On the Rise

Zach Britton (Baltimore Orioles, SP) 25.7% owned 

In first place in the American League East, the Orioles are feeling all warm and fuzzy with their new, young team. 23-year old Zach Britton has really shown everyone his best stuff after he was called up to start for the injured Brian Matusz. Britton has made two starts for the O’s this year, and now boasts a 2-0 record with a 0.66 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Yes, it is not just early in the year to predict the season he will have, but also early in his career. If Britton is available in your league, and your pitching staff is rather shallow, Britton could be a key guy to pick up some wins and give you quality innings pitched.

Ben Francisco (Philadelphia Phillies, RF) 54.3% owned 

The 6-2 Phillies have had an impressive 2011 offense thus far. The team’s 7.0 R/G (runs per game) average is first in all of baseball, and leading the pack is right fielder Ben Francsico. In eight games this year, Francisco has seven runs, two home runs, seven runs batted in, and a .333 average in 33 at bats. His strong finish in 2010 was a nice indicator as well, hitting five home runs in 40 Post-All Star break games (a pace of about 20 HR in 160 games). If your team could use a solid outfielder, go and grab Francisco from the waiver wire. With the rest of the Phillies’ potent offense, Francisco could continue his success for the remainder of the season.

Ike Davis (New York Mets, 1B) 98.3% owned 

While the Mets’ off-field issues still loom, The Amazins’ first baseman, Ike Davis, has had no problems hitting the ball. Davis is leading the Mets in RBI’s with nine so far, and is batting .345 in 29 at bats. Don’t expect his average to stay in the mid-.300 range, but you can expect his RBI total and high on base percentage to stay with him the entire year.

Matt Harrison (Texas Rangers, SP) 28% owned 

For the beginning of the 2011 season, the Texas Rangers have been nearly perfect, going 7-1 while scoring the third most runs per game (6.88) and recording the third best team ERA (2.79) in all of baseball. Matt Harrison is emerging as an absolute ace for the Rangers starting rotation. The lines for his first two starts are below, and quite impressive to say the least.

April 3 vs. Boston: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
April 9 at Baltimore: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K 
 

On the Decline

Casey McGehee (Milwaukee Brewers, 3B) 100% owned 

McGehee is off to a slow start, looking like anything but his 2010 self that hit 23 home runs and knocked in 104 runs. Currently, he is hovering the Mendoza line and has yet to clear the fences. Also, his sole run scored this year is basically a clear sign of another year with a low run total, mirroring his 58 runs in 2009 and 70 runs in 2010. McGehee is failing to get on base, get runners to score, and hit the long ball, and it could be a matter of time before he is deemed irrelevant in the 2011 fantasy season.

Ben Zobrist (Tampa Bay Rays, 2B/OF) 100% owned 

Disaster has struck in Tampa Bay as the Rays’ offense is in dead last, only scoring an average of 2.38 runs per game. Ben Zobrist, the Rays’ second baseman and utility man, is dealing with his own hitting problems as well. Hitting .167 with one home run and two RBI, Zobrist is continuing his year-to-year downward trend in 2011. His Post-All Star numbers could possibly have been a predictor for this season’s poor start, as he hit .177 with only five steals in 67 games. Coming into 2011, Zobrist was a top-10 second baseman, now, he is slowly becoming a burnt out fantasy option for all leagues.

Matt Garza (Chicago Cubs, SP) 100% owned

The good news, Garza has the most strikeouts in baseball. The bad news, he has yet to record a win and has a bloated ERA (5.68) and WHIP (1.82). The Cubby newcomer is struggling in his starts. Optimists look at his 6.67 K/BB ratio (20 K and 3 BB) and see a dominant arm on the mound, but realists can’t seem to ignore the fact that Garza has let up eight runs in just under 13 IP. If you are a Garza owner, ask yourself which side you fall on: the optimists, or the realists?

Max Scherzer (Detroit Tigers, SP) 100% owned

If you look at Scherzer’s record, you’ll see two wins in two starts. Take a closer look and you can see his 5.73 ERA and nine strikeouts. Similarly to Garza, Scherzer has only walked four batters, so control issues are not the immediate problem. He entered the year, however, with many fantasy owners eyeing him on draft day. As of now, these Scherzer-enthusiasts are not too pleased. Along with his next start against the red-hot Texas Rangers, Scherzer might have a difficult time rebounding after an unsuccessful start in 2011.

Percentages obtained from ESPN.com 

Written by Tyler Becker exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com

Follow Tyler on Twitter @fantasyprodigy for his fantasy baseball news and notes. 

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(March 6, 2011 – Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images North America)