Anthony Reyes:
Reyes was sent down to AAA on Sunday in what was likely a move to protect the young man's confidence. Reyes' last start resulted in his 8th loss of the season, the 0-8 record marks the worst record in the league, but it's not indicative of how he was pitching. Reyes had actually improved his BB Rate this season and saw his actual ERA nearly a run and a half higher than his Expected ERA due to a .52 Strand Rate that is beyond comprehensible. He was possibly the least lucky pitcher in the entire big leagues and probably didn't deserve the demotion, but Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan have never been known for handling youngsters well. In dynasty leagues, I think this would be a nice time to buy low on Reyes, who is showing the type of progress you want to see in a young SP, don't get fooled by the ERA and Record.
Jorge Sosa:
Sosa's 2nd start of the week went a lot smoother than the first. Sosa picked up his 4th win of the season already in just 5 starts (must be nice pitching for the Mets offense) surrendering 2 ER's in his 5 2/3 innings against the Marlins on Sunday. Sosa only walked 1 and allowed 5 hits, while striking out 2. Sosa's an interesting bird and one that garners a lot of love in some fantasy circles as the 13-3 with a 2.55 ERA 2005 campaign isn't far off the minds of fantasy owners. Of course many fantasy owners don't easily forget the 3-11 with a 5.42 ERA by Sosa last season, so which one is he? Sosa's K and BB Rates have been consistent each of the last 3 seasons despite the performance being so volatile and the main reason Sosa had so much success in '05 was a greatly reduced HR Rate and an especially high Strand Rate. In '06 the HR rate went the complete opposite direction while the Strand Rate came back to normal levels and the result was an ugly 3 run increase in ERA. This season Sosa's HR Rate has been reduced significantly and the Strand Rate is in the normal range, but his BHIP% has been an absurdly low .182. Sosa offers some value as a member of the Mets rotation because of the W potential he offers along with some above average K Rates, but he's due for a bit of a rebound in his numbers because of the good luck he's had. Right now I'd call him a solid back end of the rotation starter in mixed leagues who should be reserved against more patient offenses or in small ballparks (because of his fly ball tendencies) and a mid-rotation starter in NL leagues.
Adam Wainwright:
Sunday marked the 2nd consecutive encouraging start out of Wainwright who now has a 12:1 K:BB ratio over his last 12 1/3 innings. During this timeframe Wainwright's only allowed 1 HR and in his last 6 starts has only allowed that 1 HR. Wainwright's overall numbers still aren't pretty but he's 3 out of his last 5 in quality starts and the increased K Rate over the last two starts is a real solid indicator that he could be on the verge of turning it around. Wainwright's value will be limited because of the anemic Cardinals offense that will have a tough time providing run support, but Wainwright has likely been dropped in many leagues or has fallen out of favor with his owner, so he'll come with limited downside right now. His next start will be at Houston and should be another favorable matchup against a struggling Houston offense. If Wainwright posts another quality start with 6+ K's he'll deserve some serious attention going forward even in traditional mixed formats.
Jeff Suppan:
Heading into yesterday's start, the one major improvement Jeff Suppan had made this year since joining Milwaukee was the significantly improved Walk Rate. Of course then Suppan went out and walked 6 batters in 6 innings to bring the Walk Rate right back in line with his last 3 seasons. Suppan's about as consistent as they come and his early season success provides his owners with a slight opportunity to sell high. However most understand Suppan's value pretty well as a spot starting option in traditional mixed leagues and a solid back of the rotation starter in deeper leagues that will finish with a high 3's, low 4's ERA with 110-120 K's, a 1.35-1.40 WHIP, and 13-16 wins. Expect a bit of regression in Suppan's ERA going forward as he's been a bit fortunate with his Strand Rate, but he'll still be a useful spot-starting option pitching behind a strong Brewers team.
Chris Iannetta:
Iannetta went 2-4 on Sunday with 2 more RBI's and is slowly starting to turn it on offensively. Iannetta was a popular sleeper coming into the season but seemed to fall the way of the Colorado rookie Catcher curse as he slumped early on. Now with Torrealba struggling as well it looks like Iannetta is reclaiming the majority of the playing time. He's hit at EVERY level he's played at posting OPS' above .950 at both AA and AAA levels. It takes catchers some time to put things together but Iannetta is a legit catching prospect who has the ability to hit and I think he'll eventually get it together. In deeper leagues if he's still available and your catching slot is thin, I'd role the dice while in more traditional mixed leagues its time to add Iannetta to your watch list.
