Lackey No Slackey

Buy & Sell

Note: Ownership is based in Yahoo! Leagues.

Alfonso Soriano (.230/.269/.423, 98% Ownership)

Soriano has fallen on some hard times during June. Always a free swinger, Soriano has not been producing his usual results. A nagging knee injury has caused his batting average to drop to unaccustomed places. Even with that injury, he is still on pace for a 30 HR 17 SB season. Also, his BABIP sits at a low .262 when Soriano is typically around the league average in that category. Some owner may be tired of his slump and now would be a great time to buy on Soriano

Troy Tulowitzki (.253/.346/.469, 88% Ownership)

 Tulo has had an up and down season so far. The first few weeks, he was hot, then went through a slump and had a hand injury. Now it look like Tulo is fully healed and ready to return to his 2007 levels. The good news is that he is walking more, the bad news is that he striking out a ton. This could be a result of trying to work deeper into the count and trying to find a good pitch to drive. He is also hitting more fly balls than in the past, so it is a safe bet that he surpasses the 24 home runs from his rookie season.

John Lackey (2-3, 5.06 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 53.1 IP, 42 K, 91% Ownership)

An early season injury sidelined the usually reliable Lackey for the first few weeks of the season. Based on his current stats, it looks like his is still working his arm into playing shape. But going forward there are some signs of why to buy low on him now. His K/9 rate is still well above the league average and his BABIP stands about fifty points above normal. This all ties into his FIP being nearly a run lower than his actual ERA. These numbers normally even out over the course of the season, so there is some incentive to acquire Lackey now.

David Ortiz (.225/.321/.395, 87% Ownership)

Big Papi has hit like Little Papi for most of the season. However, he began to get hot during the month of June, which has made many of his owners feel that he is back on track. But the downside to his hot streak was that he got hot hitting mainly against the weaker National League pitching. Ortiz is still striking out way too much. He is also hitting more fly balls than in season's pasts, yet hitting fewer home runs. Ortiz owners should use this hot streak to try and find as much value for him in a trade.

Brad Hawpe (.331/.404/.601, 87% Ownership)

Hawpe has been crushing the ball for Colorado this year. Although, Hawpe has the ability to be a productive player, he is bound to tail off during the second half of the season. His BABIP stands at .383, which means he has been quite lucky. Also, he is hitting fewer line drives than in the past. The biggest change so far is that Hawpe is hitting better versus left handed pitching after having a career line of .249/.320/.445 against them. Hawpe can still be a very valuable player, but it seems like he may be producing over his head at this point and there is a second half fade looming.

Tommy Hanson (4-0, 2.48 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 18 K, 57% Ownership)

This rookie phenom has won his last four starts and has not allowed a run in three of those starts. Because of this, it's a great time to try and trade him. Rookie pitchers tend to struggle the more that the rest of the league gets to see more of them. Hanson has struggled with his control, as evidence by his 1.06 K/BB rate. It is a small sample size, but his FIP stands at nearly three runs above his actual ERA. Hanson's value won't get much higher than it is now, which means it's a perfect time to move him.

Name to remember...Cameron Maybin, FLA.-OF. Maybin was sent down by Florida after he struggled the first six weeks of the season. His main problem was not being able to take a walk. It looks like the trip to the minors has done him some good. Maybin is sporting a healthy 25/19 strikeout to walk rate to go along with a .875 OPS. The overall power is not there yet, but the Marlins feel that will come with experience. If Maybin continues to show improvement, it might force Florida to bring him back to the majors and he could add some nice value to your fantasy roster during the second half of the season.