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Tyler Skaggs

Tyler Skaggs is the second best pitching prospect in the D-Backs organization.  In his first major league start, he did not disappoint.

Yesterday, Skaggs pitched against the Miami Marlins.  The lefty went 6.2 innings, gave up 2 runs, 5 BB and 4 Ks – and got the win.  A couple of things to take away from this.  First, it was a quality start, always nice.  He walked 5 guys, that is not good, but he didn’t walk a lot of guys in the minors, so this could maybe be chalked up to nervousness.  3 of his 4 strikeouts came in the 5th inning, so it seems he settled down a bit as the game went on.

In the minors this year, Skaggs pitched 122 innings, had a 2.87 ERA, 116 Ks, and only 37 BB.  He has done everything he needs to do in the minors and certainly deserved the call up.

For fantasy, Skaggs just needs to be watched.  He pitched in a double header so he is likely to be sent back down.  Still, keeper leagues should consider him highly (and he likely should be owned), everyone else needs to see how Arizona handles him.  If he gets a few more starts this year, he could be worth a flier in deeper leagues.

Be sure to keep him in mind come spring training.

Hishashi Iwakuma

When you play in Seattle, it’s really easy to get forgotten. In fact, it’s difficult to name a player of theirs who is not named Felix Hernandez. I would like to say that it’s unfair, but Seattle is tucked away in the North West, and most importantly, is not very good.  All that said, they do have at least one other player to keep in mind for fantasy – Hishashi Iwakuma.

Iwakuma started the year as a relief pitcher with the goal of getting to the rotation.  This was sort of a ‘get your feet wet’ in the bigs kinda move.  It seemed to work.  Although not a great reliever, he has really come around as a starter.  In Iwakuma’s last 6 starts, he has not given up more then 3 runs in any of them.  4 of those 6 starts were quality starts.  He Ks an okay amount (he had 13 in 8 innings vs. Toronto), but his penchant for keeping his team in games is where he shines.

As mentioned before, Seattle is not a great team (hard to even call them good), so pitching well is a must if they are going to get any wins.  Well Iwakuma is doing exactly that.

For fantasy, he is best left for deeper leagues.  Maybe a chance could be taken in medium leagues, as he is getting some wins and his ERA is staying low (as of late), but it’s hard to recommend him too high yet.  He’s hardly owned in any league, so if you need a little pitching help, he is likely available on the waiver wire.

Alex Cobb

The Tampa Bay Rays have been doing their best Atlanta Braves impression the last few years by sending out good young pitcher after good young pitcher. Well, here’s another one that has really been coming around over the last month – Alex Cobb.

On the year, Cobb has a 4.08 ERA, 67 Ks in 90 innings, and a record or 7-8.  These are okay numbers.  But in his last 4 starts, Cobb has been great.  In each of his last 4 starts, Cobb has accumulated quality starts.  His worst game of the 4 was against the Angels (understandable) which he gave up 3 runs in 7 innings.  His other 3 starts, he went 7 innings each, gave up 1 run in each, is averaging 6 Ks a game, and has 3 wins.

It’s not time to break the bank on Cobb, but he could be a nice addition for a playoff push in deeper leagues.  He is not the best pitcher on that team, but he seems to be doing his part quite well, especially of late.

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Patrick Corbin

Patrick Corbin, RP and SP for the Arizona D-Backs, has been up and down between the minors and MLB 3 times this year. His third trip to the bigs has proven to be his best yet!

Corbin started the year in the rotation and lasted about a month.  In that month he had only 1 QS and accumulated a 5.27 ERA.  Not great.  He was sent down before the end of May.

Corbin’s second call-up happened at the end of June, but this time as a long reliever.  He was much better.  In 11.2 innings, he had 12 Ks and only gave up 2 runs.  In mid July, he was sent down to the minors to get stretched out to be a starter again.

