Mike Pelfrey:
I touched on Pelfrey a bit at the start of the month, noting that if he could figure out the command there was some significant upside in the Met starter. Well 2 starts later and 15 innings without a walk, we’re seeing the benefits of a new and improved Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey dominated the Rockies for 8 innings on Sunday night baseball surrendering just 6 base hits (5 1B’s), walking none, and striking out 5 in 8 shutout innings. For Pelfrey, it’s all about command. If he can command the strike zone his strong ground ball tendencies along with an improving K Rate can make him a lighter version of Derek Lowe or Fausto Carmona. Over the last 3 starts Pelfrey’s exhibited the kind of control we’re looking for with just 2 BB’s in his last 2 innings and Strike %’s above 63%, if he can continue these improvements he’ll be one of those players who makes a noticeable leap in the 2nd half of the season.
Jorge Campillo:
Campillo took advantage of pitching in some pitcher friendly parks this week to post consecutive quality starts. On Sunday his 6 innings allowing just 2 ER’s was enough to get him his 4th win of the season as he allowed just 5 hits and walked 2, while striking out 4. On the surface Campillo’s 3.06 ERA and 1.10 WHIP this season look pretty darn impressive, but a deeper look shows Campillo’s benefited from some strong luck. Despite posting a GB Rate of less than 36%, Campillo’s allowed a HR/FB Ratio of just 7.8% (league average is around 13%). Furthermore Campillo’s .75 Strand Rate and his .269 BHIP% allowed both look a bit more on the favorable side of the luck spectrum. Add in the fact that we’ve got deteriorating peripherals in which Campillo’s actually walked more batters than he’s struck out in his last 3 outings and it would appear we have a prime candidate for a 2nd half fade. As mentioned in previous blurbs, Campillo’s middling K Rate at the minor league level and good command suggest he could have success in spurts at the big league level thanks to some good defense and good fortune behind him, but sustained success would appear difficult as he doesn’t strike out enough batters or roll enough ground balls to get himself out of trouble. He’s really pitching more like a mid 4’s ERA, 1.30’s WHIP pitcher, but good fortune has masked some of his inadequacies. Tread carefully if you’re a Campillo owner as he’s really only a legitimate reliable option in deeper formats.
Felix Pie:
This is probably meaningless given Jim Edmonds re-birth in CF for the Cubs, but Felix Pie is showing some serious improvements at the AAA level. The overall line doesn’t tell much .264/.315/.442 and actually looks pretty disappointing given Pie’s .362/.410/.563 line at AAA last season but how he’s getting there looks a lot more impressive. Pie was sent down and asked to work on shortening his swing and making more contact as the high K Rate at the major league level was viewed as a serious hurdle to Pie’s development. With thoughts of Corey Patterson’s square peg approach trying to be fit into the round hole that is the leadoff spot, I had my concerns about this change, but Pie’s responded well. A look at Pie’s underlying peripherals show little change in his power rates as his 10% rate in AAA last season has actually been improved upon with a 10.4% rate this year. So the power has stayed, but has the contact rate actually improved? Indeed it has as Pie’s 83% contact rate at AAA last season has improved to 86%. Furthermore it all seems to be coming together over Pie’s last 10 games in which he’s hit .413 with just 4 K’s in 46 AB’s (91% contact rate). He’s making improvements in his contact rate without sacrificing any of the appealing power. While he likely won’t make any contributions this year, those in deep dynasty leagues should consider making a play for the youngster while his value is suppressed by the earlier season demotion and the poor overall AAA numbers that have mainly been the result of poor luck (.213 BHIP%).
Chad Tracy:
ALL ABOARD! The Chad Tracy bandwagon is leaving the station! I’ve been on Tracy since he returned and been persistent in my stance that he’d offer significant value the rest of the way, including a run at 20 HR’s. Hopefully those of you in deeper leagues were paying attention as his current .309/.341/.480 line was readily available in nearly all leagues just a few weeks back. Tracy knocked out his 5th HR yesterday in a 2-4 effort that marked his 4th consecutive multi-hit game and his 5th in the last 6 games. He’s become a fixture in the middle of the DBacks lineup and has virtually no competition for playing time with Eric Byrnes out for the year, so he should be good to go in terms of opportunity. Production shouldn’t be much of a problem either as the guy is a career .289/.347/.469 hitter in just under 2000 big league AB’s. He can hit, he’s got the job, and hopefully you own him after I’ve been yammering on about him nearly every time I’ve written over the last month.
Rich Hill:
Time for your weekly Rich Hill update! Hill was able to find the strike zone for the 2nd consecutive outing in rookie ball on Saturday afternoon as he threw 5 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and striking out 5. Of course this is rookie ball so the hits and K’s aren’t really important, what has always been important with Hill is the command. This outing he walked just 1 and threw 47 of his 68 pitches (69%) for strikes. Over his last two starts (9 innings in total) Hill has now walked just 2 and struck out 11 for the rookie league squad. Whether he’ll get one more start at the rookie level or be promoted we’ll know later this week, but I’d imagine Hill will be at the AAA level soon enough where the command will again be tested. With the Cubs just acquiring Rich Harden and having plenty of excess starting pitching, Hill won’t be moved too quickly, but he’s someone to keep an eye on as there’s an outside chance he makes an impact this season.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
