Michael Wacha (SP-STL): Wacha was 1-out away from a no-hitter but Ryan Zimmerman broke it up with a single. The rookie finished with 9 K's and 2 BB's in 8 and 2/3 innings, picking up his 4th win of the season. He finishes with a 65:19 K:BB ratio and a 2.78 ERA/3.36 xFIP in 64 and 2/3 innings. According to Brooks Baseball, Wacha has been mixing in a cutter to compliment his quality 4-seamer and what many scouts see as an elite changeup. He may be a step behind Shelby Miller, Gerrit Cole, and Jose Fernandez heading into 2014, but he'll go significantly later in drafts which should make him an incredible value play in the middle rounds come draft day.
Vic Black (RP-NYM): Black struck out 2 in a clean 9th to pick up his 1st career save. The right-hander, acquired from the Pirates in late-August, now has a 3.60 ERA/4.21 xFIP and a 14:4 K:BB ratio through 15 innings on the season. Black has a 95 MPH AVG fastball with a quality curveball, a combo he has used quite well in the minors the past two season to rack up plenty of saves and 30%+ K-rates. After the game, Terry Collins said that he was "curious" to see how Black would respond in that role. With Hawkins feeling fatigued, Black may pick up another chance before season's end and he is a name to file away in case Bobby Parnell doesn't fully recover from neck surgery in time for spring training.
Brian Wilson (RP-LAD): Wilson struck out 2 in a clean 8th inning to pick up another hold. He has allowed only 1 earned run in 12 and 1/3 innings with a 12:3 K:BB ratio. His GB:FB ratio is over 2 and his velocity has been improving, with an AVG between 94-95 MPH in his last 8 outings. He'll be a free agent this off-season, so track where he signs, as he is definitely making a strong case for a closing gig in 2014.
Tyler Thornburg (SP-MIL): Thornburg allowed 2 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 walk across 7 quality innings, adding 8 strikeouts in the no-decision. Over his last 4 starts Thornburg has allowed 6 earned runs across 25 innings with a 22:8 K:BB ratio. Coming into the season many scouts worried about his command and his flyball tendencies, but he has definitely made some adjustments, keeping the ball in the park and mixing in his curveball and changeup more effectively. He has likely earned a long look in spring training next year and should be on your radar in deeper leagues.
Freddie Freeman (1B-ATL): Freeman went 2 for 4 with 1 run and 1 RBI. The slugger now boasts a .315/.393/.500 line with 23 homers, 86 runs, and 106 RBI through 142 games. He has improved his EYE, his contact rate, and his performance against lefties and looks to be entering his prime heading into 2014. His .364 BABIP is on the high side, but with his above AVG line drive rate and improving contact skills, I don't see his AVG falling much below .290 next season. He is the 6th ranked 1B on ESPN's Player Rater for the season, and I see him entering the top 5 in 2014.
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