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FANTASY FOCUS
May Fantasy Awards
June 2, 2003
Another month has passed, David Cone has retired (again), Matt Williams was released, but Steve Avery is pitching for the Tigers. None of these players will show up on the fantasy awards list anytime soon, so let's move on to those players who deserve recognition for outstanding fantasy performances in May.
AL Fantasy Pitcher of the Month
Roy Halladay
After a disappointing April, Roy Halladay proved that last year was no fluke, amassing 6 straight wins in May. A respectable ERA of 3.22 and a WHIP just under 1.00 gives Halladay the edge for this month's award.
Honorable Mention
Keith Foulke - 6 S, 3 W, 0.91 WHIP, 2.51 ERA
Ugueth Urbina - 9 S, 14 K
Mark Mulder - 4 W, 24 K, 1.54 ERA, 0.98 WHIP
NL Fantasy Pitcher of the Month
Billy Wagner
May was a good month for National League pitchers, and Billy Wagner comes out on top with 11 saves and 24 strikeouts to go along with a low 1.59 ERA and an even lower 0.71 WHIP. Wagner has helped the Astros stay in the Central race, just as he has helped his fantasy owners in the saves race.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Brown - 1.02 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5 W, 36 K
Eric Gagne - 11 S, 24 K, 0.79 WHIP
John Smoltz - 10 S, 19 K, 1.72 ERA, 0.89 WHIP
AL Fantasy Hitter of the Month
Carlos Beltran
Shaking off the rust quickly, Beltran came back from his early season injury in a big way. Beltran, the subject of trade rumors, helps boost his fantasy trade value as well with a productive May, hitting .301 with 7 home runs, 17 RBIs, 21 runs, and 7 stolen bases. Five category fantasy stars rarely exhibit success in all five consistently, but Beltran did that in May, thus earning him the award.
Honorable Mention
Troy Glaus - .289, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 20 R, 6 SB
Alfonso Soriano - 7 HR, 8 SB, 14 RBI
NL Fantasy Hitter of the Month
Rafael Furcal
The small shortstop from Atlanta displayed not so small power in May without sacrificing any parts of his game. In fact, along with hitting 7 home runs, Furcal hit a whopping .336, knocked in 15, scored a ridiculous 35 runs, and stole 5 bases. Like Carlos Beltran, Furcal displayed all of his offensive talents in May, earned him the coveted Hitter of the Month award.
Honorable Mention
Corey Patterson - .333, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 7 SB
Gary Sheffield - .344, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 4 SB
Kenny Lofton - .387, 5 HR, 27 R, 6 SB
Eric Young - 12 SB, 4 HR
Albert Pujols - .345, 10 HR, 26 RBI, 25 R
The National League dominated May in both pitching and hitting, making it difficult to select in winner in those categories. June will provide some interesting results with the first installment of interleague play this year. Next month's monthly winners will have to do it against the other league as well, so expect some more well rounded play to come out on top.
