Prince Fielder:
Spring Training 2007 I went on a big campaign about Fielder not having the type of power that would result in 50 HR seasons and that the Ryan Howard comparisons weren’t appropriate. Of course Fielder went on to make me look like an idiot and now he’s back to his 2006 ways posting a .262/.362/.476 line that is nearly identical to his 2006 .271/.347/.483, so is Fielder’s 2007 an aberration? Fielder’s high HR/FB Rate in ’07 looked OK next to an improving extra base hit rate on the whole, but in ’08 the GB Rate has gotten back up over 40% and the overall power has retreated. I’d envision the truth really lies somewhere in the middle, with Fielder more of a perennial 35-40 HR threat, but its looking more and more like that ’07 season may have indeed been Fielder’s “career” year.
Chase Headley:
David touched on Headley’s deteriorating EYE here in late August and early September, but noted the continued optimism for Headley overall. He started to show signs of improvements in the EYE in early August and the batting average started to come with it in August, but the power wasn’t quite there. Here in September the EYE has deteriorated but the batting average has stayed and now the power is coming around as Headley’s slugging .483 here in September. The EYE deterioration in late August also came against a stretch of particularly difficult matchups against the ARZ and SF staffs. He’s starting to hit better pitching for both average and power and I do think he’ll continue to push for a strong finish and makes for an undervalued keeper option heading into next season for those in deep formats or dynasty leagues.
Adam Wainwright:
Wainwright’s been quietly fantastic all season, notching 11 quality starts in 17 outings (65%) and posting a 2.85 ERA and 1.08 WHIP to go with his 9-3 record. Some of the success has been a bit fortunate, as evidenced by his 0.77 Strand Rate and .258 BHIP% but an improving BB Rate and continued strong GB Rates, make Wainwright a great bet for future success as well. He hasn’t missed a beat since returning from the DL and was phenomenal on Sunday allowing just 1 ER in 8 innings against the Marlins. He gets Pittsburgh in his next outing which makes for another favorable matchup in which Wainwright can continue to improve his overall totals.
Pablo Sandoval:
David Regan and I have been touting Sandoval since his promotion and the hits just keep on coming. Sandoval drove in 5 on Sunday afternoon going 2-3 with a 2B. Sandoval continues to show an impressive combination of contact (90%) with power (10.4% extra base hit rate) and his ability to play everyday at a number of different positions makes him a nice Catcher option for the rest of the season. The Giants also have a favorable schedule the next 2 weeks in which they don’t have an off day making Sandoval a nice option in points formats as he should get plenty of opportunities to accrue points during the heavy schedule.
Max Scherzer:
This was just a taste of what I’ve been drooling about and updating all of you on for months with Scherzer’s status. Scherzer started out a bit shaky allowing 3 of the first 4 batters to reach via hit, resulting in 2 ER’s before settling in. He struck out two to end the first and didn’t look back, retiring 12 of the next 15 batters and striking out 9 of those 12. The final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 11 K’s was an impressive one and one that could get Scherzer another start next weekend. The Diamondbacks haven’t set their rotation for the weekend series against Cincinnati at home and with Randy Johnson’s shoulder in question and Yusmero Petit’s shaky last outing, Scherzer could get another start next weekend as well.
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