Gio Gonzalez - Surprisingly, Gonzalez has had the worst performance of the Nationals' primary rotation members this season, going 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA over 151 2/3 IP. I'm hoping it depresses his value a bit for 2015, because he has posted the best swinging strike%, the best chase rate, and the lowest SIERA of his career this year as he has continued to improve his control. He should remain a fixture in the Washington rotation for at least a few more seasons, and I expect (at the very least) a much better W/L record going forward.
Matt Kemp - Kemp is hitting 311/370/594 since the break, and it probably isn't a coincidence that he's been on fire since being able to lift his arm above his head again. Kemp has been able to utilize his pull power again since about two months into 2014, and he once again looks like a player that can provide star-level value. The potential 40/40 player is gone for good, but with a LD rate near 26% and a return to the old HR/FB rates, Kemp is once again a potential .300/30/100 player for your OF come 2015.
Tyler Matzek - Something definitely seems to have clicked with Matzek, as he put together his 7th straight start allowing 3 runs or fewer on Monday against the Padres. He's allowed 1 HR over that stretch, showing a marked increase in GB rate and swinging strike% while continuing to exhibit spotty but improving control. He's reached the point for me where I'm very comfortable with him in road starts, and the possibility exists that he could become the first bonafide "start always" Colorado arm since Ubaldo's prime 4-5 years ago. I'm enthused about his prospects for 2015.
Randall Grichuk - Grichuk has definitely earned some trust over the past week, starting 3 of 4 games over Oscar Taveras as he's gone 6-15 with 2 2Bs and 2 HRs. Grichuk has 28 homers on the year between AAA and the bigs, but his ceiling is obviously quite a bit lower than Taveras' due to some fairly severe contact issues. I'm curious to see what the Cards do in the offseason, as both Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos are no locks to return, and by doing so the Cards could free up enough time for both Grichuk and Taveras next spring......that doesn't seem to be in keeping with the general organizational philosophy, however. Grichuk strikes me as more of a platoon guy longer-term, although those in deep leagues may want to gamble on him for the last few days here.
Jake Lamb - The 23 year old Lamb has shown both the good (.160 ISO, 20% HR/FB rate) and the bad (30% K rate, .236 AVG) during his first 100+ ABs in the majors. The power upside here makes him a nice late-round option in deeper leagues for 2015, but it's doubtful that we will see anything like the .300 averages that he posted in the minors...the best to hope for I think is that the minor league BB rates start carrying over a bit more next year and he can become a solid asset in OBP-oriented formats.
