The two winningest starting pitchers in the majors are Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price.
Let that sink in for a bit.
Sure, Jimenez has gotten better every year and probably was considered at least a No. 2 starter for most fantasy teams coming into this year. But he has been incredibly dominant, with an 8-1 record and an ERA just under 1.00.
Price? He has long been expected of great things, yet over the last two years didn’t realize his potential when anyone thought he would. Thus, he came into this year as a late-round bench pick.
So, will the real Cy Young please stand up? Which one of these pitchers can keep it going all year, if either? Is there one you should sell high?
Both are with teams that have potent lineups that might carry them through bad outings here and there, and I think that makes all the difference.
Certainly, Jimenez will come back down to earth a bit. Pitchers with dominant first halves rarely keep the same pace for a full year. Price’s Tampa Bay Rays are on a pace for well over 100 wins, however, and Jimenez’ Colorado Rockies are underachieving right now and should start winning more.
So, I honestly wouldn’t trade either one. I think both have the stuff and the team support to reach 20 wins.
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It’s Week 8 in the fantasy baseball world, and Carlos Silva is still pitching better than Jake Peavy.
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Fantasy Find of the Week: Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, Toronto.
A once-promising fantasy prospect after hitting 26 home runs for Cincinnati in 2008, Encarnacion has not done much since landing in Toronto last year, and spent most of this young season on the DL. That all changed in the last week with an amazing hot stretch of 6 HRs and 11 RBIs in just 21 at-bats. The run included a three-homer game. He should cool off considerably, but it looks like he’s recaptured his power stroke.
Fantasy Stud of the Week: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado.
A lot of the top-ranked players looked lost during the opening weekend of interleague play, but the stint seemed to help Tulo’ find himself after a sluggish start to the season. He hit .391 with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs last week, and you should get him back in the starting lineup.
Fantasy Dud of the Week: Mark Teixeira, 1B, NY Yankees.
He showed signs recently of coming out of his usual slow start, but was just awful last week, going 3-for-25 with no power or run production. Albert Pujols had a similar bad week, but at least salvaged a couple stolen bases.
Fantasy Match-up of the Week: Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Boston. He just came off the DL, and I like his chances to finally get in gear during a four-game series against Kansas City later this week.
Expert Wire
* Closing Time is high on Corey Hart, who has been hitting again after a season-and-a-half-long slump. Perhaps he stopped wearing sunglasses at night.
* Bleacher Report has the countdown toward the return of Curtis Granderson from the DL.
* Fantasy FanHouse features starting pitchers due to make two starts this week.
* Press Box Online says it’s time for the train to leave the station while Gordon Beckham is still in the restroom. I had Beckham figured for a good sophomore year, but if you have the bench room, why not keep him? Honestly, it can’t get any worse.
Finally, forget fantasy baseball. Simulation baseball is the next big thing.
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Dan O’Shea’s Fantasy Fix appears in this space every Wednesday. He welcomes your comments. You can also read his about his split sports fan personality at SwingsBothWays, which isn’t about what it sounds like it’s about.
Posted on May 26, 2010