With two swings of the bat Tuesday, Fernando Tatis had Mets fans on their feet in a state of hysteria.
"All of Shea Stadium cheering for my name -- it's unbelievable," Tatis said. "It's amazing for me."
Tatis homered twice Tuesday against the Padres, the second being a three-run homer in the sixth inning that catapulted the Mets into a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It was a storybook night for the 33-year-old journeyman as he extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
"It's amazing the way I feel at the plate right now. I thank God for the confidence," Tatis told Newsday during his recent surge.
Tatis also offers up an assist to the high heavens for his return to majors. MLB.com reports Tatis was tempted to continue his career because his community in the Dominican Republic was in dire need of a new church. Tatis figured he could get the funds playing baseball. The church is now built and "beautiful" according to Tatis.
He ventured back to the majors this season after not having played since 2006 when he was with the Orioles. Mets manager Jerry Manuel attested that Tatis looked like a guy during spring training that hadn't played on this high of a level for years.
"I said then, 'Wow, it'd be difficult for this guy to be a serviceable Major League hitter,' " Manuel told MLB.com."But he has made tremendous adjustments."
If that isn't the truth. Tatis began the season with Triple-A New Orleans, before being recalled in mid-May as the Mets were hit with a rash of injuries. Tatis remained a role player for the Mets until early July when Moises Alou went on the DL for a third time this season. New York needed a permanent figure in left field and it appears as though New York has found their guy.
"He right now is our left fielder," Manuel said. "There is no question about it."
The nine-year veteran is hitting .316 with nine homers, 33 RBI and three stolen bases. He won't come near his career-high 34 homers and 107 RBI he had back in 1999 with the Cardinals. His claim to fame, which also came in '99, is being the only player in baseball to have two grand slams in one inning. His career was severely sidetracked due to injuries, but after hitting career homers No. 100 and 101 on Tuesday, Tatis still has something left in the tank.
"I feel great," Tatis said. "I feel pretty good at the plate."
It was faith that got Tatis back into majors, but his bat is keeping him there.
"It's an inspiration to the whole team," Manuel said.
Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul
Ian Kennedy, SP, N.Y. Yankees
Owned: 27 percent
of leagues
Analysis: An injury to Joba Chamberlain has prompted the Yankees to bring Kennedy back from
the minors. He will be pitching in the majors for the first time since
late May, when he went on the DL with a rib injury. Kennedy had a rough
first few months with the Yanks, going 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA and 1.75 WHIP
in eight starts. However, it appears as though the USC product has his
confidence soaring. Since joining Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in
early July, Kennedy is 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA in seven outings. He has won
three straight decisions and has allowed just four runs in his last four
starts. Remember, Kennedy made a riveting debut in 2007 late in the
season and could be developing into a second-half arm.
You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and his value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP
Jeff Francoeur, OF, Atlanta
Owned: 70 percent of
leagues
Analysis: A guy that is hitting .230 with nine homers
and 49 RBI should not be owned in 70 percent of Fantasy leagues. Let's
face it, Frenchy is just not the same hitter of the past, and with an
abundance of Fantasy outfielders, do yourself a favor and add a better
option. The Braves even sent Francoeur to the minors in early July for a
few games to work on his swing, but it hasn't helped much as his average
has stayed the same. He is also striking out way too much and has only
one homer since June 13. The fact the Braves have put up the white flag
in 2008 suggests perhaps Francouer owners should do the same.
GIDPs -- We feel this player might not warrant as much Fantasy consideration as he is receiving and should be avoided in most instances
Brendan Harris, INF, Minnesota
Owned: 23 percent
of leagues
Analysis: The Fantasy appeal with Harris is that he
is eligible at second, third and short. Outside of that, there is not
much else to get excited about. He is hitting just .268 with 23 doubles,
six homers, 40 RBI and one stolen base. He is projected to finish the
season hitting .264 with eight homers, 54 RBI and one stolen base.
Harris does have five multi-hit games in his last seven outings and is
11-for-25 (.440) in that span, but his numbers will thin out in the long
run. He hits low in the Twins lineup and is primarily on the field for
his glove.
Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks
Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox
Owned: 61
percent of leagues
Analysis: The floodgates finally seem to be
opening for Konerko, who has homered twice in his last four games.
Konerko had 30-homer power for the previous four seasons, but his power
numbers were on the decline in each campaign. We weren't totally shocked
that his power swing digressed in 2008. We are just baffled he has only
11 homers this early into August. The White Sox continue to show
confidence in Konerko by hitting him in the middle of the lineup, and he
still has the talent to get hot at any time.
Stopgap corner -- We feel this player might be worth using for the upcoming scoring period
Dave Bush, SP, Milwaukee
Owned: 37 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Bush has one of the best WHIPs in baseball
at 1.13. So why is he 6-9 with a 4.50 ERA? That's because Bush gives up
the big hits too often, particularly homers (20), and those few mistakes
end up costing him. He has been better as of late having allowed one or
fewer earned runs in six of his last 11 starts. He is a full-time
starting pitcher for the contending Brewers, but still might be more of
a stopgap option until he can avoid the off nights. Bush is lining up to
be a two-start pitcher Fantasy Week 20 (Aug. 11-17) with his starts
coming against the Nationals and Dodgers -- two of the lowest scoring
teams in baseball.
Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar
Michael Moustakas, SS, Kansas City
Owned: 1
percent of leagues
Analysis: The 2007 draft class is shaping
up to be a good one. First overall pick David Price is on the verge of making his MLB debut, and the second
overall pick -- Moustakas -- is finding his groove at Class A
Burlington. The 19-year-old infielder and Chatsworth High product is
hitting .265 with 17 doubles, three triples, two homers, 58 RBI and five
stolen bases in his first full pro season. He has two multi-homer games
in his last three outings and five total. A promotion to Double-A is
almost a forgone conclusion at this point. It's unlikely we see
Moustakas in the majors in 2008, but the Royals have been known to push
their top prospects along quickly, and Moustakas might be on course to
make the majors in summer 2009. He is a great long-term keeper.
Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.
Victor Martinez, C, Cleveland
Owned: 43 percent
of leagues
Analysis: Martinez, who has been on the DL since
mid-June with an elbow injury, took batting practice from both sides of
the dish, threw from behind the plate and even ran the bases Wednesday.
He is making all the right moves to soon head out on a rehab assignment
or just be activated off the DL. V-Mart was having a very tough season
before going on the DL as he had no homers and just a .277 average. Kelly Shoppach has been great behind the plate for Cleveland, so when
Martinez is healthy, he will likely work in a DH-role. That's good news
for Fantasy owners since he can exclusively work on hitting and not be
as fatigued since he won't have to squat every night for nine innings.
Consider Martinez a nice sleeper addition for the final weeks of the
season.
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