Twi-Night Doubleheader - Week 22

Fantasy Players of the Week

• AL Hitter: Jim Thome, UT, Twins (.455, 5 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI) - Thome is certainly capable of making the most of limited opportunities. With eleven at-bats and just three starts last week, Thome made his presence known. Thome is probably a guy who deserves more consideration as an all-time great than he gets.
  
• NL Hitter: Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Rockies (.567, 6 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB) - Here's some food for thought: in one week, seven days, Gonzalez raised his batting average from .326 to .340. He was 17/30 in the past week. Ridiculous.
  
• AL Pitcher: Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners (1-0, 17 K, 0.00/0.73) - A pair of scoreless outings put Felix in the discussion, and the 17 strikeouts sealed the deal. In a season of disappointments for Seattle, it's nice to know that their ace is as good as advertised.
  
• NL Pitcher: Tommy Hanson, SP, Braves (1-1, 7 K, 1.38/0.62) - In a crowded field, I'll take Hanson as my pitcher of the week. He had a phenomenal game against the Mets, and pitched well enough to win against the Pirates most nights. Others who merit distinction: Brian Wilson (5 SV, 0.00/0.60), Roy Oswalt (2-0, 13 K, 2.70/1.05), and Ian Kennedy (1-0, 11 K, 1.80/0.87).
  

Projected Final Standings

Yes, we here at Joe & Joe do occasionally pay attention to baseball in a non-fantasy capacity. In that spirit, here are my projected final standings (my preseason predictions are here for your reference/humiliating remarks, and the current MLB standings are here):

• AL East: New York Yankees - I'm standing by my pick...mostly because, I mean, come on. They're going to win the East.
• AL Central: Chicago White Sox - I feel like speed is a little more useful in September against rookie pitchers who don't know how to deal with it, and the White Sox have some scary speed.
• AL West: Texas Rangers - Shockingly, the Rangers have a balanced team, and have for all intents and purposes wrapped up the West.
• AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays - A near career year by Crawford and the emergence of Longoria as an elite hitter have the Rays sniffing the division title.
  

• NL East: Philadelphia Phillies - Now that they've caught up with the Braves, I really don't see any way they don't take the crown.
• NL Central: Cincinnati Reds - Six games up on the Cardinals, I don't think they'll collapse. But if anyone would...the Reds would.
• NL West: San Francisco Giants - Maybe pitching still wins championships?
• NL Wild Card: San Diego Padres - And maybe it also wins wild card berths?