It is that time of the week again, as the week six winners and losers are announced. This list, for the most part is batters, along with a few pitchers.
The five “losers” of week six.
5. Yoenis Cespedes Left Fielder, Oakland Athletics
Cespedes has played well, until his injury that held him out for a few weeks. He is now back, but isn’t playing great. During week six he accumulated a .192 batting average with eight strikeouts. He did show that he still has the power, hitting two home runs but overall has been struggling. Don’t take him out of your lineup because he can hit a homerun at any minute, but keep your eye on matchups with this one here.
4. B.J. Upton Center Fielder, Atlanta Braves
Bossman Junior is struggling mightily at the plate this season. He really hasn’t shown any signs of improvement and has been striking out at an unprecedented rate. In the past five games he has struck out ten times and compiled a .176 batting average. He is slowly playing less and less and needs something to bring him out of this slump. I wouldn’t give up on him just yet but I would not have him in my starting lineup on a daily basis either.
3. Bartolo Colon Starting Pitcher, Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have been struggling as of late. If it isn’t the umpires denying them home runs it something else. This week has been the inconsistency of starting pitcher Colon. In his past two starts he has recorded two losses and a ridiculous 8.68 ERA. He gave up four home runs in those two starts and only pitched nine innings and a third. Overall, he has been having a rough year and if you have him on your fantasy team, it might be time to part ways.
2. Everth Cabrera Shortstop, San Diego Padres
The youngin’ that was off to such a hot start has cooled off quickly. Last week he had the second most strikeouts at ten and compiled an average of .182. The Padres are three games under the .500 mark, which is not a huge surprise. Cabrera will remain the starting shortstop and should get back on track soon. Don’t give up on this guy just yet.
1. Ryan Howard First Basemen, Philadelphia Phillies
The beat up Phillies are relying on Howard to have a good season and lead the back to the playoffs. To this point, he has not answered the door. He had 12 strikeouts this week, which is the most in baseball over the past seven games. His batting average is even worse at .136. If he is on your fantasy team you probably can’t afford to not start him but you might be able to package him in a trade.
The “winners” of week six.
5. Adam LaRoche First Basemen, Washington Nationals
He was bound to come out of his slump. He is far too good of a hitter not to come out of it. He has been working with Chipper Jones, an ex-teammates and close friend. He credits him to one of the reasons why he has turned it around. He had the highest batting average of any hitter this week at the mark of .533. Along with his great average his two RBIs and four walks. He hasn’t showed the power yet but it is a great sign that he is average is so high. Begin putting this guy back into your lineup.
4. Evan Longoria Third Basemen, Tampa Bay Rays
The face of the Rays has had himself a week! In the past week he has a batting average of .448 and nine RBIs. He also hit two home runs this week along with four doubles and three walks. He is heating up at the right time and has really been playing well all year. What you would expect from one of the premier third basemen in the game today. Continue to start him in your third base spot and your team will reap the rewards.
3. Miguel Cabrera Third Basemen, Detroit Tigers
It seems like I am putting him on this list every single week. For those of you who thought Cabrera would slow down, were highly mistaken. Cabrera is continuing to look like the best hitter in baseball and for good reason. In the past five games he has ten RBIs and three home runs. His batting average for the week is .455 which is crazy good as well. If Cabrera keeps it up, you might just see some more records get broken. This guy is single handedly the best player in baseball today, bar none.
2. Matt Cain Starting Pitcher, San Francisco Giants
He has been on the “losers” list for a few weeks but broke through and look like the Matt Cain we are all used too. He recorded two wins in his past two starts with a 1.76 ERA. He is finally back on track and could make this team an even bigger threat than they already are. I said to bench Cain for awhile but, I take that back now. Put this guy back in your starting lineup and watch him carve up the competition.
1. Paul Goldschmidt First Basemen, Arizona Diamondbacks
This guy had a lot of buzz coming into the season and he has not disappointed. In his past seven games, he lead the majors in RBIs with 11. He has been playing awesome and the Diamondbacks are looking better than a lot of people first expected. He also hit four home runs in his past seven games and is looking locked in at the plate. Along with his power bat is his presence and discipline while batting. He has forced five walks this week and even stole a base. If you banked on drafting a first basemen a bit later and you got Paul, congrats. Keep starting this cat and your fantasy team will thank you for it.