Top fantasy baseball performances: April 2

OK, yes, it was against the Houston Astros. You can bet that Tuesday night won't be the first time the Astros head to the ninth inning looking for their first hit.But Yu Darvish turned in one of the most dominating single-game pitching performances in recent memory just the same.Darvish did not allow a baserunner for the first 8.2 innings before allowing a single to Marwin Gonzalez to ruin his perfect game and no-hitter. The Rangers then took him out of the game.Darvish threw 78 of his 111 pitches for strikes, got eight ground ball outs, struck out 14 and didn't walk a hitter. He ended up facing just 27 hitters. Darvish toyed with the Astros.What Darvish did on Tuesday, though, shouldn't have been a complete surprise to anyone. In his rookie year out of Japan in 2012, all he did was go 16-9 in 29 starts with a 3.90 ERA.Darvish, who is just 26-years-old, has now made 30 starts in the big leagues in his career and has allowed just 157 hits in 200 innings. Opponents are hitting just .214 against him.It won't be the last time he carries a no-hitter into the ninth especially now that the Astros are in his division. It's about time everyone realizes just how good Madison Bumgarner truly is.Bumgarner hit the ground running as a rookie in 2010 with the Giants, helped therm win a World Series, and keeps getting better.The big left-hander had a wonderful 2013 debut on Tuesday, dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. He allowed just two hits and didn't walk a hitter in eight innings in a 3-0 victory.Yes, it was against a Dodger lineup that included Mark and A.J. Ellis, Luis Cruz hitting fifth, and Justin Sellers. But Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez were there and they couldn't do anything either.Bumgarner is still just 23 years old. He is already one of the most consistently good pitchers in the game. In 2011 he struck out 191 and walked 46 in 204.2 innings and last year he struck out 191 and walked 49 in 208.1 innings. He also had a 3.21 ERA in 2011 and followed that up with a 3.37 in 2012.Bumgarner faced just 26 hitters in eight innings against the Dodgers and tossed 76 of his 101 pitches for strikes.He is an ace. Michael Morse just might be one of the top fantasy bargains this year.He was hurt last year and got a late start on the season with the Washington Nationals so he kind of fell off the fantasy radar a bit. Morse, though, still found enough time to hit 18 homers, drive in 62 runs and hit .291.And that was after a 2011 season in which he hit 31 homers, drove in 95 runs and hit .303. Not bad for a guy who started his career as a shortstop in the Chicago White Sox system.Morse, who made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2005, returned to the Pacific Northwest this past off-season and had a wonderful night on Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 right-hander slammed two home runs against the Oakland A's. He also drove in four runs in the 7-1 victory and played both left and right field while hitting cleanup.Morse is one of the top power hitters in the game but he's more than that. He is a .295 career hitter in 1,554 at-bats.That average is quite impressive considering how rarely he takes a walk. Last year he walked just 16 times. So the fear is that he will settle into becoming a .250 hitter some day.But right now that isn't the case. So enjoy the homers, RBI and average. And enjoy the fact that he's going to play everyday, either in the outfield or DH.Hitting cleanup for the Mariners isn't anything to write home about. This certainly isn't the Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez Seattle Mariners.But the M's are improved this year and a 30-homer, 100-RBI season is not out of reach for Morse.View the list »
Don't worry. You weren't the only one not to notice Kyle Seager in 2012. He played for the Seattle Mariners after all.Seager, though, turned in a very solid season in his first real opportunity to play full-time. He hit .259 with 20 homers and 86 RBI to go along with 35 doubles in 594 at-bats. Driving in 86 runs in that Mariners lineup last year was no easy task.Seager had a perfect night on Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with two walks in a 7-1 win over the Oakland A's. Seager also scored two runs, drove in one and hit two doubles.The two walks are significant since he walked just 46 times last year and had a .316 on base percentage. If he adds a little plate discipline to his game that average is going to be in the .275 neighborhood.Seager, right now, is sort of a poor man's Ryan Zimmerman. Seager, though, has an edge over Zimmerman in that he stays healthy. But Zimmerman rates the edge because he hits in the middle of the order. Seager hit second, which might limit his RBI opportunities.The Mariners have more pop this year so Seager will have more protection. He's a solid fantasy third baseman.

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A quick look at some of the significant fantasy baseball performances on Tuesday . . .

  • ADAM JONES, Baltimore Orioles: Jones went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI and two doubles against Tampa Bay. The former Seattle Mariner is a fantasy stud.
  • MATT WIETERS, Baltimore Orioles: Like Jones, the Orioles catcher is living up to his potential. He drilled a home run off Tampa's David Price and also added a double. Wieters walked twice and drove in two runs. He's one of best fantasy catchers in the game.
  • BEN ZOBRIST, Tampa Bay Rays: Zobrist is an amazing fantasy player. He can play anywhere and he can produce. He went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a home run against the Orioles. And, oh yeah, he played second base and right field.
  • COLBY RASMUS, Toronto Blue Jays: Colby Rasmus will never live up to the hype. Rasmus fanned three times in three at-bats against the Indians' Justin Masterson. You don't want Rasmus on your fantasy team.
  • SERGIO SANTOS, Toronto Blue Jays: Santos faced three Cleveland hitters and struck out two of them. He threw all seven of his pitches for strikes. It's only a matter of time before he is closing games for the Jays once again.
  • LANCE BERKMAN, Texas Rangers: Berkman is still going strong. This guy will always be able to hit. Berkman went 3-for-4 against the Astros with two RBI. All three hits were singles. He hit third in the order and if he stays healthy he can drive in 100 runs in Texas.
  • HISASHI IWAKUMA, Seattle Mariners: Who is this guy? Well, he's a guy who might be one of the most undervalued pitchers in the game. Iwakuma allowed just two hits and didn't walk a hitter in six innings against the A's. He also fanned seven. He's 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and he's legit. Last year he went 9-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 30 games (16 starts) for the Mariners.
  • JAIME GARCIA, St. Louis Cardinals: Garcia battled through an injury-filled 2012. He's healthy now and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in his debut. Garcia went 5.2 innings and allowed just two hits and a run. Yes, he walked four and threw just 57 of his 97 pitches for a strike, and that is concern. But it was a nice start for Garcia after a tough 2012.

