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It's week 11 in Fantasy Baseball and the MLB. The Jays are still on fire, and Robby Cano is still in the dumps. Bet you can't guess who makes up our buy and sell hitters for this week.
Sell Your Streaking Jays
Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR)
Known mainly for his dynamic skills in centerfield, Pillar has been surprisingly proficient at the plate in the month of June. Well, the entire roster in Toronto has been on fire in June, as they are now on an 11-game win streak, during which they have scored 88 total runs. Pillar, who is a generally underwhelming batsman, is a large part of that success. On the month, he's slashing .381/.400/.548 with two HR, 12 RBI and 9 runs scored. For a guy who hits in the seven spot, these numbers are very impressive. At this point, Pillar must be owned in all formats and should also be traded in all formats while his value is at a premium. It is pretty obvious that the young outfielder will not keep up this pace for most of they year. Deal him now before you end up losing him to the waiver wire later in the season.
Russell Martin (C, TOR)
As far as catchers go, Martin has been a relatively consistent fantasy option for most of his career. His move in the offseason to Toronto was an interesting prospect for Martin's stock. So far, it seems that the move has paid off, as he's been one of the top dogs at the position in 2015. June has been especially kind to the native Canadian, as he's slashing .324/.395/.676 with 2 HR, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored. The Blue Jays invincible run has proven very beneficial to the counting stats of everyone in the lineup. At some point, some of those players, at least, will cool down and it will affect the run and RBI totals of those around them. Right now, Martin is one of the top catchers in the MLB. In reality, he might be top-10, but not top-3. If you can involve him in an elite-level trade, count yourself lucky.
Chris Colabello (1B/OF, TOR)
Colabello has been a breath of fresh air in a Toronto outfield with almost no depth beyond Jose Bautista. He sports an impressive .343/.382/.490 line in 152 PA. He's going between the 5 and 6 spot in the lineup these days and his counting totals have shown considerable improvement to go with the Jays hot streak. However, with little power or speed capability, Colabello is not worth much without a high-octane offense around him. Thus, if the hitters around him cool off, Colabello will be waiver wire material. Right now he's primed for success and for a sell-high deal.
Buy Some Slumping Mariners
Nelson Cruz (OF, SEA)
It's been 15 games since Nelson Cruz last hit a home run. For most players, that wouldn't be too surprising. But seeing as Cruz had swatted 18 home runs before the start of June, it warrants some concern. It's even more disturbing that he's recorded 20 strikeouts and a .286 slugging percentage in that span with 2 RBI. The Mariner's lineup is historically awful right now, failing to score more than three runs in their past 13 games. Cruz's slump is just one among many in Seattle at the moment. Many thought that the move to Seattle would be the death of Cruz, as he is incredibly reliant on the long ball and Safeco Field is worst in the MLB for hitters. In April and May, he managed to silence the critics. Now, you may be able to convince Cruz-owners that the critics were right and that his early season power luck has come to an end. This is probably the cheapest time of year to try to snag Cruz, who will likely regain his power surge sooner rather than later. Expect Cruz to continue to compete with the top home run hitters in the league as the season progresses.
Mark Trumbo (1B/OF, SEA)
Another trade, another death sentence. Trumbo was traded to Seattle just weeks ago from the hitter-friendly environment in Arizona. So far, the sentence has proven true as Trumbo is 6-for-37 in Seattle with no walks or extra-base hits. Obviously, the slugging first baseman will warm up eventually and regress back to his .506 slugging percentage from earlier this year. However, the combination of an unfortunate trade, a brief slump, back spasms that are limiting him day-to-day and a horrendously slumping surrounding cast, Trumbo's value is likely at its lowest point of the season as well. Convince a fellow leaguemate that Trumbo is all name value and push some hot-hitting waiver wire level talent on them. Odds are Trumbo will pay off as the season goes on.
Robinson Cano (2B, SEA)
And now for the biggest tragedy and mystery of the 2015 season. Seriously, did anyone see Robinson Cano's terrible start to 2015 coming? Unfortunately, it can't be considered a slump anymore. Cano is batting .237/.279/.337 on the year with only 2 HR and 1 SB. If this were any other second baseman, he would be nestled deep within the waiver wire by now. So, what's the problem? It can't be Safeco Field or the massive contract, as Cano was his usual MVP-caliber self in 2014 with the Mariners. His .237 BA is 70 lower than his career average and he is on pace to strike out 123 times this year, 27 more than the next worst line of his career. At this point, there's no telling whether Cano will be able to turn it around this year or in years to come. His mediocre play has been the focal point of Seattle's offensive implosion in 2015 and, perhaps, his resurgence is the only way to get things back on track. The best I can tell you is that a Cano trade could be the steal of the season if he manages to regain his former glory. Worst case scenario, you end up slightly overpaying for a replacement level middle infielder.
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