Daniel Nava- BOS- Cold- Jackie Bradley, Jr. might not be tearing things up for the Red Sox but Nava's performance at AAA Pawtucket recently hasn't warranted serious contemplation of making a switch between the majors and minors. He went 1-for-3 against Toledo last night with a walk and no strikeouts. Nava has struck out 15 times in 49 plate appearances, including 8 times in his last 20. He has gotten the luck he didn't have in Boston (with a .364 BABIP heading into last night's game.) However, the strikeout rate has held his average down to .268. He has ot get the K rate back under control before he can hope to have the impact he did last year.
Carlos Beltran- NYA- Stats- Beltran's Batting EYE of .38 is slightly lower than his mark of .42 last year. That is due to a minor increase in his K rate from 15.0% to 16.5%. Beltran's BB% is identical at 6.3%. His ISO has increased a bit from .195 to .207. The main part of his performance that has slid is his average, down to .241 from .296. This is due to a drop in BABIP from .314 to .250. Regression to the mean will help him.
Chris Iannetta- LAA- Idea- Iannetta has maintained his ability to get on base, even while his average has sunk to .214. He has actually drawn more walks (16) than he has base hits (15.) In leagues that count OBP, Iannetta's .364 mark has value. Given his current BABIP is only at .250, his average has room to increase as regression to the mean kicks in. If your league counts OBP, Iannetta could be a cheap addition at the catcher position.
Derek Norris- OAK- Hot- There have been rumblings about Norris deserving more than platoon playing time given his excellent start to the season. However, he is enjoying a .421 BABIP, which is in large part responsible for his .377 average. While Norris is very lucky against lefties, with a .400 BABIP, it is even pronounced against right-handers at .444. If he was given more playing time, particularly against righties, regression to the mean would start kicking in hard. If the A's start playing him more, don't think that will increase his value.
David Price- TB- Caution- Price has thrown more than 110 pitches three times this season. He has failed to record a quality start in his following appearance all three times. While Price has been unlucky this season (3.51 FIP compared to 4.53 ERA) and his K/9 rate is up to 9.73 there are some concerns. His HR/9 ratio is almost double what it was last year. Price has lost more velocity. His usage is also a concern. After only having 5 high-pitch games in 2013 he is more than halfway to that point barely a month into the season. There is definite risk present.
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