Ricky Nolasco (SP—Marlins) Ricky Nolasco finished off the 2009 season with his most impressive game of the year, fanning 16 batters in 7.2 innings and flirted with the record for consecutive strikeouts. Despite Nolasco falling 1 strikeout shy of Tom Seaver’s record of 10, Nolasco needs to be on your list of pitchers to grab for next year. Forget about the 5.06 ERA. What you need to look at is his K/9 which after tonight’s performance finishes at 9.49. But also look at his ERC of 3.67 and his FIP of 3.27 which are significantly below his ERA. These are important numbers that would indicate that Nolasco pitched far better than his ERA would indicate and would make him a prime candidate for a big year next season.
Charlie Morton (RP—Pirates) Charlie Morton pitched his first complete game shutout of his career on Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing just 4 hits, 3 walks and striking out a career high 8 batters. It was a performance like this that the Pirates were hoping for when they traded for Morton in the controversial Nate McLouth deal. But at 25, this may provide Morton with the confidence to excel and build upon in the off season. Interspersed with some very poor outings, Morton has shown some very solid potential and if he is able to pitch as he did in AAA in 2008 (ERA 2.05) and 2009 (ERA 2.26), the Pirates side of the trade may turn out OK. But for now keep Morton on the backburner and hold off on drafting him next year as he will still need more maturity and experience to establish him as a solid contributor.
Tom Gorzelanny (SP—Cubs) The acquisition of Tom Gorzelanny by the Cubs is an interesting one that could really pay dividends next year for the Cubs. Shuffling between the bullpen and rotation, Gorzelanny has done very nicely as a starter compared to his time with the Cubs working out of the bullpen. As a starter, Gorzelanny has a 4.08 ERA which by itself is not all that impressive. But he has had impressive strikeout numbers with 33 K’s in 28.2 innings while only walking 9. Looking at his ERC which would indicate how he has pitched not accounting for ER given up would indicate that Gorzelanny has done far superior than his 4.08 ERA with a 3.30 ERC. His FIP is at 3.77, so Gorzelanny might be someone to keep an eye on for 2010 as he turns 27. He could be an excellent sleeper that could surprise next season.
Justin Upton (OF—Diamondbacks) At just 22, Justin Upton looks to be a superstar on the rise. He has not only hit for average (.306), power (26 home runs and a .546 SLG) but also has speed to top things off (20 SB’s). Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks there season was an unimpressive one which has hurt Upton’s recognition for his accomplishments this year. But this can work to your advantage next year as Upton may be overlooked but should continue to improve. He still strikeouts out too much at 22.6% but this represents an improvement over last year by more than 6%. Additionally, his CT% has improved by 5% over 2008 which has helped to elevate his batting average. But it’s Upton’s OPS of .920 which is hard to ignore making him 10th in the NL in that category. With a strong combination of SLG and OBP, Upton should be a player on the top of many fantasy owners list next year.
Troy Tulowitzki (SS—Rockies) OK, forget Jimmy Rollins. Forget Jose Reyes. Forget Hanley Rami…uh, actually don’t forget him. But you can forget many other shortstops and put Troy Tulowitzki near the top of the list of all shortstops. Tulowitzki has had a terrific year with 30 home runs and a 293 BA. He looks every bit deserving of his ROY award in 2007 and at 25 is primed and ready to be one of the best shortstops in baseball. With a strong combination of power and speed (19 SB), Tulowitzki also demonstrates a good knowledge of the strike zone with an EYE of 0.64. With an OPS of .914, this puts Tulowitzki in rare company along with that Hanley guy as one of the best at his position. Look for a strong post season from Tulo that will raise eyebrows and make him a hot commodity in 2010.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
