Fernando Rodney - Rodney blew his third save of the year last night, leaving him with just a 70% (7-for-10) save conversion percentage on the year. Rodney's stuff has never really been in question, but his extreme propensity for issuing walks made him the butt of many a joke in the basements of baseball nerds' mothers. Those issues dissolved almost entirely last season, when Rodney walked just 5% of batters faced. This year, he's back up to 16 percent. The mechanical changes he made in 2012 have not carried over into 2013, which is a big reason for this backslide. The Rays are working on fixing him again, but whether they are able to is a gamble some fantasy owners may not be willing to take. Should Rodney eventually be removed from the ninth-inning, Joel Peralta would likely be the favorite to take over.
Mitch Moreland - The year I finally work up the guts to divorce Mancrush Moreland, he finally rewards the faith I've had him in all these years. It wasn't as if I didn't still have faith in his abilities, I just didn't trust Texas to give him the playing time necessary to prove himself. With a 2-for-4, three-RBI night last night, Moreland boosts his average to .296 to go with his 9 home runs. He really can't do anything more to convince the Rangers to continue playing him regardless of that Jurickson Profar guy chilling in the minors, and I'd finally be comfortable owning Moreland in medium-depth mixed leagues. I've always said he has 25-30 home run power, which is coming out this year. Combine that with a .275 or .280 batting average, and you have a valuable player that many continue to underrate. Don't make that mistake yourself.
Tom Wilhelmsen - Lost amidst the talk of MLB save leader and sophomore closer success Jason Grilli is another sophomore closer who has been rocking out with his genitalia exposed: Tom Wilhelmsen. Wilhelmsen converted his 11th save of the season last night, remaining perfect in such opportunities while dropping his ERA to 0.50. His xFIP is up from 3.42 last year to 3.68 this year, thanks entirely to a K/9 that has dropped from 9.9 to 6.3, but I wouldn't be concerned. Wilhelmsen still gets lots of groundballs and has solid control, and those strikeouts are likely to return. His stuff is still excellent, and his 10% swinging strike rate is in line with last year. Own with confidence.
Alex Cobb - Everyone's favorite sleeper twirled yet another gem last night, going 6.1 innings while allowing just one run on three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. Of course, I was calling Cobb a sleeper before he was recalled last season (I say as I push my thick-framed glasses up the bridge of my nose), so it's no surprise that he gets my near-full endorsement today. He's not quite the strikeout-per-inning guy he's been this year--his stuff just isn't at that level, although his change-up is deadly--and the 2.90 xFIP is too low, but Cobb is the real deal. Expecting a sub-3.50 ERA with an above-average strikeout rate is perfectly within reason.
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