Z - MLB Positional Outlook

First Basemen Outlook

June 29, 2007 @ 14:26:55

FIRST BASEMEN

Table: Do not bench list

Player	Team
Justin Morneau	MIN
Albert Pujols	STL
Prince Fielder	MIL
Derrek Lee	CHC
Ryan Howard	PHI
Lance Berkman	HOU
Kevin Youkilis	BOS
Todd Helton	COL
Adrian Gonzalez	SD

UPPER ECHELON

Carlos Delgado, New York Mets

Schedule: 7 games - @COL (3), @HOU (4)

Analysis: The Mets may be surging with five wins in their last four games but Delgado hasn't been the cause of that. Over the past week, he is hitting just .181 (4-for-22) with one run and one RBI. That continues a disappointing campaign for Delgado. Through 72 games, he is hitting just .223 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI and 35 runs, well off his usual pace. He has faced the Rockies three times this season, although it was at Shea Stadium. In those three games, he hit .083 (1-for-12), although the hit was a two-run home run. In his career, he is hitting .455 (5-for-11) with one home run, four RBI and five runs at Coors Field. At Minute Maid Park, he is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with three home runs, six runs and three home runs. Delgado may be in a bit of a slump but he still possesses too much potential to sit on your bench this week.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox

Schedule: 7 games - BAL (4), MIN (3)

Analysis: Things have gotten pretty bad in Chicago after a series sweep by city rival, the Chicago Cubs, last weekend. Konerko hasn't been that bad in the past week, hitting .292 (7-for-24) with one run, one home run and four RBI. They aren't great numbers but better than his numbers have been so far. He is hitting .250 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI and 33 runs through 72 games this season. Konerko has not faced the Orioles yet this year but in eight games against the Twins, he is hitting .367 (11-for-30) with one home run, six RBI and four runs. Owners will also be happy to hear he is playing all seven games at home, where he has been hitting slightly better. In 35 home games, he has a .264 average with six home runs, 14 RBI and 17 runs. Like Delgado, Konerko still has plenty of potential this week and hopefully, he can build off a better-than-average week last week. Keep him in your lineup.

Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Schedule: 7 games - @CLE (1), @BOS (3), @KC (3)

Analysis: The Pena of last year returned last week as he hit just .125 (2-for-16) with two runs and one RBI. However, overall, it has been a resurgent campaign for the 1998 first round draft pick. Through 63 games, he is hitting .292 with 17 home runs, 45 RBI and 39 runs. Pena has played one game against the Indians this season, going 1-for-2 with a solo home run. In 28 career games at Jacobs Field, he is hitting .296 with 11 home runs, 19 RBI and 19 runs. He has not seen the Red Sox yet this season but has hit .333 with two home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs in 21 games at Fenway Park. In four games against the Royals earlier this season, Pena hit .455 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs. He is a career .286 (24-for-84) hitter at Kauffman Stadium and has hit three home runs, knocked in 13 runs and scored 14 times there. Despite a poor week, Pena should remain in your starting lineup this week.

MIDRANGE

Ryan Garko, Cleveland Indians

Schedule: 7 games - TB (3), @DET (3), @TOR (3)

Analysis: Garko's month-long struggles continued last week as he hit just .250 (3-for-12) with one run and two RBI. In the past month, he has hit just .213 (16-for-75) with two home runs, nine RBI and nine runs. It appears as though Garko has hit the second-year wall. Garko's first series in the coming week will be against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, against whom he had one home run, three RBI and one run scored over two games earlier this season. On the season, he is hitting .289 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 18 runs in 33 games at Jacobs Field. He has played two games at Comerica Park this season, hitting .333 (2-for-6) with one home run, three RBI and two runs. He has played just three career games at the Rogers Centre, hitting .231 (3-for-13) with one home run, one RBI and one run. With his struggles over the past month, it might be best to keep Garko on the bench this week, at least until he breaks his recent slump.

