All posts under "Player Commentary" - Page 83

Kole Calhoun appears locked into the leadoff spot for the potent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. However, he also appears locked into a platoon with Colin Cowgill. The left-handed hitting Calhoun has just 39 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season....

Matt Cain (SP-SF) What are we to make of Matt Cain this year? A prime rebound candidate after last year's 8-10 4.00 ERA swoon, Cain was always considered a front line pitcher whose peripherals did not always support his performance...

Erick Aybar-Angels-SS Erick Aybar was 1-4 with a run scored in the win against the Astros. Aybar is in the midst of a very fine season for the Angels. He is slashing .277/6/42 with 8 SB. Aybar has been a...

Carlos Martinez (RP-STL) - As a Martinez owner in a couple keeper leagues, I was very worried that the Cardinals were going to turn him into a full-time reliever this year. With Trevor Rosenthal closing, Martinez would have had little...

Justin Verlander (SP Detroit) Justin Verlander picked up his 7th win against 7 losses today giving up 9 hits and 2 runs with 4 K's in 6 innings of work. This type of performance is a far cry from what...

Julio Teheran- Julio Teheran is one of those pitchers where I cannot explain or justify his success, which frankly, terrifies me about him. Teheran is not an elite strikeout artist as his K Rate sits in the low 20's (21.7%...

Khris Davis, Milwaukee Brewers - Davis left the game Tuesday after injuring his shoulder sliding into second base. He was replaced by Elian Herrera and it has not yet been determined how much time Davis might miss if any at...

Jose Reyes- TOR- Hot- Regression to the mean is in full swing for Reyes. Through June 23rd his BABIP was at .264 and his average at .247. In the 6 games since then he has gone 12-for-29 with a BABIP...

To say Jake Arrieta is rolling is an understatement. The 28-year old was solid, yet unspectacular throughout his minor league career, and ineffective at the highest level heading into 2014. Arrieta's season was delayed due to shoulder stiffness, but since...

Brian Dozier - Dozier had a rough three-game set in Texas, going 1-13 with 5 K's. Let's get something straight: I do like Brian Dozier as a player. He has some pop, he's running like he did in the minors,...

Clayton Kershaw (SP - LAD) - Clayton Kershaw threw a gem against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, going 7 scoreless innings while yielding just 5 hits,2 walks and striking out 13. He has now gone 28 scoreless innings and has...

Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros - Keuchel was scratched from his start Saturday with wrist inflammation, but the team is optimistic that he will be able to make his next start. He had been receiving treatment all week for his wrist,...

David Wright (3B - NYM) - David Wright left the team and returned to New York for an MRI on Saturday. The test revealed a bruised rotator cuff which should sideline him for a few days but isn't serious enough...

Jorge Polanco (2B/SS-MIN). The Twins continued their trend of aggressively promoting their position player prospects by calling up Polanco from high A Fort Myers on Thursday. One would assume that the Twins intend to give Polanco playing time (presumably at...

Rick Porcello (SP-DET): Rick Porcello showed the upside that has teased us all for years, tossing a complete-game shutout against the Rangers. He allowed only 3 hits and 3 walks and added 6 strikeouts in the 115-pitch effort to pick...

Mike Leake (SP-CIN) - Leake was dialed in Thursday against the reeling Giants, tossing eight innings of one-run ball while striking out 12 and lowering his ERA to 3.41. After allowing 14 runs in 15.1 innings over three starts, Leake...

I take a look at hot hitters J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler, and Coco Crisp. I also examine the struggles of Evan Longoria.

Tim Lincecum (SP-SF): Tim Lincecum no-hit the Padres yet again, striking out 6 and walking 1 in an incredibly masterful 113-pitch outing to pick up his 6th win of the season. While Lincecum can be maddening to own with his...

Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs - Arrieta was dominant yet again Tuesday as he took a perfect game into the 7th inning before Billy Hamilton led off the inning with a single. He completed with seventh and was able to pick...

Dexter Fowler- Last month I wrote up Dexter Fowler, and I discussed how he was trending in a strange direction during his power prime. A hot June has helped Fowler's numbers regress back towards his career mean, but he is...

Steve Pearce is playing above his head, but fantasy owners should be reaping the rewards while he is locked in at the plate. Pearce hit No. 2 in the Orioles' order for a sixth straight game and entered Monday's game...

Kris Bryant- CHN- Hot- Bryant slugged his 4th homer in 5 games since being promoted from AAA. That move came on the strength of 22 homers for AA Tennessee. All of Bryant's AAA hits have been homers so his average...

Derek Norris -- Norris was hit with a backswing yet again on Sunday, leaving the game to receive concussion tests. There is no news as to the severity of the injury at present, but it seems safe to assume that...

Tanner Roark (SP-WAS). Roark picked up a win against the Braves on Sunday afternoon, although he lasted only 5.1 innings in the effort. Roark gave up only 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3, dropping...

I take a look at some over/under performing pitchers and a struggling 3B.

Marcell Ozuna (OF-Miami) Marcell Ozuna broke out of a 0-13 slump with a hit in 2 official AB's and two walks. In his 2nd year with the big club, Ozuna has displayed the power and the inconsistency that made him...

Starling Marte (OF, Pirates) Starling Marte was 0 for 4 today with two K's as his BA dropped to .258 in this somewhat disappointing follow-up to his fine season last year. Much was expected of Marte after a season where...

Adam Eaton (OF-CHA). Eaton went 2 for 4 with a 2B and an RBI against the Twins on Friday night, raising his season slash line to .276/.343/.367. I was very high on Eaton coming into the season and, while his...

A small sampling of today's player notes available to subscribers: Chase Anderson (SP-ARI) - Anderson was respectable again on Thursday, holding the Brewers to three runs (two earned) over six innings, lowering his ERA to 3.18 in seven starts covering...

Quietly, C.J. Wilson puts consistently solid year-end numbers up. 2014 has been more of the same. He is susceptible to bad outings, but his draft value, the past two years at least, has him deemed a low-end third starting arm....

A sampling of today's 70+ prospect notes available to subscribers: Hitters 2 Kris Bryant CHC 3B A 1.160 OPS gets him to AAA, one step closer to taking over 3B or a corner OF slot in Chicago. 3 Gregory Polanco...

Ron Belisario (CL- CWS) Ron Belisario gave up a run and two hits over 1.2 innings to pick up his 7th save of the year. In the very muddled CWS closer situation, Belisario has emerged to pick up 4 saves...

Jake Arrieta- It's time to start taking Jake Arrieta very seriously. Arrieta has struggled through injury, ineffectiveness and a lack of command of the strike zone for most of his professional career. It seems like he has finally come into...

Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers - Lucroy, the most valuable catcher in the MLB according to fWAR, launched two homers and drove in five runs with four coming on a grand slam off reliever Brad Zeigler. After Ryan Braun was hit...

Carlos Santana- Carlos Santana looks like a different player since returning from a seven (7) day stint on the Disabled List for a concussion, and fantasy owners could not be more pleased. It seems the regression that so many, including...

Mark Buehrle- TOR- FYI- Buehrle will get an extra day of rest before taking the mound tomorrow. Maybe it will help him bounce back from his third non-quality start of the season. Then again, maybe some regression to the mean...