Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler has dealt with hamstring issues for the majority of the 2014 season. His bat has been otherworldly when healthy, though. Soler showed all he needed to at Double-A Tennessee in just 22 games, slashing .415/.494/.882, with 6 home runs and 22 RBIs. He was promoted to Triple-A Iowa Tuesday, July 22.
It has been more of the same in the Hawkeye State. Soler has a .453 wOBA and.308 ISO after five games. He hit a moon-shot bomb to straight-away center field Saturday, July 26, which is worth checking my Twitter timeline to see for yourself. Soler is 22-years old, and he could be ready for his MLB debut.
There are two reasons to consider taking a flier on Soler sooner than later. First, he has professional experience in Cuba, and he is quickly proving, he has nothing to prove in the minors. Secondly and more importantly, he is signed through 2020. The Cubs are paying him a healthy chunk of change, whether he plays with Iowa or his home games in Wrigley Field. There's a puncher's chance he sees MLB action in 2014.
Marcell Ozuna was a player on the rise heading into the season. However, who predicted a breakout season at 23 and in 2014? Seriously, Ozuna is on pace to hit 25 home runs, while flirting with 90 RBIs and 80 runs. He boasts an impressive .272/.320/.456 slash line and well within outfield-starter territory in mixed leagues.
There are some warning signs, though. Ozuna is striking out in 27.6 percent of his plate appearances. Additionally, his 16.1 percent LD% is low given his .341 BABIP. His BABIP is due to regress, however if he begins to hit more line drives, there is a chance it won't be a freefall. Lastly, Ozuna's 17 percent HR/FB ratio is likely to regress, too. On the positive side, he has been fairly consistent all season, and his talents are legit.
Ozuna's price tag on draft day next spring will be a hotly debated topic. In keeper/ dynasty formats he is a great building block. It might be a good time to consider testing the trade waters in seasonal formats, though. It will take a lot of things going right for Ozuna to maintain his pace, and the entire team might begin to hit a dose of reality down the stretch.
When the Calendar flipped to July 1, Rafael Soriano had allowed just 17 hits and four earned runs all season. This month, the Nats' closer has surrendered nine earned runs on 10 hits. Monday night's blowup went to the tune of four runs, three hits and a walk, while recording a single out. It was Soriano's second blown save in his last five opportunities.
Soriano has a 1.95 ERA and 25 saves on the season. His job is secure, and he has proven capable in the ninth throughout his career. However, he is pitching better than he ever has, and at 34-years old, that isn't usually the case. There were many bust murmurs leading into the season. Potentially, Soriano could be wearing down.
He'll have a long leash, but the Nationals are also competing for the division, so he'll have to perform. It is a situation to monitor. Tyler Clippard is next in line and is a valuable commodity in his own right. If you own Soriano or are chasing saves and have room for a speculation add, Clippard will not hurt you at all. Again, Soriano's job is very safe, but he is trending in the wrong direction.
The unheralded Kyle Lohse gets no love in fantasy circles, despite matching a 3.19 ERA with an average of 14 wins from 2011 to 2013. It must be the low strikeout totals, which is fair, but in 2014 his K/9 mark is a more respectable 6.5. Loshe fanned six batters in six innings Monday night in a losing effort. He surrendered just two runs on four hits and three walks.
Loshe has another 11 wins this season and sports a tidy 3.07 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He is a mid-range No. 2 starting pitcher in fantasy leagues, but is perpetually over looked. Since the beginning of 2011 he has a 3.17 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, which are near-elite ratios.
Remember Loshe next season. You can land him in the late-middle rounds on draft day and he'll easily stabilize your fake staff's ratios and likely win a pile of games. There is no reason to doubt Loshe, he is crafty and does a good job of limiting the long ball and not beating himself.
Tsuyoshi Wada's third career start was his best. The Cubs rookie went good for seven innings, allowing a single run, five hits, one walk and struck out six. Wada was signed by the Cubs in December and made 18 starts with Triple-A Iowa.
With Iowa, Wada put together an excellent run. He went 10-6, with a 2.77 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 1.16 WHIP over 113 2/3 innings pitched. Wada struggled in his last outing against the Padres, but getting Monday's start and pitching well should assure his spot in the rotation, at least in the short term.
Wada was reasonably coveted after leaving Japan in 2012, had Tommy John surgery that year and now could be set for a nice finish to the 2014 season. Wins could be tough to come by, but if he can translate his Triple-A success there is potential for three-category help. A speculative addition in deep formats shouldn't be scoffed at.
