Six The Hard Way: Josh Reddick Deserves More Love

I'm back with another edition of this week's Six The Hard Way. I contemplated writing only about Josh Hamilton and bringing up six points that illuminated how truly special his previous week was, but you're probably tired of hearing his name at this point. So let's stick with the format, three guys performing well and three disappointing owners.

Daniel Nava -Nava has done a fine job since being called up by the Red Sox. He's flashed a little extra-base power with 4 doubles and 1 home run during his short stint. Nava right now is adequate replacement for owners looking for a cheap substitute for the recently demoted Alex Presley or those looking for a stop-gap while Beltran continues to nurse his injury. Nava holds greater value in Roto leagues, especially those that focus on OBP or OPS as he has reached base in 15 of 19 at bats. The Boston Red Sox supporting cast has a knack for turning hot hitting outfielders into worthwhile fantasy options. Josh Reddick and Ryan Kalish were able to ride their respective streaks into fantasy relevancy and it's conceivable Nava could reap the same benefits, luck and playing time permitting.

Josh Reddick -Speaking of Reddick, many owners, myself included, wrote him off this season after being dealt from the friendly confines of Fenway to the Oakland A's and their home run killing park known as the Coliseum. Well, it looks like I was wrong. Reddick should be receiving far more attention than he is as he's been starter worthy in all formats. Over the past two weeks he's clubbed 5 home runs and drove in 12, while totaling 9 walks compared to 14 K's. The walks are surprising as he was never known for his patience. He even admitted last year in an interview that the Sox tried to get him to see more pitches per plate appearance, but he was quoted as saying that they "knew who he was when they drafted him." Reddick has already surpassed last year's home run total, 7 in 87 games, and he's providing the power at both home and away. I noticed JR is making more contact at pitches outside of the zone this year, and I wonder if he's changed anything to gain better plate coverage.

Emilio Bonifacio -Over the past 14 days Bonifacio has managed to double his stolen base total now reaching 20 on the year. Last year Bonifacio totaled 40 stolen bases in 152 games so to seem him reach this many this fast is exciting Roto owners everywhere. Unfortunately the increased appearances in scoring position have not transferred over to the run department. With 19 on the year he's only projected to best last season's total by 5. I along with others expected him to be far more useful in that category, hopefully with improved hitting from Stanton & Ramirez, Bonifacio can reach expectations.


Rickie Weeks -Weeks seems to be locked in a season long slump but the last two weeks have been downright pathetic. His triple slash line over the past 14 days, .108/.266/.216. Making matters even worse he's struck out 18 times in the registered 37 at bats making him an absolute drain in head-to-head leagues. The bright side? He's on pace for 153 games played, which would be the second time in his career he's amassed more than 130. If it weren't for his history of mild production at relatively weak position I'd suggest cutting bait, but most owners can't afford to right now. Continue to bench him in all formats until otherwise notified.

Chris Davis -I almost feel bad putting his name here as it was only a matter of time. The popular waiver wire pick up has come back down to earth. He's registered just 9 hits in his last 42 at bats, striking out 16 times with 0 walks. It all started to go downhill for Davis on that 0-8 day when he K'd 5 times against the Sox, you know the one I'm talking about, where he was also the winning pitcher. He may just want to try his hand at pitching, since he obviously can't find any consistency at the plate. He could be the new Micah Owings.

Jesus Montero -The power hitting DH/C hasn't done much hitting lately. A 8-44 performance over the last two weeks has dropped his average to .248. Making matters worse he's doing a poor job of getting on base, for the season he owns a 5-1 K/BB ratio. Everyone knows Safeco is a less than favorable environment and that the Mariners offense provides few opportunities but I don't think anyone expected Montero to be this poor. It should be noted that Montero's away BA/OBP are roughly .60/.40 points higher than his home marks, which makes him, at this time, a viable candidate to stream on a road trip.