05.02.11 Fantasy Baseball Hot & Cold List

Have a player who’s playing out of his mind or drastically underachieving? Keep reading right here and get our advice on some of the hottest and coldest players in the majors.

HOT

Jose Bautista

Last 7 games: .350 Avg, 6 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB

Call: Buy

Repeat performer here on hot and cold. I may not be a fan, but the man is putting up stats! If you’re a lucky owner, hold on and enjoy the production.

Ryan Braun

Last 7 games: .333 Avg, 3 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB

Call: Buy

In addition to leading the league in awkward marriage proposals, this guy can play the game as well. The power is legit and he’s going to give you plus stats in all five categories. Not having this guy on my team is one of the downfalls of keeper leagues!

Kyle Lohse

Last 3 games: 3-0, 0.77 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 14 K

Call: Sell

Seriously, it’s Kyle friggin Lohse! He of the below .500 career record and 4.71 career ERA. Would you bet his first 250+ starts were the aberration or the last 3? Sell high, NOW!

COLD

Carlos Pena

Last 7 games: .067 Avg, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Call: Sell

Pena’s hitting even worse than he did last year and now even the power is MIA. What did the Cubs really expect when they paid a guy who couldn’t hit .200 last year a ton of money? He’s getting a lot of days off lately, so not worth holding right now. If you’re lacking in the power stats keep an eye on him in case his 2 hits a week start clearing the fence.

Gordon Beckham

Last 7 games: .152 Avg, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB

Call: Buy

So he’s still not burning it up, but on Sunday he was 2-3 and seems like he may be turning the corner. Still a good option at second base if you’ve held him this long.

Ryan Dempster

Last 3 games: 0-1, 15.55 ERA, 2.64 WHIP, 7 K

Call: Sell

At this point, Dempster should only be owned in the deepest of mixed leagues or NL only leagues. There are better options out there on the wire. He’s given you reasons the last couple seasons to be optimistic, but watch him from the wire for now, not your bench.

Check out the previous editions here: 4/25, 4/18, 4/11