Tanner Roark (SP-WAS). Roark picked up a win against the Braves on Sunday afternoon, although he lasted only 5.1 innings in the effort. Roark gave up only 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3, dropping his ERA for the season to 2.79. Roark has been somewhat lucky this year, as he has benefited from a .269 BABIP and a 79.4% strand rate. While his numbers are solid, some regression should be expected, as evidenced by his 3.38 ERA and 3.83 xFIP. Roark is a solid NL-only option, but his mediocre strikeout ability (19.3 K%, which is not likely ot improve and might even regress, given Roark's 7.8% swinging strike rate) limits his usefulness in standard mixed leagues.
Anthony DeSclafani (SP-MIA). DeSclafani got rocked by the Mets on Sunday afternoon, lasting only 3.2 innings while giving up seven runs on 7 hits and 2 BBs. There was not even a silver lining for his owners on the strikeout front, as he managed only one K. The youngster now has a 7.59 ERA on the season. DeSclafani is not this bad, as his numbers have been inflated by some extreme bad luck, with a 53.0% strand rate. As that rate normalizes, his ERA should come down to something closer to his 4.52 xFIP. Although he should be due for some positive regression, DeSclafani is not a recommended add, except in perhaps the deepest of NL only leagues. His peripherals simply do not indicate that he will be able to make a positive fantasy contribution in 2014. DiSclafani's 18.4% K rate and 26.8% GB rate demonstrate that he does not possess the requisite dominance to be a fantasy asset.
Jon Niese (SP-NYN). Niese picked up his 4th win of the season against the Marlins Sunday afternoon, tossing 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4. Niese's ERA now stands at 2.78 for the year. Niese owners have certainly gotten their money's worth, given that he likely went undrafted in many leagues. However, he is unlikely to maintain his current level of performance. He is benefiting from a .276 BABIP and a 77.4% strand rate and regression is inevitable, as indicated by his 3.49 FIP and 3.78 xFIP. I am extremely concerned about Niese's ability to maintain his performance, as he has suffered from a 1 MPH drop in FB velo from 2013 (to 89.0 MPH) and his current 5.9% swinging strike rate is almost 2 % below his career rate. While I would ordinarily recommend putting out trade feelers to see what I could get for Niese, his performance the past few years means he probably wouldn't draw much of a return. Niese owners should probably just ride out the current hot streak, but also be prepared with a replacement when regression inevitably takes place.
Mike Bolsinger (SP-ARZ). Bolsinger was outstanding in a losing effort against the Giants on Sunday, throwing 7.2 innings of one run ball. Bolsinger gave up only 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. Bolsinger's ERA for the season now stands at 4.86. Bolsinger is a difficult pitcher to value, as his batted ball data indicates that his ERA is overstated (4.19 FIP and 3.13 xFIP). However, some of his other peripherals indicate that the anticipated ERA improvement may not be forthcoming. To date, Bolsinger has posted a solid 20.1% K rate, but his 6.6% swinging strike rate and 88.3 MPH average FB velocity indicate that this is not likely to be sustainable. With a drop in K rate likely, Bolsinger may find it difficult to realize the expected positive regression. I would not recommend running to the waiver wire to add Bolsinger, even in NL only leagues.
Joe Panik (2B-SF). Panik got his first start since he recall, going 2 for 4 with an RBI against the Diamondbacks. The Giants have indicated that Panik will be their primary 2B going forward, which makes him a must-add in NL only leagues. Panik was hitting .321 with 5 HR, 50 R, 45 RBI and 3 SBs at AAA. Panik doesn't offer much in the way of power or speed (although he did steal 10 bases in AA last year), which means he is not a recommended add in mixed leagues.
