AL Waiver Wire:  Week 1

Brett Anderson| Oakland A’s| SP| 0.1 percent ESPN ownership, 4 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 60-day DL
Oliver ROS: 3.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, 6.6 K/9

Anderson is a forgotten man in many leagues, it would appear. He shouldn’t be. When he is healthy he pounds the strike zone and piles up worm burners. He calls a pitcher’s paradise home, and the lone knock against him is a below league average strikeout rate. He was primarily a fastball/slider pitcher prior to his injury, using his four-seam fastball, sinker, and slider 86 percent of the time in 2011 according to his Brooks Baseball player card. He’ll occasionally mix in a change-up or curveball when he’s not leaning on his bread and butter fastball/slider combo.

The reason Anderson is available in so many leagues is that he is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery he underwent last July. Will Carroll discussed Anderson a bit in his Bob Melvin, mixing all of his pitches.”>45-pitch bullpen session for A’s manager Bob Melvin, mixing all of his pitches. The next step will be live batting practice. The time is now to add and stash Anderson. As he gets closer to returning to the majors, the competition for securing his services will increase. He may have some struggles in the early going, as every pitchers recovery is different from Tommy John surgery, but he may not. This is a rare low risk, high reward gamble.

Recommendation: Should be stashed on the DL in leagues of all sizes and scoring types.

Glen Perkins| Minnesota Twins| RP| 0.4 percent ESPN ownership, 4 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.73 K/9, 50.0 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 4.19 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 6.9 K/9

One bad appearance from Matt Capps, a game he actually successfully saved on Thursday, isn’t reason to depose him from his closer role. That said, he is following up an ugly 2011 and may not have the longest of leashes. Perkins emerged as a dynamic setup man after years of serving as a starter. His conversion to the bullpen began in 2010. He spent most of that season starting for Triple-A Rochester, but ended up appearing in 12 of 13 games as a reliever for the Twins. His results in the pen that year didn’t even begin to foreshadow his breakout in 2011.

His strikeout rate skyrocketed to better than a batter per-inning, and he continued to coax ground balls roughly half the time the ball was put in play. The most likely reason he was able to strike more batters out in the pen than as a starter was improved stuff, and dramatically improved stuff at that. His four-seam fastball averaged 90.49 MPH, and his sinker averaged 89.3 mph, in 2009 as a full-time starting pitcher. Both fastballs failed to miss bats, and none of his secondary pitches generated empty swings at an above average rate.

In 2011, his first year as a full-time reliever, his four-seam fastball average velocity spiked to 95.61 mph while his sinker average velocity jumped to 94.11. Those gains paid huge dividends. He got many more empty swings with his now mid-90s fastballs, and his slider also became a swing-and-miss weapon.

Perkins is a southpaw, and the first thought of many is probably that he has a noticeable platoon split when facing right-handed pitching. However, that isn’t the case. Perkins actually exhibited a reverse platoon split last year, dominating right-handed batters, 11.36 K/9 and 2.57 xFIP, while merely successfully retiring left-handed batters, 6.92 K/9 and 3.41 xFIP. Should Capps cough up the closer role, look for Perkins to take over and do just fine.

Recommendation: Should be owned in large mixed-leagues where non-closing relievers have value, and should be owned in all AL-only leagues.

Danny Duffy| Kansas City Royals| SP| 1.4 percent ESPN ownership, 6 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 0.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 6.0 BB/9, 12.0 K/9, 33.3 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 5.02 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 7.4 K/9

Duffy’s first start of the year against the A’s, in very wet conditions, was impressive. I was fortunate enough to be home for the game, watched the vast majority of the pitches he threw that night, and came away impressed. His fastball was routinely hitting 94-96 mph, and he leaned on it heavily. This should come as no surprise, as Harry Pavlidis took an in depth look at Duffy’s PITCHf/x data from last year for a March 16 Dispatch post, and noted that he used his premium velocity heater often.

What did surprise me was how effective his secondary pitchers were. He used a curveball that he froze hitters with in the zone, and was able to get them to chase out of the zone on occasion. His change-up was also quite good, earning one called strike, and three swinging strikes on eight change-ups thrown.

