It is time to look at the winners and losers of the fourth week of the Major League Baseball season. This is strictly fantasy baseball terms but seeing one of your favorite players on this list could be a good thing or a really bad thing. Lets begin.
The five “losers” of week four.
5. Jay Bruce Right Fielder, Cincinnati Reds
Talk about struggles at the plate! Bruce has struck out 13 times in his last 27 at-bats. This is the second most in all of baseball over the past week. Since he is striking out so much, his batting average is being affected greatly, as he is only batting .148 on the week. This is affecting the stability of their team as they have now lost three in a row. It is early in the year so things could turn around for Bruce, but for the time being stick him on your bench, but don’t drop him.
4. Adam LaRoche First Basemen, Washington Nationals
This has to be one of the most frustrating seasons of LaRoche’s career. He is batting .143 on the season and in the past week is even lower at .091. The odd thing here is that he is known as a good hitter with a career average of .266. Of his last 22 at-bats, he has struck out 12 times! He is barely making any contact at all and has only two hits over the past seven days. Some skeptics believe his injury is worse than he wants people to know and is trying to play through it. Either way he is struggling mightily and it might be time to drop him from your team. But you must remember, it is only week four.
3. Paul Maholm Starting Pitcher, Atlanta Braves
Oh, how the times have changed. Last week at this time Maholm was looking like the best pitcher in the NL. This week? An 0-2 record with a 10.24 ERA. What is even worse is that he has walked six men in his last two games. He has allowed 11 runs over this span and an opponent batting average of .359. This could just be bad luck or a sign of things to come. You must remember that the Braves have been on the road for 16 of their last 18 games. This could be taking a toll on the ATL lefty.
2. Josh Beckett Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
Here is another pitcher who had a great beginning to his season that abruptly turned bad. Beckett has allowed four home runs in his past two starts and hasn’t recorded a win since mid-April. His ERA in his past two starts is startling as well, with a 7.36. Many wondered if Beckett could become the “temporary” two, while Zack Greinke is out. So far it has been hard to tell as his first start after Greinke got hurt was stellar but since then, not so much. Look for Beckett to get back on track but you might want to hold him out of your lineup until his start against the Colorado Rockies is over.
1. Rickie Weeks Second Basemen, Milwaukee Brewers
By now we all know that Weeks is somewhat of a slow starter but no one saw this coming. Weeks is batting .163 on the season and is doing even worse in the past week. His batting average is a atrocious .050 as he has only recorded one hit in his last 20 at-bats. Ever since Prince Fielder left Milwaukee, it seems like Weeks has been struggling more and more often. This is a bad sign for the Brewers, if they want to compete they are going to need him to start producing a lot more. Once again I would bench Weeks if he was on my team but wouldn’t drop him. If all else fails, use him as trade bait.
Now, the five “winners” of week four.
5. Wei-Yin Chen Starting Pitcher, Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles lefty had himself a week to remember. He received wins in both of his previous two games, along with only allowing one run. This puts his ERA for the week at a cool 0.64. He is 2-2 on the year with a 2.53. In his previous starts he struck out seven and only allowed five hits while doing so. This Orioles team is rolling at the moment, as they have won three in a row and eight of their last ten. Keep starting Chen if he is on your team. If he is available in your league and you need pitching, snag him up.
4. Miguel Cabrera Third Basemen, Detroit Tigers
The former Triple Crown winner is off to another hot start on the year. He is batting .444 over the past week and has a season average of .370. The power hasn’t been there this year but when your best hitter is batting in the high three hundreds, it doesn’t matter. He is the poster boy for batting and is by far the best hitter in the game today. If you drafted him first overall or third, you're looking at some great numbers to begin the year. Expect the home run numbers to incline over the next few months and enjoy watching this beast dominant pitcher after pitcher.
3. Clay Buchholz Starting Pitcher, Boston Red Sox
Is there a pitcher in all of baseball hotter than Buchholz right now? The answer is no, because he is completely dominating. He won both of his starts this week and struck out 16 while doing so. His ERA was 2.30 bringing his season ERA to a 1.19. He only walked three batters combined in his past two starts and looks better than ever on the bump. He is one of the main reasons the Red Sox are playing so well this season. He has yet to record a loss and has five wins to his name. Continue to start this guy in your lineup!
2. David Ortiz Designated Hitter, Boston Red Sox
The big guy can do no wrong in Boston. He is loved and adored by all in Boston and is giving them more reasons why. In his last seven games he has accumulated a .500 batting average and looks locked in. He hit two home runs in this time and has drove in six runs. Everything is going right for this club, so hopefully they can keep it up. Start this guy every day he is in the lineup and you will get results.
1. Edwin Encarnacion Designated Hitter, Toronto Blue Jays
It certainly took long enough but Encarnacion finally made the “winners” list. His first three weeks of the season were gruesome, than week four arrived. How did he answer? Five home runs and nine RBIs in only seven games. He also was walked four times this week and finally looks like the normal power hitter we are all used to. If you jumped the gun and dropped this guy already, you messed up. He is going to continue having a great year and put up monster home run numbers. Here’s to you Encarnacion.