Conor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks

Schedule: 7 games - @STL (4), @CIN (3)

Analysis: Jackson might not have had a great week across the board but he hit well (.400) and scored three runs in the past week. He was shut out of every other category. On the season, he is hitting .276 with five home runs, 25 RBI and 29 runs. Both road trips this week should be good to him as he faces a struggling pitching staff in St. Louis and will be hitting in one of the top hitters' parks in the league. He has played just one game at Busch Stadium, going 0-for-3. He has done better at the Great American Ballpark, hitting .222 (2-for-9) with two RBI and three runs scored in five games. With two good matchups, Jackson should stay in your lineup this week.

OTHERS FOR CONSIDERATION

Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers

Schedule: 7 games - ATL (4), FLA (3)

Analysis: Looking to get more offense out of the hot corner, the Dodgers will move Garciaparra to third base, possibly as soon as this weekend. This shouldn't affect his eligibility for you, however, so he will still be available for your team as a first baseman. Garciaparra has been struggling over the past month and that has shown especially in the past week. Over the past seven days, he is hitting just .053 (1-for-19) with one run. Over the past month, he is hitting just .236 (21-for-89) with 10 RBI and six runs. It seems as though Garciaparra's move has more to do with getting first baseman James Loney some more playing time and less with getting more offense out of third base. Garciaparra has struggled against both the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins this season. In three games against the Braves, he is hitting just .167 (2-for-12) and has one RBI this year. In three games against the Marlins, he has gone 1-for-13 (.077). One positive for Garciaparra's owners is that he will be starting all seven games at home. Through 35 home games, Garciaparra is hitting .322 (38-for-118) and has 22 RBI and 12 runs. His recent slump aside, Garciaparra should still be considered for a roster spot because of his solid home numbers.

Casey Kotchman, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Schedule: 6 games - @TEX (3), @NYY (3)

Analysis: With the Angels designating first baseman Shea Hillenbrand for assignment this week, it appears as though Kotchman will be their man at first for the rest of the season. However, Kotchman missed most of the past week with a concussion and only returned to the lineup Monday, June 25. Since his return, he has gone 0-for-9 in three games (one as a pinch-hitter). His performance over the past month, though, has been solid. In 60 at-bats, he has 21 hits, four home runs, 11 RBI and 11 runs. In his career, he has hit .480 (12-for-25) with one home run, seven RBI and five runs at Rangers Field in Arlington. At Yankee Stadium, he is hitting .522 (12-for-23) with one home run, seven RBI and three runs. Keep an eye on KFFL this weekend to make sure he is playing, and provided he is, keep him in your lineup.

Adam LaRoche, Pittsburgh Pirates

Schedule: 7 games - MIL (4), CHC (3)

Analysis: Things in Pittsburgh haven't worked out how LaRoche envisioned after coming over from Atlanta. Through 75 games, he is hitting just .211 with eight home runs, 40 RBI and 29 runs. He has really struggled against righties, hitting just .193 (38-for-197) against them. He has actually lowered his average over the past week with just two hits in 20 at-bats. Things could be looking up this week, however, as in 34 home games, he has hit .260 (32-for-123) and has three home runs, 17 RBI and 15 runs. Those are significantly better numbers than he has on the road. In six games against the Brewers this year, LaRoche has hit .333 (5-for-15) with two RBI and two runs. In six games against the Cubs, he has hit .182 (4-for-22) with two RBI. So despite his poor season numbers, solid home numbers and past success against the Brewers mean you should at least consider him for your lineup this week.

Dan Johnson, Oakland Athletics

Schedule: 7 games - TOR (3), SEA (4)

Analysis: Over the past week, Johnson is hitting .313 (5-for-16) with two RBI. Those numbers show Johnson is improving after slumping for the past month. His month-long slump included a .180 average (16-for-89) and just one home run, nine RBI and five runs. On the season, he is hitting .254 with six home runs, 27 RBI and 25 runs. However, Johnson's resurgence could be stopped before it even really gets started as he will be playing all seven games at home this week. In 30 home games this season, Johnson is hitting just .218 (22-for-101) with two home runs, 13 RBI and 15 runs. He has not faced the Toronto Blue Jays this season but in two games against the Seattle Mariners earlier, he had two hits in six at-bats. With the A's slumping, it might be best if Johnson was left on your bench this week.