His play against the A’s showcased why Duffy has an intriguing arm. He struck out eight batters in six innings, and could be a good source of Ks if he isn’t undone by poor control. His poor control was also on display in that start, as he walked four batters and started with more 1-0 counts than 0-1 counts (he threw a first pitch strike just 47.6 percent of the time).

There is some risk in starting him until he strings together a few solid starts, but there is little risk in stashing him on benches and watching how he does. Not everyone has the luxury of stashing him, and those owners would be wise to add him to their watch list and keep tabs on how he does from a distance. This southpaw has proven he can dominate in the minors, and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a reliable starter in the majors.

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.

Recommendation: Should be owned in some large mixed-leagues as well as most AL-only leagues.

Jake Arrieta| Baltimore Orioles| SP| 8.7 percent ESPN ownership, 14.0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 2.63 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 1.98 BB/9, 5.93 K/9, 35.1 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 5.01 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9, 6.4 K/9

It wasn’t that long ago that Arrieta was one of a handful of prospect pitchers in the Orioles organization who were supposed to help lift them out of the American League East basement. Unfortunately for the O’s, things didn’t come to fruition. Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz have struggled mightily, and Arrieta hasn’t been much better.

Last August, Arrieta underwent surgery to remove a bone spur, ending a season in which he was not much better than a replacement level pitcher. This year, manager Buck Showalter tabbed him the Opening Day starter. He took the ball on April 6, at Camden Yards, and was sharp against the Twins. He pitched seven scoreless innings allowing two hits and two walks while striking out four and inducing more groundballs, eight, than flyballs, six. His second start was a greater challenge, facing the Yankees at Camden Yards. The results weren’t as good, but were promising nonetheless.

Historically, Arrieta has struggled with his control. His walk rate in 233.1 innings in the majors is 4.24 BB/9, and he hasn’t struck out enough batters, 5.94 K/9, to offset his below average control. While it is early, his control has been pristine. His strikeout rate remains low, but there are reasons to think that can improve. In 2009-2010 he had no problem piling up strikeouts at the High-A and Double-A levels. His rate dropped significantly in Triple-A, but remained acceptable in the mid-to-high-7 K/9 range.

Perhaps more important than his past minor league performance is a notable change in the present. His four-seam fastball velocity is up a tick. As we know, thanks to the hard work of Matt Swartz, more velocity is, well, a good thing.

Pitching in the American League East is a challenge. With that in mind, it is probably best to exercise caution with Arrieta. For now, he looks like a solid stream/matchup play in large mixed leagues, and rosterable in AL-only leagues. If he’s able to sustain his gain in velocity and control, he should find himself on more mixed-league rosters.

Recommendation: Should be owned in some large mixed-leagues as well as most AL-only leagues.

Addison Reed| Chicago White Sox| RP| 1.9 percent ESPN ownership, 16.0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 3.86 K/9, 14.3 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 3.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 9.3 K/9

First-time manager Robin Ventura shocked many when he named Hector Santiago the White Sox closer. Coming into spring training, most speculated that the competition was limited to Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain, and Reed. None of the candidates pitched poorly, but Santiago seized the opportunity, and won over Ventura.

Santiago has been a non-prospect for the bulk of his minor league career, but became a modest prospect (he ranked as the White Sox’ 11th-best prospect in the 2012 Baseball America Prospect Handbook) after adding a screwball to his repertoire in the 2010 Puerto Rican Winter League. All of his minor league appearances came as a starter in 2011, but he made two relief appearances for the White Sox in July. His underwhelming minor league career, his ho-hum prospect ranking in what is widely considered the worst farm system in baseball, and the presence of a superior prospect with more minor league success makes me skeptical Santiago will retain the job all year.

Who is the superior prospect nipping at his heels? That would be Reed, who most reputable outlets ranked as the White Sox top prospect coming into the season. All he did last year was dominate at four levels of the minors last year, and reach the majors for a September cup of coffee. Though he appeared in only six games last year for the Pale Hose, he showed off the goods that make him the team’s long term answer at closer. He sported a robust 14.73 K/9 in seven and one-third innings pitched, devastating hitters with three swing-and-miss offerings. He threw a four-seam fastball that averaged 95.60 mph, a low-80s slider, and sprinkled in a mid-80s change-up.

