Roto Roundup: Ben Zobrist, Dylan Bundy, Chris Sale and Others

Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist has disappointed thus far in 2012, and owners hope his performance last night is a sign he can turn things around. He went 3-3 with 2 walks, 2 HRs, 4 runs and 4 RBI and is now hitting .218-.350-.416 with 8 HRs, 32 runs, 25 RBI, 5 stolen bases and an excellent 41-40 strikeout to walk ratio. His batted ball rate are pretty much the same as 2011, as is his ISO ((.201 in 2011 vs .198 in 2012). His .232 BABIP is sure to rise from here, as his career BABIP is .282, so fantasy owners should look to deal for him before he gets hot.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton looks like a different hitter this season, and his critics who stayed away from him in draft day due to the batting average risk are second guessing themselves today. Stanton went 2-4 with a double, a run and an RBI last night, and is hitting .295-.373-.576 with 14 HRs, 33 runs, 42 RBI and 3 stolen bases. He has cut down his strikeout rate from 27.6% to 22.9%, and is 10th in sluggling percentage and 7th in ISO amongst qualified hitters thus far. If he can keep the BA in the .280-295 range for the rest of the season, he can be a first round pick in 2013.

Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy had his worst outing of his short minor league career on Friday night, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks and 5 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched. He has given up 5 runs on 13 hits, 4 walks, 2 home runs and 18 strikeouts in his 15 innings in High A thus far. Certainly not as dominant as in Low A, but it was just a matter of time before he got hit and gave up some runs.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

White Sox starter Chris Sale has to be considered one of the top starters in the American League at this point, and he should be a shoo-in for the AL All Star team. He shut out the Astros for 8 innings last night, giving up just 4 hits, walking none and striking out 7. He is now 8-2 with a 2.05 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 3.13 xFIP, a 0.92 WHIP and a 76-18 strikeout to walk ratio in 74.2 innings pitched this season. Behind Clayton Kershaw, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia and David Price, he is one of the top lefties in the game.

I have said it before, and it's worth saying again. Mike Trout is the best leadoff hitter in the game, and he keeps proving it almost every game, He went 3-5 with 3 runs, 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases yesterday, and is now hitting .349-.404-.506 with 5 HRs, 31 runs, 24 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 38 games played. Prorate that over a full season, and while his BA will certainly drop from here, he could put up a 20 HRs, 120 run, 95 RBI and 50 stolen base season in 2013 and should be a first round pick in 2013. Quite amazing.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau went 2-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored yesterday and is now hitting .247-.320-.513 on the season. While the BA is not where you want it to be, the power is still there, as he has hit 10 HRs, and 10 doubles in 42 games this season. If you prorate those stats over a full season, you are looking at 35-40 HRs from Morneau, so he could be had for cheap in a trade right now.

Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is moving to the starting rotation and he made his first start yesterday, going just 2.2 innings, giving up a run on 2 hits, 2 walks and striking out 5. He will now be moved to AAA where he can be stretched out as a starter and will need 3-4 weeks in AAA before being added to the Padres rotation. I will be interested in seeing how he performs in AAA as he has the potential to be a big strikeout pitcher, but could have trouble with his command initially.

I have 7 yards of mulch to move today in 90 degree heat here in New Jersey, so this will be a short one so I can get a started before it gets really hot out. Ice water is in my future.