Tim Lincecum- SF- FYI- I'm not sure what the writer on the Giants' official site was looking at, but Lincecum doesn't have a 3-game winning streak. He has won twice in his last 3 starts, with a no decision mixed in, but lost the start before that. Lincecum does have 3 straight quality starts but he has been very wild, walking 14 in 18.2 IP. A LOB% of 88.2% over those 3 starts is mostly responsible for allowing them to be of the quality variety. Lincecum's 5.08 FIP during that stretch is an indication that he isn't really pitching much better than he has the rest of the year. That isn't a good sign heading into 2013.
Matt Kemp- LAN- Cold- Regression to the mean has given Kemp a gut punch. He is 4-for-32 this month, largely due to a BABIP that was .150 before yesterday's 0-for-3 performance. His season mark was still at .365 even with that dip this month. Kemp has had his LD% drop from 23.2% last year to 21.4% this year so that high of a BABIP was extreme. There is still room for negative regression over the final weeks of the season and lingering shoulder injury may also decrease his production.
Chase Utley- PHI- FYI- If the Phillies haven't tried Utley at 3B yet, with Kevin Frandsen out, the odds that they are going to do it this year are getting slimmer. However, manager Charlie Manuel is giving strong hints that Utley will see time there next season. If Fantistics' Drew Dinkmeyer is right (and he usually is) that Utley's performance is getting back to his peak levels, more position versatility will increase his fantasy value in 2013.
Erik Kratz- PHI- Drop Value- With Carlos Ruiz back from injury, Kratz will see his playing time diminish. His value was declining as his sample size got bigger, anyway. In his last 17 games he has gone 13-for-60 with 2 homers and only 1 walk while striking out 15 times. Not many 32-year-old rookies can sustain solid production for long or they wouldn't be rookies. Kratz got to provide value to a major league team for a period of time, which is a lot more than most pro ball players can say.
Yasmani Grandal- SD- Stats- Grandal's overall numbers are solid but he is astounding when he is away from Petco Park. He has 84 PAs both at home and away this year but on the road he has a .324 average with 5 homers, 16 runs, 15 RBI, 11 walks and 10 Ks. At home he has a .222 average with 2 homers, 9 runs, 13 RBI, 12 walks and 20 Ks. It will bear watching in 2013 how much difference there is in Grandal's splits and how much playing in Petco drags him down. He may end up as an awesome part time catcher if you have someone who can play when Grandal is at home.
Follow me on Twitter all season - @fantisticspaul
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