And, now, a look at the top performances from Tuesday . . .

View the list
  • Don't worry. You weren't the only one not to notice Kyle Seager in 2012. He played for the Seattle Mariners after all.Seager, though, turned in a very solid season in his first real opportunity to play full-time. He hit .259 with 20 homers and 86 RBI to go along with 35 doubles in 594 at-bats. Driving in 86 runs in that Mariners lineup last year was no easy task.Seager had a perfect night on Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with two walks in a 7-1 win over the Oakland A's. Seager also scored two runs, drove in one and hit two doubles.The two walks are significant since he walked just 46 times last year and had a .316 on base percentage. If he adds a little plate discipline to his game that average is going to be in the .275 neighborhood.Seager, right now, is sort of a poor man's Ryan Zimmerman. Seager, though, has an edge over Zimmerman in that he stays healthy. But Zimmerman rates the edge because he hits in the middle of the order. Seager hit second, which might limit his RBI opportunities.The Mariners have more pop this year so Seager will have more protection. He's a solid fantasy third baseman.
  • Michael Morse just might be one of the top fantasy bargains this year.He was hurt last year and got a late start on the season with the Washington Nationals so he kind of fell off the fantasy radar a bit. Morse, though, still found enough time to hit 18 homers, drive in 62 runs and hit .291.And that was after a 2011 season in which he hit 31 homers, drove in 95 runs and hit .303. Not bad for a guy who started his career as a shortstop in the Chicago White Sox system.Morse, who made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2005, returned to the Pacific Northwest this past off-season and had a wonderful night on Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 right-hander slammed two home runs against the Oakland A's. He also drove in four runs in the 7-1 victory and played both left and right field while hitting cleanup.Morse is one of the top power hitters in the game but he's more than that. He is a .295 career hitter in 1,554 at-bats.That average is quite impressive considering how rarely he takes a walk. Last year he walked just 16 times. So the fear is that he will settle into becoming a .250 hitter some day.But right now that isn't the case. So enjoy the homers, RBI and average. And enjoy the fact that he's going to play everyday, either in the outfield or DH.Hitting cleanup for the Mariners isn't anything to write home about. This certainly isn't the Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez Seattle Mariners.But the M's are improved this year and a 30-homer, 100-RBI season is not out of reach for Morse.
  • It's about time everyone realizes just how good Madison Bumgarner truly is.Bumgarner hit the ground running as a rookie in 2010 with the Giants, helped therm win a World Series, and keeps getting better.The big left-hander had a wonderful 2013 debut on Tuesday, dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. He allowed just two hits and didn't walk a hitter in eight innings in a 3-0 victory.Yes, it was against a Dodger lineup that included Mark and A.J. Ellis, Luis Cruz hitting fifth, and Justin Sellers. But Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez were there and they couldn't do anything either.Bumgarner is still just 23 years old. He is already one of the most consistently good pitchers in the game. In 2011 he struck out 191 and walked 46 in 204.2 innings and last year he struck out 191 and walked 49 in 208.1 innings. He also had a 3.21 ERA in 2011 and followed that up with a 3.37 in 2012.Bumgarner faced just 26 hitters in eight innings against the Dodgers and tossed 76 of his 101 pitches for strikes.He is an ace. 
  • OK, yes, it was against the Houston Astros. You can bet that Tuesday night won't be the first time the Astros head to the ninth inning looking for their first hit.But Yu Darvish turned in one of the most dominating single-game pitching performances in recent memory just the same.Darvish did not allow a baserunner for the first 8.2 innings before allowing a single to Marwin Gonzalez to ruin his perfect game and no-hitter. The Rangers then took him out of the game.Darvish threw 78 of his 111 pitches for strikes, got eight ground ball outs, struck out 14 and didn't walk a hitter. He ended up facing just 27 hitters. Darvish toyed with the Astros.What Darvish did on Tuesday, though, shouldn't have been a complete surprise to anyone. In his rookie year out of Japan in 2012, all he did was go 16-9 in 29 starts with a 3.90 ERA.Darvish, who is just 26-years-old, has now made 30 starts in the big leagues in his career and has allowed just 157 hits in 200 innings. Opponents are hitting just .214 against him.It won't be the last time he carries a no-hitter into the ninth especially now that the Astros are in his division. 
View the list

, Fantasy Baseball Examiner

Joe Santoro is an award-winning sportswriter with over three decades of experience. Joe is the dean of Northern Nevada sports reporters and has covered University of Nevada Wolf Pack sports as a beat reporter and columnist for more than two decades. His "Friday Fodder" column is the longest...

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