Fantasy Baseball News & Updates
Fantasy Baseball News & Updates
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Rowand had his moments, like stringing together a 17-game hitting streak during a productive first half. But inconsistency likely landed him on the waiver wire more often than not in most leagues. And coming off a season in which his strikeouts (125) more than quadrupled his walks (30), Rowand offers little reason to expect a dramatic improvement.
September has not been the kindest month for Rowand, who is hitting under the Mendoza Line (.189) with a brutal 1/11 BB/K ratio. A 1-for-18 stretch like the one Rowand just emerged from Friday will do that to you. After a first half during which the scrappy veteran hit .289 with nine big flies, Rowand has faded down the stretch, hitting just .219 with five dingers since his mid-season hiatus.
Rowand entered Monday's game in the midst of a 3-for-20 (.150) skid and a mere .229 average in 144 at-bats since the All-Star break. He showed signs of life with the two RBIs, but it's likely he'll remain in the eight-hole for the time being. That doesn't do much for his fantasy value, but Rowand's .277 on-base percentage since the break more or less necessitated his being moved out of the leadoff spot and further down in the order.
The blast has to come as a relief to Rowand, who ends a power outage that lasted nearly two weeks spanning 10 games since his last extra-base hit or RBI.
Rowand suffered the injury after getting hit by a pitch during the Giants' Aug. 28 contest but managed to stay in the rest of the way. Eugenio Velez started for Rowand in center field on Saturday, although Rowand came in for defensive purposes later in the game. He's listed as day-to-day.
Highs and lows come with the territory of owning Rowand. After going hitless in 13 at-bats, the Giants center fielder has gone on a sizzling six-game hit streak in which time he's hitting .542 with three homers and seven RBIs. Now is certainly the time to ride him. Just be sure to bench him Sunday, when manager Bruce Bochy plans to bench him.
Rowand stretched his hitting streak to five games, during which time he's batting .550 (11-for-20). As could be expected for a player confined to a pitcher-friendly home ballpark, Rowand has done well against pitching on the road (.294 AVG) while remaining mediocre at home (.264).
Schierholtz's double was a big hit for the Giants -- it plated Edgar Renteria with the winning run -- but also a big hit for Schierholtz himself, who had come off the bench in each of the Giants' last three games. Schierholtz has the pop to help fantasy owners, as his .445 slugging percentage suggests, but he has been squeezed in the Giants' crowded outfield picture of late. With Randy Winn (0-for-4 on Wednesday) and Aaron Rowand (2-for-4) near-locks for playing time, Schierholtz's competition for playing time is the speedy pair of Fred Lewis and Eugenio Velez. Right now, Velez is best fantasy play of those three, but Schierholtz's value would surge if he starts getting regular playing time.
A much-needed bounceback effort by Rowand, who entered Monday mired in an 0-for-13 slump. Still, one big game doesn't totally erase what has been a difficult stretch at the dish, so keep your distance until he improves on his .208 average since the All-Star break.
Velez has been a revelation for the Giants while filling in for the injured Aaron Rowand in center. Rowand made an unsuccessful pinch-hit appearance in this game and is nearing a return, but the Giants don't want to take Velez out of the lineup. The speedy utilityman has hit .417 (25-for-60) since his July 27 callup, and he's been an able on-base guy at the top of the lineup. Velez could shift to left field when Rowand returns, which would steal at-bats from Fred Lewis. Velez could also spell Randy Winn, who, despite going 2-for-4 on Monday, has just six hits in his last 41 at-bats. Whatever happens, it's hard to see how Velez could've made a better case for staying in the picture. He makes for a terrific pickup in NL-only leagues.
Rowand looks to be finding himself at the plate again after an eight-game stretch during which he went a miserable 1-for-25 with one RBI. He’s hit safely in five of the last six games, racking up five doubles and a triple to push his average up to .279. With that said, he still has some work to do before he can begin meriting consideration in standard mixed leagues again.
A sorely-needed multi-hit performance for Rowand, whose last one came back on July 10. He had struggled mightily in the 11 games since then, going 4-for-31 (.129 AVG) to drop his average into the .270s for the first time since the end of May.
Rowand, who had been bothered by a slight tear in his right forearm muscle, wasn't expected to return until the start of next week. He found himself in the lineup on Friday, possibly because Andres Torres, the outfielder spelling Rowand in his absence, landed on the disabled list himself, earlier in the day. Make sure Rowand is 100 precent before throwing him back into your lineup.
Andres Torres started in center and led off. Rowand took batting practice Tuesday -- the injury only affects his throwing -- and remains a viable pinch-hitter. He’s batting .276 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs this season.
Andres Torres has filled in admirably for Rowand, but Giants fans and Rowand owners alike are anxious to see him back on the field. Making things more frustrating is the fact that this injury doesn't hurt Rowand's ability to swing the bat -- he has pinch-hit three times in the past six games. He won't play regularly until he's ready to field his position. Rowand said he planned to take two days of rest and continue receiving treatment.
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