draft Central. He is coming off a 14-10 season where he posted a 2.92 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP while striking out 189 batters in 184-2/3 innings. His ERA was the 13th best in the league. His WHIP was 8th best. He ranked 19th in strikeouts. Those do not seem like the numbers of an 18th ranked pitcher, especially one that is just 23 and calls Petco Park home.
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Latos ripped through the San Diego Padres’ farm system, bypassing the Triple-A level along the way. He started 2009 going 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA and 0.51 WHIP for Single-A Fort Wayne. He had little problem at the Double-A level going 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP for the San Antonio Missions. When he jumped up to the Padres, he had some obvious growing pains going 4-5 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. While he struggled in his cup of coffee with the Pads, he obviously didn’t beat himself up over it. He came back strong.
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There are a few concerns with Latos, which is why I have him ranked 14th among starting pitchers. For starters, the departure of Adrian Gonzalez will likely mean fewer runs for the Padres. Without ample run support, it could be hard for Latos to reach his win total of last year, let alone improve in that category.
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He also struggled down the stretch, going 0-5 with a 8.18 ERA in his last five starts. Up until that horrific finish, he was 14-5 with a 2.21 ERA. With a full season under his belt, I look for a stronger Latos. One that won’t fatigue at the end of the year. With his filthy stuff, he has top ten potential. If his meltdown scared off fantasy owners in your league, take this opportunity to draft one of the best young pitchers in the game.
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings