C.J. Wilson (SP-LAA). Wilson had a rocky outing against the Jays on Monday, giving up 5 ER on 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings. On the bright side, Wilson did fan 8 Toronto hitters. If there is one benefit to owning Wilson, it's that you pretty much know what you're going to get: somewhere between 12 and 18 wins, an ERA in the mid 3s and somewhere between 175 and 200 strikeouts. Given his early performance in 2014, it is safe to expect (barring injury, which seems like an especially necessary caveat this year) similar numbers this year, as Wilson is posting a 24.2% K rate (which is actually 3% higher than his career rate) and, even more encouragingly, an 8.4% BB rate (which is almost 1.5% lower than his career rate). Wilson's FIP and xFIP of 3.38 and 3.29, respectively, are right in line with his actual ERA of 3.21. Wilson owners should be confident that he will hit his customary benchmarks again this year, despite tonight's rough outing.
Nate Karns (SP-TB). Karns turned in a solid outing for AAA Durham on Sunday, throwing 7.2 innings, giving up only 1 ER on three hits while striking out 6. Karns' minor league season got off to a rocky start, posting an 8.20 ERA over his first six starts. However, Karns has turned his season around, putting up a 1.32 ERA over his last two starts and reducing his season ERA to a still not great 5.85. Karns has been somewhat unlucky (.307 BABIP 65.8% strand rate), but control has been the biggest culprit in his inflated ERA (13.1% BB rate through 8 starts). Karns has not exhibited control problems to this extent in his previous minor league seasons (9.4 % BB rate at High A in 2012 and 8.7 % BB rate at AA in 2013), so this is probably just a combination of small sample size and adjustment to a new level at play. Assuming he can get the BB rate down, Karns is likely to see time in the Tampa rotation later this year, given the injuries that have beset the Rays' rotation this year. If he does get called up, Karns is worth a speculative pick-up, given his favorable home park and solid K potential (28.0% K rate in AA last year and 24.0% rate so far this year in AAA), as well as the Rays' track record in developing young pitching.
Erick Aybar (SS-LAA). Aybar batted leadoff again for the Angels on Monday night, going 1 for 5. While not sexy pick, Aybar can provide sneaky value, when healthy, at a hard to fill position. Aybar has contributed 2 HR, 21 Rs 18 RBI and 1 SB so far this season, while posting a .277 BA. The BA is consistent with (in fact, it is exactly the same as) his career BA and, if anything is a little low, given Aybar's .289 BABIP. Aybar has 10/30 and 8/20 HR/SB seasons on his resume and, although he probably will not approach 20 steals again (his SPD rating has dropped from 7.2 in 2011 to 5.8 in 2014) he could approach 10/15 while providing positive contributions in BA. Those in need of help at a MI could do worse than adding Aybar.
Austin Jackson (OF-DET). Jackson went 0 for 3 with an RBI on Monday night against the Orioles. After several seasons as the Tigers' leadoff man, Jackson has been moved to the 5 hole this year and, so far, the move seems to be a positive one. After Monday's action, Jackson is hitting .296 (a significant improvement over Jackson's .279 career average) with 2 HR, 12 RBI and, most interestingly, 5 SB. Jackson's BA improvement looks like it may be sustainable, as Jackson has improved his BB rate from his 8.8% career rate to 11.4% in 2014 and his K rate from his 23.4% career rate to 14.4% in 2014. The 5 SBs are especially encouraging, as Jackson stole only 8 bases over the entire 2013 season. If this improvement is sustainable (and it may be, as Jackson's SPD rating has increased from 6.1 last year to 6.9 this year), Jackson owners may have gotten themselves a steal.
C.J. Cron (1B-LAA). Cron went 1 for 4 in a losing cause against the Blue Jays on Monday night, with his 2nd HR. Cron had a disappointing 2013 campaign in AA, hitting only 14 HR after hitting 27 the previous year in High A. However, after being named the MVP of the Arizona Fall League, Cron got off to a hot start in AAA this year, hitting 6 HR and driving in 26 runs in only 122 PAs, earning the call to the majors. Cron's hot start has continued in the majors, as he is hitting .393 with 2 HR and 6 RBI over his first 28 ABs. Cron will not sustain the BA (it's being supported by a .429 BABIP and Cron has put up a 5:0 K:BB rate), but the power appears to be real (.283 ISO in AAA and a 42% FB rate so far at the major league level). Those in need of a power boost should consider Cron as at least a short-term solution, although there could be some PT risk when Calhoun and Hamilton return. However, it is possible that Cron could stick even after those returns, given Raul Ibanez' struggles.
