We take our weekly Fantasy look at outfielders every Thursday. All stats and notes are through games of Wednesday, May 25.

Is there anybody in the game swinging a hotter bat than Bobby Abreu?

After smacking nine home runs and driving in 18 runs in a 10-game stretch, the Phillies right fielder is making a serious drive for the elusive Triple Crown. He actually is in the top-six in the National League in 10 offensive categories, including average (.333), home runs (12) and RBI (36). If the Phillies can get out of the NL East basement, he's got a legitimate chance to take the MVP honors as well.

When stud first baseman Jim Thome went on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury, Abreu did what the greats do. He stepped up ... big-time. Abreu batted .438 (28-for-64) with 11 home runs and 28 RBI during the 19 games Thome was sidelined. He had a hit in 17 of the 19 contests and almost single-handily carried the Phils to a 10-9 record.

When asked what he thinks an MVP brings to their team, Abreu replied, "It's coming through for your team right at the time they need you to produce. The key is, every time you need a big hit, it has to be you."

A 13-game hitting streak and an 11-game RBI streak, which broke Pinky Whitney's 74-year old franchise record, are two impressive feats and will likely get him the NL Player of the Month honors for the month of May.

Entering the season, one of the knocks on Abreu was he wasn't a clutch performer and didn't seem to always have his heart in the game. Well, statistics and manager Charlie Manuel beg to differ. Entering Monday's games, he was hitting .333 (149-for-448) with runners in scoring position over the past three seasons, including 43 doubles, 22 home runs, 227 RBI.

Manuel feels he has a genuine chance to take the MVP honors. "That was Bonds the year he hit 73 (homers)," Manuel said. "It seemed like he was hot every day. Bobby plays every inning of every game."

Currently leading the league in walks, Abreu has actually been one of the most consistent Fantasy players since coming up in the bigs. He's the only player in the major leagues that can say he was in the 20-20 club each of the past six seasons, including two 30-30 seasons. He could reach that plateau again by the middle of June this year. Right now, he's on pace for 40 home runs and 43 stolen bases. In the Fantasy world -- especially in Rotisserie leagues -- he's a bona fide No. 1 draft selection with that proven track record.

Here's some more good news for Abreu Fantasy owners: he's a notorious slow starter and strong finisher. April and May have been his worst hitting months throughout his career. In fact, if we combine 2003 and 2004, he has hit .322 (59-for-183) in June, .320 (66-for-206) in July, .287 (59-for-206) in August and .317 (58-for-183) in September. With that kind of proven track record, Abreu's final numbers could be downright scary. If he doesn't take the NL MVP honor this year, he is definitely a strong candidate for the best all-around Fantasy player.

Information from the Associated Press was used to compile this report.

Most-added OF
Player TM
1 Jay Gibbons BAL
2 Jermaine Dye CHW
3 Shannon Stewart MIN
4 Alexis Rios TOR
5 Rob Mackowiak PIT

Who's hot

  • Jay Gibbons has been the most picked up Fantasy outfielder in CBS Sportsline.com's Fantasy leagues over the past week. He's raised his average 47 points since April and is hitting .329 (24-for-73) with five home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs, eight doubles and two triples in his past 22 contests. If he's still available in your league, scoop him up while you still can.
  • Bobby Kielty has been on a torrid hot streak over the past couple weeks. He is 15-for-31 (.484) with four RBI and six runs in his past nine games. A nine-game hitting streak has earned him the right to play virtually every day. After starting the season 3-for-27 (.111), Kielty's more than doubled his batting average in less than a month.
  • Tike Redman's name is very fitting because he has been on fire lately. His batting average has almost doubled since May 14. He's got nine hits in his past five games after collecting just 10 in his previous 26 contests. If you are lacking outfielder help in mixed leagues, he's probably too inconsistent to warrant using. But he's a worth taking a chance in NL-only leagues.
  • The Indians got some good news regarding Coco Crisp's injured thumb. A visit to an orthopedic specialist ruled out surgery, meaning he might be able to return in three weeks, as opposed the three-month initial diagnosis. Crisp was 11-for-24 with five walks, seven runs and four RBI in his previous seven games before landing on the shelf.
  • Tony Womack has stolen 13 bases and scored 12 runs in the past 14 days, despite only reaching base 15 times.
Most-dropped OF
Player TM
1 Coco Crisp CLE
2 Vladimir Guerrero LAA
3 Jason Lane HOU
4 Jose DeJesus KC
5 Jacque Jones MIN

