TheBaseballStars

There are certain players that have the ability to get so hot, it defies any rational explanation. Guys that will heat up and hit as good as the best players at their best, and then fall back to earth with such a thud it baffles the mind. From a fantasy perspective these players can seem almost useless.

Which brings us to our first item.

Jack MF Cust just received a shipment of corked bats. Since Monday, the man you have an unhealthy fascination with has gone 10-for-20 with five walks (.600 OBP) and three homers. Oddly enough, this has coincided with a new shipment of bats that he called “harder” than his old ones, whatever that means. I suppose this would be a good time to suggest picking him up, since he is no doubt a free agent in your league. But, I can’t do that. As much as I love Cust and his story (10-year minor leaguer who finally made the most of his opportunity last year), there’s no reason to believe this hot streak will last. He hasn’t hit a double during the streak and still has just 11 RBI for the season. But if you happened to play him this week, congrats.

Finding a good catcher is not as complicated as we sometimes make it out to be. In one of my leagues, I’ve gone through at least four different catchers. Right now, that’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jeff Clement, although he’s currently only eligible at Utility. At this point, I’d gladly take Bengie Molina, or a similar solid veteran. I think Salty could still make for a decent play, but he’s currently alternating games with Gerald Laird and it’s going to be tough to get on a roll that way. Clement, like I said, isn’t even eligible at catcher in most leagues. If he manages to get enough turns behind the plate, he’ll be a nice play, but that might take months. I still don’t think it’s worth drafting a catcher early, but it’s definitely worth taking one in the mid- to late rounds if for no other reason than you won’t have to worry about it anymore. Of course, I’d rather have Geovany Soto than anybody, so I guess that’s the real thing I had realized last week.

Pundits that advise players in head-to-head leagues to ignore pitching and focus on building the best offense are idiots. Truth be told, I knew this a long time ago. And, amazingly, a few pundits I actually respect have advised this, but there are several things that happened recently that really drive the point home. Alex Rodriguez and Troy Tulowitzki (widely projected as two of the best infielders in baseball) went on the DL this week; Alfonso Soriano, Travis Hafner and David Ortiz have continued to battle injuries; Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder (arguable the three best HR hitters in baseball) hit a total of two this week and have combined for one more homer than Chase Utley; and a host of other top-ranked hitters have continued their seasonlong slumps. In head-to-head leagues, you can afford to punt a category or two, you can’t punt half of them and hope to competitive.