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I was looking over some data for [tag]starting pitchers[/tag] over their last 3 starts and found some interesting strikeout to walk data that may help with trade ideas or future acquisitions. These guys seem to be firing on all cylinders right now.

[tag]Paul Byrd[/tag] | Cleveland Indians - Byrd is pitching much better in the beginning of 2007 than he did in 2006. He’s 3-1 right now with 23 strikeouts and a 3.49 ERA. But what really caught me eye was over his last 3 starts he sporting a 13:0 k:bb ratio with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 20.2 innings.

[tag]Tim Hudson[/tag] | Atlanta Braves - What a turn around in ‘07 from a pretty dismal ‘06. Much of this may be attributed to his control. He has a 43:13 k:bb ratio overall and a 11:1 k:bb ratio over his last 3 starts. His walks per 9 innings are good at 1.77 and so are his home runs per 9 innings at 0.27. His sub 1.00 WHIP is nothing to sneeze at either.

[tag]Dan Haren[/tag] | Oakland Athletics - Haren hasn’t had too much to brag about in the win/loss column over his last 3 starts as he’s not factored into any decision lately. But his 24:5 k:bb ratio are pretty darned good. Add that to his sub 2.00 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP over his last 3 starts and Haren should start producing wins soon.

In response to a group writing project over at problogger, I wanted to put together a top 5 list of [tag]minor league ballplayers[/tag] who should get called up to the big leagues in ‘07, but who haven’t had their cup of coffee yet. Now, before I start getting e-mails about your favorite prospect and how I left them off this list (go ahead and fire off your email’s, I can take it), let me tell you that I am ranking this list on current statistics, not overall upside. These five guys have terrific upside, but they may not be the best prospects available. They’re just doing the best so far in 2007. Keep an eye on these guys and grab them when they come up. For those of you in really deep mixed leagues, some of these players are available now on Yahoo.

1. [tag]Ryan Braun[/tag] | AAA Nashville | Milwaukee Brewers - Braun is absolutely crushing the ball so far in ‘07. He’s averaging .358/.426/.716 with 8 home runs and 17 RBI with 3 stolen bases to boot. Braun’s bat has never been the question for the Brewers, it’s his glove. When his defense if MLB ready, you can expect he’ll find his way to the hot corner in Milwaukee.
2. [tag]Yovani Gallardo[/tag] | AAA Nashville | Milwaukee Brewers - It’s a race of sorts to see who the Brewers call up first, Gallardo or Braun (My guess is Gallardo). Gallardo is 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA so far. But these next numbers are what really impress me. His WHIP is 0.86 and he has a strikeout to walk ratio of 51:11. Wow!
3. [tag]Kevin Slowey[/tag] | AAA Rochester | Minnesota Twins - With a name like Slowey, you’d better be something special on the mound. Well, Kevin is just that. He’s 3-1 so far this year with a 1.38 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP and a 31:2 strikeout to walk ratio.
4. [tag]Adam Miller[/tag] | AAA Buffalo | Cleveland Indians - With the way Miller is hurling this year, the Tribe has been sending out trade feelers to the Yanks regarding Paul Byrd. Miller is 4-0 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. His strikeout to walk ratio is 37:13.
5. [tag]Evan Longoria[/tag] | AA Montgomery | Tampa Bay Devil Rays - With the emergence of Akinori Iwamura in Tampa, the team can give Longoria some extra time to develop in the minors. But, if he continues to kill AA pitching he’ll be promoted quickly. He’s hitting .315/.446/.541 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.

A lot of new faces in the week 5 [tag]fantasy baseball MVP list[/tag].

Catcher: Victor Martinez (CLE) had a good week at the plate going .455/.538/.682 with a home run and 6 RBI. Let’s hope his day to day status after taking a foul tip to the arm is just that, and not the previews of a trip to the DL. Speaking of the DL, Ramon Hernandez (BAL) hasn’t been off the DL long, but quick out of the gates hit 10 RBI last week with a home run and a stolen base. He averaged .273/.346/.455.

