Rich Hill
Rich Hill is sort of like that accident on the freeway that you, despite knowing better, just can’t take your eyes off as you drive by at 5 mph. After striking out 183 hitters for the Cubs last season, I fully expected Hill to take that next step forward, but instead, he’s gone about 10 steps back. Hill, optioned to Triple-A with a 15:18 K:BB in five starts, has regressed further for Iowa. On Friday, Hill retired just two batters while allowing six runs on three hits while walking four. Over seven starts down on the farm, Hill has managed to strike out 32 in 26 innings, but that’s come with 28 walks and a 5.88 ERA. He’s been even worse in June – 8.38 ERA, 12:17 K:BB. There’s no hint of an injury, so you have to think Hill will turn things around eventually, but he may have to go the Roy Halladay / Dontrelle Willis route and start from scratch down in A-ball. Keep Hill around in keeper leagues and if you’re a gambler, now is the time to buy low, as things can’t possibly get worse (I think).
Eric Patterson
Patterson got the nod in LF on Saturday against the White Sox and promptly went 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. It was thought that Reed Johnson would get the majority of the time in left with Alfonso Soriano on the DL, but this certainly helps Patterson’s case as does Johnson’s nagging back injury. Johnson is about as average as they come as far as corner outfielders with his .730 OPS, so it does make some sense to see what a guy like Patterson can do. At 25, Patterson’s time to establish his credentials as a regular is running out, but this is still a guy with a career .366 minor league OBP, double-digit HR power, and four 40+ stolen base seasons to his credit. Oh, and it certainly didn’t hurt that Patterson was hitting second in the lineup between Kosuke Fukudome and Derrek Lee.
Geovanny Soto
In looking at the Cubs’ boxscore from Saturday’s game, Soto’s 0-for-4 caught my attention a bit, as it dropped his AVG to .278. I hadn’t heard much about Soto lately, so it was no surprise to see that since his high water mark on May 5 (.352/.448/.667), Soto is hitting just .221 in 140 at-bats. He also homered once per 23.3 at-bats versus once per 16.8 prior to May 5, but this is probably more of a correction than anything. Soto can swing the stick, but did you really expect a 1.115 OPS to carry through to September? Soto is headed to the NL All-Star game and should remain a top fantasy catcher for the next handful of years.
Daryl Thompson
Any time you hold the Yankees scoreless over five innings, the start has to be considered a success, and it’s even sweeter when it comes in one’s major league debut as it did for Thompson on Saturday. He certainly wasn’t perfect, throwing 62% of his 96 pitches for strikes while walking four and striking out two and a 4:9 G:F is playing with fire, but he still managed to keep the ball in the yard. Thompson had a 2.22 ERA in 14 starts between Double-A and Triple-A for the Reds this year, chalking up an impressive 78:18 K:BB in 89 innings (that’s a 7.9 K/9). He held hitters to a .213 average and won six of eight decisions. Thompson came over from the Nationals in the infamous Austin Kearns / Felipe Lopez deal and is now the clear prize of that package for the Reds. Paired with Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and eventually, Homer Bailey, the Reds’ young pitching is the envy of the league. Thompson should remain in the rotation with Bailey and his 8.78 ERA having been optioned to Triple-A.
Edwin Encarnacion
The Reds’ lineup Saturday featured one .300 hitter (Jay Bruce) and six sub-.250 hitters including Edwin Encarnacion. So of course they beat the Yankees 6-0. Encarnacion was 1-for-4 with a two-run single and is now hitting .242/.325/.449 on the year. Encarnacion has been better lately after a brutal May entering Saturday’s game with a .276/.391/.586 line in June, including four home runs (all solo shots). I’m still bullish on Encarnacion despite the .242 average, but there are some encouraging signs. First, a 0.59 EYE (up from last year’s 0.45), and second, his home run rate is up – from one homer ever 31.4 at-bats to once every 21.3 this season. If you want some encouragement, there’s always his .196 BHIP%.
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