Charlie Morton (rookie) - Making his big league debut Saturday, Morton impressed, beating the Angels, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out four. Morton threw 104 pitches (64 for strikes) in picking up the win. So who is this guy? Morton, 24, stands 6’4”, around 200 lbs. He throws hard, but command has always been an issue. Entering 2008, Morton was 24 and had logged just 79+ innings above Class-A ball primarily as a result of a 4.8 BB/9. This year, he was promoted to Triple-A after an impressive Arizona Fall League performance (4-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 20:8 K:BB ratio in 21 innings) and continued his success at Triple-A Richmond – 5-2, 2.05 ERA, and a 72:27 K:BB in 79 innings. That’s a much-improved 3.1 BB/9. Morton was the ninth starter the Braves have used already this year and Morton will have a chance to battle Jo-Jo Reyes and Jorge Campillo to remain in the rotation once Tom Glavine returns sometime next month.
Brad Penny (injury) - Another day, another brutal outing for Brad Penny. Just when we thought he was turning things around somewhat with back-to-back quality starts (both loses however), Penny goes and allows seven runs on seven hits (two homers) in just 3 2/3 innings Saturday to the Tigers. Penny failed to strike out a batter, walking two. Penny is now 5-9 with an ugly 5.88 ERA, and the rest of the numbers are just as ugly – 47:36 K:BB in 85 2/3 innings, 4.9 K/9, .322 AVG against, etc. That Penny is struggling to this extent is somewhat surprising given his propensity for big first halves and poor seconds, so you have to wonder if something is wrong physically. From what I’ve seen though, it’s not the velocity, but more location and not trusting his breaking stuff. It could also be that Penny is a vampire, as he now has a 9.00 ERA in four day starts and 4.87 in 11 night games. You’re not going to get much in trade for Penny right now, so hold tight pending the results of an MRI that should take place on Monday.
Adam Eaton (rise in value) - Remember Eaton, that guy who was once traded along with Akinori Otsuka from San Diego to Texas for a couple guys named Adrian Gonzalez (19 homers) and Chris Young. Probably one of the all-time most lopsided deals in baseball history. Anyway, that was in the winter of 2005 and since then, Eaton has recorded ERAs of 5.12 and 6.31. Because pitching is so thin around the league, Eaton actually got another job, this year with the Phillies and surprisingly, he’s pitched fairly well. Eaton dropped to 2-4 on Saturday, allowing three runs on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings against the Cardinals, but that’s still good enough to win a lot of the time. Eaton has gone at least six innings and allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts (3.06 ERA) after notching a 5.59 ERA in his first nine. Guys with 42:28 K:BB’s can’t be relied on too much, but Eaton has always had pretty good stuff, so maybe this run is somewhat for real. I still wouldn’t use him against teams like the Cubs and Diamondbacks, but there is some NL-only value here.
Chase Headley (rookie) - With the Padres currently (before Saturday) ranking as the 15th ranked offense in the NL (just three runs ahead of the Nationals), they finally decided Saturday to call up their top prospect, Chase Headley. Now that Headley won’t be able to obtain super-two arbitration status after 2009, this was the right move. Headley, a third baseman converted to left field due to the presence of Kevin Kouzmanoff, was batting .305/.383/.566 in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with 13 homers and a 65:31 K:BB. A 73% contact rate suggests he could have some trouble hitting for average in the big leagues, but the power is real, so grab him immediately if available. Headley batted .330/.437/.580 in the Double-A Texas League last year in his breakout year.
Mike Gonzalez (injury update/idea) - If your league allows for picking up injured players, go ahead and grab Mike Gonzalez. With John Smoltz (shoulder) out for the year and Rafael Soriano having been placed on the DL Saturday with more elbow woes, the Braves’ closer job is ripe for the picking. Manny Acosta has been terrible lately with his 22:17 K:BB inspiring little confidence. Blaine Boyer could be in line for a few save opportunities, but though his 34:13 K:BB in 38 innings isn’t bad, Boyer was given a save opportunity Thursday and promptly blew it. Gonzalez has closer experience and he should be back in the Braves bullpen by the end of the month, so depending on Soriano’s status, Gonzalez could be the guy to own in Atlanta.
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