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BY CHRIS STARBONELL
UPDATE! Writer

 

Every week UPDATE! will be putting together a list of note-worthy performances or events that have transpired in baseball. We’ll let you know what to get excited or nervous about while also providing fantasy insight.

 

BULLISH

 

BOBBY ABREU, New York Yankees, OF
Comment: Once the second-half kicked off, Bobby Abreu finally found his swing. Over his past 16 games, Abreu has hit .387 with 5 homers, 17 RBI and 20 runs. He had huge numbers after the All-Star break last year as the Yankees surged in the standings: .305 AVG, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 64 R, 13 SB in 282 at-bats. If his team begins to hit, the veteran outfielder may be on the cusp of a monster tear. You aren’t going to get him on the cheap in a trade, but that does not mean that you cannot obtain him for a reasonable rate. He’s got five-tool gifts and if he plays close to how he did in the second-half of last season, he will go from a no. 2 to a no.1 outfielder the rest of the way.

 

EMILIO BONIFACIO, Washington Nationals, 2B
Comment: After hitting .452 and swiping 4 bases in his first 8 games with Washington’s Triple-A Columbus Clippers, Bonifacio was called up to be the starting second baseman for the Nationals. Purging their roster of veteran players in favor of young talent, Washington wasted no time giving Bonifacio big-league responsibilities, batting him first in all three of his games. During the Nats’ series against Cincinnati, he went 5-for-13 with 2 runs scored and a steal in two attempts. His wheels are the main reason to keep your eye on Bonifacio, he stole 102 bases in Arizona’s minor-league system in his previous two seasons. If he can hold his own in the majors, Bonifacio can be a nice source of cheap steals for fantasy owners. NL-only leaguers may want to buy in now if they are desperate for swiped bags.

 

EDDIE KUNZ, New York Mets, RP
Comment: The future for Billy Wagner this season is cloudy, but his loss could mean major gains for whoever lands wild-card Eddie Kunz. The 22-year old reliever notched 27 saves with a 2.79 ERA in 48.1 Double- A innings. He was called up by the Mets over the weekend and should he inherit the closer’s role, Kunz would be a great source of saves on the revived Mets squad. He features a heavy sinker that he can throw in the mid-to-high 90s and a slider that has looked nasty at times. Mets manager Jerry Manuel has a bevy of closing options in his bullpen, but has maintained defined roles for his current relief corps since he took over the team, meaning he may choose to put Kunz in the ninth-inning seat in order to keep his other hurlers in their respective spots. Should he get end up in the closer’s chair, Kunz could be fantasy gold for the remainder of the season.

 

BRAD PENNY, Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: Penny is due to start this Friday against the Giants, his first appearance since hitting the disabled list with an injured shoulder in June. A lot of you may feel the need to add him, if he’s even available on the waiver wire at this moment. However, fantasy owners investing in Penny should temper their expectations. Before hitting the DL, he was 5-9 over 15 starts with a 5.88 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. He’s also historically mediocre after the All-Star break for his career, pitching to a 33-32 record with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.34 ERA. In deeper leagues, I can’t really blame you for adding him as he was throwing gas in his Triple-A rehab start on Saturday and is joining a seemingly revitalized LA team. Just don’t pin your team’s hopes on Penny becoming a no. 1 pitcher for the rest of 2008.

 

BEARISH

 

JOSH BECKETT, Boston Red Sox, SP
Comment: With a disastrous start Wednesday against Los Angeles, Beckett fell to 9-8 on the season with a pedestrian 4.15 ERA. Over his last 4 starts, Beckett has gone 1-3, sporting a 6.04 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Because of this, last-year’s CY Young runner-up makes a great trade target. His fantasy owners could be worried that he may be reverting to the Josh Beckett of 2006, the one who took home a 5.01 ERA for the season and gave up 36 bombs over 204.2 innings. Now might be a good time to put out a feeler to the manager that owns him in your league to see if he’s willing to sell on Beckett and jump at the opportunity if a discount presents itself. He’s a clutch pitcher who is going to have his share of big-game opportunities as the AL East division race heats up, making him an excellent candidate to close out the season in explosive fashion.

 

MILTON BRADLEY, Texas Rangers, DH
Comment: After not playing in Sunday’s game, Bradley made it four straight missed contests thanks to a strained left quad. He’s having a career year in Texas, hitting .320 with 19 home runs, 60 RBI and 60 runs scored. Despite the strong campaign, this injury raises a huge red flag as Bradley has a history of being quite brittle, evident by the fact that he has failed to play in more than 100 games in 7 of his 9 years of major-league service. You probably are not going to get much for Bradley considering the injury-risk he carries, so you are better off riding this one out unless a reasonable deal comes your way. Make sure you have an extra-outfielder handy, because a DL stint and extended stay on the shelf may force your hand into dropping Bradley.

