Tip Sheet: by Fantasyguru's Greg Shea

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Tip Sheet:Summer timeshare

by Greg Shea, Fantasyguru.com
Rising
Mark Reynolds (3B, Ari) – Reynolds was a classic sell-high candidate a little more than a month ago, but is he now back on the buyer's guide? He has six home runs in his last 15 games. But he is going to be splitting time with Chad Tracy at third base, so don't gamble too much.


Hanley Ramirez (SS, Fla) – Ramirez hit two home runs Sunday and now has 14 on the year. After hitting eight home runs in April, Ramirez only had one in May. He now has five in June, so there's little to worry about with Ramirez. He's still one of the best – if not the best – fantasy players in the game.


Mark Teixeira (1B, Atl) – Teixeira continued his hot hitting with another home run on Sunday. In his last 11 games, he has five home runs, 13 RBIs and a .349 batting average.


Gavin Floyd (SP, ChiW) – Floyd struck out nine to win his seventh game against Minnesota on Sunday. On the season, Floyd is 7-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings. His 5.1 K/9 ratio is a little low to be a fantasy stud, but hitters are only hitting .196 against him. The trend has changed in his last three outings, in which Floyd has struck out 20 in 20 innings. For now, ride him for as long as you can, but be cautious of the inevitable slump from the White Sox this summer.


Alexei Ramirez (2B, ChiW) – Ramirez is hot and you can practically punch Juan Uribe's ticket out of Chicago after the season. Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs Sunday, and he’s hitting .500 in June (14-for-28) with two home runs and nine RBIs. Since May 1, he’s hitting .360. Can he keep it up? It's quite possible since there isn't a ton of historical data on Ramirez after he defected from Cuba. But he only has two steals so far and his rumored base-stealing potential hasn't materialized yet. He's worth a look in mixed leagues.


Kyle Lohse (SP, StL) – Lohse won his fourth straight decision Sunday and improved to 7-2 on the year. Somehow Lohse is getting it done this year, despite a terrible strikeout ratio – he has 37 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings for a K/9 ratio of 4.1. He's a very risky bet for the rest of the year, but if you're picking through dregs anyway, he's an option on a team that is winning.


Ray Durham (2B, SF) – Durham went 4-for-5 to raise his average to .306 and perk up ears in baseball offices around the league. Durham will be available at the trade deadline as the Giants start to look toward next year.


J.D. Drew (OF, Bos) – Drew is 14-for-27 with four home runs in his last eight games and has picked up the slack for the injured David Ortiz. As always, buyer beware with Drew. When he's hot, he can be as hot as anyone, but he's an injury risk and a guy who can slump with the best of them.


Falling

Jason Bergmann (SP, Was) – Bergmann's value fell off a cliff in the last week after lasting only three innings against San Francisco on Friday. His ERA went from 4.50 to 5.23 in the game. The bad outing made people forget his brilliant May, when he had a 1.30 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Despite the one bad outing, things look rosy for Bergmann in the short-term. He won't get a lot of wins on the Nationals, but stick with him if you've thought about dropping him over the weekend.


Pedro Feliz (3B, Phi) – After a hot May where he hit .311 with four home runs and 18 RBIs, Feliz has slumped so far in June. He's hitting .120 (3-for-25) on the month.


Curtis Granderson (OF, Det) – Granderson was dropped to ninth in the order Sunday, but responded with a home run. He is hitting .215 since May 1 but, like the whole Detroit lineup, has a ton of potential for the rest of the season. Besides, there are few outfielders with his speed and power combination.


Prospecting

Justin Masterson (SP, Bos) – Just called back up on June 3, Masterson picked up a win Sunday by pitching six innings of one-run baseball. He's now 3-0 on the season, but has spent some time in Triple-A. With Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list, Masterson is up for a few weeks. In the minors this year, Masterson struck out 41 in 44 1/3 innings. Only six of those innings were at Triple-A, but the strikeout rate (8.3 K/9 in the minors) is encouraging. Needless to say, though, when Matsuzaka returns, Masterson may be headed back to Pawtucket. If you have room in keeper leagues, he may be a nice pitcher to stash away.


Dallas McPherson (3B, Fla) – McPherson is currently blocked in the majors by Jorge Cantu, but that isn't stopping him from putting up great numbers at Triple-A, where he is hitting .286 with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs. With Florida only 3 ½ games out of first place, McPherson might be a player that could be dangled in a trade for a veteran.


Keep an eye on …
Cub Starting Pitching – With the Cubs in first place in June, it's time to start thinking about plugging up their weaknesses. The most glaring is the need for another quality starter. ESPN's Peter Gammons on Sunday mentioned Gil Meche, A.J. Burnett or Randy Wolf as possible trade candidates. Burnett from Toronto might be a good fit as he can become a free agent after the season and could be a solid short-term addition. Since May 1, Burnett has a 3.42 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. The Cubs have Felix Pie to dangle in a trade.


Trade
Chipper Jones (3B, Atl) – It seems obvious that Jones' value will fall because he won't hit .420 all year, but the injury to his quadriceps is the bigger concern. He missed Sunday's game and will likely be an injury risk the rest of the way. At his age, the risk of missing 2-4 weeks with an injury seems pretty high.


Trade for

Aaron Harang (SP, Cin) – Harang was a fantasy darling in spring training, but has only produced a 2-9 record so far. After giving up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings of a loss to Florida Sunday, his June ERA is at 7.94. Do you ride it out with Harang? Yes. On the year, his strikeout ratios are great (86 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings, 7.8 K/9) and he has only walked 20 batters on the year.
Greg Shea has been playing fantasy baseball since his high school years in the late-80s. A previous FantasyGuru.com contributor earlier this decade, Shea was one of the first fantasy baseball columnists on ESPN.com. His column "Tip Sheet" debuted on that site, and now continues here at FantasyGuru.com. Shea pitched for St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, NY. He had a good curveball, but couldn't hit one to save his life, which is just one of the reasons he appreciates the game.