Scouting reports gush about his fastball and slider, and both are consider plus pitches. He doesn’t throw his change-up as often as the other two pitches, but it is at least an average offering to keep hitters off balance. I’d be shocked if he didn’t snatch the closer gig away from Santiago by the early summer. In the interim, he is worth owning to help in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. The saves will come.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all but shallow leagues.

Greg Holland| Kansas City Royals| RP| 1.8 percent ESPN ownership, 32.0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 2.45 BB/9, 12.27 K/9, 60.0 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 3.60 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9, 9.7 K/9

Like Reed, Holland was in a competition for the closer gig in the spring. Unlike Reed, the closer opening was the result of an injury, in this case, to former All-Star closer Joakim Soria. The Royals opted to turn to a reliever with previous closing experience, Jonathan Broxton.

Broxton was mostly lights-out as the Dodgers closer in 2008-2010. Prior to that, he was filthy in a setup role for the Dodgers in 2006-2007. He overpowered hitters with a fastball that routinely hit the upper-90s, and sat regularly in the mid-90s. The wheels fell off in 2011, and the reason for his struggles was a bone spur and bone chips that required surgery. He signed with the Royals as a free agent in the offseason, and showed off a fastball in the spring that resembled his pre-injury version.

He has made three appearances for the Royals thus far this year. The first two were clean appearance, but his most recent was far from. He fell apart, blowing a one run lead in the 12th inning in truly epic fashion. He started off the save opportunity with a strikeout, but it was all downhill after that. The next batter reached by error, and Broxton followed that up with consecutive walks. He recorded a ground out next, but the out resulted in the tying run scoring. What happened next was nearly unthinkable. He plunked consecutive batters, forcing home the winning run. It’s possible the ugly appearance is nothing more than a blip on the radar for Broxton, though, it probably shortens his leash substantially.

Holland was electric in a setup role last year. He’s already ownable in large mixed-leagues thanks to his stellar contributions in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. He, like Broxton, has a bad relief appearance under his belt. Holland’s came in the Royals’ opener, but wasn’t nearly as ugly as Broxton’s. A few well-placed hits did Holland in during that outing, and he has since responded with two scoreless appearances, one of which was of the two-inning variety.

The closing situation could be fluid in Kansas City, and Holland has had the most recent success. Because of that, it likely won’t take much for him to unseat Broxton. In competitive leagues, saves are always at a premium. Avoid the hassle of racing to a computer to add Holland should Broxton falter in the near future. Add him now, and wait for Broxton to implode once again.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all but shallow leagues, and snatched up immediately in those leagues should he end up closing.

Luke Hochevar| Kansas City Royals| SP| 3.2 percent ESPN ownership, 18.0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 2.84 BB/9, 5.68 K/9, 23.5 percent GB
Oliver ROS: 4.56 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 6.1 K/9

My man crush on Hochevar is well documented. I first discussed why I buy into Hochevar’s strong finish after last year’s All-Star break at Fantasy Baseball 365 in November. I have since expanded on why I’m so crazy about Hochevar for Fantasy Pros. If you look at his player card at Fantasy Pros, you’ll notice that I ranked him as the 41st best fantasy starting pitcher for 2012. That ranking is the highest of any expert, but I’m not the only one here at The Hardball Times who believes in Hochevar more than the masses. You’ll see that both Nick Fleder and Ben Pritchett ranked him higher than the expert consensus.

As opposed to rehashing what I’ve already discussed in depth previously, I’ll suggest checking out the links above. In short, Hochevar changed his repertoire dramatically, and his strikeout rate saw a bump because of it. He already was capable of besting the league average in walk rate while getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground at a high clip. The missing piece of the puzzle was striking batters out, and now that he is using his slider and cutter to do so, expect him to continue his breakout that began in July last year. This isn’t the same pitcher of years past. This is a pitcher who should be rostered nearly universally.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all but shallow leagues.

