The Commish Online www.thecommishonline.com
FANTASY FOCUS
July Fantasy Awards
August 4, 2003
With less than 2 months to go, the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders. The strange thing is that teams like the Royals and Marlins are part of the former rather than the latter. Look for KC and Florida players in the fantasy awards and you'll see why they are winning games.
AL Fantasy Pitcher of the Month
Keith Foulke
While Billy Koch is serving mop up duty in Chicago, Foulke found a new lease on life in Oakland, and he showed it in July. Foulke saved 7 games, picked up 3 wins (it never hurts to be lucky as a reliever), posted a 2.45 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. Adding to Foulke's impressive month was 15 strikeouts. The A's will need Foulke to remain sharp as they make a run at the Mariners.
Honorable Mention
Byung-Hyun Kim - 2 W, 6 S, 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
Joel Pineiro - 5 W, 28 K, 1.44 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
Mariano Rivera - 3 W, 5 S, 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP
Jose Lima - 5 W, 1.44 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
NL Fantasy Pitcher of the Month
Livan Hernandez
Smoltz was dominant once again, but Livan Hernandez came from out of nowhere and put up 43 strikeouts in July. He also won 4 games, had an ERA of just 1.80 and a WHIP well under 1.00. Most importantly, Hernandez posted those numbers over a remarkable 50 innings in July which can really bolster a fantasy pitching staff this late in the season.
Honorable Mention
John Smoltz - 11 S, 11 K, 0.69 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
Billy Wagner - 9 S, 15 K, 1.32 ERA, 0.89 ERA
Rod Beck - 10 S, 1.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
AL Fantasy Hitter of the Month
Carlos Beltran
Beltran makes it a remarkable 3 straight months with the top honor. Once again, Beltran did it all, almost mirroring June's number. This month, Carlos hit .323, with 21 RBIs, 4 home runs, 20 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Beltran is defining the 5-category fantasy player the same way Alfonso Soriano did last year. Angel Berroa, Beltran's teammate, was closest to him but still a distant second.
Honorable Mention
Angel Berroa - .323, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 15 R, 5 SB
Carlos Lee - 9 HR, 24 RBI, 19 R, 2 SB
Trot Nixon - .348, 10 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R
NL Fantasy Hitter of the Month
Preston Wilson
Juan Pierre put up impressive numbers again in July, but Preston Wilson's overall stats earn him the NL award this month. Wilson knocked out 11 home runs, knocked in a whopping 34, and hit .305. He also stole 2 bases and scored 22 runs, but the power numbers are what really helped the Rockies and his fantasy owner's everywhere.
Honorable Mention
Juan Pierre - .323, 14 SB, 21 R
Jim Edmonds - .344, 14 HR, 29 RBI, 25 R
Jeff Bagwell - 10 HR, 25 RBI, 23 R, 3 SB
Sammy Sosa - .305, 13 HR, 29 RBI, 20 R
The question for August is: can anyone stop Carlos Beltran's streak of 3 straight AL Hitter of the Month Awards? Beltran is showing no signs of slowing down, so if someone wants to steal the crown, he better start hitting the ball all month long because we all know Beltran will be doing the same.
