Fantasy 5 Up 5 Down: Good things come to those who wait

After a five week hiatus, “5 Up 5 Down” makes it’s belated return! A lot has happened in that time, with regards to injuries, call-ups and positions in the play-off races.

For fantasy players, the trade deadline is nearing or may have already passed, and those in keeper leagues need to work out whether they want to trade draft picks to challenge now or try to shop their top players and rebuild for next season. So, without further ado, here is this week’s “5 Up 5 Down”…

1. Alfonso Soriano

Soriano has done nothing but crush since joining the Yankees, and he put together the best three game stretch of any player in baseball this week, going 10-14 with four homers, six runs and fourteen RBI. Soriano is a notoriously streaky hitter, but he’s absolutely on fire at the moment, and needs to be owned in all leagues until he begins to cool down.

2. Brandon Belt

Belt has been a monster recently, hitting safely in ten straight games with four home runs, and he appears to have finally earned everyday playing time. There’s no doubt Belt has a lot of talent and it appears he is finally beginning to fulfil it. Snag him up if he’s still available.

3. George Springer

Springer is yet to record a major league plate appearance, but he is fast becoming one of the most exciting fantasy prospects in baseball. Springer recently became the first 30/30 player in baseball, and his 33 home runs and 38 steals this season are outstanding numbers between AA and AAA. He will strike out, a lot, but he draws walks and potentially has the best power/speed combo in the game. He could get a September call up – snap him up in deep leagues.

4. Dan Haren

Although the season numbers are still ugly, Haren has really turned it on in recent starts, with a 1.33 ERA in his last 27 innings. It’s hard to trust him after his inconsistencies over the past couple of seasons, but Haren could at least be a useful streaming option down the stretch, and can maybe earn himself some value heading into free agency.

5. Joaquin Benoit

Since taking over as Detroit’s ninth inning man, Benoit has been superb, with 15 saves, a 1.45 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He’s not an elite strikeout guy, but he gets enough to be productive and he should have plenty of opportunities with the Tigers down the stretch. Benoit will be owned in every league, but he could be a sneaky trade candidate, particularly as he may still be undervalued.

1. Pablo Sandoval

Sandoval has had a miserable past few weeks as part of a pretty miserable season. The .258 average is far below expectations and his nine home runs fare worse than many lesser owned third basemen. The .280 BABIP suggest a decent amount of bad luck, although he typically will have a lower rate due to his speed (or lack thereof). It’s possible he could turn it around late, but right now he has been nothing but disappointing for fantasy owners.

2. Ryan Zimmerman

Another slumping third baseman! Zimmerman was really hot a few weeks ago but has slowed down lately, and his season numbers of .267 average with 13 homers don’t inspire a lot of confidence. As with Sandoval, he could get hot at any time, but it’s hard to consider him a top echelon option at the hot corner.

3. Bartolo Colon

When you don’t strike anybody out, you’re going to have bad games. And Colon had two bad games in a row last week allowing 10 runs in 6.2 innings across those starts. His record is still impressive, but it may be worth cashing out his performances until now and using him as a streaming option when he plays at the Coliseum.

4. Jeff Samardzija

Samardzija has struggled greatly in recent weeks, allowing at least three earned runs in six of his past eight starts. The main reason has been a sudden loss of control with at least two walks in all but one start in that stretch. Although he’s hurting your team right now, you need to hold tight because he has high strikeout potential and should turn these control issues around. He’s a definite buy low candidate.

5. Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon hasn’t saved a game in over a month which tells you everything you need to know about the Phillies season. Although the ERA and WHIP are actually pretty solid, he’s just not getting any opportunities, with fewer saves than Steve Cishek of the Marlins. There may be a two week stretch coming where he saves 6 or 7 games, but unless the Phillies turn it around he’s going to be spending a lot of time sat in the bullpen.