 

JOHN MAINE, New York Mets, SP
Comment: John Maine hit the disabled list on Sunday retroactive to July 29^th with a rotator cuff strain, so how should his fantasy owners feel? If you listen to Maine, the move is not a big deal as he believes, “I’m more than capable of pitching anytime this week…There’s no setback or anything like that.” The Mets called up Eddie Kunz to replace him on the roster, a move they needed to make for insurance in the bullpen in case Billy Wagner has to miss time. But Maine’s strained rotator cuff may not be completely behind him and fantasy owners may want to make contingency plans in case Maine’s shoulder becomes an issue for the rest of the season. In fact, it may be best to move Maine now while the view on him is optimistic, particularly if you have a trade deadline in your league and can’t afford to gamble on a potentially questionable arm.

 

SHAUN MARCUM, Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Comment: What’s going on with Shaun Marcum? Prior to falling prey to a strained elbow, Marcum owned sparkling pitching ratios, cruising with a 2.65 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 15 starts. Since coming off the DL, however, Marcum has been a disaster on the mound. In his three starts since returning to the Blue Jays rotation, he’s gone 0-1, sporting an 8.73ERA, 1.91 WHIP in 14.2 innings. The most alarming trend for Marcum, however, is the 7 homers allowed over his last four starts. In his first 14 games, he had only served up 9 bombs total. You can’t really drop Marcum unless you are in a shallow league as his pre-disabled list numbers had him amongst the cream of the fantasy crop. A benching for his next start is in order and fantasy owners just have to hope he regains his form.

 

BUST

 

SANTIAGO CASILLA, Oakland Athletics, RP
Comment: Once thought to be the successor to Huston Street if there was a vacancy for the closer’s role, Casilla has been a puzzling player since coming off the DL. In 14 innings of relief since returning from an elbow strain, Casilla features a 5.74 ERA and 1.93 WHIP. While it is fair to note that he has allowed no runs in his last 6 appearances, his stock in Oakland’s bullpen has taken a tumble as Brad Ziegler and Jerry Blevins have both shot ahead of him in key spots. With Huston Street stumbling (read below), Casilla may have been a waiver wire treasure, now he’s just a useless middle reliever.

 

KHALIL GREENE, San Diego Padres, SS
Comment: Greene was never going to win a batting title, but you could stomach a .250 batting average so long as he was hitting homers and driving in runners. This season, though, has been an absolute disaster. Batting .213 with just 10 bombs in 105 games, things looked as if they could not get any more embarrassing for Greene. That is until he punched a wall in the tunnel near the team’s dugout, fracturing his hand and probably sidelining him for the rest of the season. There were rumblings that the Padres were considering parting ways with Greene after this season. You can’t blame them. Last season when he was hitting .254, Greene at least came through in the clutch with a .284 batting average with runners in scoring position. This year he’s batting just .145 in those spots. Ignore Greene for the foreseeable future as he may not be cut out for everyday duties in the majors.

 

DARRELL RASNER, New York Yankees, SP
Comment: When Rasner strung together four straight quality starts to begin his 2008 campaign; some folks thought he could be a back-of-the-rotation savior for a staff that sorely needed pitching depth. Not so fast. Since the start of June, Rasner has gone 2-7 with a horrific 6.77 ERA in 11 starts. Simply put, the guy does not look like someone who belongs in the big-leagues as anything more than a spot starter or long reliever. You have to imagine the Yankees are going to bring up another minor-league arm in the near future as it has come to the point that New York’s offense has to be in game-saving mode anytime Rasner is on the mound. Pay no attention to him in fantasy leagues.

 

HUSTON STREET, Oakland Athletics, RP
Comment: Word around the league is that GM Billy Beane opted to hold onto Street at the trade deadline as he felt as the A’s reliever would have more valuable to move in the off-season rather than mid-season. Lately, however, Street has been wildly inconsistent. Since July 12^th, Street has blown 2 saves and has taken 2 losses with a 5.19 ERA and 2.08 WHIP. Because of his struggles, manager Bob Geren has stated that he will lean on a closer-by-committee approach that will be dependent on match-ups. The A’s have lost 9 of their last 10 games and a closer carousel on a team that is falling fast should be a situation that all but the most desperate of fantasy owners should avoid.