Geovany Soto (Catcher - Cubs) - Soto "broke out" of his slump to begin the 2010 season with his first HR of the year. It also was just his 3rd hit of the year, hitting just .176 through 17 AB. While its looking more like the Soto of 2009 is showing up again rather than 2008, I'm fairly encouraged by Soto's decent walk rate. He already has 5 BB on the season including two multi-walk games, bringing his OBP to .364 despite a horrid average. Try to stay patient with Soto for at least the first few weeks of the season. Its still just too early to tell.
Alcides Escobar (SS - Brewers) - Escobar had quite the day yesterday, going 3-for-4 with a triple and a RBI. It was his 2nd multi-hit game of the season, bringing his average to .286 through the first week and a half. While the 23-year old is doing a decent job at the plate to start the season, he has yet to swipe a base (or attempt a SB for that matter). Speed is the main reason he was drafted in mixed leagues and without it, his value greatly diminishes. We have him forecasted for 28 steals, but low walk rates (only 2 BB to 3 K's already this year) may make for a streaky SB yield.
Tommy Hanson (SP - Braves) - Hanson fanned 7 for his second straight start, giving him 14 K's on the season and a K/9 of 11.1. Obviously this rate won't hold, but its a great sign that he has picked up where he left off after a stellar rookie season. In 2009, his K/9 was 8.2 with a K/BB of 2.52. One area to watch is his GO/AO rates. Last year, he posted a 0.70 with a 0.70 HR/9 (simply a coincidence that its the same). But he has already allowed 2 HR this year for a HR/9 of 1.59 with a GO/AO of 0.44 (7 GO, 16 AO). I'm not too concerned yet, as two starts are hardly a significant sample size, but it is an interesting trend to watch over the first month or two of the year.
Leo Nunez (RP - Marlins) - Burke Badenhop may have gotten the save opportunity in Florida yesterday, but that's simply because Nunez had pitched in three straight games. Nunez is the guy. The 26 year old has already hurled 5.1 IP this season in 5 appearances, going 2-for-3 in save opportunities with no earned runs, just 1 hit, and 5 K's. He's been wild at times, leading to 4 BB's, but is the clear-cut #1 guy down in Florida and a very serviceable #2 closer in mixed leagues. If you've ever seen him, he's got some nasty stuff and seems to have the right mentality for the 9th. Afterall, he worked through plenty of ups-and-downs last year to give him the experience to be the main guy for 2010. Last year he successfully converted 26 saves, recorded 7 blown saves, and 14 holds as a middle reliever.
David Wright (3B - Mets) - One of the big fantasy questions heading into 2010 was David Wright's power. Did Citi Field zap it last season or was it just an "off-year" for the all-star third baesman? Dating back to 2004, Wright posted HR/AB of 18.8, 21.3, 22.4, 20.1, and 19.0. That takes you through 2008. Last year, his famous 10 HR year yielded a HR rate of 53.5. Obviously an anomaly given the 5-year consistent track record of about 20.0. So far this year, he's off the charts at 8.7. Its too early to tell if he's back to his old self, but this is certainly a good sign. Two of the three of his HR have come on the road, so we will need to revisit his home/away split in a couple of months to see if there is a Citi Field effect on his power numbers.
Follow me on Twitter all season @jribando.
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 http://www.fantistics.com/baseball00/clicking here . Not a member? Join today.
