Pitchers took the forefront in the weekly RotoValue rankings, taking four of the top 5 slots in the shallow 5×5 mixed league. Leading the way as MVP was Rays’ starter David Price, who was just activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, in time to make a pair of starts. After throwing 7 scoreless innings to beat the Astros, he followed that with a complete game win over the White Sox yesterday, giving him a 0.56 ERA and 0.688 WHIP in 16 innings, for a $59.58 RotoValue. Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw actually posted even better percentage statistics in his 2 wins, following up a 4-hit shutout in Colorado Tuesday with 8 innings yielding just 1 run to the Rockies Sunday, giving him a 0.53 ERA and a 0.471 WHIP in 17 innings for the week. Kershaw’s RotoValue in that format wound up at $58.71, as he had only 11 strikeouts, while Price fanned 15.
Desmond Jennings topped position players in this format after a week where he hit .414 with 1 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI, and 4 SB, earning $58.14. In the deeper 5×5 AL Only format, Jennings earned $46.74, well ahead of David Price’s $40.53 and a $40.02 week from Torii Hunter. In the 4×4 AL Only format, Hunter edged out Jennings for MVP, as he hit .444 with 2 HR, 11 RBI and 1 SB to earn $44.24, just $0.01 ahead of Jennings’s value. Hunter had only 5 runs scored on the week, which lowered his 5×5 value compared to Jennings. Price’s week earned $37.78 in that format, just behind Adrian Beltre (.478, 4 HR, 5 RBI) at $38.36.
Price’s teammate Matt Moore was nearly as effective, also posting 2 wins, with an even better 0.00 ERA in 13.33 innings. Moore also struck out 15, but his higher WHIP of 0.900 resulted in a lower RotoValue – $32.94 in 4×4 AL, $36.88 in 5×5 AL, and $53.75 in 5×5 Mixed. Jered Weaver also had 2 excellent wins, while Greg Holland was the week’s best AL closer, with 3 saves, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.333 WHIP in 3 innings to earn $23.81 in the 4×4, and $20.93 in the 5×5 format.
Kershaw’s week easily topped both the 4×4 NL Only list ($44.76) and the 5×5 NL ($40.63). The top NL position player depended on format. In 5×5, Starling Marte earned $35.79 for batting .345 with 1 HR, 6 R, 1 RBI, and 5 SB, ahead of Cody Ross ($33.50; .323, 2 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB) and Alfonso Soriano ($33.06; .250, 3 HR, 3 R, 9 RBI, 0 SB). But in 4×4, Soriano’s 9 RBI and 3 HR earned $39.39 to rank as top position player, ahead of Juan Uribe ($36.28; .300, 2 HR, 11 RBI).
Mets’ rookie Jeremy Hefner was the league’s 2nd best pitcher, with a pair of 7-inning wins, as he posted a 14 strikeouts, a 1.29 ERA and 0.643 WHIP on the week to earn $36.72 in 4×4 and $37.58 in NL-only 5×5. Homer Bailey no-hit the Giants, fanning 9 while yielding just 1 walk, but that was his only start. Just 1 win left him earning $26.47 in 4×4, and $25.26 in 5×5 NL-only, which ranked him the 5th best pitcher in each format. Edward Mujica was the league’s top closer, earning $27.13 in 4×4, and $20.97 in 5×5, after notching a win and 2 saves in 4.67 innings.