NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT ME BUT…

Everyone is pumped up about Nick Williams of the Phillies. Ranked inside the top-30 prospects in baseball by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Williams is the outfielder with the Phillies that everyone is excited about. He’s an elite talent with power and speed, but he also has his fair share of issues. Regardless, he’s the outfielder everyone is talking about with this club, but maybe there is someone else we should be talking about too with the Phillies.

Aaron Altherr is one of the better prospects with the Phillies. The hope was that he could potentially fill a significant role with the team this season. Alas, Aaron hurt his wrist back in March and eventually needed surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. Altherr began a rehab assignment a little over 10 days ago, and he’s posted a 1.073 OPS over 32 plate appearances with the Phils rookie affiliate. He has been promoted to Double-A today. If he keeps progressing along these lines he could find himself in the big leagues relatively quickly. "This was an important year to really see how good he could be," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Let's say he finishes the last two months of the season. That could give us a better indication.” Altherr hit .241 in 39 games with the Phils last season, but he excited with five homers, six steals and a .827 OPS. Upper level we’re probably talking 15 homers, 25 steals kind of stuff. Of course, he could also go the way of Justin Maxwell as he’s already 25 and still looking to make his mark with consistent production.

By the way… anyone notice that Peter Bourjos has produced like a star his last 24 games with a .347/.382/.558 slash line? He’s also scored 17 runs while hitting three big flies and stealing a run. He’s not an all-star with the bat, he isn’t, but my goodness should he be rostered while doing this.
 

CUBS OUTFIELD ABOUT TO GET CROWDED

Dexter Fowler expects to return from his injured hamstring this weekend, and that will mess up any consistent plan in the Cubs’ outfield. That situation will be even more muddled when Jorge Soler, out with a hamstring injury, is ready to return (he’s behind Fowler but could be ready next week). The outfield options for the Cubs follow.

Dexter Fowler had 17 homers, 20 steals and scored 102 runs last season. This year, in 64 games, he’s hit seven homers, has stolen six bases, has hit .290 and posted a .398 OBP, an excellent follow up effort. He’s a very good baseball player who crushes lefties (.304 for his career) though at times might be benched against elite righties (career .254 hitter). He will play at least four out of every five games when healthy.

Jorge Soler was hot before he was hurt, but his numbers this season have been terrible. His effort includes a .223 average, .322 OBP and .377 SLG. In 50 games he’s hit five homers and driven in 13 runners. A great talent, but his 2016 effort has been woefully short of expectations.

Jason Heyward is 26 years old and just signed an 8-year, $184 million deal with the Cubs. I said it when it happened – a terrible decision. Heyward has been hurt, yet again, an unproductive, yet again. He will play daily, but he’s doing nothing with four homers, eight steals and a .234/.328/.323 slash line. It’s very rare that an established talent like this is so bad. He’s barely rosterable in 12-team leagues at this point. So tired of his act.

Chris Coghlan is on the disabled list with a rib cage issue. He can play everywhere, including second base and third, and he’s been an abysmal failure this season (.155/.244/.278). Still, he’s a vet who was good last season and his versatility is a plus.

Matt Szczur has a .291/.300/.447 line with three homers, 19 RBI and 18 runs over 103 at-bats. A strong role player.

Albert Amora has a .265/.291/.422 line over 34 games after hitting .318 with 10 steals at Triple-A. He’s a spare part at the moment with speed.

Kris Bryant (55 games in the outfield), Javier Baez (two games) and Ben Zobrist (12 games) have also seen time in the outfield.

Joe Maddon wins games. He’s also a mess to follow in the fantasy game.
 

TROUBLE IN BOSTON?

Steven Wright has been great this season. He’s also 3-1 over his last four starts. But, concerns are growing. Wright has posted a 6.23 ERA in those four starts as he allowed 15 earned runs over 21.2 innings. It’s worse than that. Wright has also allowed six unearned runs meaning he’s actually allowed 21 runs his last 21.2 innings. Are you still feeling comfortable if you own Wright?

NO DL, OH WAIT, A LONG DL STINT

Zack Greinke was hopeful of making his next start after suffering an oblique issue. Then they were going to skip a start. Then it was going to be just 15 days on the DL. It’s already been more than that. Greinke threw off the mound for the first time Wednesday and it’s nearly certain he will need to make at least one start at the minor league level. That means a likely scenario of Greinke returning to the big leagues in early August.

Felix Hernandez made his first start in about two months as his calf was finally better (remember when they told us he was likely to make his next start after the injury. Next start, two months, it’s all the same). King Felix threw 94 pitches, 68 of them strikes, against the White Sox. He allowed five runs, a homer, and 10 hits while walking two and striking out two. Far from the type of return anyone had been hoping for. He left the game with a 3.23 ERA and 1.28 WHIP as he tries to salvage a down campaign. I’d buy if I could, the price should still be pretty low.

 

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel /talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).