Roto Roundup: Arismendy Alcantara, Shane Green, Jimmy Nelson, and others

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Jose Abreu: Can he hit 50?

I made an appearance on SiriusXMFantasy last night on the Fantasy Black Book show with Joe Pisapia, and one of the questions Joe and I discussed was which of the following power hitters has the best shot to hit 50 home runs this season: Jose Abreu, Giancarlo Stanton and Nelson Cruz. I think it would be great for the game if one of these hitters hit 50 this season, but I doubt any of them do, as it is not an easy task to hit 50 home runs.

If I had to pick which one has the best chance to hit 50 this season, it would be Abreu, as he hits in a good hitters park in U.S. Cellular Field.

Speaking of Abreu, he hit his 29th home run of the season last night in the White Sox 6-2 win over ht Indians. Thus far in 2014, Abreu is hitting .287-.338-.631 with 29 home runs, 49 runs scored and 73 RBI thus far. I have to say that I am surprised he has shown this much power in his first season in the big leagues. Speaking of hitting 50 home runs, Abreu is on pace to hit 49 home runs, so there is a chance he gets there, but it won't be easy.

For more on Abreu and the White Sox, make sure you check out South Side Sox, SB Nation's White Sox fan site.

Round'em Up

The Yankees have lost 4/5ths of their rotation due to injury this season and have had to rely on starters with very little experience. With Masahiro Tanaka on the disabled list for at least the next six weeks, they have called upon Shane Green to fill in. Last night, Green had his way with the Orioles., shutting them out on 4 hits, 2 walks and striking out 9 in 7.1 innings in the Yankees 3-0 win. Green is now 2-0 in his first two major league starts, having given up just two earned runs with a 12-5 strikeout to walk rate in 13.2 innings. He is available in 100% of leagues right now, so he is a starter to grab should you want to speculate after the All Star break.

The Cubs recently called up one of their many infield prospects Arismendy Alcantara to replace Darwin Barney, who was placed on the paternity list. Well, Barney was activated from the paternity list yesterday, but the team elected to keep Alcantara with the big club. Alcantara responded by going 2-5 with a double and two runs scored in the Cubs 11-6 loss to the Braves. Alcantara has hit well in his four games with the big cliub, going 7-18 with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI. He is available in 92% of leagues right now, so grab him if you need an infielder.

One of the more frustrating pitchers for fantasy owners this season has been Braves starter Mike Minor. He started the season on the disabled list with a minor shoulder injury, but really hasn't been the guy who was ranked in many top 25-30 starting pitcher rankings at the beginning of the season. Yesterday, Minor gave up 6 runs on 11 hits, a walk and 5 strikeouts in 6 innings in the Braves win over the Cubs, earning the win. The win moved his record to 3-5 with a 4.86 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and a 79-24 strikeout tp walk rate in 83.1 innings. I own him in two NL only leagues and am very close to dropping him.

The Brewers called up pitching prospect Jimmy Nelson to take Marco Estrada's place in their rotation, and he struggled mightily in is first big league start. Nelson was knocked around for 8 runs, 6 earned, on 8 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in 4.1 innings in the Brewers 10-2 loss to the Cardinals. The Brewers have struggled of late, losing 9 of their last 10 games, and are now in a tie for first place with the Cardinals. Nelson needed 98 pitches to get through 4.1 innings, but he isn't the first young pitcher who has struggled in his major league debut, so let's see how he fares in his next start after the All Star break.

Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager made the All Star team for the first time this season, and it was well deserved. Last night, Seager showed why by going 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI in the Mariners 6-2 win over division rival A's. On the season, Seager is hitting .276-.348-.493 with 15 home runs, 38 runs scored, 63 RBI and 4 stolen bases, and is on pace for 26 home runs and 109 RBI. Both would be career highs if he can stay on this pace.

Another first time All Star this season is Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, who is having a break out season. Last night, Frazier went 2-4 with a home run, 3 RBI and a stolen base in the Reds 6-5 loss to the Pirates. Frazier is now hitting .291-.354-.496 with 18 home runs, 56 runs scored, 51 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts. The stolen bases are a huge surprise for the third baseman, who is on pace to hit 31 home runs and steal 24 bases right now, pretty impressive numbers for a third baseman. He is quietly jumping up third base rankings this season.

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