A small sampling of today's player notes available to subscribers:
Chase Anderson (SP-ARI) - Anderson was respectable again on Thursday, holding the Brewers to three runs (two earned) over six innings, lowering his ERA to 3.18 in seven starts covering 39.2 innings. With a 30:11 K:BB and six home runs allowed, Anderson has the look of being vulnerable to an ugly outing or two, but he's had just one this year, allowing two or fewer earned runs in six of those seven starts. Anderson has shown excellent control in the minors, as evidenced by this year's 1.4 BB/9 for Triple-A Reno. With the Diamondbacks, it sits at a still-solid 2.5, and though he averages just 90.8 mph with his fastball, Anderson can have some success if he's locating well. Given the six HR's allowed already, that has been an issue at times.
Todd Frazier (3B-CIN) - Frazier was 3-for-5 Thursday, raising his slash line to a solid .279/.349/.517. With Billy Hamilton showing signs of improvement in the leadoff spot and Joey Votto back healthy in the three-hole, Frazier is in a good spot as the team's #2 hitter. He's been a fantasy monster so far, as with 16 homers and seven steals, Frazier could conceivably hit 30-35 home runs and steal 15+ bases. He probably doesn't make enough contact to threaten much more than a .280 BA, but the power and speed combination has him looking like a top-five fantasy third baseman.
Startling Marte (OF-PIT) - Marte has had a tough season, as after going 1-for-5 with a walk on Thursday, he's hitting just .262/.329/.392. That said, June is trending up for Marte, as he's batting .317 for the month and his five walks are already as many as he drew in May. Marte has still been a solid fantasy contributor with 17 steals, and after hitting down in the lineup for a bit, he's been elevated to the two spot in the order between red-hot rookie Gregory Polanco and reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen. There are worse spots to hit in. Marte has improved his BB% over last year from 4.4% to a still-low 6.4%, but it's still improvement, and since Polanco was called up, Marte is batting .419.
Jeff Locke (SP-PIT) - Last year, Locke was 8-2 with a 2.15 ERA half way through the season with an All-Star berth under his belt. Then in the second half over 12 starts, Locke crashed, posting a 6.15 ERA. The first half was pretty obviously a mirage, as his BABIP was in the .230 range and his ratios did nothing to support a low ERA - 6.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9. Locke opened this year on the DL due to an oblique injury, then returning to post a rocky start against the Giants in May, and then uninspiring Triple-A numbers: 4.14 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 4.6 BB/9. Still, Locke got the call back to the big club this month, and after holding the Reds to two runs over six innings on Thursday, Locke now has a 2.14 ERA and 14:2 K:BB in 21 innings covering three starts since being called back up. We've seen this before, so if you're counting on Locke to continue this level of success, you're going to be in trouble.
Francisco Rodriguez (RP-MIL) - After allowing runs in two of his previous three appearances, including five hits and a walk, Rodriguez notched his 23rd save in 25 chances Thursday against Arizona. He's certainly aged well, with a 2.23 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a strong 40:9 K:BB in 36.1 innings. In particular, the 2.2 BB/9 would be by far Rodriguez's best mark of his career, with last year's 2.7 being his best so far. He's typically in the 88-92 mph range with his fastball, but location, location, location, particularly with his slider and change have allowed Rodriguez to evolve in a way similar to how Trevor Hoffman got by later in his career. We'll likely see Rodriguez in this year's All-Star game.
