Week eight has had its fair share of excitement. From a cycle by some guy who's named after a fish, to umpires continuing to get calls wrong. This is the best and worst weekly performances of week eight.
The five worst performances of the week.
5. Jeremy Guthrie Starting Pitcher, Kansas City Royals
Guthrie had himself a rough week. He went 0-2 in his two starts and had a horrible ERA of 8.76. The most shocking stat of all is that he gave up a league high four home runs this week and didn’t look locked in on the bump, whatsoever. His opponent batting average was a scary .283 and he only managed to strike out four men. If you have Guthrie on your fantasy team you might want to throw him on your bench for a little while. In fact, it might just be time to drop him from your team completely as he hasn’t recorded a win in his past three starts and has given up at least five in all of these.
4. Shin-Soo Choo Center Fielder, Cincinnati Reds
Ever since Choo hit that walk off homer against the Braves he hasn’t looked the same. In his past five games he has struck out nine times and has tallied a batting average of .053. He did manage to get walked four times this week, which makes his OBP .217, which isn’t good either. If you have him on your team you shouldn’t be too worried as he should figure his swing out and be back to the batter that he was at the beginning of the year. Keep him in your lineup.
3. Felix Hernandez Starting Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
Even kings have a bump in the road and that is exactly what is going on with King Felix this week. He lost both of his past two starts, with an ugly ERA of 8.44. His strikeout numbers haven’t been affected as he still struck out 17, which is the second most of the week. He has given up 10 earned runs in his past two starts combined. Don’t go getting your panties in a bunch here as he will figure things out. Lets all remember, he is the King.
2. Matt Kemp Center Fielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
To begin the week Kemp was in the middle of a 14 game hitting streak. Then he came down to Atlanta which is where the slump began. He has the most strikeouts of any position player in baseball this week checking in with 12 in just six games. His batting average for the week has been disappointing too as he checks in at .227. Kemp has had an off year and has only recorded two home runs over the first two months. Considered by most to be a top 10 fantasy pick, those who drafted him have to be frustrated. I’m sure he will come around but no one would blame you if you traded Kemp for another big name big.
1. Adam Dunn Designated Hitter, Chicago White Sox
The curious case of Adam Dunn... He was in the top five for home runs last season but his batting average was a very low two. This week? Not so great, as he has struck out 11 times, only one behind Mr. Kemp and has a horrible batting average of .048 over the past six games. I warned folks of Dunn before the draft started and stand by my word. You might get some home runs from him but his batting average is going to bring your team average way down. If you can trade him now go for it!
The top five performances of week eight.
5. Mike Minor Starting Pitcher, Atlanta Braves
If I told you before the season started that Minor would be the best pitcher on this Braves staff most would laugh at me. Lone and behold he is doing exactly that. He went 1-0 in his last two starts and struck out 19 while doing so. He also hit a deep two-run shot in the fifth inning of his last start against the Mets. His opponent batting average in these two starts was an amazing .133. He has been locked in all year and has a season ERA of 2.47 with six wins and only two losses.
4. Mike Trout Outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
The 2012 Rookie of the Year is at it again. All he did in his past six games is bat .440 and hit for the cycle! He has hit two home runs this week and drove in seven men. He did have eight strikeouts this week but when you look at the batting average it is definitely something you can deal with. I still think that Adam Jones is going to have a better year than Trout but the more I watch this kid play, the more amazed I become. Keep it up Mr. Trout, keep it up.
3. David Murphy Left Fielder, Texas Rangers
Murphy had himself a great week for the Texas Rangers. He managed to hit for a .381 clip and did all of this in his past six games. He drove in 11 runs on the week which is the second most over the past seven days. He only struck out once in 21 at-bats and even recorded himself a double. For the year he hasn’t been great as his batting average is only .229 but if you picked him up this week you are reaping the rewards. He is only owned in about 15 percent of leagues and it should stay that way for the majority of the season.
2. Joe Nathan Closer, Texas Rangers
Nathan looked like the best closer in baseball for the eighth week of the season. He was a perfect four for four in save chances and didn’t allow a hit in any of these games. Closers are hard to come by in fantasy baseball and the fact that Nathan is not giving up hits and only walked one man in the past four starts is a great sign for his fantasy owners. Keep watching his progress and if he keeps it up, might have the most saves in all of baseball this year. He is currently third overall behind only Mariano Rivera and Jason Grilli at 16 saves. He has yet to blow a save on the year.
1. Miguel Cabrera Third Basemen, Detroit Tigers
Once again Cabrera makes the top five list. He is continuing to look like the best hitter in all of baseball and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. He had the second highest batting average of the week checking in at .478. The numbers just continue to get better. He his a league high six home runs this week and drove in 15 men! He is the most exciting player in all of baseball and is a threat every single time he is on the field. From day one I said that he should be the number one overall draft pick and he hasn’t disappointed to this point. He is leading the league in batting average, RBIs and hits. He is also second in all of baseball with 14 home runs. This man is shaping up to be one of the best hitters this game has seen in a long time.