Hitters should be producing what they’re going to produce this year, with few exceptions by this point. Yet there are still some injuries and new guys who could shake things up a little bit if your team is in need of a spare part.
Hitting help
Mark Reynolds, 3B, ARI. Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin has said that watching the burly third baseman, just up from AA Mobile, take batting practice reminds him of Mark McGwire. While that might be a little overstated, Reynolds’ 1.299 OPS in May is not. He had a little collision that cost him a game or two, but he’s got the full confidence of his skipper going forward, and is not widely owned in fantasy leagues yet. Could be a nice temporary part to tide you over while you wait for Alex Gordon to catch fire.
Kevin Youkilis, 1B/3B/OF, BOS. Sure, his hitting streak is over, but Youk is still getting on base and putting wood on the ball. He was a very nice .402/.447/.679 in May with 6 HR, 23 R and 22 RBI. While he won’t repeat that, he’s a very solid hitter in a good lineup. His position flexibility makes him a nice pickup if you have injury issues at the infield corners. Don’t expect more than 20 HR out of him this year.
Craig Munroe, OF, DET. I don’t like recommending streak hitters, but Munroe had a great May, just like 2006, when he strung together some very good weeks. .280/.340/.559 with 7 HR, 26 R and 17 RBI is a good month for almost anybody, especially someone owned in less than 10% of fantasy leagues.
Jose Guillen, OF, SEA. Need RBIs? Look no further than Guillen, who had 24 in May. He’s not an exciting pickup, but he’s a decent hitter and Seattle has relied on him to produce for them. His line for May was .274/.345/.453, but he’s capable of more.
Pitching help
Homer Bailey, SP, CIN. This young phenom could be pretty decent. The lanky righty had a 6-1 record and a 2.31 ERA in 10 starts before being called up. Opponents were hitting .191 against him, so he’s got some pretty nasty stuff. You might want to grab him and hang on to him until we find out just how decent. Just 21, he’s debuting tonight.
Jeff Francis, SP, COL. Every time I look at the pitchers list, my mouse hovers over this guy’s name, but I hesitate. Can I really take a Rockies pitcher seriously? Francis’ numbers say you can. He was 3-1 in six May starts, with an ERA of 2.23. He doesn’t walk a lot of people, which is rare for a lefty. Utilize him on the road, where his ERA is almost two runs lower than at Coors Field on the year. He had a really hot streak last year too, where he was nearly unhittable for a while.
Sergio Mitre, SP, FLA. This year’s Anibal Sanchez? Maybe. Mitre has a miniscule 1.12 ERA and a 2-0 record for May. He flashed some promis, even with the Cubs last year, so he’s worth a flyer if you’re desperate for starting pitching.