Michael Taylor| Oakland A’s| OF| 0 percent ESPN ownership, 0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: Minors
Oliver ROS: .244/.313/.376

It’s going to be difficult for Taylor to crack the A’s outfield, but he’s doing everything in his power to. He’s swinging a hot stick in Sacramento. In 37 plate appearances he is slashing .429/.462/.686. He has clubbed six doubles and one home run. He also hasn’t sold out for power, having struck out in just 10.8 percent of his plate appearances. He has long been considered a threat to hit for power and steal bases, and he has repeatedly come up short of lofty expectations. Perhaps the light bulb has come on. It may take a change of scenery to find that out though.

The old saying goes that a player is playing for all 30 clubs. While the A’s may not have a use for him, another team may decide he is worth trading for. It’s not hard to envision Taylor being dealt sincer he’s already been dealt from the Phillies to the Blue Jays, and then from the Blue Jays to the A’s in his young career. It’s not necessary to add Taylor at the moment, but he warrants keeping tabs on. Forward thinking managers in large mixed-leagues and AL-only leagues should check in on Taylor, and keep abreast of any possible trade rumors that crop up.

Recommendation: Should be on watch lists in large mixed-leagues and AL-only leagues.

Travis Snider| Toronto Blue Jays| OF| 0 percent ESPN ownership, 1 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: Minors
Oliver ROS: .251/.308/.421

Speaking of prospects who have failed to live up to expectations, it is that time of year that I recommend keeping an eye on Snider. Snider lost out on the left-field competition in spring training to Eric Thames. Thames has since scuffled in the early going. In fact, the entire Blue Jays outfield has struggled.

Jose Bautista isn’t going anywhere, and one would have to assume the Blue Jays won’t be quick to pull the plug on Colby Rasmus in center field. That leaves open the possibility of them injecting some life into the outfield by swapping Snider in for Thames.

Of course, making that change would require promoting Snider from Triple-A. As expected, Snider is showing he has little to learn in the minors. In 29 plate appearances he is hitting a blistering .370/.414/.704 with two home runs and just five strikeouts. Strikeouts have been a big source of Snider’s struggles in the majors, but his current 18.5 percent strikeout rate with Las Vegas is excellent for a slugger.

Can he maintain his improvement in the bigs? There is only one way to find out.

While it seems like Snider has been around forever, he is only 24 years old, and played all of last year at 23. If gamers need a reminder of a player breaking out of prospect bust status in recent years, look no further than Alex Gordon and Cameron Maybin last year. Both had lofty expectations, like Snider, and were jerked around. In the case of Gordon, injuries may have also been a factor in his slow ascent to blue chip fantasy asset status. With Maybin, it was a case of being in a vicious cycle of being called up and then sent down repeatedly. Sounds pretty similar to the handling of Snider to me.

If Snider is given the chance to sink or swim for an extended period of time in Toronto, he has a chance to be a source of plentiful home run contributions. Add him to watch lists now, and if you are in need of power in large mixed-leagues or AL-only formats, feel free to add him upon promotion.

Recommendation: Should be on watch lists in large mixed-leagues and AL-only leagues.

Ryan Lavarnway| Boston Red Sox| C| 0.1 percent ESPN ownership, 0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: Minors
Oliver ROS: .259/.335/.475

All you need to know about my feelings on Lavarnway’s fantasy potential can be found in his prospect write-up as part of my Top-100 fantasy prospect list. His bats ready, and he hit in spring training. He isn’t currently crushing the ball in Triple-A, but he is using his discerning eye to work walks and reach base at a high rate.

The Red Sox are struggling, and one position that has been an eyesore in particular has been catcher. Starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is striking out often, which is the norm, but has only one hit in 13 at-bats. Backup catcher Kelly Shoppach hasn’t been much better with one hit in seven at-bats.

If manager Bobby Valentine gets sick of having a free out in his lineup, he may turn to Lavarnway and tolerate his defensive deficiencies. Lavarnway has enough batting prowess that he could become relevant in one catcher leagues later in the season. Owners in two catcher leagues, where the dregs of the position are rostered, would be wise to take the plunge and stash Lavarnway now in anticipation of his eventual promotion.

Recommendation: Should be stashed on benches in large-mixed leagues that use two catchers. Should also be stashed in AL-only leagues.

