Rebirth of Berkman

Lance Berkman's slow start is appearing to be a thing of the past. The Astros first baseman slugs his 18th home run and extends his hitting streak to 11 games in a 2-4 effort in a 9-4 victory over Washington. Berkman's on pace for right around 100 RBI and 90 runs scored, which is pretty good after his woefully slow start, which included a strikeout rate of more than 30 percent. He's now hitting .277 and looking like he can climb into the .290s by season's end.

Fantasy Impact: Berkman remains one of the game's most consistent performers. His contact hitting has come around dramatically since the end of May. Berkman's struck out just 20 times since June 1st, and he's upped his average 119 points since the end of April. He's a must start, a keepable asset, and one of the top options at first base. It was only a matter of time before he came around.