Today's Fantasy Rx

Note: The beginning of most stat lines includes the following data: H/AB for BA/OBP/SLG.

Arizona: Carlos Baerga, 2B
17/43 for .395/.404/.628 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 5 R, and 1/1 SB%,
and a 2:1 BB:K.

After only 16 games he's equaled his homer contribution from 2002 while nearly reaching two-thirds of the 19 RBI he posted last year for Boston. Now he's starting about half of Arizona's games thanks to the terrible early performances from Spivey, Womack, and Matt Williams, and a .432/.450/.703 line against lefties will keep him playing indefinitely. Even his 1.57 G-F is his third best career mark, however his .98 contact rate will fall close to his .89 career norm, thereby dragging his BA down about a hundred points. While Baerga remains a good short-term play, listen for any deal if another owner is more desperate for a historically inconsistent platoon infielder than you.

Atlanta: Julio Franco, 1B
16/43 for .372/.449/.442 with 0 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 0/0 SB%,
and a 6:8 BB:K.

Marcus Giles' rebound is far less a surprise than Franco's continued production, but with Rob Fick returning from the DL today, we don't expect Franco even to approach his 338 at-bats of a year ago. Both Franco's 3.00 G-F and age indicate he possesses little upside, and while a .14 walk rate maintains his value to the Braves, a .81 contact rate suggests his BA will drop significantly. As he's no longer even a platoon player with Fick's return, now is the best time this season to deal Franco.

Chicago Cubs: Corey Patterson, OF
29/93 for .312/.343/.570 with 5 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R, 2/3 SB%,
and a 5:24 BB:K.

In 2002 Patterson posted a .333/.400/.489 line in April, and his 10:14 BB:K in 90 at-bats against gave us some hope he could sustain his improvement. His walk rate and contact rate both have dropped noticeably this year, and with his G-F only down to 1.41 after a 1.54 mark a year ago, I see no reason for him to maintain his current power production. In nearly every respect Patterson's displaying worse skills while performing better, and only someone believing in Dusty Baker Magic to a greater extent than myself should expect Patterson to keep performing at this level for any extended length of time. Owners in single-season leagues immediately look for any potential deal while even keeper league owners should explore trade possibilities.

Cincinnati: Austin Kearns, OF
24/84 for .286/.417/.631 with 9 HR, 19 RBI, 15 R, 0/2 SB%,
and a 16:26 BB:K.

No one expected Kearns to challenge for the lead the league in homers and he has slowed in the last week, but the benefits of hitting at the GAB cannot be understated. Cincinnati opened the next prodigious hitters' park this year, and only a disappointing 1.72 G-F from Kearns indicates he likely won't exceed 40 homers this season. The Reds' offensive holes also will cause Kearns' run production to fall, so while a bump in his walk rate from .15 to .19 helps, a contact rate decrease from .78 to .69 leaves his average very vulnerable, especially when paired with a drop from 4.02 #P/PA to 3.84. Kearns is not someone to target in trade, and his prospect hype and early homer totals should enable you to nab a nice bounty in any potential deal.

We'll continue tomorrow with American League overachieving pitchers.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Several injured players, particularly Rob Fick and Travis Lee, look ready to return from the DL. If you're invested in anyone who's seen additional playing time thanks to recent injuries, such as the Atlanta Francos, George Lombard, or Al Martin, monitor the next few days of box scores to insure your players aren't losing significant at-bats.