Jon Lewin from DraftStreet.com takes a look at Matt Kemp. Take notes for your fantasy baseball league:
After a dismal first half, Matt Kemp hit just his third and fourth homers in consecutive games in early July, only to leave the next game with a shoulder injury that put him on the disabled list for the second time this season. Kemp returned July 21, homering again and collecting three hits and three RBI, only to hurt his ankle in the same game. Kemp may not make it back from his third trip to the DL until September. But when he does, fantasy owners may have a new issue to worry about. In his absence, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the hottest teams in decades.
From June 22 to August 17, the Dodgers were 42-8, the best 50-game stretch since the St. Louis Cardinals had the same stretch in 1942. The catalyst has been sensational rookie Yasiel Puig. When Puig was called up June 3, the Dodgers were 23-32. With Puig in the lineup, the Dodgers have gone 46-17, a .730 winning percentage.
With Kemp in the lineup, the Dodgers are 30-29. Without Kemp in the lineup, the Dodgers are 42-22, a .656 percentage (all numbers as of August 18). The Dodger lineup has been better off without the 2013 version of Kemp, who, even with his three homers in July, is hitting .263 with five homers, 27 RBI, 30 runs and nine steals in 228 at bats. His OPS is .700.
Once Kemp makes it back, it will be hard to leave a player on the bench who is owed over $120 million over the next six seasons. But Puig certainly isn’t leaving the lineup, and the Dodgers also owe Carl Crawford over $80 million over the next four seasons and Andre Ethier about $70 million over the next four seasons.
Neither Crawford nor Ethier has been productive enough to assure a spot in the lineup once Kemp is back. Crawford is hitting .289 but with just five HR, 19 RBI, 49 runs and 11 steals in 315 at bats. His OPS is .748. Ethier is hitting .270 with nine HR, 44 RBI and 44 runs in 407 at bats. His OPS is .759.
Ethier, though, has picked it up after the All-Star break, with four HR, 16 RBI and a .277 BA in 94 AB, while Crawford is hitting .321 after the break.
If Kemp struggles upon his return and Ethier and Crawford continue to produce, the Dodgers could end up with some form of a very expensive platoon in September. The righthanded Kemp has a.782 OPS against lefties this season vs. .665 against righties. The lefthanded Crawford has almost the identical split in reverse – .777 OPS against righties and .665 against lefties. Ethier, also a lefty, has an .819 OPS against righties vs. .623 against lefties, and his career split is even greater – .904 to .646.
Did you know?
From June 22 to August 17, the Los Angeles Dodgers were 42-8, the best 50-game stretch since the St. Louis Cardinals had the same stretch in 1942.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/kershaw-dodgers-beat-phillies-5-023307014–mlb.html
Jon Lewin is a fantasy baseball expert who writes for a variety of top sites. He also writes on fantasy football. In addition, he plays in a variety of fantasy sports leagues.