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The hottest hitter in baseball is...Ryan Raburn! You may remember him as the long time Tigers utility man, but now he has found a home in Cleveland. Over his last 13 at-bats, Raburn is 12-13 (.923 AVG) with 4 homers and 9 RBI. In this short 3 game span, he also has a 1.846 slugging percentage and a 2.769 OPS. Go ahead and let these ridiculous stats marinate for a minute. The dude is tearing it up for the Tribe.
Fantasy Implications
Raburn can play all over the field. Last season he played over 30 games at second base, the outfield, and third base, which makes him eligible to play these positions in fantasy. The problem here is that the Indians did not plan to have Raburn in their everyday lineup. He is getting playing time recently because Nick Swisher has been sitting out with shoulder soreness and Michael Bourn is still on the DL. However, there is no way that Francona can park him on the pine after this utter display of dominance. As long as Bourn is out, Raburn should continue to see at-bats. But, if his hot hitting starts to become a trend, somebody is going to have to sacrifice playing time until he cools off. I have a feeling that Drew Stubbs is going to end up losing at-bats as the season progresses. At this point, Stubbs is a fantasy option in AL only leagues or in some 12 team leagues. If Raburn proves he can consistently rake, Stubbs may be the odd man out.
If there is room on your roster, I would suggest you snag Ryan Raburn off of waivers. He obviously won't maintain his current pace, but he could still make an impact if he gets to play regularly. Plus, his versatility is a bonus. You can stick him at 5 different spots: third base, second base, outfield, corner infield, and middle infield. Get him while he's hot! This won't continue for much longer.