Today's Fantasy Rx

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

Arizona: Steve Finley, OF
109/363 for .300/.377/.529 with 18 HR, 55 RBI, 61 R, 8/15 SB%,
and a 43:64 BB:K.

Finley's workout regimen seems widely admired, and given this career-high OPS at age 38, he obviously deserves a good deal of credit for improvement at the latter stage of his career. Yet his 1.26 G-F is his worst mark since 1996 and a career-low .82 contact rate indicates a pending BA drop. A career-best 3.88 #P/PA suggests developed plate discipline accounts for much of his current success, however the slow erosion of his power and contact abilities portend a likely drop in performance. While you should feel free to wait through the end of this season, I don't view Finley as an overly respectable keeper at any salary in double digits.

July Overachiever: Matt Kata, 2B
Old stats: 18/48 for .375/.455/.667 with 3 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R, 0/1 SB%,
and a 7:10 BB:K.
Recommendation: deal him now.
Stats since recommendation: 33/121 for .273 with 3 HR, 7 RBI, 19 R, 1/2 SB%,
and a 7:22 BB:K.

Previous Overachievers: April: Carlos Baerga, 2B; May: Chad Moeller.

We'll continue tomorrow with American League overachieving pitchers.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Anyone looking for likely offensive overachievers should invest in Astros immediately. Houston travels to Cincinnati this weekend, Colorado in mid-September, and aside from three-game stints in Los Angeles and St. Louis, they play the rest of their games either in Milwaukee, San Diego, or at home in Minute Maid. The Astros are the only team left with series remaining in Cincinnati, Colorado, and Houston, so take advantage of this ballpark advantage if your team needs improved performance from your position players.