Eric Hosmer- KC- Hot- Hosmer hit 2 homers last night, his first multi-homer game in the big leagues. He has had a solid rookie season, batting .278 with 14 homers since being called up in May. Hosmer still needs to work on facing lefthanders, as he has a .220 average against them while hitting .301 against right-handers. He also needs to be more patient at the plate. His Batting EYE of .47 is below his performance in the minors. Hosmer is only 21 years old so maturity will only improve him.
Austin Jackson- DET- Hot- Jackson went 4-for-4 with 3 runs and a steal, falling a homer short of the cycle. He is 7-for-14 in his last 3 games. Jackson hasn't enjoyed the extraordinary luck he did in 2010 (.396 BABIP) so his average has sunk from .293 last year to .249 with a still high .332 BABIP. While his walk rate has increased over last year, Jackson's 25.3% K% is slightly higher than his rookie season. That is killing his OBP and leading to fewer steals than he could be accumulating. There are many outfielders who can offer you more as you look towards 2012.
Kyle Farnsworth- TB- Hot- Farnsworth pitched for the first time since August 23rd and picked up his 22nd save of the season. He was a little rusty after missing a few games due to elbow soreness, allowing a run on 3 hits while registering 1 strikeout in the 9th. Keep a watch on him to make sure the elbow isn't still acting up.
Alexi Ogando- TEX- Cold- Ogando had another short, poor outing, failing to get out of the 3rd inning for the second time in 5 starts. He started off hot, striking out 3 of the first 4 batters he faced, but then got wild, walking 2 and hitting another. Only 32 of his 54 pitches were strikes. Fatigue seems to be affecting his control and some regression to the mean could also be kicking in. Ogando's .375 BABIP in August has only raised his season mark to .269 so there is still room for bad luck to impact him negatively. Ogando is not prime starter material any more.
Jake Peavy- CHA- Cold- Peavy was hit early and often yesterday, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits in the first inning. He settled down after that, giving up no more runs and just 2 more hits before being lifted after a total of 5 IP. Peavy registered 4 Ks and banished the control issues that had beset him in his previous 2 starts by walking no one. Peavy is wildly inconsistent. He could still be working through the after effects of last year's surgery and so the flashes of brilliance could become clearer and more frequent in 2012. Peavy has potential to be a solid starter again. If he is available at low risk he should be on your radar.
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