Nick Martinez - Martinez certainly pitched well enough to move to 3-0 on Sunday with 6 more shutout innings, but the bullpen (and Mike Trout) kept him from the victory. I was prepared to ignore Martinez entirely, assuming that no one needs me to tell them to avoid picking up a guy with a 4 run gap between his ERA and his xFIP ERA, but there are a few interesting things that Martinez is doing this April that may portend some legitimate longer-term improvement. The slight improvements in control and GB rate are nice, but what really makes me (well, slightly) interested is the sizable increase in slider usage, combined with a bigger speed gap between that pitch and his fastball. In a likely corresponding move, his chase rate and swinging strike% are up reasonably significantly. He still isn't getting a ton of K's, but he seems to be getting a decent amount of poor contact. I'm not rushing out to buy Nick Martinez across the board, but these changes in approach may be enough for him to reach his ceiling of a mid-rotation starter (at the big league level), which would give him value at the back of any fantasy rotation. I think he's at least worth a speculative pickup in most formats, although my trust level here would still be on the lower side.
Jake Marisnick - Marisnick came back from a couple of days off and immediately resumed his hot hitting, going 2-4 with a homer, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, and 2 steals. He's now hitting 364/408/591 through 50 PAs, but the key, of course, is going to be the contact ability and pitch recognition. It's a bit of a mixed bag there, with a positive bent. The chase rate is still poor, but the BB rate is up a touch, and the contact rate does indeed appear to be improving. I'm not completely sold yet that he can be an everyday bat, but I'm definitely starting to lean in that direction. Since he's only owned in 20% of ESPN leagues, I feel comfortable saying that he's worth a pickup in most formats at the very least, as the speed is pretty evident.
Chris Archer - Archer steamrolled the Jays over 7 innings on Sunday, allowing just 2 hits and a walk while fanning 7 in the 5-1 win. He has every attribute that you'd look for in attempting to identify 2015's breakout arm with just April's stats, as massive improvements in control and GB rate have been joined by a slight velocity bump and corresponding moves in swinging strike% and chase rate. The only worry here is that just about all of the positive work has been done with his slider, and most guys that throw 35-40% sliders don't last all that long physically. Just a note of caution in an otherwise exciting breakout, though.
Brock Holt - With Victorino back on the DL and Allen Craig and Mookie Betts scuffling offensively, Brock Holt stands to gain some playing time in the near-term here. With an offense as strong as Boston's has looked this April, Holt could have some value in many formats with a strong showing expected in AVG and R with a few SB mixed in (not to mention extreme positional versatility)....anything deeper than a standard-sized league should be looking at him at this point.
Edinson Volquez - Volquez lowered his ERA again on Sunday, going 5 2/3 while allowing 5 runs (only 1 earned) to Chicago with 2 walks and 6 K's. On the surface he looks like he's having a solid start to the year, with improved control and a career-best chase rate to go along with that gaudy 1.91 ERA. Let's keep in mind, however, that he's faced Minnesota and the White Sox twice apiece thus far, ranked numbers 27 and 28 respectively in runs scored currently. There does appear to be some legitimate improvement here, but I'm going to hedge on how much until I see him pitch against a real offense....say Friday against the Tigers, for example.
