Fantasy Focus: 6/21

Five Guys. If you haven't heard of or been there than get off your ass. It is an amazing burger and fry joint and it rocks. I was there for lunch a few days ago and enjoyed a double w/ cheese, bacon, and BBQ sauce. I dare any of you to come up with a better burger!

So, in honor of Five Guys and their delectable cuisine this weeks Fantasy Focus revolves around...you guessed it...Five Guys!

FIVE GUYS THAT ARE INFURIATING...

Kerry Wood, RP, Cleveland: Watching him against the Cubs this weekend was excruciating (I almost polished off a bottle of Aleve). And I know, he only had one good season as a full time closer. BUT...HE HAS INCREDIBLE STUFF...some of the nastiest I've ever seen. The Indians bullpen has been like Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight...Two-Faced...ah, I think it's clever. But just because Greg Aquino and Raffy Perez can't get anyone out doesn't mean Kerry Wood has to follow suit. Your 5.47 ERA and 1.50 WHIP are on you Kerry.

Jay Bruce, OF, Cincy: There are times when Jay gets hot for 8 games and you think "ok, now he's getting it." Then he turns around and goes 0-17 at the plate and you wonder why he's at the major league level. 17 HRs look great but 34 RBIs do not. If Bruce doesn't go deep he's not driving in runs and his .214 avg/.305 OBP confirm that. If you're in a deep league and need some pop, he's worth having.

David Wright, 3B, Mets: WHERE IS THE POWER!?! Wright had an 11 game hitting streak in June during which he hit .355 but only had 1 HR!!! ONE!!!. He only has 4 HR for the year. Obviously you don't dump David Wright but you might consider shopping him around.

Johnny Damon, OF, Yankees: I HATE HIM AND I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE IS STILL ANY GOOD! HE'S 35 AND THROWS LIKE A POORLY COORDINATED 6 YEAR OLD! I'll blame it on the Sta-a-a-a-a-a-dium!

Barry Zito, SP, Giants: He's the David Duvall of pitching! I'll be honest, Zito does not really infuriate me (because I don't really care about him or the Giants). I just wanted to make that joke.

FIVE GUYS YOU SHOULD DUMP...

Milton Bradley, OF, Cubs: He has the worst attitude of anyone in baseball. He should be a pernnial all-star but he can't keep his head out of his own way. Milton's numbers are improving but his behavior is not, and you can't produce if you're ridin' the pine.

Kerry Wood, RP, Indians: See the above section.

Kelly Johnson, 2B, Braves: Johnson is 6 for his last 44. Pair that with his .290 on-base % and you've got yourself a team killer.

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox: Same boat as Kelly Johnson. .135 avg. over his last 15 games. Pedroia's on pace to hit about 7 HR and drive-in around 65 runs. I don't see an MVP repeat but you can still get trade value on his name alone.

Mike Gonzalez, RP, Braves: All of the numbers look good on him but Bobby Cox has been relying on Rafeal Soriano to close out games. I think it's safe to drop him. He should be available later in case Soriano begins to falter.

FIVE GUYS UNDER THE RADAR...

Mark Reynolds, 3B, Arizona: Over the last 15 days he has 5 HR, 14 RBI, and (bonus) he stole a base. Reynolds is only hitting .267 but it's Mark Reynolds, a career .258 hitter. On the season he has 19 HR and 49 RBI which puts him top 15 in the Bigs, in both categories.

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros: Wandy struggled in May but the numbers remain solid. His 87 Ks, 3.18 ERA, and 10 Quality Starts are all Top 10 in NL. Jose Velverde is back at closer so Wandy's wins should pick up.

Aaron Hill, 2B, Blue Jays: among all second baseman Aaron Hill is 2nd in HRs (15), 1st in RBIs (48), and top 10 in hitting (.302) and OPS (.817).

Mark DeRosa, 3B/OF, Indians: DeRosa and Victor Martinez are the only Indians hitters worth having. The shorter left field wall in The Prog has helped him put up good numbers. He's absolutely worth starting in mixed leagues not only because of the solid numbers but his eligibility at 3 positions.

Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies: A lot of people skipped over Helton in drafts because of age, poor production, etc. None of that matters now. He should hit close to 25 HR and he's half way to 100 RBIs. You can add in a .316 average and all of that means Helton also makes the...

FIVE GUYS TO GO GET...

Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies: He is only owned in about 75-80% of mixed leagues.

Ricky Romero, SP, Blue Jays: In 4 June starts he has gone 2-1 while not allowing more than 3 earned runs in those starts. 2 of those starts were on the road at Texas and Philly. Plus his DL stint should help in allowing him to pitch strong through September. He's owned in less than 25% of leagues.

Andrew Bailey, RP, Athletics: Andrew has converted his last 3 save chances has only given up 3 earned runs in June. He has taken full control over the closer role since taking it from Brad Ziegler. Bailey is owned in about half of mixed leagues. Expect 20+ saves and an ERA in the mid 2's.

Michael Bourn, OF, Astros: If you're desperate for steals, look no further. Bourn (and yes, I'm spelling it correctly) has 24 of them plus 41 runs scored. He's also hitting .300 but I don't expect that to continue. Consider Bourn the poor man's Carl Crawford. He's available in around 45% of leagues.

Jason Kubel, OF/DH, Twins: Kubel doesn't get much attention, because he DH's a lot but mostly because of the M & M er's, Morneau and Mauer. A .316 average, 12 HRs, and 39 RBIs will certainly boost your lineup. Like Bourn, Kubel is available in about 45% of leagues.

Damn! I'm droppin' knowledge today. I hope you appreciate it. It took me while but in the process I've realized that I a new desk chair (and a life).

Don't forget to check out the podcasts and e-mail me at dpshow09@gmail.com

- Dennis Kisela