SEATTLE MARINERS

After writing in this column last week that Kenji Johjima’s power was limited, he goes off and hits four homers during the week, with two of them being in baseball’s toughest park on hitters, Petco Field.  If anything, he has shown to be a streaky power hitter.

After a slow start, Chris Snelling is now hitting .271 in Triple-A.  If Jeremy Reed continues to struggle, Snelling could see some time in center field in the second half of this season.  He has been extremely injury prone, but could be a productive major-league hitter if given the opportunity.

A hot streak has seen Adrien Beltre’s average rise from the low .200’s to .258.  Use that as an opportunity to trade him.  His power is still below average for a cornerman and batting second in the order has limited his RBI chances.

Jarrod Washburn has the shaky skill set of a fly ball pitcher with low a K/9 rate.  The only places where those skills can be effective long-term are in spacious stadiums such as his home field of Safeco Field.  His home/road ERA split of 3.97/5.70 plays this out.  If you are desperate, you can use him in home starts or pitcher-friendly road stadiums, but avoid him in hitter’s parks.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Maicer Izturis will get the bulk of the playing time at third base with Dallas McPherson going on the DL.  Izturis definitely has speed, as he has stolen 17 bases in 135 major-league games.  Although he has yet to hit well in the big leagues, he makes very good contact and exercises above-average plate patience.  Those two skills will help him get on base to take advantage of his speed.

Mike Napoli, now firmly entrenched as the starting catcher, has been batting fifth in the order, which will increase his RBI opportunities.  Napoli’s 65% contact rate is too low to sustain his current .303 average.  The power and plate patience has carried over from the minors and is real.  A nice little bonus is that he has two stolen bases.

Ervin Santana home/road ERA split is 2.90/5.45.  With a G/F rate of .76, he is an extreme fly ball pitcher.  He is a definite start at home and in the bigger ballparks such as Seattle’s Safeco Field and Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum, but you may want to reserve him for starts in hitter-friendly places like Texas’ Ballpark.

OAKLAND A’S

In four starts since returning from the DL, Esteban Loaiza is 3-1.  That is the good news, the bad news is that in those starts his ERA is 4.94 and he had just 12 K’s.  Loaiza has always been an inconsistent pitcher, looking great at times and horrible at other times.  The one consistent is that when he is effective his K/9 is in the 7.20 to 8.20 area.  With a 2006 K/9 is 3.68, he should be avoided until he shows improvement in that area.

Frank Thomas and Mark Ellis should both be back by the weekend.  Ellis’ return will send Marco Scuturo to the bench and Thomas’ will limit Jay Payton and Bobby Kielty’s playing time.

Rich Harden, out with an injured elbow, has not been given clearance to start throwing.  That should keep him out until well after the All-Star break.  The A’s almost certainly will not rush back a 24 year old with that much talent.

Eric Chavez has solid power numbers of 14 home runs and 46 RBIs.  His fantasy value is a bit limited by a .248 batting average.  A solid batting eye of .88 gives hope for a rise in average, but a low contact rate of 79% will need to improve.

TEXAS RANGERS

The Rangers will now try John Wasdin as their fifth starter.  Just like the man he is replacing, Robinson Tejada, he is an extreme fly ball pitcher in a homer haven.  Avoid him at all costs.

Kevin Mench is the definition of a streaky hitter.  He did not go deep in his first 16 games, then went yard in seven straight games.  Since that run, he has hit only four more home runs, with just 1 since May 10th.  Mench is at an age where his power should be growing, but with it stagnating, this might be as good as it gets for him.

Brad Wilkerson has been disappointing in his first year with the Rangers.  The 13 home runs are nice, but he has only 32 RBIs and a .241 batting average.  An extremely low contact rate of 63% does not offer much hope for a batting average increase.  The power is legitimate and should continue.  If you are desperate for power and can stand a hit to your batting average, he can probably be had on the cheap from a disgruntled owner.