Seattle Mariners: Robinson Cano Fantasy Rewards

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The Seattle Mariners won four out of their six game this week, and are back at .500 baseball. With a successful week, comes great Fantasy Baseball statistics from our players. We witnessed fantastic pitching from our starters (don’t get me started on Brandon Maurer). Our bullpen decided to show up and not blow a game. And dare I even say it; we even saw a little offense.

It is getting easier to discuss Robinson Cano’s Fantasy numbers week after week. Well, this week a tad bit more special. The past six games, Cano has batted a crazy .521 BA. Raising his current average on the year to a .330 BA. That is third best in the AL and tops for the Mariners thus far in 2014.

Cano’s hits don’t just happen during garbage time. His hitting is extremely timing. He drove in 5 RBI, added 7 more Runs to his total, and even crushed a homerun to dead center field against the Texas Rangers. He has been absolutely killing the ball.

Cano now leads the Mariners in batting average, hits, and runs. He’s second on the team in RBI and holds (by far) the highest OBP on the team with .377. Cano has reached base safely now in 31 straight games. It is the the longest streak in his career, and second all time for the Mariners behind Alvin Davis 47 straight games.

Cano show no signs of slowing down this week, as the Mariners take on the Anaheim Angels and Detroit Tigers at home. Some players play up to their opponent’s level, so fantasy owners can expect a great week against their rival Angels and the league’s best Tigers.

WEEKLY FANTASY PROJECTION: ROBINSON CANO

.315 BA, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 RUNS, 0 SB

Felix Hernandez is at top form. Fantasy owners are getting a Cy Young performance thus far this season, and this past week has been no different. Felix beat up on the Minnesota Twins on Sunday and just made an example out of the Houston Astros on Friday night. He lowered his ERA from 3.03 to 2.75, and added 14 strikeouts to his total on the year.

Most fantasy owners smile when their pitcher is facing the Twins and Astros in the same week, and Felix did his best for his owners by getting two wins in dominating fashion. Felix has a record of 6-1 with a total of 74 strike outs and a ridiculously low 1.06 WHIP.

The King will be taking on the Anaheim Angels on Wednesday this week. The same team he beat on opening night where he had 11 Ks in just six innings of work. Fantasy owners can expect another dominant performance from Felix, as the Mariners look to pass the Angels in the AL West Division.

WEEKLY FANTASY PROJECTION: FELIX HERNANDEZ

7  IP, 1 W, 10 K, 2.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP

This week’s sleeper pick for the Seattle Mariners is Hishashi Iwakuma. Fantasy owners have to love that their patience is paying off. He is currently unbeatable. Sitting at 3-0 on the year, and could have easily won against the Tampa Bay Rays if Fernando Rodney would have closed out the game for him.

Iwakuma faces off against the Houston Astros today in the rubber match of the three game series. Anytime you see your pitcher lined up to play the Astros, you make sure he is in your fantasy league SP spot for the day. Barring any rotation changes this week, we should also see Iwakuma face off against the Tigers.

If there is a team I would sit my favorite pitcher against, it would be the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander is their only starter with an ERA over 3.00, and their offense is one of the best in the game. Good news for Iwakuma is he will be playing in the pitcher friendly measurements of Safeco Field. Still, if you’re caught up on innings pitched, feel free to let Detroit pass Iwakuma while he’you’re your bench. Iwakuma will get you the Win today anyways against the Astros, so let’s just stay on the safe side.

SLEEPER PICK WEEKLY PROJECTION: HISASHI IWAKUMA

14  IP, 1 W, 12 K, 3.00 ERA and 1.50 WHIP

The Mariners may only be .500 so far in the season, but things are looking brighter with James Paxton and Taijuan Walker making their rehab starts. The Amateur Draft is also around the corner, and we may see the Mariners finally bite the bullet to resign Kendry Morales. I can see some more Mariners’ star studded talent to discuss in our near future. Let’s keep our hopes up.