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Fantasy Baseball News & Updates
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On the heels of a breakthrough '08 campaign, Ludwick looked to pick up where he left off in April before suffering a strained hamstring that sidelined him for a few weeks in May. It took a while for him to shake off the rust upon returning, as he posted a meager .200 average in June. A monstrous month of July revived his fantasy prospects, but inconsistent production the rest of the way make it difficult to rely on Ludwick as anything more than a No. 3 or fantasy outfielder.
While he has had worse luck with injuries this year than he did last season, Ludwick has remained just as productive on a game-for-game basis as he was during his breakout season in 2008. He's not flashy, and doesn't offer much help in batting average or on the basepaths, but Ludwick is a reliable run producer with a solid spot in a very strong lineup, and looks likely to remain a very good second or third fantasy outfielder in 2010.
Ludwick has a homer in back-to-back games, and he's hit safely in six of seven contests. He's come on strong in September, putting together a .329 batting average with four home runs and 12 RBIs. They're solid stats that make him a viable starting outfield option in mixed leagues which count five outfielders.
Ludwick batted sixth for the first time this season in this one, a development that would likely deprive him of a few RBI opportunities should it continue. It likely won't, though. Despite his recent power outage -- he has just one extra-base hit in his last nine games -- Ludwick has swung a solid bat with eight hits in his last 26 at-bats (.308 AVG). The outfielder now has 89 ribbies, giving him a shot at topping 100 for the second straight year.
Ludwick has been tearing the cover off the ball in August, ripping at a white-hot .476 clip with six runs scored, eight RBIs and has even outslugged teammate Albert Pujols with his jaw-dropping .952 percentage. Strike while the iron is hot and make sure Ludwick is plugged in as long as he's doing this kind of damage.
Ludwick's subpar month of August appears to be firmly behind him. The big right fielder has gone 9-for-13 (.692) with four doubles, two jacks and seven RBIs in four September games. The five-hit night was Ludwick's first, leaving him sporting a .276 average, 20 homers and 86 RBIs. If you were benching him in August, here's your wakeup call.
Ludwick snapped out of a .154 (2-for-13) funk over his previous five games. Hopefully for his sake his Sepetember turns out more like his July (.340 AVG, 6 HR, 28 RBIs) than his August (.238 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBIs). Owners in need of outfield help might want to take a flier on Ludwick's multi-hit night becoming the start of an offensive surge.
Finding playing time in the crowded Cardinals outfield has been a challenge for Ankiel, who has to contend with Matt Holliday, rookie Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick. Manager Tony LaRussa is doing his best to work him into the rotation, however, largely at the expense of Rasmus and occasionally the slumping Ludwick. Despite his fourth-outfielder status, Ankiel goes into Sunday riding a six-game hit streak.
Ankiel, held out of the starting lineup due to a mild groin strain, was still able to make an appearance in Tuesday’s game. His status remains day-to-day. Once fully back, however, he's hardly guaranteed a starting spot with Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick to compete with for playing time.
Ludwick went yard for the first time in nine games, putting an end to a 4-for-27 slump in the process. The big right fielder is coming off a July during which he was named NL Player of the Month, thanks to a .340 average, six jacks and 28 RBIs. While he likely won’t continue to mash at that rate, he did submit a solid .313-16-48 line in the second half of 2008.
Bouncing back from a disappointing three months, Ludwick registered a .340 average with six home runs, 18 runs scored, a .396 on-base percentage, a .570 slugging percentage and 28 RBIs in July. Expect the resurgence to continue for Ludwick, who has the support of two lethal hitters in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday.
You can call him Mr. July now that he has a .397 batting average with six homers and 25 RBIs during the month. He has as many home runs as he had in May and June combined and already has surpassed the 19 ribbies he racked up during that same time frame.
Another night, another multi-hit output for Ludwick, who's piled up six of them in the last 10 games, ripping six extra-base hits and driving in nine runs in the process. The mashing left fielder has enjoyed a resurgence in July, batting .388 with five jacks and 23 RBIs.
Ludwick has picked up right where he left off before the All-Star break. He's cranked five homers and knocked in 20 runs over the last 13 games, a searing stretch that has catapulted him back into the conversation of elite fantasy performers. Now that he's finally rediscovered his stroke, it should be a prolific stretch run for the big right fielder, who bats behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals lineup.
Ludwick struggled mightily in June, batting just .200 for the month and enduring slumps of 1-for-19 and 1-for-16. He's bounced back brilliantly in July, though, running up the aforementioned 11-game hitting streak and swinging to a .404 average (21-for-52) in his first 14 July games.
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