Buzz Index: Let’s be Frank

Change is one constant in fantasy sports. Players get hot and cool down, get hurt and get well, and move in and out of roles. Fantasy owners are constantly reacting to these changes (or at least they should be). Let’s take a look at the Buzz Index from the past few days to see which players are currently causing the most change in fantasy baseball, and take a deeper look at what the fuss is all about.

Buzz Index (Baseball) – Adds

Jensen Lewis (Cle – RP) 29,802 adds
Lewis is firmly entrenched as the Indians’ closer thanks to his recent run. He’s recorded saves in seven of his past eight appearances, allowing five hits and one earned run in 8.0 innings, with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Upshot: Lewis was a dark-horse candidate for saves – he had a 4.26 ERA and 1.58 WHIP as of August 5 – but clearly will continue to get the nod as long as he’s dealing. Rafael Perez – the fantasy community’s favorite once Joe Borowski was on his way out – could be in line for a rogue save or two, but Lewis is the man right now.

Frank Francisco (Tex – RP) 28,877 adds
According to Rangers manager Ron Washington, Francisco is the clear-cut option for saves in Texas now that Eddie Guardado has been dealt away.
Upshot: Francisco is 2-5 and has six blown saves in six chances thus far on the season. No, that’s not a typo. With that said, his overall numbers are pretty good. They include a 3.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .218 BAA, and 11.2 K/9 in 52.1 innings. If Francisco were to falter, someone like Jamey Wright or Joaquin Benoit could get the call.

Glen Perkins (Min – SP, RP) 22,583 adds
Perkins was added en masse leading up to his Wednesday start versus the Mariners. He’s compiled a 1.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over his past three starts (22.0 IP), pitching 8.0 shutout innings versus the Yankees and Angels during that time.
Upshot: Ironically, Perkins’ blemish in his recent game log was versus Seattle, when he allowed eight hits (3 HR) and four earned runs in 6.0 innings (albeit in an 11-8 win). As mentioned in the recent Splitsville, Seattle has been very kind to opposing starters in recent weeks, so Perkins seems like a very good play. His exceptionally low strikeout totals (4.3/9) limit his overall fantasy impact, however.

Mike Cameron (Mil – OF) 20,944 adds
Cameron has been on fire in recent weeks. Over the past 19 games, he’s hit .382 (26 for 68) with 14 runs, six home runs, 14 runs batted in and six steals.
Upshot: The Brewers moved Cameron down in the order after a miserable stretch in the two-hole (.220/.286/.441 in 127 AB) and he’s been productive ever since, with his numbers spiking of late. Cameron’s four-category impact is typically tempered by his batting average, but he’s about as good as it gets when he has it all clicking.

Mike Pelfrey (NYM – SP) 16,567 adds
Pelfrey has it working right now, having thrown complete games in each of his past two starts while allowing just 16 hits and four earned runs over 25.0 innings (3 GS, 3-0, 1.44 ERA, 0.76 WHIP).
Upshot: Pelfrey is one of only three pitchers with at least 160.0 innings that have surrendered fewer than 10 home runs (Pelfrey 9, Tim Lincecum 9, Cliff Lee 8). He’s not particularly hard to hit (.277 BAA) but he’s hard to hit hard (.391 OppSLG), thanks to lots of groundballs (49.3%). Like Perkins, Pelfrey’s low strikeouts (5.1/9) mean that his ratios have to be stellar for his fantasy impact to be maximized, and they happen to be stellar right now.

Brett Myers (Phi – SP, RP) 16,295 adds
Speaking of stellar ratios, that’s what Brett Myers has been putting together since being recalled from his stint in Triple-A. Over his past six starts (43.2 IP), he’s compiled a 1.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, with 36 strikeouts.
Upshot: It appears that Myers figured some things out down in the minors. This group of adds brings his ownership numbers much closer to universal, which is where they should be at this point.

Kevin Slowey (Min – SP) 15,959 adds
Slowey has been almost as good as Myers over the same stretch. Over his past six starts (40.0 IP), he’s put together a 2.25 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, with 32 strikeouts.
Upshot: What’s interesting (make that perplexing) to me is that Slowey has been doing it pretty much all season (1.07 WHIP in 127.2 IP) but he’s being added in fewer leagues than Pelfrey (1.36 WHIP in 163.0 IP). Their ERA’s are nearly identical (Slowey 3.74, Pelfrey 3.70), but Slowey has a significantly better strikeout rate (Slowey 6.8/9, Pelfrey 5.1/9). Remember, people, wins are just one of five pitching categories.