Dayan Viciedo| Chicago White Sox| OF| 1.0 percent ESPN ownership, 12 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: .267/.313/.400
Oliver ROS: .267/.315/.435

The portly Cuban is getting his first opportunity to hold down a regular starting job for the White Sox. While he’ll never get rave reviews for his defense, it’s the bat that brings home the bacon in fantasy land anyways. Viciedo has plus power, and is a threat to hit 25 plus home runs annually. Last year in the Triple-A International League he hit 20 home runs in 505 plate appearances. It was his second straight season of hitting 20 home runs in the International League. His greatest gains came in controlling the strike zone and making contact.

Viciedo had a paltry three percent walk rate in 2010 in Triple-A. In 2011 he nearly tripled that rate walking in just under nine percent of his plate appearances. He simultaneously reduced his strikeout rate reducing it from 21.5 percent in 2010 to 16.4 percent in 2011. His new found patience lead to hope that he can be more than a one dimensional slugger. In 16 plate appearances this year he has struck out twice. He has walked only one time, but is showing enough that I feel comfortable penciling him in for an average north of .270.

The next step is ramping up the power production. Since his power has never come into question, expecting 20 plus home runs this year, with the potential for more, is fair. With home run power at a premium, it’s hard to believe Viciedo is so readily available. If he’s available in your league, you should scoop him up.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all but shallow leagues.

Alejandro De Aza| Chicago White Sox| OF| 9.7 percent ESPN ownership, 46.0 percent Yahoo! ownership
YTD: .273/.273/.591
Oliver ROS: .269/.325/.412

De Aza is the most owned player Yahoo! leagues featured this week. I’m not as bullish on De Aza as others, but recognize he is a threat to reach double digits in home runs while also stealing 25-30 bases. He has been a bit old while hitting .300 or better in Triple-A, and the fact he hasn’t gotten a full-time look until now makes me question why that is. Regardless, he’s starting for the White Sox, and will now have an opportunity to prove he’s more than an older player taking advantage of minor league pitching.

His strikeout rate is a bit high for a none power threat. Don’t be fooled by his two home runs on the season—he is more of a 12-15 home run threat than a threat to challenge 20 taters. He made up for his strikeout rate last year in his 171 plate appearance trial by walking at an above league average rate.

When on base, he is a threat to use his wheels to steal a bag. His biggest problem is that he has been inefficient. Because it is Ventura’s first year as a manager, it is unclear what his tolerance level will be for base runners getting caught stealing, and how often he’ll send runners as well. Just know this: De Aza is fast, and with stolen base chances, he’ll swipe some.

His power and speed combination is great enough that he should be owned nearly universally. Don’t expect him to post a batting average of .300 or better like he has each of the last three seasons in Triple-A, but he won’t need to if he provides in home runs and stolen bases like I’ve suggested he will above.

Recommendation: He should be owned in all but shallow leagues.


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geo
11 years ago

Watch Duffy’s next start closely, as it’s against Detroit on Monday.

Josh Shepardson
11 years ago

@geo

That will be an interesting start to watch.  He should probably get a pass if he pitches poorly, but it will still be good to see how he handles that deep and loaded lineup.

Nick
11 years ago

what’s with the sharp differences between ESPN and Yahoo ownership rates?

James
11 years ago

Yahoo and ESPN ownerships will vary based on a few factors.

#1 The standard leagues on each site use different lineups.  For example ESPN standard leagues use more OF, so you’d expect higher ownership rates of many OFs because teams need more of them.

#2 The most important factor is probably that many fantasy players are casual types, meaning they don’t scour the internet for every sleeper article and read countless sites.  Most likely they simply check their team and maybe click on a story linked on the side of the fantasy homepage.  That means that if Yahoo fantasy articles constantly pimp certain players, such as valuable relief pitchers who could be in line for saves (Reed + Holland), ownership rates will go up.  If a casual ESPN player doesn’t see those articles and ESPN doesn’t do their own coverage of those players, you wouldn’t expect ownership rates to increase on ESPN.

The differences really are quite amazing sometimes.

Scotty
11 years ago

Looks like I should have waited one more start for that Hochevar pick-up.

