LestersLegends.com

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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?
• 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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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
• Does Mark Buehrle Have Fantasy Value?
• 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?
• Can Chris Capuano Keep Rolling?
• 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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Also check out:

• Why Reaching For Saves Doesn’t Make Sense
• Can John Danks Get Back on Track?
• Should You Buy Low on Carlos Santana?
• Can Alex Rios Turn It Around?
• Should You Buy Low on Chris Carpenter?

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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.