Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 11

Fantasy Players of the Week

• AL Hitter: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox (.522, 9 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB) - It's pretty amazing when a guy like Josh Hamilton can hit .593 (16/27) and not be my pick of the week. The reason is Hamilton only matched Pedroia in home runs, and Pedroia had double the steals. Nice week for both, though.
  
• NL Hitter: Matt Holliday, OF, Cardinals (.435, 6 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI) - Apparently Holliday is much more comfortable playing against Oakland than he was playing for them. He went 8/12 with 4 R, 4 HR, and 8 RBI in this past weekend's series against the Athletics.
  
• AL Pitcher: Neftali Feliz, RP, Rangers (0-0, 4 SV, 7 K, 0.00/0.00) - Four perfect saves is about as much as you can ask for out of a reliever, or any pitcher for that matter. CC Sabathia, Max Scherzer, and Carl Pavano (?!?) received consideration for their 2-win weeks. But I'm giving the nod to the Rangers' elite young closer.
  
• NL Pitcher: Josh Johnson, SP, Marlins (1-0, 16 K, 1.20/0.73) - A pair of dominant performances against a couple of high-caliber offenses (Tampa Bay and Texas) are just the two most recent gems tossed by Johnson. He has quietly been creeping up on Ubaldo Jimenez in this year's NL Cy Young race, and it might not be too long before we've got a real fight on our hands.

Wait, What? (Pitchers)

There are some players out there doing far better than you realize. Most of them are on teams, and you're aware that they're ownable right now, but you probably don't know just how good their numbers are. I'll try to fix that.

• Clay Buchholz, SP, Red Sox (10-4, 62 K, 2.47/1.24) - Buchholz is tied for the AL lead in wins, his ERA is .02 higher than David Price, and his WHIP is .01 higher. But Price has gotten most of the ink thus far. Buchholz may not be the most talented starter in Boston, but he's been at least as productive as anybody else on the Sawx.
• Tim Hudson, SP, Braves (7-2, 41 K, 2.34/1.16) - Hudson is one of the guys that people told you what to expect out of in the preseason, and then you said, "Yeah, if I can get him cheap, I should grab him," but then someone took him a little earlier than you were going to, and you said, "Oh well, he can be their two-strikeout-a-game pitcher." And he is a two-strikeout-a-game pitcher, but he's been awful good. You can't afford to have him, Livan Hernandez, and Carlos Silva on the same team, but they're all worth owning.
• Jose Valverde, RP, Tigers (1-1, 16 SV, 27 K, 0.59/0.73) - Remember when Valverde couldn't find work over the offseason? He didn't get signed until late January, but the Tigers seem to have gotten a steal. And if you, like me, have it in your head that Valverde is a wild card, look at his career stats. Since 2007, he's been a lights out closer.
  

Wait, What? (Hitters)

• Troy Glaus, 1B, Braves (.280, 38 R, 14 HR, 55 RBI) - Guess who's got the most RBI in the NL right now? It's not a difficult question, given that I'm obviously talking about Glaus. He's been a steady source of power for his entire career, so it's not that surprising that he's rediscovered his home run stroke in Atlanta. He is, however, unlikely to keep up the .280 batting average, as he's only hit higher than that once in his 13-year career. He's doing great...sell high if you can.
• Magglio Ordonez, OF, Tigers (.333, 42 R, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 1 SB) - This is twice that Ordonez has scared us with paltry power numbers, only to bounce back with a great batting average and solid pop once again. Maybe the best thing about Ordonez, though, is that getting a .300 average out of him is a lock.
  
• Martin Prado, 1B/2B/3B, Braves (.339, 51 R, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 2 SB) - While he doesn't flash anywhere near elite speed, his ability to get on base and score has made him a reasonable #1 or #2 hitter, where he's spent most of the season in the Braves' lineup. Combine that with his fantastic position eligibility, and he's one of the more valuable waiver-wire-available fantasy commodities so far this season. He's not available on the waiver wire any more. I'm saying he's one of the best guys you could have already picked up off waivers.
• Chris B. Young, OF, Diamondbacks (.278, 35 R, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 12 SB) - After three years of him flashing his power-speed combo with an abysmal batting average, Young seems to have steadied himself a little bit. I still wouldn't ever expect a .300 season, and it's not outrageous to think he'll dip a little bit down to around .260, but if you can get .260 out of a guy who gives you 40-60 combined HR and SB, you take it.