Fantasy Baseball Wrap-Up: Week 22

By Pete Rampino in Fantasy, Featured ⋅ September 6, 2010 at 4:59pm ⋅ Post a comment

The playoffs are here! I am half excited. I made it in one league and just missed it in another. But hey, you can’t win them all…but I want to dammit. This is the most important time of the season, but a lot of you are looking to football if you have not made your league’s playoffs. So for those still paying attention, here’s the rundown.

Injuries

Cliff Lee (SP), Texas Rangers

Lee is battling a sore back after some discomfort during a bullpen session on Sunday. He will miss his next scheduled start, which was Tuesday against Toronto. A DL stint is unlikely, but keep your eye on this situation.

Josh Hamilton (OF), Texas Rangers

Hamilton injured his ribs on Saturday after crashing into the outfield wall. He has experienced rib injuries before in his career and they have been known to keep him out of action for prolonged periods of time. The best case scenario is that he misses only one week of play.

Ricky Nolasco (SP), Florida Marlins

Nolasco’s season is over after being diagnosed with a torn meniscus. He experienced discomfort in his knee after his last start in which he allowed 6 ER in only 2.0 IP.

Catcher

Koyie Hill, Chicago Cubs

With Geovany Soto resting a sore knee, Hill has been making the most of his playing time by going 6/13 with 4 R, 1 HR, and 4 RBI in the past week.

Others

Nick Hundley (SD): 5/14, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI
A.J. Pierzynski (CWS): 7/18, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Rod Barajas (LAD): 4/18, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI

First Base

Ike Davis, New York Mets

The much hyped rookie has been pretty lackluster this season, but maybe he has decided to turn it on for playoff time. Davis has been swinging a hot bat as of late, clobbering two homers this past week as part of a 9/25 effort where he scored 5 runs and had 4 RBI

Others

Daric Barton (OAK): 6/19, 4 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Melvin Mora (COL): 8/27, 4 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Logan Morrison (FLA): 8/22, 7 R, 2 RBI

Second Base

John McDonald, Toronto Blue Jays

He didn’t help your batting (4/20), but he delivered with 6 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 1 SB. So yeah, we will cut him a slight break with his hitting this time.

Others

Jeff Baker (CHC): 6/8, 3 R, 3 RBI
Danny Espinosa (WAS): 5/11, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Sean Rodriguez (TB): 3/10, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Third Base

Danny Valencia, Minnesota Twins

He’s battling some minor hamstring issues, but don’t be scared. The rookie has been killing the ball in his limited time this season, but in 63 games, he is hitting .343. Last week, he kept the momentum with a line of 10/16, 1 R, 4 RBI, and 1 SB

Others

Alex Gordon (KC): 4/20, 4 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Wes Helms (FLA): 4/10, 3 R, 6 RBI
Jhonny Peralta (DET): 9/28, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

Shortstop

Ruben Tejada, New York Mets

Tejada doesn’t exactly blow you away (.193 avg in 57 games), but hey, those numbers don’t matter during crunch time. In the past week, Tejada has put on a clinic by going 6/16 with 2 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, and 1 SB.

Others

Luis Hernandez (NYM): 6/15, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB
J.J. Hardy (MIN): 5/17, 4 R, 5 RBI
Yuniesky Betancourt (KC): 4/24, 4 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Outfield

Casper Wells, Detroit Tigers

Since his call up on August 23rd, Wells is hitting .353 with 2 HR and 7 RBI in 12 games. These hot rookies can make the difference in the playoffs.

Others

Travis Snider (TOR): 7/21, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Hideki Matsui (LAA): 5/14, 3 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Austin Jackson (DET): 8/24, 7 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB

Pitchers

J.A. Happ, Houston Astros

I keep waiting for Happ to implode, but it is not going to happen. He has been a solid starter since being traded to Houston. In the past week, Happ won both of his starts to improve to 5-2 on the season. Happ put up a 1.12 ERA in 16.0 IP with 11 K.