Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports
Philadelphia Phillies 1B Ryan Howard has been hitting the ball well lately, and on Saturday he had his best game of the year for fantasy baseball owners, but is now the time to sell high?
Howard crushed the New York Mets, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. The big man improved his already ridiculous career numbers against Mets SP Dillon Gee, hitting his sixth home run off the righty. He is now 7-for-15 with six ome runs and 14 RBI against Gee, which four of his 10 home runs on the season coming off him.
After a disappointing July in which he hit just .222 with a .689 OPS, Howard now has three home runs, 15 RBI and an OPS around 1.000 so far in June. He’s also been particularly hot of late, going 18-for-34 (.529) in his last nine games with three home runs and 10 RBI.
The most important thing for fantasy owners is Howard’s health, and he has been extremely durable this season, missing only five games. He mentioned this week, however, that his troubled knee has been bothering him again. This should make owners a bit concerned, but he hasn’t shown any ill effects at the plate just yet.
Howard was able to play in only 71 games last season, and at the age of 33 the knee problems are a real issue. Owners could stand pat and enjoy his success and hope he can stay healthy all year, but selling high now before the knee problems affect his hitting and cause him to miss time may be the safest route.
Throw out some offers and see what you can get in return. If you can replace his power numbers or fix a few weak spots in your lineup in return, then pull the trigger while the value is high.
Rich Arleo is a fantasy sports expert with Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Rarleo, ‘Like’ him on Facebook and add him to your networks on Google.
