With all the hoopla surrounding Franky Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera, it’s my job to tell you that Joakim Soria has been pretty much just as good as both of them. He collected his 39th save last night in yet another clean inning, lowering his ERA to 1.68 for the season. Soria hasn’t allowed a hit in his last 4.1 IP and has surrendered just 38 H in 64.1 IP this season. His K rate is a dead on 9.00 and he’s been one of the few guys in the league who is absolutely automatic when he comes in with a SV opportunity (3 BS all year). He’s easily in the elite ranks now with K-Rod, Rivera, Paps, and Joe Nathan.
After mediocre outings against both Toronto and LA, Gavin Floyd bounced back nicely with a solid effort against the Yanks last night as he allowed just 2 ER on 9 H with no walks and 4 K’s in 7 IP. Floyd received the win for his performance, marking the 16th victory of the season and he lowered his ERA to 3.73. I certainly think the future is bright for the former 2001 1st rounder but make sure you know what he’s worth. Floyd is not a top of the rotation guy and doesn’t have a power arm but he keeps his walks at a reasonable 3.20 BB/9 while his WHIP right now is at the 1.23 mark. He could be valuable as a third starter next season but I’d rather have him as a 4th or 5th. If you have him in one of those spots, I think it shows you most likely have a pretty deep staff and Floyd should get plenty of run support from a potentially explosive lineup (much of which we have seen this season). I wouldn’t draft him to be anything higher than a 4th starter, however, so make sure you don’t reach in 2009.
Alexei Ramirez bombed his 18th homer of the season last night in a 1-3 effort, pushing his season line to .300/18/66/58/12. Ramirez has certainly had one heck of a season for the Sox but I am concerned about his ability to follow this up in 2009. His is pretty young at 27 years old but his plate discipline is nonetheless frighteningly bad. His Contact rate is just over 80% while his BB/K is a woeful .20 (just 13 walks all year compared to 59 K’s). His BHIP of .272 doesn’t seem to be inflating his BA very much but his OBP is a miserable .320. I think next year will be the year that really shows us what Ramirez is all about but at the moment I’m not sold on him being yet another great young AL 2B.
I really thought that Johnny Damon’s down year in 2007 was going to mark the decline in his play for a couple years to come, which would eventually lead to his retirement by maybe 2010 but I was very wrong. Damon has bounced back with a vengeance in 2008 and his 3-5 performance last night boosts his season line to .308/14/64/90/28. I’m extremely impressed by what he has done this year, particularly the 28 SB at his age (35), but I’m not sure he can repeat in 2009. Damon will be 36 years old and his BHIP this year is .295, which is far above his average in the last four years. However, he was battling injuries in 2007 and 2006, making 2005 his last truly healthy season. In that year, he hit .316 with 10 HR, 75 RBI, 117 Runs, 18 SB and a BHIP of .290. I think this season is very similar to that 2005 campaign and it’s certainly possible he can produce a similar line in 2009, but I’m reluctant to take him if I have to draft him in the first 5-6 rounds. Let’s remember he also started this year poorly and was banged up once again. At this point in his career, injuries are a legitimate concern when it comes to production.
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