Richie Sexson, Seattle Mariners

Schedule: 7 games - @KC (3), @OAK (4)

Analysis: Sexson posted a .217 (5-for-23) average with three home runs, four RBI and eight runs over the past week. That is on par with what you should expect from him, solid numbers with the exception of average. On the season, he is hitting just .209 but has 15 home runs, 46 RBI and 38 runs. Sexson has already played the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium three times this year, going 4-for-12 (.333) with one home run and five RBI. He has also played twice at McAfee Stadium this season, going 1-for-7 (.143) with one RBI. With the M's surging, unless you need to boost your average, keep Sexson in the lineup this week.

Dmitri Young, Washington Nationals

Schedule: 7 games - CHC (4), MIL (3)

Analysis: After his release from the Detroit Tigers last year, Young is having a resurgent season for the Nationals. Through 72 games, he is hitting .336 with seven home runs, 36 RBI and 36 runs. He has already surpassed his RBI and runs totals of last year and is hitting 86 points higher. What makes Young even more valuable this week is the seven games at home. At RFK Stadium, a noted pitchers' park, Young is hitting .397 (46-for-116) with four home runs, 20 RBI and 18 runs. In three games against the Cubs this season, Young hit .125 (1-for-8) with two RBI. In one game against the Brewers, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Even with those poor numbers against next week's opponents, Young should still be included in your lineup.

Matt Stairs, Toronto Blue Jays

Schedule: 6 games - @OAK (3), CLE (3)

Analysis: Signed to come off the bench (and play in his native Canada) this past offseason, Stairs has been a revelation replacing Overbay. In the past week, he has hit .290 (9-for-31) with two home runs, four RBI and seven runs. In the past month, he has hit .271 (23-for-85) with six home runs, 13 RBI and 18 runs. Stairs has not faced the Athletics this season but in three earlier games against the Indians, he went 0-for-5. His career average at McAfee Coliseum is .274 in 333 games played. He has also hit 64 home runs and knocked in 204 runs there. At home this season, Stairs is hitting .341 (29-for-85) with four home runs, eight RBI and 14 runs. With his recent hot streak, Stairs should definitely be considered for a lineup spot this week.

Scott Thorman, Atlanta Braves

Schedule: 7 games - @LAD (4), @SD (3)

Analysis: A Canadian like Stairs, Thorman has been struggling at first base over the past month. In that time, he is hitting just .198 (16-for-81) with three home runs, six RBI and nine runs. Those troubles came to a head this past week when he hit just .091 (1-for-11) with zeroes across the rest of the board. This will be Thorman's first trip to Dodger Stadium. In his career, he is hitting .222 (2-for-9) with one RBI and two runs against the Dodgers. He has played three games at PETCO Park, home of the Padres, where he has gone 3-for-8 (.375) with one home run, three RBI and three runs. With his recent struggles, Thorman is best left on the bench this week.

James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers

Schedule: 7 games - ATL (4), FLA (3)

Analysis: With Garciaparra's move to third base, Loney has assumed the role of starting first baseman. One of the reasons for Garciaparra's move was because the club felt comfortable with Loney's offense. Over the past week, Loney is hitting .609 (14-for-23) with two home runs, eight RBI and six runs. Since being called up earlier this month, Loney is hitting .500 (19-for-38) with three home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs. Because of his recent call-up, he has faced neither the Atlanta Braves nor the Florida Marlins this season. He did face both last year however, hitting .250 with two RBI and three runs in five games against the Marlins and .167 with two runs in two games against the Braves. Loney's hot streak means he should definitely be started this week and if he is available in your league, worth picking up.

KEY PLAYERS ON DL

Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers - Out until mid-July

Nick Johnson, Washington Nationals - Out until July

Lyle Overbay, Toronto Blue Jays - Out until July

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Author Bio

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.