Buzz Index: Gone to Morrow

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

Andre Ethier (LAD – OF) 32,229 adds
Ethier is nipping at Dustin Pedroia’s heels for the mantle of hottest player in the game. He’s the second-ranked player in the Yahoo! game over the past month, thanks to a .381 average (40 for 105), 27 runs, nine home runs, 24 runs batted in and three steals. Upshot: Ethier will pass Pedroia if he keeps his recent pace up. He’s batted .510 (26 for 51) over the past 13 games, with 16 runs, 18 extra-base hits (10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR), 15 runs batted in and three steals. Obviously, he’s looking like a phenomenal play for the remainder of the season while also moving up 2009 draft sheets with each and every productive game.

Jesse Litsch (Tor – SP) 17,184 adds
Litsch has been very solid since being recalled from Triple-A by the Jays in mid-August. In five starts (35.2 IP), he’s compiled a 1.26 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, with 27 hits, nine walks and 18 strikeouts.
Upshot: He was demoted after three straight poor outings in July (combined 12.2 IP, 15 ER), but his season stats now stand at a 3.70 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 150.2 innings. Those ratios definitely help, although the effects of his sub-par strikeout rate (4.6/9) should not be ignored. The schedule doesn’t look great for Litsch down the stretch as he’s set to face Boston twice and the Yankees once.

Pablo Sandoval (SF – C, 1B, 3B) 14,785 adds
Sandoval’s assault on opposing pitchers began in Single- and Double-A and hasn’t stopped since his promotion to the big club. He’s batting .349 (30 for 86) in 23 games for the Giants despite not having a stable position or spot in the batting order.
Upshot: He’s made at least five starts at three different positions (hence the eligibility) and has recorded at bats at every spot in the order from leadoff through seventh. In 448 at bats in the minors, the 22-year-old batted .350/.394/.578, with 38 doubles and 20 home runs in 112 games. He’s looking like a very nice plug-in at catcher down the home stretch, and he’s a name to keep in mind once prep begins for 2009.

Brandon Morrow (Sea – RP) 13,327 adds
Morrow made a mass exodus from fantasy rosters after being sent down to Triple-A in early August to allow him to transition to a starting role. He’s back with the Mariners and was money in his first start (7.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 8 K on 9/5).
Upshot: Morrow gets some cyber-ink here, here, and here. In a nutshell, there’s a good chance that he should be rostered in your league.

Hiroki Kuroda (LAD – SP) 12,924 adds
Kuroda has been on a very good run since Aug. 1. In eight starts during that time (50.2 IP), he’s compiled a 2.84 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, with just nine walks and 37 strikeouts.
Upshot: He’s another in the mold of a low-volume strikeout pitcher (5.7/9) whose ratios rely on control (2.1 BB/9) and lots of ground balls (50.2% GB). When it’s working, he’s a fairly specific fantasy asset. When it’s not, he’s just taking up space. With that said, the schedule looks good for him down the stretch as he should see the Pirates once and the Giants twice before it’s all said and done.

Coco Crisp (Bos – OF) 12,570 adds
Crisp has been a mainstay in the Red Sox lineup since Aug. 1, and his production has been spiking in recent weeks. He’s batted .500 (27 for 54) over his past 15 games, with 13 runs, 10 runs batted in and six steals.
Upshot: You’d think that he’ll remain in the lineup as long as he stays this hot, but, between the acquisition of Mark Kotsay and J.D. Drew’s activation from the DL, things are getting awfully crowded in the Boston OF. Don’t get too tied to Crisp’s production.

Shin-Soo Choo (Cle – OF) 11,552 adds
Choo has been all over the ball for the past month or so. He’s had multiple hits in nine of the past 12 games and reached base safely in 28 straight games from Aug. 5 to Sept. 8. He’s batting .385 (40 for 104) over the past 29 games, with 26 runs, 20 extra-base hits (13 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR) and 20 runs batted in.
Upshot: The 26-year-old Choo was a prospect of some regard after batting .320/.392/.496 in 375 Triple-A at bats in 2006 and his overall minor league numbers were decent enough. At this point of the fantasy season, you need to strike when any iron is hot. Choo is that, so he’s worth the add.

