2011 Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report Week 8: The Two Month Report Cards Are In!
SP – ZACH BRITTON (BALTIMORE) Grade A : Britton has put together a strong first two months for the Orioles. He currently owns a 5-2 record with a 2.14 ERA. He also has pitched well against the Yankees in two starts against them. Zach who works both sides of the plate has seven quality starts out of the nine he has pitched. Even when ace Brian Matusz returns, the Orioles will have to find a way to keep Britton in the rotation.
2B – DARWIN BARNEY (CHICAGO CUBS) Grade A : Barney leads all rookies with a .315 batting average while adding a home run and 21 RBI’s. He is now owned in 98.3% of ESPN leagues and has become a fan favorite at Wrigley field. It remains to be seen if he can stay over .300 for the year, but he has has success at all levels.
SP – JEREMY HELLICKSON (TAMPA BAY) Grade B+ : Jeremy had won 4 in a row until Detroit beat him last night. He currently holds a 3.14 ERA and has 40K’s in 57 innings of work. Hellickson has great command of his pitches and hides the ball well. He will only get better and there’s a slim chance he will be available on waivers after last night’s loss.
C – J.P. ARENCIBIA (TORONTO) Grade B+ : J.P. leads all rookies in home runs with eight. He also is hitting .252 with 23 RBI’s in only 127 AB’s. Arencibia currently ranks ninth in CBS leagues in scoring for catchers trailing only by a few points of being in the top three. We touted his power early in the Rookie Report but didnt quite expect this. If he continues on this pace he projects as a .250 hittier with 24 HR’s. The jury is still out though as he is owned in only 25.4% of all ESPN leagues.
1B – FREDDIE FREEMAN (ATLANTA) Grade C : Freeman has struggled in his first year for the Braves. He has only a .248 batting average with four home runs and 14 RBI’s. Freddie has struck out 37 times and at times looked way over matched at the plate. At a position that is this deep he should not be on your roster as he is only owned in 26% of ESPN leagues right now.
OF – JERRY SANDS (LA DODGERS) Grade C : Sands hasnt lived up to all the hype so far as he has only one home run and a .239 batting average in 88 AB's for the Dodgers. Expectations are high for the 23 year-old and it will take time for him to adjust to the major league level.
BRYCE HARPER (HAGERSTOWN A) – Harper has a .346 batting average in Hagerstown with 10 home runs and 34 RBI's and seven stolen bases. Over a full season those stats would translate into a .346/40/136 season with 28 SB's. Need I say more?
Written by John Marino exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com.
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(May 4, 2011 – Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images North America)