Achievers/Bums - 7/23/08

ACHIEVERS

Carlos Quentin - OF - Chicago White Sox - 3/4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R - Josh Hamilton aside, Carlos Quentin has been the outfield surprise of the season. Eric Byrnes' average draft position in Yahoo this year was 54.8, while Carlos Quentin didn't even register. There are a bunch of fantasy owners who can commiserate with the D-back brass who decided they'd rather have Byrnes for $30 million over Quentin for next to nothing and now have to watch Quentin and his Latin-heartthrob good looks kick major ass this year while Byrnes founders on the DL.

Mike Mussina - SP - New York Yankees - Win, 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 7 K's - Hank Steinbrenner should've told Mussina to start pitching like Jamie Moyer a long time ago. Moose has been just what the Yankees have needed since then: an ace.

Jeff Mathis - C - Los Angeles Angels - 2/4, HR, 6 RBI - Looking for some pop from the catcher position? Go pick up Chris Ianetta. But Mathis did have six RBI yesterday, so he's a mandatory achiever for the day.

Adam Dunn - OF - Cincinnati Reds - 2/4 HR, 5 RBI - Dunn is up to 29 home runs this year, so he's got 11 to go. If your league doesn't penalize for hitter strikeouts, you definitely need to pick him up now and ride the wave before it's over.

(Yeah, I know C.C. had another shutout last night, but I'm tired of talking about how awesome he is.)

BUMS

Greg Maddux - SP - San Diego Padres - Loss, 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K's - Maddux wasn't terrible yesterday, but it has now been 14 starts in a row without a win. I love Maddux as much the next guy, but he's pretty much un-ownable at this point - even pitching for the Padres.

The Astros - The Astros have lost four in a row and are looking up at the Pirates and Reds in the NL Central, which makes the trade for Randy Wolf look even more foolish than it did when it happened. It wasn't quite as bad as the Pirates acquisition of Matt Morris a couple of years ago, but I still can't understand why Ed Wade and the Astros would sign Randy Wolf. Wade says he thinks the team still has a shot to compete this year, but even if that was true, why trade for Wolf? Even though Wade sees Wolf as a gamer, it doesn't change the fact that he has stunk away from Petco. The Astros just willingly saved the Padres a few million on a player who doesn't appear to want to play in Houston and will become a free agent next year. Wade said, "...It also gives us a chance to get a foot in the door with Randy (for next year)". According to this AP report, Wolf is already lobbying to go back to his beloved San Diego.