Joey Votto (Cin – 1B, OF) 10,423 adds
Votto started the season strong, struggled during the season’s middle months, and now he’s picked things back up again. He’s batted .388 (26 for 67) over the past 18 games, with 13 runs, five home runs and 17 runs batted in.
Upshot: While his overall numbers have been something of a disappointment, he’s shown enough in terms of average, power and plate discipline that he’ll be among my draft targets in 2009. In terms of this season: once again, at this point you go with whoever has it working.

Buzz Index (Baseball) – Drops

Ty Wigginton (Hou – 1B, 2B, 3B, OF) 42,142 drops
Wigginton has been out of the lineup since suffering a left groin strain Saturday, an injury that is expected to keep him out of the starting lineup through this coming weekend.
Lowdown: It was terrible timing. In 33 games prior to the injury, Wiggy batted .350 (42 for 120) with 14 home runs and 32 runs batted in. Monitor his status in the coming days – back at 100 percent, he’ll deserve to be back on fantasy rosters.

Carlos Quentin (CWS – OF) 27,966 drops
Fantasy owners who found it tough to drop their fantasy team’s likely MVP have finally been making the move in recent days. He’s not going to help anyone during the rest of the regular season.
Lowdown: Quentin’s emergence will likely bring more focus to post-hype sleepers moving forward. In 130 games, he hit .288, with 96 runs, 36 home runs, 100 runs batted in and seven steals. It’s doubtful that he’ll fall past the second round in drafts in 2009.

Billy Wagner (NYM – RP) 27,048 drops
Wagner went from trying to come back for the stretch run to wondering if he’ll ever pitch again with the revelation that he’ll need Tommy John surgery.
Lowdown: Wagner vows to return to the game at some point, but there’s a decent chance that it won’t happen in 2009. His 385 career saves are good for third among active pitchers and sixth all-time. Luis Ayala has emerged from the rubble of the Mets’ bullpen, compiling six saves and posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 11 appearances since being acquired from the Nats.

Justin Duchscherer (Oak – SP, RP) 18,819 drops
Duchscherer’s right hip has cut his season short for the second consecutive campaign, although he did throw 141.2 innings this season (compared to 16.1 last season).
Lowdown: There was some hope that he’d throw again this season, but the A’s are out of contention and taking no chances. He finishes with an exceptional 2.54 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and figures to be something of a wildcard in 2009 drafts.

Melvin Mora (Bal – 3B) 14,731 drops
Mora has been making his way off of rosters now that he’s missed nine straight games with a strained left hamstring.
Lowdown: Mora was one of the game’s hottest hitters in July and early August, but he hit .250 (8 for 32) in nine games prior to his injury and, at age 36, isn’t exactly a quick healer. With that said, he’s probably not too far away from getting back into the lineup.

Yusmeiro Petit (Ari – SP, RP) 12,784 drops
Petit had a nice string of starts in August (4 GS, 23.0 IP, 3.13 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 18:2 K:BB) but was roughed up in his past two starts (combined 7.1 IP, 10 ER, 5:6 K:BB) and has been replaced in the rotation by Max Scherzer.
Lowdown: It’s doubtful that we’ve seen the last of the 23-year-old Petit’s fantasy usefulness. In 115.0 combined innings between Triple-A and the bigs, he walked just 21 batters and struck out 108. Side note: Scherzer deserves consideration in nearly all leagues. He struck out 11 in 5.0 innings in his first start since replacing Petit (9/7), and has a 3.00 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts in 39.0 major league innings this season.

Mike Cameron (Mil – OF) 12,714 drops
After a white-hot August (25 G, .360, 9 HR), Cameron’s bat has cooled significantly in September (6 G, .120, 0 HR).
Lowdown: Cameron has always been a peaks-and-valleys type of player. Hopefully you got the most out of his run in August, but don’t hesitate to pull the trigger if the “next” hot bat is sitting on the wire.

Marlon Byrd (Tex – OF) 9,591 drops
Byrd got the axe in some leagues after starting September 0-for-11 and missing two games (9/5-6) with a sprained thumb.
Lowdown: He was back in the lineup on Sunday and went 3-for-4 on Monday, with three runs batted in and a steal, so he doesn’t appear to be showing any ill effects. Perhaps a drop was a bit short-sighted. In his past 35 games, Byrd has hit .368 (46 for 125) with 24 runs, four home runs, 23 runs batted in, and three steals.