Craig Kimbrel (RP--Braves) If I had to vote on a ROY today, my vote would go to Craig Kimbrel who continues to put together a dominant rookie year and is quickly establishing himself as a top-tier closer. Kimbrel collected his 38th save of the season on Friday and has nailed down his last twenty in a row. During that span he is a miniscule 0.29 ERA and for the season a terrific 1.75 ERA. He has struck out 96 in 61.6 innings and has been as reliable as they come of late having blown five earlier in the year. Fantasy owners who took a chance on Kimbrel have reaped big rewards from him this season and he will undoubtedly be one of the first closers off the board in next year's draft.
Bobby Parnell (RP--Mets) It was bound to happen and it seems to be finally heading in that direction. With Francisco Rodriguez shipped to Milwaukee, Jason Isringhausen has gotten the bulk of the save opportunities for the Mets. But Isringhausen is certainly not in the Mets' long-term plans (especially now that he got his 300th career save), but Bobby Parnell is. Manager Terry Collins has mentioned that the Mets will start to transition to Parnell as the closer indicating that that is his role to win or loss next spring. Parnell's season has been erratic as indicated by his 4.20 ERA. But there are indications that Parnell has pitched better than that with a K/9 of 11.07 and a FIP significantly lower than his ERA at 2.91. He's been hurt by an awful strand rate of 70% that should improve. With an electric fastball that reaches the upper 90's, Parnell's stock should be on the rise. With nothing on the line for the Mets this season, this is a great time to see what Parnell can do in preparation for next year. Owners should seize this opportunity to collect saves down the home stretch as Parnell seems to be the guy going forward and could have great value stock next season
Jaime Garcia (SP--Cardinals) Jaime Garcia battled against the Cubs on Friday and walked away with a no decision. He pitched 6.1 innings and allowed three earned runs. A little more concerning was the nine hits he gave up against one walk. After going 9-3 the first half of the season with a 3.22 ERA, Garcia has gone 1-3 in the second half with a 4.08 ERA going into Friday. This latest outing won't help that ERA. In fact in his last five starts Garcia has a bloated ERA of 5.40 with batters hitting about .350 off of him. It may be that Garcia is feeling some arm fatigue. Owners may want to consider sitting him for now until he shows some of the consistency he displayed in the first part of the season.
Jose Tabata (OF--Pirates) Big day for Jose Tabata as he signed a deal with the Pirates that will keep him under contract for six years. The deal is said to be guaranteed money of around $14.75 million but with team options that could extend to 2019, the total value could be worth around $37 million. It appears the Pirates are confident enough in Tabata to lock him up for this length and it may or may not be a prudent move. If Tabata continues to progress, this could be a great value for the Pirates. But if he falters, it could be a lengthy six years. Tabata has played in only 175 major league games and has a .285 average overall. This season he is batting .264 and has limited power with just four long balls. However, his speed (14 SB's) and decent OBP (.351) make him serviceable. This will be a contract that will be interesting to watch from year to year.
Kevin Correia (SP--Pirates) Having collected eleven wins in the first three months of the season, Kevin Correia appeared to be heading towards a big year. His wins were unlikely as well as his sub-4.00 ERA. Turns out there was a big market correction coming his way and since early July, he has only won one game. He was blasted by the Reds on Friday for six earned runs in six innings, allowing three home runs which now gives him 24 allowed this season in 154 innings pitched. Since his last win on July 3rd, Correia has three quality starts in eight outings but his ERA has ballooned from 3.74 to 4.79. Turning that span, he has posted an ERA of 7.68 ERA. Yes, the clock has struck midnight for Correia and he has turned back into that pumpkin-pitcher with the career 4.58 ERA, mediocre win/loss record (48-54)and mediocre strikeout rate (K/9-6.30).
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