Rafael Furcal has been one of the bigger busts in fantasy baseball so far. Maybe the knee problem is to blame, but not only does Furcal have just seven steals on the season, he also didn't hit his first home run until Sunday. The contact rate is actually a career-best, so expect at least a modest bounce back over the rest of the season.
Improbably, Paul Byrd leads all of baseball with a sparkling 10.5:1 K:BB ratio. In fact, the next closest (C.C. Sabathia 6:1) isn't even all that close. However, this is one peripheral that can pretty much be ignored, as Byrd's 4.81 ERA is a better indication of how he's pitched. The league-leading .49 BB/9 IP is nice and all, but he's also allowed 1.48 HR/9 IP and sports a low strikeout rate.
I'm more than a little worried about Jason Schmidt. At this point, any surgery that won't hurt his 2008 outlook has to be considered a best-case scenario. A two-pitch pitcher, Schmidt was able to compensate for a loss in velocity during his last two years in SF because of his tremendous changeup, but a fastball that currently tops out at 85 mph is simply too much of a drop off. His changeup was frequently thrown at 91-92 mph during his peak 2002-2004 seasons.
Regarding Schmidt's replacement in LA's rotation, it seems like a no-brainer that Chad Billingsley should be the choice. Sure, he needs to be stretched out, but with a 26:6 K:BB ratio, 1.28 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over his last 21.1 innings, it's time to see what Billingsley can do as a starter.
It's clear Carlos Beltran's quad injury is bothering him more than the Mets have been letting on. A consensus top-15 fantasy pick entering the year, Beltran is batting just .204 over the last six weeks. In June, he has just one extra-base hit and a 10:1 K:BB ratio.
Kei Igawa may have some use in fantasy leagues after all. After rediscovering his changeup in Triple-A, he posted a 1.80 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20 innings this month. He probably won't be all that helpful in ERA or WHIP, but run support should be on his side. His first start back against the Giants this Friday is a favorable one.
After mono essentially ruined his season last year, Casey Kotchman is quietly having one of the better seasons in the game in 2007. He has a .333/.411/.556 line with a remarkable 16:24 K:BB ratio. Hopefully his recent concussion doesn't prove to be too serious, because a run at the batting crown isn't out of the question.
Welcome back, Jonny Gomes. With Elijah Dukes on pace to father 44 children by the time he's 60, Gomes may finally be given another chance with the organization. Remember, Gomes had a 1.185 OPS and 11 homers last April before a shoulder injury derailed his season. While his swing is too long to result in a BA much better than .260, his power could make him a fantasy asset immediately, regardless of Rocco Baldelli's impending return. Besides, you'd have a better chance of hearing Dane Cook tell a funny joke than Baldelli's hamstring holding up over the rest of the season.
There isn't a hotter player in baseball right now than Corey Hart. In 59 June at-bats, he has a 1.058 OPS, six homers and six steals. Folks, that's a 65/65 pace for the season. All right, maybe that's unsustainable, but Hart has clearly forced the Brewers' hand to finally make him a regular, and if he holds onto the leadoff spot after Rickie Weeks' return, expect him to continue to run wild. He has the upside of a top-20 fantasy outfielder from here on out.