Corey Luebke SP (SD) - Luebke's transition from reliever to start has been a great success thus far as he did not allow a run for the second consecutive start. His final line against the Mariners: 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 7 K, 0 BB. Luebke certainly has skills: a 10.02 K/9, 2.88 K/BB ratio and 45.4 GB% has left him with a 2.17 FIP prior to last night. The biggest positive to take out of Luebke's first ever major league starts is that it hasn't affected his dominance. In these past 2 starts, Luebke has struck out 13 batters in just 11 IP. I'm not sure how long it will continue, but Luebke is worth a spec add in all leagues, especially since San Diego pitchers are so easy to play matchups with thanks to their easy schedule and the pitcher's paradise that is better known as Petco Park.
Ryan Zimmerman 3B (WAS) - Now might be the time to buy low on Zimmerman. Due to injury, he has barely over 100 plate appearances and his poor batting line (BA/OBP/SLG of .235/.309/.388) is just a result of the small sample size in my opinion. Frankly, the 26 YO is extremely talented and entered the year with some very positive signs. For one, his EYE from 2008-2010 displays an upward trend: .44/.61/.70. Also, after posting consistently mediocre HR/FB%'s (11.4/11.4/11.5 from '06-'08), Zimmerman bumped that number up to 15.9 and 14.0 the past two seasons. Zimmerman also posted the two best FB%'s of his career during those years. Put it all together; growing patience at the plate, raw power and loft; and you have an emerging power hitter entering his peak years.
Barry ZIto SP (SF) - Stick a fork in Zito; he's done. I don't care that he won last night and didn't allow a run over 6 IP or that he has now won 2 in a row since rejoining the rotation. I care that he only struck out 1 batter over 6 IP, and in his two past victories he has walked just as many batters as he has struck out. The bottom line is that Zito is a pitch to contact guy now (4.05 K/9) who demonstrates poor control (4.50 BB/9) and can't keep the ball on the ground (34.4 GB%). So, it's no surprise that Zito entered last night's start with an ERA, FIP and xFIP all near 5, which is really bad in this day and age.
Craig Kimbrel RP (ATL) - Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth yesterday to close out a 1-run ballgame for the Braves and earn his 24th save of the season. Kimbrel has been really good lately and is emerging as one of the game's best closers. He is flat out dominant t. He is striking out 14.27 batters per 9 which is beyond elite, and he has shown just enough control to preserve a tantalizing 3.61 K/BB ratio. Kimbrel has also improved his GB from last season, up from 28.1% to 43.4%. The upward shift in GB rate takes Kimbrel from being extremely FB risky to neutral. As a result, he sports a phenomenal 1.48 ERA and is showing no signs of slowing down. At this point, the only thing that may prevent Kimbrel from having a top 5 closer season is his heavy workload.
Chris Iannetta C (COL) - Iannetta saw a nice little boost to his batting average, up to .228, after a 3-3 game yesterday. Iannetta is one of those players that makes for a much better real life player than fantasy player. He'll always have a low batting average, and his counting stats are kept down by his low spot in the lineup. In OPS leagues, Iannetta has much more value as a studly 19.5 BB% and very good ISO of .211 surprisingly leave him as the 3rd best catcher (minimum of 200 plate appearances - 19 catchers qualify) in all of MLB in terms of OPS.
