Today's Fantasy Rx

Anaheim: Vlad Guerrero, OF
178/545 for .327/.377/.560 with 30 HR, 110 RBI, 106 R, 14/17 SB%,
and a 42:71 BB:K.

The Angels' marquee free agent signing appears on track for a top-3 MVP finish as the lineup anchor on a very fragile team. Unfortunately, Anaheim only owns the sixth best offense in the league, and Vlad's decreased plate discipline seems partly to blame. Not only does his .08 walk rate rank as his worst mark since 1998, he also hadn't dropped below a .87 contact rate in three seasons. A 1.14 G-F that falls just back of his 1.13 career-best mark and mildly improved speed skills look like the best news in his respectable yet somewhat unimpressive stat line. I expected at least a slightly higher level of production from Vlad since he suffered no serious injury this season, so try to shop him for multiple upgrades elsewhere if your league rules still allow trading.

We'll continue tomorrow with National League underachieving batters.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Players still underachieving into September likely won't rebound with less than three weeks remaining in the season. Healthy AL position players who might merit replacing in some leagues include Rafael Palmeiro, Joe Crede, Willie Harris, Jody Gerut, Ben Broussard, Bobby Higginson, Desi Relaford, Bobby Kielty, Dan Wilson, Gerald Laird, Chris Woodward, and Eric Hinske. While Palmeiro, Gerut, and Hinske still possess solid skills and at least can maintain their respective current level of production, I see little reason to retain the others barring a tight category race, especially if you see a promising September call-up registering helpful stats.