Who's not

  • After a sizzling start, Nook Logan has fizzled out considerably. He's batting .143 (6-for-42)) with no RBI and one stolen base in his past 10 games. The slump has moved Logan from the leadoff spot all the way down to No. 9 in the Detroit lineup and even a spot on the bench in Wednesday's game.
  • After starting out the season sizzling, Cliff Floyd has fallen back down earth in his past 19 games. On May 5, he was batting an impressive .391, but a 7-for-64 slump has dropped his average 119 points.
  • Over the past two weeks, Aubrey Huff is hitting just .216 (8-for-37) with no long balls and two runs scored. He hasn't homered since April 18 and is on pace for a mere six home runs on the season.
  • Matt Lawton is batting .130 (6-for-46) with one home run and five RBI since May 10. His average has plunged 30 points in that stretch.
Top 50 Fantasy OF
Player TM
1 Bobby Abreu+ PHI
2 Miguel Cabrera FLA
3 Manny Ramirez BOS
4 Vladimir Guerrero- LAA
5 Carlos Beltran NYM
6 Gary Sheffield NYY
7 Ichiro Suzuki SEA
8 Johnny Damon BOS
9 Adam Dunn CIN
10 Jim Edmonds STL
11 Scott Podsednik+ CHW
12 Hideki Matsui NYY
13 Luis E. Gonzalez ARI
14 Garrett Anderson LAA
15 Chipper Jones ATL
16 Andruw Jones+ ATL
17 Jose Guillen WAS
18 Carl Crawford TB
19 Pat Burrell+ PHI
20 Brian Giles SD
21 Vernon Wells TOR
22 Aubrey Huff TB
23 Pedro Feliz SF
24 Milton Bradley+ LAD
25 Cliff Floyd- NYM
26 Brandon Inge- DET
27 Brady Clark+ MIL
28 Jason Bay PIT
29 Carlos Lee MIL
30 Ryan Klesko- SD
31 Trot Nixon BOS
32 Torii Hunter- MIN
33 Craig Biggio HOU
34 Shannon Stewart+ MIN
35 Mike Cameron+ NYM
36 Ken Griffey CIN
37 Juan Pierre FLA
38 J.D. Drew LAD
39 Lance Berkman- HOU
40 Juan Encarnacion+ FLA
41 Corey Patterson CHC
42 Moises Alou SF
43 Chone Figgins LAA
44 Brad Wilkerson WAS
45 Sammy Sosa- BOS
46 David Dellucci TEX
47 Jermaine Dye+ CHW
48 Larry Walker STL
49 Steve Finley- LAA
50 Carl Everett CHW
Next week: Top 50 AL OFs

Bleacher Banter

Noah Siegel, N.J.: Should I trade Luis Gonzalez and Vernon Wells for Adam Dunn? Wells is on my bench, and I have David Wright to play utility. Gonzalez is my current utility.

M.L.: Dunn is an absolute monster, but you are giving up too much here. You can expect Gonzo to hit around .300 with 25 home runs and 100 RBI. With Carlos Delgado in Florida now, Wells is obviously missing his protection in the lineup. He's struggling in the low .200s but will come around eventually -- he's got four home runs, nine RBI and four multi-hit games in his past seven contests. If you do accept this proposal, you'll need to have your opponent add an additional player with some value.

Tom, New York: I have a pending trade in my 12-team keeper league for Corey Patterson. Do you foresee his numbers improving? What is your take on his long-term keeper value?

M.L.: Patterson is driving the ball with more authority this year. He's on pace for 36 home runs and around 100 runs scored. With Derrek Lee having a Triple Crown- caliber season batted behind Patterson, expect those runs to continue piling up. He's also probably the fastest player on the Cubs' roster, so there is no reason the speedy centerfielder won't finish with around 30 stolen bases. Five-tool players are commodities in Fantasy -- especially Rotisserie formats.

Franco Lai, Edgewater, N.J.: What's up with J.D. Drew? I watched him play all last week and he has been a major rally killer. He did get a few hits when there was nobody on base, but his average is plummeting. I have put him on the trade block, although there haven't been too many takers. What should I ask for in return? Should I just drop him?

M.L.: Definitely do not drop Drew. He's hitting .267 (27-for-101) over the past month, but -- as you mentioned -- he's not producing in the important at-bats. His run production is significantly down from the career-year he had last season. Dodger Stadium is traditionally recognized as a pitcher's park, so it's not realistic to hope for numbers he produced in St. Louis last year. However, Drew is a bona fide major league hitter. Batters go in slumps and get hot everyday ... he's no different. In the five previous seasons, he's averaged .293/22/64. His trade value is currently equal to a player like Shawn Green, Ryan Klesko, Juan Encarnacion, Carl Everett or Ken Griffey. Those deals would each basically be a wash, but if you want a change, pull the trigger.

Jon Swope, Newport Beach, Calif.: Thanks to Scott Posednik, I'm about 30 stolen bases ahead of the next best team. However, I am near the bottom in home runs and RBI. With Rafael Furcal, Jose Reyes and Tadahito Iguchi also in my lineup, I think I will be fine the rest of the year on stolen bases. What is the best "HR/RBI" outfielder I can hope in a deal for Posednik?

M.L.: Podsednik is on pace to finish with around 100 stolen bases. From a Fantasy standpoint, he's invaluable. As you can testify, he can single-handily carry a team in the steals category. If you were to offer Pods in a deal, you should be able to get a lot in return. Check out your standings ... who is dominating in power numbers and lacking in stolen bases? It's realistic to think you can land a player like Adam Dunn, Chipper Jones or Hideki Matsui..

Steve, New York: I'm in a 6x6 league. I have been offered Manny Ramirez and Derek Jeter for Miguel Tejada and Preston Wilson. I'm having trouble giving up Tejada -- production out of shortstop is hard to give up. But I like Jeter and I think Manny will hit better than .237 (or will he?). My other outfielders are Bobby Abreu, Jim Edmonds, Carlos Lee, Juan Pierre, Sammy Sosa, Alex Sanchez, Magglio Ordonez and Aubrey Huff -- who I have playing first base until Jim Thome returns. Is this trade worth it?

M.L.: Steve, you have a very strong offensive Fantasy team. It's a nice blend of power, average and some speed. I agree it's not an easy thing to ship off Tejada while he's having another MVP-caliber season, but this deal does make sense for your squad. In his prime, Preston Wilson was a Fantasy stud -- especially while wearing a Rockies uniform -- but his best days appear to be in the rear-view mirror. I definitely think Ramirez will turn his season around. As a lifetime .314 hitter, expect Manny to have a monster final four months of the season. He's been the mold of consistency throughout his career. This year will be no different.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball outfielder questions to bleacher@commissioner.com. Be sure to put Attn: Outfielders in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.