AL Player Spotlight - September 12, 2007

Lou Blasi

Sep 12, 2007

It is hard to imagine, given the 19 runs scored in game #1 of yesterday’s doubleheader … and the 25 hits … and the 35 players used … but the Rangers starting pitcher, Vicente Padilla pitched pretty well, tossing 6 shutout IP at the Tigers. He allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks with striking out 6 and he was awarded the win for his trouble, lowering his ERA to 5.70 in the process. Vicente had been trick or treat since his return on August 15^th (0 runs, 6 runs, 1 run, 6, 0 runs in his previous 5 starts) but he has now strung 12 shutout IP together over his last two starts. In those dozen IP he has allowed 5 hits and 5 walks (0.83 WHIP) while striking out 11 (8.2/9). He is aimed at the A’s next, who we pointed out in yesterday’s First Pitch have the second-worst home OBP in baseball.

Carlos Pena was 3- for -5 on Tuesday at Fenway, less than half and hour from where he grew up in Haverhill, Ma. Pena hit his 39^th homer of the year, and his 13^th in his last 22 games. His average is up to .279 on the year …or to be accurate, it is down to .279. Carlos has actually hit just .262 since the break but he has matched his great first half with 18 HRs (20 before the break in 28 more ABs), 54 RBI (52), a .609 SLG% (.609) and 1.007 OPS (1.004). He is taking more walks than ever this year (16.1%) but that is probably a newfound respect. Otherwise, his indicators are level with what we expect to see from Carlos. Even his 27.0% HR/FB is not much better than what we saw when he was with the Tigers in 2005 when he had a 24.7% HR/FB in 295 ABs. No, he cannot sustain it, but this is not a real outlier either. He has done this before. Carlo’s BHIP% is a level .300. When you look at the big picture, it is hard to poke holes in his performance this year.

J.D. Drew was 3- for -4 on Tuesday, hitting his first HR at Fenway since April. Everything looks pretty much like it should on Drew’s stat line this year. His 21.1% K rate and 14.1% BB rate are not too far off of his 21.6% and 14.3% career rates. His GB ratio of 1.23 is a bit higher than 1.19 career ratio, but it’s not worth noting. J.D.’s BHIP% sits at .307, which isn’t unfavorable even though it is lower than his .319 rate. The big difference in his SLG% (.383 this year, .497 career) can probably be found in his 5.6% HR/FB which is less than 25% of his rate in all but two of his last 6 seasons. I don’t know how you explain that. I do know what I see, and what I see with J.D. is a skilled hitter who is often fooled badly these days. I don’t know how to explain that either. I have to think it is focus and adjustment. We saw the AL make Josh Beckett look bad last year and there has to be some adjustment to baseball in the Northeast, but I think the health issues for J.D.’s son has to have a part in this. J.D. can hit. He’s a player. Perhaps a night like last night provides the spark for a run.

Phillip Hughes rode the Yankees offense to his third win of the year on Tuesday, holding the Jays to 2 runs, 1 earned in 6 IP. He allowed just 3 hits, but walked 3 and struck out just 1 in 106 pitches. He improves to 3-3 on the year and lowers his ERA to 4.91. He has now paired up two strong starts in a row. He held the M’s to 2 runs in 6 IP on 9/5, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks. He gets the O’s next in the Bronx again Daniel Cabrera. If wins score well in your league, this should be a good bet, but otherwise Phillips has been somewhat trick or treat lately.

Alex Gordon was 4- for -4 on Tuesday with a pair of doubles, giving him 33 on the year. His 14 HRs in 488 ABs may be a bit disappointing but those doubles give you an idea of the power lurking under the surface. Alex gets balls up in the air enough (0.8 GB ratio) and has suffered from an anemic 8.9% HR/FB. That will get better. His 25% K rate is still too high and his 6.9% BB rate is nearly half of his AA rate in 2006. Still, he has hit .296 since the break with a .528 SLG% without shaving that K rate too much (24.6% and his walk rate has actually declined to 5.0%!). This year has not been all you might have hoped for from Alex but his talent is undeniable. Hang on. There will be more nights like last night.

John Danks was hammered again on Tuesday, this time by the Tribe who got to him for 3 runs in 2.2 IP on 3 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 3. He is now winless in his last 9 starts, and since the break he is 1-7 in 10 starts with a 7.11 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. In the first half, he was 5-6, 4.62, 1.48. He will meet Gil Meche and the Royals on Tuesday but he is not fit for anyone’s lineup at this point.

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Rating: 2.8/5 (2132 votes cast)

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Sep 12, 2007

Lou Blasi @LouBlasi

One of the original Fantistics analysts, starting in 1999. Currently serves as top prospect scout, along with hosting The Fantistics Insider Baseball Show on SiriusXM.