Raul Ibanez- LAA- Cold- Ibanez was only hitting .148 and didn't start last night's game. His slow start can mostly be attributed to bad luck, with a BABIP of .181. He has had similar slow starts each of the previous 3 seasons, not having a BABIP higher than .220 in any of them. Ibanez finished each of those seasons with an average of at least .240 and slugged at least 19 homers. The .240 may not seem like much but it took a significant regression to the mean to get it up that high after the slow starts. The Angels are reportedly not ready to give up on Ibanez, looking at those slow starts as a reason to wait out the bad times this year. Ibanez can be viewed as a buy low candidate.
Kevin Kiermaier- TB- Rookie- Kiermaier could be the Tampa Bay center fielder of the future, but he was the center fielder of the present over the weekend. He picked up his first major league hit and homer. Kiermaier is most noted for his defense, which has no fantasy value. However, he does possess speed, recording double digits in steals in each of his minor league seasons. Kiermaier was hitting .322 for AAA Durham, with a boost from a .368 BABIP. Still, in keeper leagues Kiermaier has enough potential looking forward to 2015 to provoke interest. His near term won't have much value with Desmond Jennings back, but Kiermaier did impress enough to avoid being sent back down immediately.
Corey Kluber- CLE- Hot- Kluber tossed his 4th straight quality start, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 in 7 IP. He has been racking up the strikeouts, with 55 in his last 42.1 IP. Kluber actually has room for positive regression, with his 3.43 ERA more than a run above his 2.34 FIP. If he can keep up the strikeout pace he will substantially beat his preseason projections. Kluber has been relying far more on a sinking fastball and his velocity is up over his last few starts. He seems to be hitting his prime at age 28.
Adam Dunn- CHA- Idea- Dunn has given a lot of what you'd expect to see from him this year. He has walked a lot (19.2% BB%. He has struck out a lot (29.1% K%.) His average has risen as he has enjoyed a high BABIP (.250 and .338 respectively.) What Dunn hasn't provided is his usual level of power. With 6 homers in 151 PAs he is on pace for a total in the mid-20s instead of his usual 30s or 40s. It's not as dismal as Dunn's 2011 season, when he only hit 11 homers in 496 PAs, but this would be only his second season of fewer than 30 homers since 2003. Dunn's HR/FB ratio has dropped significantly, to 17.1% from 23.8% last year. His FB% has actually increased but fewer balls have been leaving the yard. More are finding gaps, as he already has 7 doubles after only having 15 all of last season. This may be an indication that the 34-year-old has slipped to having more warning track power.
Dallas Keuchel- HOU- Caution- Keuchel threw his 7th quality start in his last 8 appearances, getting charged with 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 8 in 8.2 IP. Both runs came in the 9th when the bullpen allowed inherited runners to score. Keuchel was not nearly as efficient as he was in his last outing, when he needed only 108 pitches to shut out the Rangers. In his quest for a second straight shutout he was allowed to throw 128 pitches. That was the most he has made in his major league career by far. Keuchel is 26, so his most vulnerable years should be behind him, but that number of pitches will prompt paying close attention to how he bounces back in his next start.
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