First Base / DH: Prince Fielder (MIL) hit .440/.533/.960 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI last week and is working on a 7 game hitting streak. Gary Sheffield (DET) produced in just about every category this week hitting .333/.478/.833 with 6 runs scored, 3 home runs, 7 RBI and 2 stolen bases.

Second Base: Orlando Hudson (ARI) had a good week going .346/.433/.577 with 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Royals utility infielder, Esteban German (KC) is typically light with the bat. But last week hit .300/.391/.600 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI and a stolen base. He’s still not an everyday starter, but keep an eye on him. If he keeps hitting like this, the Royals will find a way to keep him in the lineup.

Third Base: Here’s another guy who’s recently off the disabled list. Troy Glaus (TOR) hit .400/.483/.900 with 4 home runs and 7 RBI. Ryan Freel (CIN) stole 2 bases, hit a home run and had 3 RBI while averaging .375/.500/.688.

Shortstop: J.J. Hardy (MIL) is currently working on a 17 game hitting streak. Last week he hit .536/.567/.857 with 2 home runs and 9 runs batted in. Starting in the 2nd week of the season, Jhonny Peralta (CLE) went ice cold. Last week, Peralta was red hot going .348/.444/.652 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI.

Outfield: Obviously, Shane Victorino (PHI) has been given the green light on the basepaths. This past week he stole 7 bases while hitting .478/.500/.652 with a home run and 4 RBI. Craig Monroe (DET) went .348/.400/826 and had 3 home runs and 10 RBI. Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN) hit .478/.571/.913 with 3 home runs, 5 RBI and a stolen base. Continuing with the just off the DL theme, Hideki Matsui (NYY) hit a home run with 7 runs batted in while averaging .348/.444/.696.

Starting Pitcher: Jake Peavy (SD) only had 1 win last week but his 20:4 k:bb ratio was super impressive. So was his 0.79 WHIP and 1.93 ERA. Mark Hendrickson (LAD) may not have a secure spot in the rotation, but if he keeps striking out 7 in 6 innings while only walking 1, he will. Hendrickson won his only start and had 0.00 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP.

Relief Pitcher: Trevor Hoffman (SD) had 3 saves with a 4:0 k:BB ratio. He also sported a 0.00 ERA and a 0.33 WHIP. Brian Fuentes (COL) also had 3 saves and a 0.00 ERA. His WHIP was 0.67 and he had a 3:1 k:bb ratio.

Previous weeks: Week 4 Fantasy MVP’s | Week 3 Fantasy MVP’s | Week 2 Fantasy MVP’s | Week 1 Fantasy MVP’s

In yesterday’s post about American League buy low hitting candidates, I promised to cover the National League. Well, here you go…

Catcher: [tag]Brian Schneider[/tag] (WAS) has a contact rate of 83.13% but is batting only .205. Adding to that poor batting average is his .235 BABIP. Schneider’s batting average should come up. His first two games in May (3 for 7) show he has the ability to bring that average up to respectability.

First Base: Ouch! [tag]Adam LaRoche[/tag] (PIT) has a horrific contact rate of 64.83%. The Bucco Blog has some good insight as to what’s happening with LaRoche’s swing and plate discipline. LoRoche is just as unlucky with his batted balls as he is bad at making contact right now. His BABIP is .161. Until he figures out his preparation problems at the plate, LaRoche should still strike out in boat loads. But, his BABIP will go up, ans so will his batting average.

Second Base: I suppose the days of second basemen being good contact hitters with no pop are long gone. Of all the NL second basemen, I could only find one with a K% below 13% (where respectability begins). That means every other NL second sacker is striking out way too much; making contact way to infrequently. Looking into BABIP, only 1 hitter is below .250 and only 3 below .270. These guys are getting lucky with their batted balls and striking out way too much. I can’t recommend any NL second baseman for a buy low strategy. Sorry.

Shortstop: [tag]David Eckstein[/tag] (STL) makes contact at a phenomenal rate of 98.9%, but is only hitting .220 right now due to a low BABIP of .222. His unlucky streak will fade away and his average will rise.

