J. J. Hoover- CIN- FYI- Hoover is back with the Reds as the season for AAA Louisville is done. Hoover managed to get tagged with 10 losses for Cincinnati in only 46 games covering 55.2 IP before getting optioned last month. His K/9 was outstanding at 11.03 but his BB/9 was 4.77 and he allowed 10 homers during his time with the big club. That home run rate is an anomaly compared to his career. He should be watched next spring to see if he is back to normal or if he shows signs of being the next John Axford.
Kevin Giles- PHI- Hot- Giles did nothing to budge him from his position as closer heir apparent in Philadelphia as he was one of the 4 pitchers to combine for a no hitter. Giles struck out the 3 batters he faced in the 8th inning. That gives him a K/9 of 13.12 for the year. The Phillies are probably going to make a concerted effort to move Jon Papelbon in the offseason to open up the closer spot for Giles. That will make Giles one of the prime closer candidates for 2015.
Maikel Franco- PHI- Rookie- The waiting is over and Franco has been called up by the Phillies. After a period of adjustment at AAA, Franco had regained the hitting stroke that made him Philadelphia's top prospect. He ended up with 16 homers and a .257 average, although the average was impacted by a .276 BABIP. Franco's homer rate picked up later in the season as 11 of his long balls came after late June. If he can get any adjustment period out of the way this month, it will make him that much more valuable at the start of 2015.
Joey Terdoslavich- ATL- FYI- Terdoslavich went 0-for-1 in his 2014 major league debut, a pinch hitting appearance. He was one of the Atlanta call ups and had hit .256 with 15 homers with AAA Gwinnett this year. Terdoslavich is expected to get a primary pinch hitting role as this season winds down, something he did last season when he hit .215 but had a 13.0% BB% in 92 PAs across 55 games with the Braves. His defensive shortcomings are too great to project him as ever getting a full time position.
Jimmy Nelson- MIL- FYI- Nelson threw another quality start yesterday, even though he took a loss to lower his record to 2-6. He had failed to record a quality start in his previous 2 outings after throwing 5 straight. Yesterday he went 6 IP and allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and a walk while striking out 4. Of his 86 pitches, 59 were strikes. Although Nelson has had some rough patches, he has shown why he was a top prospect and will be in the mix for a rotation spot with Milwaukee next spring. He has posted a 4.14 ERA but 3.79 FIP along with a 7.52 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 in his big league outings and hasn't wilted in a pennant race.
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