Crooked Pitch

Diamondbacks first baseman left fielder, Conor Jackson, has just been named the National Leagues player of the week for July 21- July 27th and is starting to hit like a power outfielder should.

In the past month (Jackson’s played 27 games in LF) he’s batting .360/.413/.590 with five home runs, 16 RBI, a stolen base and 20 runs scored. Last week his numbers were also torrid with a .560/.607/1.120 showing with three home runs, eight RBI, a stolen base, and nine runs scored.

Jackson’s new found position eligibilty can help most fantasy rosters just as much as his hot streak will. But, you’ve probably waited too long to attempt to trade for him as any owner will probably ask for current value in return, which is surely too high for Jackson. There are, however, two unknowns in Jackson’s recent hot streak. The first would be how Jackson would react to a trade to the Braves (which has been rumored for a week now) and a move back to first base. The second unknown is in regard to whether or not Jackson move to LF is truly the reason for his surge.

“I came up as an outfielder. I feel comfortable in the outfield. It’s not that I’m not comfortable at first base. I’m just a little more comfortable in the outfield.”

In 235 at-bats as a first baseman, Jackson is hitting .302 with a .879 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) percentage. In 104 at-bats as a left fielder, those numbers jump to .375 and 1.016.

Does the position change help explain his hot streak?

“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t tell you that. It’s not that I’m focusing less on my defense when I’m in left, but I’m not as worried about it.”

Jackson has looked mostly solid in left field, showing decent range and a relatively accurate, if not strong, arm. The plus/minus system at Bill James Online has him at an above-average plus-5.

Pretty even match between the American League and the National League this week with the MVP awards. There are even a few surprises mixed in. Enjoy!

Catcher: This was a tough call as no catcher really strutted his stuff ahead of everyone else. So, I’m going to give the award to someone, who most likely, is a free agent in your league, Chad Moeller (NYY). Moeller hit .350/.435/.600 with 5 runs scored, a home run, and 3 RBI as he continued filling in for Jorge Posada.

First Base: Conor Jackson (ARI) showed superb stuff this week hitting .480/.519/1.080. He also scored 10 times, hit 3 home runs, knocked in 10 and even stole a base.

Second Base: Chase Utley (PHI) is a man among boys. This is his 2nd MVP award and maybe his best week yet. he hit .391/.462/.1.087 with 6 runs scored, 5 home runs, and 8 RBI.

Shortstop: This was a close race between Jose Reyes, Ryan Theriot, Hanley Ramirez and Derek Jeter. But I’m giving the award to Ryan Theriot (CHC) who hit .481/.533/.815 with 9 runs scored, a home run, 4 RBI and a stolen base.

Third Base: Here’s another close race between Miguel Cabrera, Chipper Jones, and David Wright. I was prepared to give the award to Cabrera until I saw that his on-base percentage was lower than his batting average. That just didn’t sit well with me, so Chipper Jones (ATL) wins the week 3 fantasy baseball MVP award. He hit .565/.600/1.174 with 6 runs scored, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI.

Outfield: “Manny being Manny” is quickly turning into the definition of tearing the cover off of the ball. Manny Ramirez (BOS) hit .417/.517/.958 with 7 runs scored, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI and he’s really keeping the Red Sox alive while Papi finds his swing.

Starting Pitcher: John Danks (CHW) only gave up 8 hits in 14.2 innings of work this past week. He won both starts and had an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.68 while dazzling with a 6.00 strikeout to walk ratio (12:2). He’s also available in some leagues, so give him a look in very deep mixed leagues and AL only’s.

Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner (NYM) recorded three saves this past week and posted a 0.00 ERA and WHIP. He struck out three batters while walking none.