Mike Fontenot - Fantasy News & Updates
Mike Fontenot - Fantasy News & Updates
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Before his trade to the Cubs in July, Baker had been sidelined for two months with a sprained left hand. When he was finally healthy, he immediately found a groove in Chicago, batting .305 with an .810 OPS over 69 games, most of them at second base. With Mike Fontenot and Andres Blanco also in the mix, it’s unclear how regularly Baker will play in 2010, though he clearly hit the ball the best of the trio this season, which should serve as an indicator.
Fontenot extended his hitting streak to seven games, although two of those came in pinch-hit appearances. The second baseman has a .526 average (10-for-19) with three doubles over that time frame, so he's a solid temporary asset for mixed leaguers in search of middle-infield help.
Baker has been Chicago's hottest hitter over the past month. Since Aug. 9 -- when he started to get consistent at-bats at second base -- Baker was batting a blistering .390. Considering the dearth of offensive production at that position and Baker's increasingly obvious starter status, he's worth a look in all formats. Any owners still hanging on to the displaced Mike Fontenot can feel free to give him his walking papers.
Fontenot had been receiving a steady dose of playing time at second base, but continued struggles at the plate has resulted in the hot-hitting Jeff Baker taking over as the primary starter.
Baker might be forcing his way into a job as the primary starter at second. He had been mostly serving as Mike Fontenot's platoon partner, but capitalizing on his newfound opportunity could result in a changing of the guard.
Fontenot's season-long struggles have led to a steady descent down the depth chart, but with Aramis Ramirez struggling with injuries again, Fontenot may find himself pressed back into action in the Cubs' shorthanded infield. While Jake Fox is a far better hitter than Fontenot, Fontenot's superior glove may earn him some playing time at third in Ramirez's absence. Fontenot will have to show a lot more than he has so far for that to matter to fantasy owners, though.
Without any real alternatives, the Cubs are giving Fontenot a steady dose of playing time at second base for now, and it seems to finally be paying off. Three doubles, a triple and a long ball have gone flying off Fontenot's bat in the past five games, making the all-purpose infielder one to keep an eye on.
Despite the productive day, Fontenot’s .231 average and a playing-time platoon with Jeff Baker limit his fantasy value to NL-only leagues.
Baker got the nod Wednesday against Astros left-hander Mike Hampton. He’s started all of the Cubs four games against southpaws since being acquired from Colorado on June 2. The logic behind the platoon is simple. The right-handed Baker has mashed lefties in his career, with a .904 OPS against them compared to .690 against right-handers. The left-handed Fontenot's splits go in the other direction – he has a .796 OPS against left-handers and a .625 mark against righties.
A nice effort from Fontenot, who put a 4-for-17 slump behind him with the big day. While his eligibility at both second and third base is a plus, with a poor .243 average and seven dingers, the diminutive infielder's stock is restricted to NL-only formats.
The 29-year-old keystone has added 12 points to his average since the start of July by ripping at at scorching .375 clip, but hasn't done much else to warrant considering in any formats other than deep NL-only leagues. Fontenot's Satuday blast was his first since June 9 and was also his first multi-RBI effort since June 3.
Fontenot has three straight multi-hit games as he tries to forget a month of June in which he batted just .211, including .111 in his final 17 affairs. Perhaps he'll capture some of his magic from last year, when he carried a .252 batting average into July before hitting .365 for that month.
Live batting practice will represent a marked step forward in Ramirez's return; he has also been able to handle soft toss. "He's feeling much better, and he's been working and we can start seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with this thing," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. Ramirez still hopes to return by early July, and fantasy owners and Cubs fans alike are hoping he hits that mark, especially given Mike Fontenot's ongoing struggles at the hot corner.
This time, Pinella swapped center fielder Kosuke Fukudome, who had hit sixth in the team's previous two games, and third baseman Mike Fontenot, who had hit in the two-hole. Fukudome's .402 on-base percentage makes him a strong candidate to bat higher in the lineup, where he should rack up more runs but fewer RBIs. He hit third regularly earlier in the season, so this change won't drastically affect his value unless he becomes more aggressive on the basepaths (4 SB in 8 attempts).
Fontenot's slowly starting to regain his stroke after a terrible first two months. He's hit safely in seven of the last nine games, with five extra-base hits, eight RBIs and four walks. The diminutive infielder is still batting just .249, but his six bombs and 26 RBIs give him value in NL-only formats.
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