Tyson Ross (SP-San Diego)
Tyson Ross has emerged this season as a very strong pitcher for the hapless Padres. Tonight's performance was not his best as he gave up 3 runs in 6 innings on 5 hits and 4 walks in a losing effort. His pedestrian 11-11 won loss record belies the fact that he has averaged almost 9K's/9 innings, maintained the gains he made in control last year, and increased his swinging strike rate to a superb 12.4%. Ross discovered a way to miss bats last year and he is doing even better in 2014. At 27 years old, the big righty looks to have a bright future even though he is mainly a two pitch thrower with the 93+ mph heater and a good slider. He does mix in a change, which has improved over last year, but he uses it way too infrequently. Watch for any improvement in his 3rd pitch because it would most certainly vault him into being a top of the rotation starter if he is not there already. Brandon Philips (2B-Cinn)
Brandon Philips looks like he is returning to the Reds lineup next week after a stint on the DL. While the name resonates for fantasy players his performance over the past two seasons is in decline. For a player who stole more than 20 bases in 4 consecutive seasons his 5 SB's last year was a shock and his 1 SB in 386 PA's this season is further proof that he is no longer a threat on the base paths. He was extraordinarily consistent with his power production hitting 18 HR's a year for 4 years running but his number sits at 7 for the season. Some of this can certainly be explained by missing games but his walk and K% have gone in the wrong direction this season. If you picked him up off the waiver wire for the stretch run just be aware that unlike 2011, when he had a WAR of 5.6, Philips is now more of a league average performer and the poor performance by the Reds offense all year is not going to help his numbers.
Jason Heyward (OF-ATL)
The Braves have smartly returned Heyward to the top of the order where he has been most effective this season. He scored 2 runs in today's game. Batting leadoff in 74 of the 119 games he has played, Heyward has hit 8 of his 9 HR's and stolen 10 of his 14 bases. The BJ Upton experiment is thankfully over at least for now. Heyward has not been able to replicate his breakout season of 2012 when he smacked 27 HR's and stole 21 bases and looked to be an emerging star at age 23. Perhaps the league caught up to him and we need to remember that various injuries robbed him of almost one third of the season in 2013. Still he is a productive player who at 25 years old could regain that form again when his power stroke returns. It just appears that it won't be happening this year.
Trevor Cahill (SP- Arizona)
Trevor Cahill pitched a fine game today picking up the victory giving up 2 runs on 6 hits while walking and striking out 3 in 6.2 innings of work. Cahill had a breakout season in 2010 where he went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA. The years since then have not been kind to Cahill and after an injury plagued 2013 and start to the 2014 campaign he has not had a bounce back this season. His record stands at 3-8 with a 4.68 ERA. In his best seasons he was not a strikeout pitcher but depended on his ability to get the groundball at a near 60% rate. Interestingly enough, this year he has the best K% at 8.57/9 innings in his career and he has experienced some very bad luck with a .346 BABIP and a 62.8% LOB rate. His swinging strike rate is a career best 9.9% and his velocity at 90.9 is his best mark since 2010. With a 3.57 xFIP and 3.65 SIERA, I think there is sleeper value here for the remainder of the season. If you are short on pitching he might be a sneaky pickup in deeper mixed leagues.
Tanner Roark (SP-Nationals)
Tanner Roark has had a good season for the Nationals with 12 wins and a stellar 2.93 ERA after tonight's victory. He gave up 3 runs on 7 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4 and needing 107 pitches to get through 5.2 innings . Roark is not a big strikeout pitcher with a 6.81 K/9 inning rate but his ability to limit walks to 2.01 BB/9 has helped to keep his value intact. As you might expect, he does not own a big fastball nor does he miss bats at more than a league average rate. He has been helped by a .271 BABIP and a high LOB % of nearly 79%. It is likely that these numbers will start to adjust in the final quarter of the season as projected by his 3.74 xFIP. He has value for mixed leagues and will continue mix a good slider, curveball, and change to be a stable force for your fantasy team. Just don't expect the same level of performance to continue.
@stevietheshu
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