by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

David Price pitched the Tigers to a division title by tossing 7.1 shutout innings allowing 4 H and 2 BB, striking out 8.  Obviously that wasn’t the only story coming out of yesterday’s games, as we saw the end of the 2014 regular season and all fantasy owners can begin looking towards and preparing for 2015.  What do we need to know about from yesterday’s action?  Let’s take a look:

1) What better way to finish a season than a no hitter…
Jordan Zimmermann did just that against the Marlins, allowing just 1 BB with 10 K.  He ends the season 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP and allowed 3 ER or fewer in each of his final 12 starts.  Always an elite control artist (BB/9 under 2.00 in four consecutive seasons), he saw his strikeout rate jump this season courtesy of a 10.0% SwStr% entering the day.  He threw his fastball even more than ever, at 70.3%, so you have to wonder if he can continue this type of success (as it is he entered with a 24.0% line drive rate).  Regardless, we all know that he’s going to remain one of the better options in the league. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

While we obviously don’t base any decisions on one start, Masahiro Tanaka’s implosion (1.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K) against the Red Sox leaves a poor taste in our mouths when coupled with the injury concerns hanging over him.  What else happened on the next-to-last day of the regular season?  Let’s take a look:

1) Rusney Castillo showing off his full potential…
He went 3-3 with 1 RBI, 1 R and 1 SB and is now hitting .333 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R and 3 SB in 33 AB with the Red Sox and now has three straight multi-hit games (7-10, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R and 2 SB).  Obviously it’s an extremely small sample size and as opponents learn his game he’s going to be force to make adjustments.  Still, with just 5 K and the impressive combination of power and speed there is an awful lot to like.  Exactly where he fits into the outfield landscape for 2015 remains to be seen, but would it be a big surprise if he settled in as a Top 30 option? Read more

by Will Overton

Hopefully for your sake you have a reason to still be checking your fantasy baseball lineup every morning and the box scores every night. Even if you don’t have a reason anymore though, you can still learn things and look towards next season by following what is happening around the league.

Here are the big stories impacting fantasy baseball from last night:

1. Where Should Doug Fister Rank Among Starting Pitchers Going Into Next Season?

The Washington Nationals have an absolutely stacked starting rotation of pitchers. The guy who has been the best among that fantastic rotation might just be Doug Fister. After a dominant complete game, three hit, shutout against the Marlins yesterday Fister is now 16 – 6 for the season with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. In fantasy baseball his great season comes with a little bit of a catch though. Even after striking out nine batters last night he only has 98 n 164 IP this season. Fister has never been a dominant K guy, but he’s usually been better than this. The lack of K’s will probably keep him out of the top 15 of ranking lists next season, where the rest of his numbers suggest he should be at. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

It was almost fitting, as David Robertson blew a 3 R lead in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Derek Jeter to end his career at Yankee Stadium with a walkoff single (2-5, 3 RBI, 1 R).  Gio Gonzalez had his ups and downs this season, but he certainly finished strong with 7.0 shutout innings against the Mets, allowing 1 H and 2 BB to go along with 12 K.  Rusney Castillo showed off his talents going 2-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R.  What else happened on the field?  Let’s take a look:

1) Has Dillon Gee pitched himself out of fantasy viability…
With a 2.56 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in the first half many believed Gee was well on his way to a true breakout campaign.  However, after allowing 4 ER on 9 H and 0 BB, striking out 2, he ends the season with a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.  Never a big source of strikeouts, he clearly was the beneficiary of luck in the first half (.233 BABIP, 84.8% strand rate).  While he may not be this bad (he entered the day with a 4.95 ERA in the second half), he also isn’t as good as his first half numbers.  The owner of a career 6.55 K/9, the final numbers are likely closer to the truth.  Don’t view him as anything more than a back end option. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Clayton Kershaw ended his season with a flourish, allowing 1 ER on 8 H and 0 BB, striking out 11, over 8.0 IP to finish with 21 W despite missing a month.  Could you just imagine what would’ve been had he stayed healthy?  We all know who deserves the NL Cy Young, so let’s take a look at what else happened on the field yesterday:

1) Shane Greene’s season ends with a whimper…
Taking on the Orioles Green got blown up for 6 ER on 7 H and 3 BB, striking out 5, over 3.2 IP.  It’s a shame, given his overall “success” with a 3.78 ERA…  I say “success” because he actually ends with a 1.40 WHIP, though part of that is due to an unlucky .317 BABIP entering the day.  While his minor league career didn’t indicate this type of stuff, he entered the day with a 9.12 K/9, 3.12 BB/9 and 50.9% groundball rate.  In other words, there is upside in his stuff.  However we’ll have to keep a close eye on the Yankees and their offseason as Greene is hardly guaranteed a rotation spot for 2015. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Felix Hernandez imploded at the wrong time, both for the Mariners and fantasy owners, as he allowed 8 ER on 7 H and 3 BB, striking out 5, over 4.2 IP.  Who else failed fantasy owners?  Who surprised with a strong performance?  Let’s take a look at all of yesterday’s action:

1) Mike Fiers gets burned by the long ball…
He was lifted after just 5.0 IP (and 86 pitches), allowing 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 3.  Both runs came courtesy of solo home runs, and going up against Johnny Cueto (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K) that was enough to hang him with an L.  It hasn’t been a major issue for him, with 6 HR over 65.2 IP, though he did enter the day with a 44.8% fly ball rate so it’s something that could become a problem.  He also has pitched over his head a bit, with a .224 BABIP and 83.7% strand rate entering the day.  That’s not to say that he isn’t going to be a good pitcher in 2015 (9.79 K/9, though just a 9.1% SwStr%, and 2.23 BB/9), he’s simply not this good.  Think of him more as a mid/backend option as opposed to the ace he’s been in 2014. Read more