There are plenty of rookies doing their thing in fantasy baseball, and in this piece I'll highlight young arms in Chicago, New York and Pittsburgh. I'll also talk about the Rays' rookie superstar at the dish. After the rookie talk I'll break down the Chen's and the bullpen situation with the Mariners.
WIL MYERS – OUT OF CONTROLWil Myers put a hurting on the Giants over the weekend, though that's nothing new as he has been handling business for a long while now as Myers has hits in 14 of his last 15 games. He's also up to .329 average with eight homers and 30 RBIs in just 39 games played. A positive situation also arose Sunday as Myers walked twice to up his total to 14 free passes in 39 games. It's still a very disappointing mark, as his his total of 36 punchouts, but when he's hitting the ball he's squaring it up. Hard to believe he'll be able to sustain his current .378 BABIP, but for now he's producing power and average just like his talent dictated was possible.
NO SHUTDOWN FOR COLEBill Brink reported over the weekend that
Gerrit Cole will
not be shutdown as the innings pile up this season though the Pirates will be careful to give him rest when possible and that may mean removing him early in games if he struggles or if the outcome of the game isn't in doubt. Cole has tossed 61 innings over his 10 starts this season an if you add in his minor league work, he threw 68 innings at Triple-A, then we're looking at at total of 129 innings pitched. Last season, his first full season as a professional, Cole threw a total of 132 innings. Hopefully the Pirates stick to their guns and continue to role Cole out there in their pursuit of a championship, something the Nationals were afraid to do last year when they shut down
Stephen Strasburg and with that decision effectively ruined their chances of a World Championship. Oh, by the way, Cole has been pretty darn impressive this season with a 3.69 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. He doesn't beat himself, walking just bare two batters per nine innings, but that 96 mph fastball has only generated a K/9 mark of 6.34. If only he could raise that up.
SHUTDOWN FOR WHEELER?Unlikely the situation in Pittsburgh, the Mets appear interested in keeping a close eye on the innings pitched mark of
Zack Wheeler this season. With nothing to play for in New York, it's the right move. Wheeler is up to 119.1 innings this season after tossing 149 last season. It's not like he's taking a quantum leap or anything, but it just smart for the Mets to keep things under control given their place in the standings. It's not likely that Wheeler will be shut down, the talk has been mostly centered around removing him from the starting rotation and sticking him in the bullpen. I know many out there will be crushed by the news though it's not as if Wheeler has been lights out or anything. After walked five more batters Sunday he now has a 4.97 BB/9 mark which is hideous, and it's led directly to a WHIP of 1.40. I warned ya that the walks would be an issue at the big league level.
CHEN's ROLLINGPick a Chen, either one, and you're bound to see some serious pitching numbers on the back of their baseball card.
Wei-Yin Chen of the Orioles gave up three runs in seven innings to pick up his fourth loss. Still, let's give the guy the credit he deserves. After 13 starts he owns a 2.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He's also allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his last seven outings. He's locked in.
Bruce Chen, yes that Bruce Chen, is getting it done for the Royals. Chen has made 23 appearances, including four starts, and owns a 2.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. No those aren't then numbers of Stephen Strasburg (3.04 ERA and 1.08 WHIP), they belong to Bruce Chen. This is Chen's 15th season in the big leagues, and the only time he's finished a season with an ERA under 3.25 was in 2004 when he posted a mark of 3.02 in 47.2 innings. It can't possibly last, can it?
ANDRE RIENZO – MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELFOut went
Jake Peavy in a deal to the Red Sox and into his spot in the rotation has stepped
Andre Rienzo. The 25 year old is doing his best to be relevant in not just AL-only leagues but mixed leagues as well this season. Rienzo allowed two runs over six innings Sunday and he's now the owner of a 1.38 ERA and 1.15 through 13 innings. Rienzo struck out 113 batters 102.1 innings in 2012 before punching out 113 in 113 innings at Triple-A this year over 20 starts. He also close his minor league work down with a strong push that included a 1.78 ERA and 65 Ks over his final 60.2 innings. By the time you read this it will likely to too late to add him since your FAAB process will likely have already run, but if it hasn't you might do yourself a favor and add the surging hurler.
MARINERS BULLPENDanny Farquhar appears to have taken over the 9th inning duties for the Mariners as he picked up saves in back-to-back games this weekend. Though his ERA is at a sky-high level right now, 5.09, his measureables say much nicer things are in store (so much so in fact that his
xFIP for the season is less than half of his actual ERA at 2.13). With a punchout on Sunday he has 53 Ks in 35.1 innings leading to a K/9 rate that is approaching 14. He's walked 14 batters putting him at neat a four to one K/BB ratio. He's also working with a solid 44 percent ground ball rate. He's just been hammered when he's left pitches in the middle of the zone as his 27 percent line drive rate and better than .360 BABIP suggest. If he keeps batters off base via the walk, and continues to have success (seven straight scoreless outings) he may hold off
Tom Wilhelmsen for 9th inning duties for a long while (Wilhelmsen has allowed nine earned runs over his last 9.2 innings).
Yoenis Medina has also pitched fairly well in his own right with a 2.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while
Oliver Perez is doing his best to imitate Wilhelmsen of late (nine runs allowed in his last 6.2 innings).
FINALLY — for those of you who are also football fans, if you’re looking to dominate the competition in 2013 then check out the 2013 Fantasy Football Draft Guide that is nearly 200 pages long.Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87, Monday through Friday. For more of Ray's analysis you can check out BaseballGuys.com or the BaseballGuys' Twitter account where he tirelessly answer everyone's questions.
