We are in the home stretch, as there are now just 3 days remaining in the 2011 season. Let’s take a look at who made news yesterday and figure out who offers potential help and who should be forgotten:
- Was it a fitting close to Fausto Carmona’s season as he allowed 4 ER on 7 H and 1 BB, striking out 3, over 6.1 innings? He has proven to be one of the most erratic pitchers available, allowing 4 ER or more in 4 of his last 7 starts (and 3 ER or more in each of his final 7 starts). He finished with a 5.25 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and an inability to pile up the strikeouts. Who’s interested in him for 2012?
- Nolan Reimold is trying to finish strong, going 2-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R yesterday. He now has a six-game hitting streak, going 8-22 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R and 1 SB. In September he’s gone 16-57 with 5 HR, 15 RBI, 14 R and 6 SB. Let’s not forget that he burst onto the scene in 2009 and maybe he’s finally rediscovering his potential upside. He’s going to be an interesting player to watch heading into 2012.
- The breakout campaign of Mike Morse continued yesterday, going 2-3 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R. He’s now hitting .304 with 29 HR and 91 RBI on the year. It will be interesting to see if he remains at 1B, or if the return of Adam LaRoche will send him to the outfield regularly. Regardless, we know he’s going to be in the lineup everyday. With a .347 BABIP entering the day, it’s unlikely that he’s a .300+ hitter, but the power is going to make him more than usable.
- Dontrelle Willis earned his first victory of the year, allowing 3 ER on 3 H and 2 BB, striking out 6, over 6.0 innings. There was obviously a little bit of bad luck at play, allowing 3 runs despite only allowing 5 base runners. He finishes allowing at least 3 ER in his final eight starts and, while it was nice to see him pitch fairly well, he was far from impressive. He’ll be nothing more than a player to monitor on the waiver wire in 2012, and it’s not even a guarantee that he opens the season in anyone’s rotation.
- As the Rays’ streak towards the playoffs, Ben Zobrist is finally flashing a little bit of power once again. He went 2-3 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R and 1 SB yesterday, giving him 3 HR in his past 4 games (and 4 since 9/17). Considering that he had gone 39 games without a HR prior to this streak, owners who stuck with him are ecstatic. He should continue to help your drive to a fantasy title.
- It was a tough luck loss for Gavin Floyd, allowing 2 ER on 3 H and 2 BB, striking out 10, over 8.0 innings against the Royals. It’s a nice finish to the year, as he had been struggling of late (he allowed 4 ER in three of his previous four starts). However, you know that there was a lot of bad luck involved in 2011, considering his 4.37 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He entered the day with a 67.9% strand rate and will likely be undervalued heading into 2012. That’s going to make him a nice buy low option.
- The Colorado Rockies pummeled the Astros for 19 runs on 25 hits. Clearly, there were a lot of heroes on the offensive side. The most notable ones were Kevin Kouzmanoff (3-6, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R) and Chris Iannetta (2-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R). For Iannetta, it’s important that he finishes the season strong, as Wilin Rosario is breathing down his neck for regular starts in 2012. Iannetta entered the day with just 3 RBI in September, however, so do not consider him a lock to enter the year as the starter.
- We all know that Ricky Nolasco always has the potential to blowup in a start, so it’s fitting that his season ended with a real stinker. He allowed 7 R (6 earned) on 9 H and 0 BB, striking out 1, over 2.0 innings. In his final 8 starts of the season, he allowed 4 ER or more in 7 of them (raising his ERA from 3.72 to 4.67). While the talent is there, the consistency isn’t. He’ll enter 2012 as a low-end option, though one with the potential to finally put it all together. He’s intriguing, but far from a good selection.
- Roy Halladay made his final case in the race for the NL Cy Young award, tossing 6.0 shutout innings allowing 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 3. At 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, he certainly has a case to make, especially when you take into account the ballpark he calls home. You can’t argue with his resume and the fact that he’s one of the Top 3 or 4 pitchers in the league, but this may just not be his year for the award.
- Rafael Furcal went 2-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R. Since the trade he’s gone 49-193, with a surprising 7 HR. We all know power isn’t his game, and you have to wonder if the injuries have finally started to catch up to him. On the year he’s only stolen 9 bases (and 4 since he arrived in St. Louis). If he’s not going to be running, his fantasy appeal is extremely minimal.
- We’ve been waiting for Charlie Furbush to put things together, and he’s shown some flashes, but he didn’t end his season on a very high note. He allowed 6 R (5 earned) on 6 H and 1 BB, striking out 4, over 4.1 innings yesterday. In his last two starts he’s now allowed 11 ER in 9.1 innings. There has previously been talk that maybe he’s better suited for the bullpen, though the Mariners will likely give him a shot to win a rotation spot in Spring Training. He’s a pitcher to keep an eye on, thanks to his strikeout potential, but he’s likely to be more of a waiver wire watch.
- Overall Jordan Walden has proven that he can be a solid Major League closer. However, when he self-destructs he seems to do it in grand fashion. He blew his 10th save of the season yesterday, allowing 4 R (2 earned) on 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 1, over 0.2 innings. Despite the large number of blown saves, he still is sporting a solid 2.73 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 67 K. He should be a viable option in 2012 in all formats.
- Clayton Kershaw finished strong, allowing 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 6, over 7.1 innings of work. He completes the season at 21-5 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 248 K. I know there are other suitable candidates, but Kershaw deserves to be the NL Cy Young and will likely be a Top 3 option heading into 2012. Amazingly, Kershaw entered the day with a .272 BABIP and 78.5% strand rate, so there is no reason to believe that he can’t replicate his lofty performance. That’s what happens when you develop into one of the best strikeout pitchers, as well as having pinpoint control (he entered the day with a 2.11 BB/9).
- It wasn’t a good finish for Tim Lincecum, allowing 5 R on 8 H and 2 BB, striking out 3, over 5.0 innings. It was a “down” year for Lincecum, and those who look at just his 13-14 record may believe that. However, he had a 2.74 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 220 K. Is anyone really complaining about that? He remains one of the best starting pitchers in baseball as we head into 2012.
- The Red Sox could’ve used a sweep of their double header with the Yankees yesterday. They had to settle for a split, but it wasn’t because of Jacoby Ellsbury, who went 5-11 with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 3 R between the two games. He’s now hitting .322 with 31 HR, 103 RBI, 117 R and 38 SB on the season. Could we be talking about the AL MVP? Given the Red Sox collapse it is probably unlikely, though he clearly has the numbers to be in consideration.