Corbin was called up as a starter on August 1st and has been great since then.  He has started 3 games, all of them quality starts.  He is striking out a batter an inning (19 Ks, 19 innings pitched), and has an ERA of 1.89 since being back.  The left hander says that he is no longer afraid of big league hitters and that he now goes after them.  Whatever the case, it’s working so far.

Corbin is a young pitcher (22) on a good team.  Not only that, the division is not all that strong.  All that adds up to Corbin being a nice addition in deep leagues, medium leagues, and even has potential in shallow leagues if he keeps up this success.

Eric Chavez

When ARod went down, the big question was who would take over his position (and bat in the lineup). Prior to the trade deadline, the talk was that the Yanks would need to sign a 3B. They didn’t, but that’s okay cuz Eric Chavez is doing just fine.

In Chavez’s last 4 games, he is hitting an unbelievable .562 (9 for 16), with 2 HRs, 6 Runs, and 5 RBIs.  Obviously he can’t keep up this pace, but it is a taste of what this guy is capable of.  He has a good average on the year (.289) and has pop (12 HRs) – in limited playing time.

ARod is out until at least early September, which means Chavez will get lots of playing time until then.  A month of Chavez could be a good thing – for the Yanks, and for your fantasy team.

If you are an ARod owner, the built in replacement of Chavez could be the simple solution.  For the rest of us, we are heading into the playoffs, vying for those coveted post season positions, Chavez could be a nice boost to your lineup.

Chavez is hitting well enough to be added in most formats, but as he is likely to be a bench player again, he is a rental.  But what a rental he could be!

Kris Medlen

Sometimes a player grabs my attention and keeps it – for better or worse. Kris Medlen, right handed pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, is one of those guys.

Medlen has had a great minor league career – dominating with low ERAs and more then a K per inning.  Since moving to the majors, he’s been pretty good there too.  However, with the seemingly non-stop string of stud pitchers in the Braves organization, Medlen always seemed to be an afterthought.  Atlanta likes him as a reliever and only gives him a chance to start when there is an injury.  Not quite fair.

Well, now that the Braves needed another pitcher – Jair Jurjens has been awful – Medlen has received yet another chance.  He’s still being stretched out, but so far so good.  He has had two starts for the Braves since becoming a starter again, and he’s doing everything right.  He’s gone 5  innings in both starts, gave up only one run in each start and has 9 Ks vs. 3 BB.

Medlen has always been able to get Ks, and always seemed to keep his ERA under control.  Perhaps the Braves will finally see this and keep him in their rotation.

For fantasy, Medlen can be considered in both deep and medium leagues.  He’s not far away from being ownable in all formats, he just needs to be able to go deeper into games.  Once that happens, he can get wins, Ks, low WHIP, and low ERA.

Dan ‘Don’t call me Daniel’ Straily

The Oakland A’s have called up ‘The Best Strikeout Pitcher in the Minors’. Interested? Me too!

Dan Straily, the 6’2″ right hander has dominated the minor leagues this year.  This includes the PCL (Pacific Coast League) which is a notorious hitters league.  How dominant has he been?

In his 22 starts (138 innings) he has an ERA of 2.60, 175 Ks, and only 38 BB. Again, dominant!  I’m kinda surprised that this guy hasn’t gotten more pub until now, although some of the sports betting sites have been raving about him.

Straily will start today (8/3) against the Blue Jays (still missing Bautista).  You have to like a strikeout pitcher facing a team that is not at all familiar with him.  Seems like the making of a good debut.  In addition, the A’s are one of the hottest teams in baseball since the All-Star break.  If that wasn’t enough, Oakland is a pitcher’s park.

So, grab Straily for your fantasy team?  Well, for deep leagues, yes – no brainer.  I think he’s worth the gamble (I consider any first time call-up a gamble) in medium leagues.  As with any unknown, I think it’s best to wait in shallow leagues – the only question is how long to wait, it may not be more then one start.