NL Player Spotlight - September 29th, 2010

Paul Sauberer

Sep 29, 2010

Roy Oswalt- PHI- Hot- With a 7-1 record and 1.65 ERA for the Phillies, Oswalt was successful trade acquisition, to say the least. Don’t expect him to continue that kind of production in 2011, as he had a BABIP of .211 since joining Philadelphia. However, he did maintain his K/9 rate, finishing at 8.20 on the season, his highest mark since his rookie year of 2001. Luck did play a significant part in Oswalt’s 2.73 ERA, with a .260 BABIP for the season. However, his xFIP was 3.47 so he still pitched well. He should provide fantasy value next year, even if not quite as much as this season.

Adam Dunn- WAS- Hot- Dunn hit his 3rd homer in 5 games to equal his season total of 38 from last season. Dunn is almost identical in most areas (average, homers, RBI, runs) to 2009, despite a significant drop in Batting EYE from .66 to .40. That drop is attributable mostly to a plunge in walk rate from 17.4% to 12.0%. This caused a fall in Dunn’s OBP from .398 to .361. It was an uncharacteristic loss of “walkability” for Dunn and should be considered an aberration at this point. Expect the usual boatload of homers from him and a continuance of an average that won’t kill you.

Rick Ankiel- ATL- Cold- The Braves haven’t gotten as much out of Ankiel as they wanted since acquiring him from the Royals. His .211 average is disappointing, particularly since his Batting EYE has increased from .24 with KC to .40 with Atlanta. His main problem seems to be plate discipline. Although Ankiel is swinging at fewer pitches (54.8% down to 50.6%) when he does swing he misses more often (69.4% fallen to 62.0%). This explains the rise in BB% from 6.9% to 12.2% and in K% from 31.5% to 35.1%. Ankiel’s production has dropped the last two seasons and this finish doesn’t bode well for 2011.

Edinson Volquez- CIN- Hot- Volquez has regrouped since returning from his latest trip to the minors. He has posted 4 straight quality starts and has maintained control, striking out 31 while walking 8 in 27.2 IP. This is a very strong finish for a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery and makes Volquez more intriguing for 2011.

Juan Uribe- SF- Hot- Uribe went 2-for-4 with a homer, his 3rd long ball in 5 games. This ties his career best of 23 homers in a season. Uribe’s HR/FB ratio of 12.3 % is not out of place for him. He is capable of this sort of power on a consistent basis. Given better luck than his .256 BABIP this year, his average could climb in 2011.

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