Derek Holland- TEX- Hot- Holland didn't get a decision but he did throw a quality start in his 2014 major league debut. His freak knee injury during the offseason kicked off an avalanche of health issues for the Rangers, but at least they are ending the season with a bright spot where Holland is concerned. He allowed 1 run on 6 hits while walking no one and striking out 6 in 7 IP. This was far better than his performance on rehab at AAA where he posted a 5.87 ERA and 7.03 FIP. Holland's performance in the final weeks will be an indicator of his value in 2015.
Nate Freiman- OAK- Cold- Freiman was inserted into the starting lineup immediately upon his recall. He went 0-for-2 with a walk before being pulled for a pinch hitter. This brought his average down to .232. That has been impacted by a BABIP of .243 as well as a K% of 24.6%. Freiman has hit 4 homers in 61 PAs with the A's. The first came in his first game and the other 3 came in back-to-back games last month. Freiman has shown some pop in his bat against lefthanders, who have yielded all of his homers, but he hasn't hit against them for average as much as he did last season. He had a .256 average against southpaws heading into last night after hitting .304 against them in 2013. A drop in BABIP from .336 to .231 is a likely explanation. Freiman will see platoon time and could post some value in those appearances.
Brennan Boesch- LAA- Cold- Boesch was called up and immediately inserted into the starting lineup. His luck didn't improve any over the rest of the brief appearances he's made with the Angels this season. After 35 PAs his BABIP stands at .154. At AAA it was .374 and he posted a .332 average. He also hit 25 homers at AAA, sparking hope that he may be able to recapture some of the power that saw him hit at least a dozen homers each season with the Tigers between 2010 and 2012. Boesch may get a little chance to see some positive regression but it's very late in the season. He would have to impress much and fast to get into the plans for 2015.
Dalton Pompey - TOR- Rookie- OF Dalton Pompey made a rather pedestrian major league debut, entering last night's game as a pinch runner in the 9th inning and moving to 3rd base on a single before being stranded there. Pompey hit a combined .317 in the minors this season with 9 homers and 43 steals. He played mostly at High-A Dunedin but also had stops at AA and AAA. The average was helped with good luck as his BABIPs at the various levels were .380, .330 and .442. Pompey's speed is his most developed skill and so he is slated to make most of his appearances this month as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. He is only 21 so still probably has some further development to make. He doesn't project as much of a power hitter at this point but will eventually be likely to contribute 25-30 steals at the major league level. He is a good grab in deep keeper leagues.
Kyle Lobstein- DET- Hot- Lobstein had a very impressive second start. Although it wasn't of the quality variety because he came out after 5.1 IP, he struck out 10 batters while allowing 2 runs on 5 this and 3 walks. This was likely an anomaly as he only had 3 Ks in 11.2 IP before this outing. At AAA his K/9 was 7.83. Lobstein is filling in nicely when called on but his lack of velocity gives him little room for error. He possibly will be more likely to stick in the majors as a reliever.
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