Nelson Cruz (Tex – OF) 13,800 adds
Cruz will get another chance to hit major league pitching at a level somewhere along the lines of what he’s done in Triple-A. The 28-year-old Cruz hit .341 with 37 home runs and 24 steals in 104 games in the minors this season.
Upshot: Cruz got some run in the recent Splitsville. In a nutshell, we’ve seen the huge minor league numbers before, but he’s yet to do much of anything at the big league level (.233/.285/.393 in 450 AB). Three hits, including a home run, in his first game with the Rangers have expectations high once again. If he lives up to them, you’ll want him on your fantasy roster(s).

Buzz Index (Baseball) – Drops

Shaun Marcum (Tor – SP, RP) 55,580 drops
Marcum was a mass drop after the Jays sent him to Triple-A on Saturday to address some mechanical issues. He has compiled a 6.19 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in seven starts (36.1 IP) since being activated from the DL in late July.
Lowdown: The hope is that he’ll only need a start or two to iron some things out, but he absolutely hasn’t been right since dealing with elbow issues (36.1 IP, 43 H, 10 HR, 16 BB, 23 K since July 22). The fact that his season numbers are still just a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and .225 BAA in 135.0 innings is a commentary on how effective he was in the early going. You can track his progress here. If he can iron things out, you’ll want him back on your roster in short order.

Eddie Guardado (Min – RP) 41,804 drops
Guardado’s fantasy impact took a hit when he was dealt to the Twins on Monday. He isn’t expected to see save opportunities as long as Joe Nathan is physically able to take the mound.
Lowdown: Nathan has been insanely good this season (1.13 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .186 BAA) so Guardado’s only likely to help if you are in a holds league. Frank Francisco has been named the closer in Texas in Guardado’s stead.

John Maine (NYM – SP) 35,314 drops
It’s been a rough week for Maine. He was hammered in his most recent start (5.2 IP, 10 H, 8 ER on Saturday) and then hit the DL on Monday with a bone spur in his right shoulder that could end his season.
Lowdown: Perhaps it was Mets fans who made the swap for Pelfrey instead of Slowey? On topic, Maine needs surgery to actually fix the problem, but he’ll try a few weeks of inactivity instead in the hopes that he’ll at least be able to contribute down the stretch and (potentially) in the playoffs. It’s very likely that he’s made his last fantasy contribution this season.

Ty Wigginton (Hou – 1B, 2B, 3B, OF) 14,086 drops
Wigginton was the most added player last week in the wake of his 15-game hitting streak, but the bandwagon lost some members in the six games since the streak ended, during which Wiggy batted .160 (4 for 25, 0 R, 1 RBI).
Lowdown: A look at his game log and his splits tell a decent part of the story. The team’s past seven games have been on the road, where he’s hitting .269/.328/.462 (169 AB). At home this season, he’s hitting .345/.401/.662 (139 AB). If you need run production from your 2B, he’s still a good option, particularly if you can platoon him.

Alex Gordon (KC – 1B, 3B) 13,408 drops
Gordon was placed on the DL on Saturday because of a torn muscle in his right quad. He’s expected to need a number of weeks to recover, effectively ending his season.
Lowdown: The 24-year-old made only marginal improvements from his rookie campaign, but be sure to tab him as a post-hype sleeper in next season’s drafts. In his sole minor league season, he hit .325/.427/.588 with 39 doubles, 29 home runs, and 22 steals in 130 games.

Jason Isringhausen (StL – RP) 12,894 drops
Isringhausen’s season is done and his career may be, as well due to a torn muscle in the 35-year-old’s elbow.
Lowdown: His positive fantasy contributions ended in late April. Isringhausen currently stands at 22nd on the all-time saves leaderboard. From 2001-05, he averaged 35 saves and 61 strikeouts in 62.2 innings, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Chris Perez (5 SV in August) is the closer of the present and future for the Cardinals.

J.D. Drew (Bos – OF) 11,394 drops
Drew was placed on the DL on Tuesday with lower back issues that have caused him to remain inactive since Aug. 16. His post-break numbers include a .209 average and two home runs in 26 games.
Lowdown: Drew was easily the hottest hitter in baseball in early June, batting .424 (28 for 66) in 19 games from June 1-21, with 23 runs, 10 home runs and 22 runs batted in. In his other 88 games on the season, he’s batted just .248 with 55 runs, nine home runs and 42 runs batted in. If you missed out on that run in June, it’s likely that Drew has been a net loss to your team in terms of fantasy impact.

Justin Duchscherer (Oak – SP, RP) 9,549 drops
Duchscherer is among the most dropped players for the second consecutive week. He was placed on the DL this past Thursday with pain in his right hip, the same hip that limited him to 16.1 innings in 2007 and required season-ending surgery.
Lowdown: There is some optimism that he’ll pitch again this season, but I wouldn’t count on much in the way of help for fantasy owners over the season’s final weeks.