Ubaldo Jimenez is on pace for 28 wins, Josh Johnson has 1.62 ERA, the Phillies lost three straight Roy Halladay starts in two of the last three months and apparently the only thing that can stop Mat Latos is a sore oblique. Who saw all that coming?
Well, aside from a German octopus of course.
Needless to say, it was a crazy first half that turned the fantasy world on its head. It’s long been “known” that hitters are more important than pitchers, but the sheer volume of ace-like arms to be found this season is astonishing. George Fitopoulos already got us started with our second-half previews earlier in the week and the Baseball Professor fantasy triumvirate already pinpointed Travis Wood, Ricky Nolasco and Gavin Floyd as starters you should be targeting, but we’ll dig a little deeper today and look at what we can expect in the coming months.
Maybe Joe Torre Isn’t as Crazy as We All Thought
Torre received a lot of criticism for tabbing Vicente Padilla as his Opening Day starter. Eleven earned runs and 14 hits in 8.2 innings against Pittsburgh and Florida didn’t do much for the Dodgers skipper’s cause, and Padilla vanished from the rotation for nearly two months. He was spotted again on the hill for the Dodgers on June 19 and was roughed up again at Fenway Park, but since then Padilla has looked like the 200-inning monster we saw in 2003. Over his last five starts, Padilla has gone 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and a 28:8 K:BB ratio. Compared to starts earlier in the season, Padilla is now keeping the ball down with better horizontal movement. His strand rate during that five-game stretch is high and his BABIP is low, but his improved control and 3.36 FIP in July make him a player to watch.
Believe It or Not, Mr. Consistency Resides in Chicago
Consistency and the Chicago Cubs are rarely found together, but perhaps that’s what makes Ryan Dempster one of fantasy’s most underrated performers. Dempster has allowed exactly two or three earned runs over his last eight outings with six quality starts over that span. Additionally, he’s struck out seven, eight or nine batters in 11 of his last 14 starts and is 6-3 in his last 10. He won’t win a week for you, but he certainly won’t lose one.
Gavin’s at It Again
On the surface, Gavin Floyd‘s 5-8 record, 4.10 ERA and 1.32 WHIP are rather pedestrian, but that’s why now is the time to buy. In the second half last year, Floyd was brilliant. His 3.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP easily bested his first half totals. For an encore performance, Floyd seems set on topping those stats. Over the last month, the White Sox righty has earned three wins by compiling a 1.35 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 33.1 innings. Now is the time to buy, so if Floyd is available, go get him. Where does Floyd rank among all starters from here on out? I feel comfortable putting him in the top 25 along with first-half studs Carl Pavano and Roy Oswalt while creeping up on the aforementioned Dempster.
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