Christian Yelich-Marlins-OF Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton are the cornerstone hitters for the Miami Marlins. Yelich has the potential to go 15/20 this year. He does need to make strides to get into #2 OF territory. Yelich is going to hit a top the Marlins lineup. He should score runs and will be able to steal bases. Yelich also has a plus hit tool, which should keep his average in the .280-.290 range. The areas that Yelich needs to improve upon to reach the next level are hitting lefties and getting the ball off of the ground. Yelich struggles against lefthanded pitching to the tune of a .163 AVG and a .463 OPS. Yelich on the other hand strokes righties for a .360 AVG and a 937 OPS. Yelich also has a 63.7% GB rate, which is extremely high and dampers is power numbers.
Yelich is young, so he definitely has time to improve against lefties. Hitting for power takes time and experience. For now it would be best to start Yelich against righties and leave him on your bench against lefties.
Adam Wainwright-Cardinals-SP Adam Wainwright had a great matchup against the weak hitting Cubs at home, where he performs much better. Wainwright was not overly productive on Saturday. He managed to pick up the win while giving up four runs on seven hits. The good news was that he didn't walk anyone and managed to strikeout eight. Wainwright said that he was going to work on using his cutter less this year to increase its effectiveness. So far Wainwright has used his 4-seam FB 46.5%, which is up from 40% a year ago. This means he his relying more on his 4-seam FB and less on his cutter. By mixing his pitches more often, this should keep hitters off balance. Wainwright continues to be workhorse #1 SP. Look for him to be much sharper the next time out.
Starlin Castro- Cubs-SS Starlin Castro had a miserable 2013 season. He was challenged publically by his manager to stay more focused during games. Castro wound up hitting .245 with 10 HR and 44 RBI. It was not too long ago that Castro was on a path to stardom. He is still young and still possesses great hitting skills. Castro has been hot to start the 2014 season. Castro is hitting .326 with two homers and eight runs batted in. Castro has a 2.11 GB/FB rate and a ridiculous 22.2% HR/FB. These numbers will certainly drop as the season progresses, but it is good to see Castro swinging the bat well and with some authority early on.
Carlos Gomez-Brewers-OF Carlos Gomez went 1-4 with a leadoff homerun against the Pirates on Saturday. Gomez has been red hot to start the season. He is batting .375 with four homeruns. Gomez has been and will be, batting in the leadoff spot for the Brewers. Gomez will look to improve upon his breakout 2013 season. Gomez is a real candidate to go 30/30 this season. Gomez's power stroke has improved each year and he still possesses great speed. The leadoff spot will allow Gomez to get a ton of at-bats and runs. Gomez looks be a candidate to finish inside the top 10 players overall with increased power numbers.
Edison Volquez-Pirates-SP Edison Volquez numbers wise, was one of the worst pitchers in 2013. Volquez still has the raw stuff to succeed at the major league level, but control of his fastball has been a problem. His off-speed pitches are still above average, but a pitchers success is built off of fastball control. Pittsburgh's pitching coach Ray Searage has had great success with improving pitchers control. He has helped turn around A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano in recent years. So far Volquez has produced two quality starts. Volquez has a 1.64 ERA with a 9:1 K/BB ratio. Volquez has also increased the number of groundballs that he produces. This plus improved control should allow Volquez to vastly improve upon his 2013 stats. I would monitor Volquez to see if his improved control is for real, before making room on your roster for him.
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