Jeffrey Gross
11 years ago

Monstrous WW entry! Good stuff!

Josh Shepardson
11 years ago

@ Nick and James

James pretty much hits the nail on the head.  Coverage on the host site likely plays a HUGE role in ownership percentages as so many gamers are of the casual variety.  Where players are listed in the free agent pool likely plays a big role as well.  The starkest difference in ownership I found was for Daniel Bard.  He was owned in under 40% of Yahoo! leagues, and was on my preliminary list of players to cover, but I saw he was owned in 96% of ESPN leagues and opted not to cover him.

Josh Shepardson
11 years ago

@ Scotty

Not a banner effort from Hochevar today, that’s for sure.  I own him in 7 of 7 leagues, and he took a blow torch to my ERA and WHIP.  That said, I’m not ready to jump ship after a bad start.  I worked during the start, but plan on watching it on MLB.tv late tonight.  I was told by a friend who had recreational rooting interest that he wasn’t hit particularly hard.  Handful of seeing eye singles, a misplayed ball into a triple, and an excuse me check swing bloop hit driving in a run.  If that’s the case, I’m all the less worried about this clunker.  Of course, I’d like to see it for myself.

Josh Shepardson
11 years ago

@ Jeffrey

Thanks!  With all the linking I did, and the length of the article, I’m sure a few readers had to check the author and make sure it wasn’t you.  It took quite some time last night/this morning to put together, but I simply couldn’t talk myself into cutting anyone from the article.

Drew
11 years ago

Oh man that Hochevar start was bad.  I saw this article and a guy on Fangraphs recommend him so I thought it’d be a pretty savvy pick up.  Then I got a terrible text during a meeting telling me of the first inning.  Josh, I’ll be interested to hear what you think about the start if you watch it tonight.  I dropped Hochevar, but I’m sure he’ll be available to pick up if I need to.

Josh Shepardson
11 years ago

@ Drew,

Just got done watching his start.  I’m not scout, but here are my thoughts:

-He struggled to locate early.  The first hit was on a fastball that got too much plate.  Brantley looped one into right field. 

-Left a pitch up to Cabrera who roped a line drive double.

– Choo’s hit that drove in two probably should have resulted in an out.  It was a seeing eye single that Yuniesky Betancourt didn’t get to.  It wasn’t an easy play, but I’d say an average defender at second probably makes the play.

– Choo was going on a 3-2 count and Santana swung through a pitch that was a bit outside, but close to the zone.

–  Worked a ground out to Hosmer on an 0-2 pitch.

–  And this is the turning point.  He got ahead 0-1 after Duncan fouled a ball off.  He went up the ladder, not by design, and Duncan took a defensive check swing that resulted in a bloop single and an RBI.

–  Casey Kotchman hit a soft line drive on an 0-2 pitch that was up, but didn’t get in enough.  Hung a breaking ball, on the previous pitch, that was supposed to be a waste pitch in the dirt.

–  And Kipnis at-bat was the straw that broke the camels back.  Kipnis lifts a ball to center field that should have been a can of corn.  Instead, Jarrod Dyson ran in circles and had it drop over his head.  Instead of the third out in the inning, it was a two run triple for Kipnis. 

–  Hochevar grooved a fastball down the heart of the plate, on the very next pitch, and Hannahan clubbed a line drive into center field.

– Brantley crushed a 1-1 pitch that nearly left the yard, resulting in a double.

– Hochevar popped Cabrera up, but at that point, the damage was done.

Hochevar actually settled in after that, and was on a bit of a roll when he recorded the final out of the fourth inning… on a line drive off his ankle that ricocheted to Hosmer at first base.  It sounds like the liner resulted in a bad bruise, but no broken bones.  Probably best to sit him during his next scheduled start, assuming he’s even ready to go.  That said, I’m not cutting bait yet.  It’s one bad start, his velocity was fine, and while he wasn’t sharp, he wasn’t nearly as bad as the box score would suggest.

carter
11 years ago

Nice Josh, we all appreciate the amount of players you highlighted. Whenever you can do a couple of players for deeper leagues it is very welcome, too. Thanks very much.