Hiram Burgos - The Brewers recalled Hiram Burgos from AAA on Saturday to face the Cubs and the right hander allowed one ER on five hits over five innings to pick up the win. He struck out one and walked zero. Burgos pitched at three levels as a 24-year old in 2012, tossing 171 innings and owning a 1.95 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He struck out more than eight batters per game while limiting his walk rate to just 2.6. Burgos isn't a hard-thrower, but does have good command. With a few decent performances, Burgos could secure the fifth spot in the Brewers' rotation. If he does hang on to a rotation spot, Burgos could be an option in deep leagues, but he's unlikely to miss a lot of bats which limits his upside.
Anthony Rendon - The Nationals placed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL and called up star prospect Anthony Rendon to man the hot corner while his all-star counterpart heals up. Rendon was the Nationals' top pick (sixth overall) in the 2011 draft and is hitting .292/.462/.500 with 14 walks to go along with a .962 OPS at AA. In his first minor league season last year, Rendon started at Rookie ball and finished the season at AA, posting an overall season line of .233/.363/.489 with six HRs and 12 RBI in 43 games. He also posted a solid 23:29 walk-to-strikeout rate. For those in deep OBP leagues, Rendon could be especially valuable in the short term because he should be able to take a walk and provide power upside. However, keep in mind Davey Johnson said Rendon was only on the big league roster until Zimmerman returns from the DL. While he's only played in 57 professional games, Rendon played college ball and is considered one of the best prospects in baseball. If you have a roster spot, Rendon is worth consideration as a backup infielder.
Giancarlo Stanton - Giancarlo Stanton continued his early-season struggles by going 1-for-6 with a steal on Saturday against the Reds. For the season, Stanton is now batting .163/.208/.209 with 0 HRs, 1 run scored and 0 RBI. We knew the Marlins offense would suppress Stanton's counting stats this season, but nobody thought it'd be this severe. He simply has no protection and seems to be pressing. Stanton's walk rate is up from 9% in 2012 to 17% in 2013, while his ISO has crashed from .318 to .054. He's experienced a 13% drop in his LD rate (from 22% to 9%) and he's swinging at just 49% of pitches in the strike zone (compared to 66% in 2012). On the pitches Stanton does swing at inside the strike zone, he's upped his contact rate by 13% to 96%. But that increased contact hasn't produced good results. Teams will continue to avoid pitching to Stanton, so he's going to have to learn how to drive the baseball when he gets those precious opportunities. Right now, all signs point toward a player who is trying to do too much. He can be benched until things turn around.
Gio Gonzalez - Gio Gonzalez looked strong through the first three innings of Saturday's tilt against the Mets before the wheels fell off in a five-run 4th inning. The lefty struggled with control by walking four batters and gave up five hits. Gonzalez is off to a rough start in 2013 as he owns a 5.85 ERA through 20 innings. Part of the issue is control as Gonzalez has an ugly 4.95 BB/9, while he's also throwing the ball slower than last season. After averaging 93.1 mph on his fastball in 2012, Gonzalez is down to 91.7 mph this season. Gonzalez's HR/FB rate is also at 14% after being below 9% for the past three seasons. While I'm encouraged that his xFIP is still a respectable 3.69, it's hard to have confidence in a guy who is struggling with control, velocity and HRs. Until Gonzalez can improve in those areas, he remains a risky play, especially in his next outing against Cincinnati.
Shin-Coo Choo - Shin-Soo Choo had a big game on Saturday against the Marlins by walking three times, collecting three hits and stealing a base in a 3-2 win for the Reds. Choo is off to an excellent start this season by hitting .364/.494/.606 with a .242 ISO through 17 games. He's walking at a 12% clip while also boosting his OBP with seven HBPs. However, Choo is likely to regress soon as he's enjoying a .447 BABIP despite a .21% LD rate, which is 2% lower than his 2012 mark. In the long run, Choo is a solid outfield option because he fills in all the standard offensive categories while not excelling in any particular one. As the leadoff hitter for a good offense, Choo has already scored 15 runs and should eclipse 90 runs by season's end. He'll hit 15-20 HRs, steal the same number of bases and likely bat around .280 with a .360 OBP. If an owner in your league thinks Choo's worth more than those numbers, you should sell high before he slows down.
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