Roto Roundup: Jacoby Ellsbury as AL MVP?, Kyle Seager Stays Hot

Dodgers outfielder Juan Rivera has been a boon to teams who picked him up when the Dodgers traded for him a few months back. Rivera went 2-5 with a HR, 2 runs and 3 RBI, and is now hitting .322-.392-.570 with 3 HRs and 22 RBIs since coming over to the NL. For the full season, he is hitting .268-.325-.403 with 9 HRs and 50 RBI in 362 at bats. 

Kenny (aka Humbled Fan) commented on yesterday's Roundup post about some of the Mariners prospects that have been called up this season. Included in his comment was third baseman Kyle Seager, who went 4-4 with 3 doubles, 3 runs and an RBI yesterday. In his last 4 games, Seager is 12-17, and in the last 10 games, he is 18-38 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs. Between AA and AAA this season, he hit .333-.399-.495 with 7 HRs and 54 RBIs. I think this is just a hot streak, but Seager is a career .328 hitter in the minors.

Mets third baseman David Wright went 3-4 with a run and 2 RBI, and is now hitting .259-.345-.441 with 11 HRs, 42 RBI, 42 runs and 10 SB in 12 attempts in his 270 at bats this season. Wright, who has been slowed by a bad back, owns a K/BB rate of 65-36 and the K rate has slowed this season. Some will say he has had a down season, and he has, mainly due to the back injury, but 11-42-42-10 in less than 300 at bats is pretty solid. He will continue to be highly ranked heading into 2012 drafts.

More Roundup after the jump:

Rockies outfielder Eric Young went 1-5 with 2 runs and a SB yesterday, and for the season he is hitting .236-.333-.268 with no homers, 8 RBI, 24 runs, 16 SBs in 18 attempts, and a solid 21-17 K/BB rate in just 127 at bats. So he has patience at the plate, and can steal some bases. But the 16 SBs in 127 at bats are impressive, and he could easily be a fantasy stud if he got 500 at bats, but one has to wonder if he will ever be an everyday player at the big league level.

Speaking of the Rockies, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will be the #1 shortstop in 2012 drafts, especially with Hanley Ramirez being a complete bust this season. Tulo went 2-3 with a HR, 3 walks, 2 runs and 2 RBI, and is now hitting .305-.375-.546 with 26 HRs, 89 RBI and 9 SBs thus far, and is on pace for a 32-110 season. He is having another terrific season, and could be a top 5 or 6 pick in 2012 drafts.

Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-5 with a HR, 3 runs, 2 RBI and a SB last night in the Red Sox 13-2 win over the Rangers. Ellsbury is a top candidate for AL MVP, along with teammate Adrian Gonzalez and Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson. Ellsbury is hitting .315-.372-.521 with 23 HRs, 81 RBI, 93 runs and 35 SBs this season. This from a guy who some teammates questioned last year whether he was really injured or not, and there was rumors that he would be traded. Now the Red Sox are in a position to possibly sign him long term.

Ellsbury's teammate Carl Crawford had a big game last night as well, as he went 2-3 with a HR, double and 5 RBI. Crawford has been very disappointing for fantasy owners this season as he is hitting just .255-.290-.396 with 9 HRs, 46 RBI, 51 runs and 17 SBs in just 22 attempts. The batting average and OBP are surprising, but what's more surprising is the 22 stolen base attempts, which is by far the worst in his career. Is this what we should expect from him in 2012?

Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp went 4-4 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs last night in the A's win over the Yankees. Crisp is now hitting .274-.331-.401 with 7 HRs, 43 RBI. 63 runs and 37 SBs and an excellent 49-37 K/BB rate in his 434 at bats this season. 

Diamondbacks starter Daniel Hudson was one out away from a complete game shutout, but proceeded to give up the long ball to Nationals outfielders Laynce Nix and Jonny Gomes on back to back pitches, but still came away with his 13th win of the season. He gave up just the two runs on 9 hits, no walks and 6 strikeouts, and is now 13-9 with a 3.75 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 3.65 xFIP and a 1.26 WHIP in 180 innings of work this season.

Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie with 2-3 with a HR, triple and 2 RBI last night in the Jays 4-3 win over the Royals. Batting in the lower third of the Jays lineup, Lawrie is hitting .328-.379-.656 with 4 HRs, 12 RBI, 9 runs, a SB in just 61 at bats. It's a small sample size, but Lawrie could be getting some offseason love from fantasy writers this offseason should he continue to hit like this.

Angels ace Jered Weaver, fresh off a new contract extension, shut out the White Sox for 7 innings last night, giving up just 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8. He is now 15-6 with a 2.03 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 3.62 xFIP and a 0.97 WHIP. His strikeout rate is down to 7.65 from 9.35 this season, but his BB rate has been steady and his HR/9 has dropped. Looking over his major league career stats tells you that last year's K rate may have been a fluke as his K rate has been in the 6.40-7.74 range in his career.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto went 5-7 with 2 HRs and 4 RBI in yesterday's doubleheader against the Marlins. Votto is quietly putting together another solid season at the plate, hitting .328-.441-.551 with 24 HRs, 84 RBI, 87 runs, 7 SBs, and an excellent 96-94 K/BB rate. About a month ago, I told a fellow fantasy owner that he was having a down season....that is, until I compared his stats to his 2010 MVP season. Votto's power is down a bit, but he should still be a first round pick in 2012 drafts.

Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez took batting practice yesterday and could be ready to return to the Marlins lineup as early as next Monday in New York. I will believe it when I see it. He's been a disappointment this season, but you already knew that.

Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon will play in two rehab games today and Friday and should return to the Dodgers lineup on Saturday if all goes well for him. Owners looking for SBs, and I am in one league, should activate him on Saturday.

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg could return to the big leagues on September 6th if all goes well for him in his next two rehab starts with AAA Syracuse. I am not sure how much Strasburg can help fantasy teams in September, but here is Rotohardball's take on that.