Fantasy 5 Up 5 Down: Puig takes all the plaudits

The past week in baseball has been dominated by a Dodger debut, as Yasiel Puig’s electric play captivated baseball fans and even Vin Scully, who despite seeing most things on a baseball field, was left awestruck by Puig’s fairy-tale start. Of course, this week also contained the first start and later the first win by Jeremy Bonderman since 2010 – no prizes for guessing which one should be picked up in fantasy leagues…

So which guys have been tearing the cover off the ball, and which guys are losing their way as we head towards the mid-point of the season…

1. Yasiel Puig

On last week’s piece I suggested Puig might be getting a call-up after Kemp’s injury, and that he could be worth a speculative pick-up. Never did I dream that he would get off to this kind of a terrific start, hitting four home runs and batting .421 through his first five games, as well as being intentionally walked for the first time on Friday night. There’s no doubt about it, Puig has every category talent, and has been a huge boost to fantasy teams, but the hype has reached crisis levels.

There will be some regression as pitchers figure out his weakness, at least in a few weeks, and that is assuming that he isn’t sent back to the minor leagues when Kemp or Crawford return from injury (but that would be tough to do after this start). By all means, we could be watching the NL rookie of the year take his first big league steps, but don’t start crowning him the new Mike Trout after five games.

2. Domonic Brown

Brown made an appearance on last week’s 5 up, but he has done nothing to suggest he should be moved off it this week, hitting three more home runs and even stealing a pair of bases. The average has shot up to .290 and his 18 home runs lead the National League. I still believe that Brown is a good sell-high candidate if you’re able to get a top 10-20 hitter in return, but there’s no doubt now that this power is absolutely legitimate.

3. Bartolo Colon

Not the kind of name you expect to see on these lists. Colon has been lights out in his past three starts, allowing one earned run over 23 innings. It does help that he has been preying on weak opposition, but Colon has continued to be a strike machine this system, allowing him to go deep into games and rack up seven wins. He’s not going to be a big punchout artist, but he is a must-start in almost all home games, and is an excellent streaming option, despite his old age.

4. Gerrit Cole

At this point it is pure speculation, but several Pittsburgh beat writers believe that top prospect Gerrit Cole will be getting a call-up to start Tuesday’s match-up with the Giants. Cole has some of the best pure stuff in the minor leagues, with a fastball that runs up to 100 and a plus slider. He’s struggled a lot with command issues at AAA though so far this season, and whilst he has turned that around in recent starts he is by no means a polished product. His pure stuff may be enough to get him through his start, but Kevin Gausman didn’t enjoy a profitable debut with comparable ability. In deep leagues, he’s worth a speculative add, but bear in mind that even if he is called up to start, it may be nothing more than a spot start.

5. Heath Bell

After pitching his way out of fantasy relevance with the Marlins last season, Bell has excelled as the interim closer for the D-Backs, not allowing a run in his last nine appearances and closing out eleven games. I find it hard to trust him after last season’s implosion, but he has been a very effective producer for fantasy owners so far, and should continue to rack up saves whilst in the closer’s role.

1. Andre Ethier

If there is one person who does not benefit from Puig’s meteoric rise, it is the Dodgers usual right fielder, Andre Ethier. Ethier has not been good at all this season, with just a .232 average and four home runs, and could be a candidate for trade as we move towards the deadline. He should continue to see playing time for the moment considering the state of the Dodgers outfield in terms of injuries, but he will lose playing time in the weeks to come. Don’t be afraid to drop him in most formats.

2. Alex Gordon

After getting off to a red-hot start this season, Gordon has, like the rest of the Royals line-up, cooled off considerably in recent weeks, as his average has fallen from .340 to .310 and he has just six home runs and one steal on the season. Gordon remains one of the most productive hitters in this line-up, but these kind of cold streaks are maddening for a player who doesn’t strike out that much. Gordon is a great buy-low candidate at this point, because he should turn this cold stretch around soon enough.

3. Ian Kennedy

The Diamondbacks ace put himself on fantasy radars after an excellent 2011 season, and followed it up with a fine showing in 2012. So far this season, however, he has struggled mightily, and his last start against St Louis was the low point as he allowed ten runs in just four innings. The ERA and WHIP are ugly, as Kennedy has struggled with command and the long ball. You have to assume he will turn this around at some stage, but I want no part of Kennedy for the time being, until he proves he can be reliable again.

4. Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo has been awful this season, as part of a disappointing Brewers rotation, putting up a 5.25 ERA and 1.47 WHIP whilst going 4-6. The strikeouts aren’t there for him anymore and he is being hit around, even by relatively quiet offenses. In deep leagues you have no choice but to hold on to him and hope he turns it around, but I wouldn’t be buying low until he at least shows some glimpses of his former self.

5. Addison Reed

Reed owned one of the more bizarre reliever lines in recent history on Wednesday, going three innings, allowing five runs but earning the win during the White Sox’ crazy game against the Mariners. Reed threw 55 pitches in the marathon effort, and damaged fantasy owner’s ERA and WHIP. This was obviously a freak outing from Reed, who should get plenty more chances in the coming weeks as the White Sox closer. This serves as a reminder that Reed can’t be considered one of the elite bunch however.

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