Third Base: With a contact rate of 85.36% and a BABIP of .250, [tag]Scott Rolen[/tag] (STL) should see his .232 batting average start to climb.

Outfield: Rookie [tag]Chris Young[/tag] (ARI) was much hyped in the off-season and spring training. However, a .202 start to 2007 has some Diamondback faithful worried. They shouldn’t be. Young makes contact at a respectable 85.10% but has just been mired with a terrible BABIP of .197. When some of those batted balls start falling, and his BABIP rises to a normal .290, he’ll carry his anemic batting average up with it.

The news of [tag]Tim Lincecum[/tag], the most anticipated rookie starter since Matt Cain, came in Thursday from the [tag]San Francisco Giants[/tag] camp. Following a 4-0 start in AAA Fresno where he sported a 0.29 ERA, a 46:11 k:bb ratio and has given up only 12 hits in 31 innings, Lincecum will get his first major league start Sunday evening, on national television, no less.

Lincecum is ranked 11th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects report where he draws comparisons to “Bullet” Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax.

[tag]Philadelphia Phillies[/tag] closer, [tag]Tom Gordon[/tag], has left the team and returned to Philadelphia to get his right shoulder checked out. While he’s gone, the Phillies could use any of three guys to close out games. The candidates are [tag]Brett Myers[/tag], [tag]Antonio Alfonseca[/tag] and [tag]Geoff Geary[/tag]. Charlie Manuel has not named a new closer yet, he has only stated that Gordon would be away from the team throughout their next series in San Francisco.

The popular vote is probably on Myers taking over and that may be the way to go. Since becoming a reliever he’s got a 13:3 K:BB ratio, but he’s giving up a good number of hits… not the best trait in your closer. Geary’s k:BB is 12:7 and he’s giving up less hits per IP than Myers. Alfonseca might have been the front runner until he got touched up in Atlanta by an Andruw Jones walkoff homer. Plus Alfonseca’s k:bb is a horrid 4:6.

Keep an eye on how Manuel handles the bullpen this weekend. If Gordon goes on the DL, this weekend may tell us which one of these three guys is getting the job.

*** UPDATE *** Gordon was placed on the 15 DL and is eligible for a mid May return. Most people think he won’t have a closers job to come back to if Myers flourishes over the next few weeks.

Are you looking for a few hitters that you can buy low right now. Well, I’m going to give you almost a whole team of them. Here’s a list of 6 [tag]American League[/tag] hitters (one from each position) who you may be able to obtain right now for below market value. In every case here, I believe that these hitters will rebound and show great return on your investment.

Catcher: [tag]A.J. Pierzynski[/tag] (CHW) has a very unlucky .197 BABIP and a 90.9% contact rate. Those two numbers correlate fantastically for a rise in A.J.’s batting average.

First Base: [tag]Casey Kotchman[/tag] (LAA) is not walking enough right now (only 7.4% of the time). And he’s seen his batting average fall from .400 to .265 in a matter of 3 weeks. But his good K% of 9.2%, his BABIP of .260 and a high contact rate of 90.8% call for bust from this slump.

Second Base: [tag]Tadahito Iguchi[/tag] (CHW) isn’t starting his contract year the way he wanted to. But he should rebound nicely and be a strong deep mixed league 2B. He’s sporting a .246 BABIP right now and a 88.73 contact rate.

Shortstop: [tag]Yuniesky Betancourt[/tag] (SEA) is making contact with the ball at a fantastic rate of 94.5% But he’s mired with a .212 BABIP which has his batting average at .233. He’ll right the ship and as a bonus may give you a bit more pop than last year as he’s already hit more home runs that he had after the first two months last season.

Third Base: [tag]Joe Crede (CHW)[/tag] is only hitting .215 so far this year as his BABIP is .247. But he’s got a contact rate of 87.09% and is showing signs of heating up.

Outfield: [tag]Manny Ramierez[/tag] (BOS) is just being Manny. Remember he got off to a slow start last year too. Right now he has a BABIP of .247, a contact rate of 82.47% and a BB% of 14.2%… all promising numbers for Manny fans.

I’ll give you a National League squad tomorrow.