Jed Lowrie – Lowrie was probably Boston’s MVP last night. He drove in their first 2 runs and also scored their third run. Lowrie finished the night 2-2 with 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, and a walk. Both of his hits were doubles, to help Lowrie raise his batting average to .282. Lowrie is having a good season for Boston, gaining 249 plate appearances as a result of various injuries to the Boston infield. Lowrie does not make enough contact (75.6%), but he still has a decent EYE (.61) for a player in his first season. Lowrie was able to obtain hat EYE with a very solid BB rate of 12.6%; now, he just needs to cut down on the strikeouts. Next season, if Lowrie wins the starting SS job, he could be a very good value pick, even in mixed leagues. His .241 singles average suggests that Lowrie got a bit unlucky, especially when considering he had a very good LD% of 24.7%. But not only should we see a higher batting average next season (around .290), we could see more power. 27 of 59 (46%) of Lowrie’s hits went for extra bases, and he stroked 22 doubles in just 209 at bats! There’s a good chance that some of those doubles translate into HR for Lowrie, and he should hit between 10-15 HR’s.
Gil Meche – Although he earned the loss and gave up 6 runs over 5 IP last night, Meche actually continued to pitch at the high level he has been for the past two months. He got a bit unlucky with balls in play last night, with 7 of the 10 hits he gave up going for singles. Meche struck out 7 batters, while walking just one. Since July 18th, Meche has 77 K’s in 71 IP and just 23 walks. That is good for a k rate of 1.08. This is a very good sign for Meche heading into next season. If he is able to be maintain that high k rate into next season, Meche will see his ERA drop well below 4 (it is 4.14 this season).
Mike Napoli – Napoli stroked a dramatic 2-run walk off HR in the bottom of the 9th innings to give the Angels a victory last night. It was his 16th HR of the season. Napoli has always flashed some power, but I was surprised to see just how powerful he has been this season. Napoli has averaged a HR every 12.19 at bats, putting him on pace for 30+ over a 500 at bat season. Napoli’s raw power is seen in his HR/FB%, which is consistently high (career mark of 17.4%). Combine this with the fact that Napoli hits primarily fly balls (55.5% of the time this season) and that is why Napoli has such a high HR rate. If only Napoli could hit for a little bit of average, he could be a starting catcher and develop into a fantasy stud. However, that is unlikely to happen.
Joe Saunders – I am not a big believer in Saunders. He had a nice outing last night, but on the whole his resume remains unimpressive, despite a 15-7 record, could really be a bust in fantasy drafts next year, especially for those of you who think he will build on the success he experienced this year. The problem is that most of Saunders success this season can be attributed to luck, not his actual skill. He has a sub par K rate (.486) and a below average k/b ratio (1.80). This type of skill set leaves Saunders vulnerable, especially for a pitcher who has logged as many innings as he has (185). Yet, Saunders has managed to post a 3.65 ERA. That is mainly due, though, to the fact that Saunders has posted a very low BABIP of .268 as well as a high LOB% of 74.4%. Those numbers will be impossible for Saunders to replicate, in particular because he has such a low K rate, which will lead to a hefty rise in his ERA and WHIP next season.
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