Chase Anderson, Arizona Diamondbacks - Anderson picked up his fourth win in four starts Tuesday with six innings while allowing just one run via the solo homer. Anderson fits into the same category as Scott Carroll of the White Sox as his success is likely to run dry soon. He does not strikeout very many hitters at just over five per nine and is not a groundball pitcher (35.7% GB Rate), which does not make for a very good combination. While his ERA sits at a very nice 3.32, his FIP is 5.01 meaning that regression is going to come hard and soon. His BABIP is very low at .250, and over time it is likely to creep up into the high .290's-.300's like it sat through most of the minors. His next start comes against a Braves offense that has started to heat up lately, so I'd sell high on Anderson or don't even worry about picking him up at all.
Zack Wheeler, New York Mets - Wheeler threw a gem Tuesday and left the game after 6.2 innings in line for the win, but his bullpen blew the lead late and he was left empty handed. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven while lowering his FIP to 3.36. Wheeler has been much better than his 2-5 record, which shows more about the state of the Mets than how Wheeler has performed. He's still been a solid source for strikeouts with just under nine per nine innings but has had a few control issues, walking 3.76 per nine. He has already eclipsed his fWAR from last season where he went 7-5 thanks to better numbers all across the board. This start made it three straight that the second year pitcher has gone 6+ with two or less earned runs, so it seems like Wheeler is settling in and making some real strides. His win totals are going to be low all season, but he can still be a very solid pitcher for owners in 2014.
Eddie Butler, Colorado Rockies - Eddie Butler is getting the call to the majors to join the rotation as Franklin Morales is being moved to the bullpen. It's that time of the season where the "Super 2" deadline has passed and we see a lot of upper echelon minor league talent get moved to the big leagues. Butler entered 2014 as Baseball America's number 24 prospect after a dominant 2013 that saw him 9-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 149 innings. His GB% over his minor league career is around the 50% mark, which he will need to continue if he wants to carry his success into the launching pad that is Coors Field. He's a definite add being the first top pitching prospect to get the call to the majors, with his high strikeout total through the minors being very valuable to owners. A first start at home against the Dodgers isn't the best scenario for a debut though.
Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals - Zimmerman was at the top of his game Tuesday, picking up the win while throwing eight shutout innings. He recorded four strikeouts and shaved nearly half a run off of his ERA, lowering it from just over 4.00 to 3.59. His FIP also lowered to 3.19, which is good for a top 30 spot in the league. Zimmerman is an excellent candidate to try and acquire, as all of his peripherals line up well (Besides a very high BABIP of .349) with his 2013 season where he won 19 games. Besides his rookie season in 2009, Zimmerman has never had a BABIP over .300, so he is an excellent candidate to bring that .349 down by a significant amount which will lead him to even more success. Expect more of the same out of him in his next start against the Padres.
Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals - Wong's first major league homer was a grand slam off James Shields in the first inning of Tuesday's contest. He now has 15 RBI on the year and a +wRC of 91, which would put in him the top 15 of second baseman if he had enough at bats. Since being recalled from AAA, Wong is hitting .326 with a .407 OBP and four steals. Wong has shown decent power numbers for the position in the minors, posting 9 and 10 homers in AA and AAA respectively but he has yet to bring that power to the majors. His ISO in AA was relatively low at .119 while in AAA is was much better at .163. For comparison purposes, his AAA would have ranked him in the top ten among second basemen in 2013 with at least 400 at bats.
Josh Sperry - @jsperry1991
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