Let’s take a moment to talk about Julio Teheran, which I felt were necessary after he finished his season with a line of 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Here’s some fun facts to pair with your Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal: Teheran has a 2.95 ERA since August 2nd across 12 starts. Now that also comes with a 4.10 xFIP and 3.99 FIP…and a 2.83 BB/9 with an slightly above-average 7.66 K/9. Some may think that Teheran will be undervalued and that a regression to his earlier seasons in order. I don’t see it, and I wouldn’t be going after him in standard leagues next year.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
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Jake Arrieta – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. I could talk for hours about how much I love Arrieta, but that doesn’t help you guys in any way. Of course you want him and would start him in all situations, so I’m not going to waste your time any more.
Chris Sale – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Aces gonna ace. Some have been a little worried about Sale lately, but oddly enough the majority of his faults are linked to the Twins, and he coasted against the Tigers. I’m not sure where I’m going to rank Sale next season, but I’m pretty sure he’s still Top 3, at the very least Top 5.
Martin Perez – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Perez may be tacked on at the end of next year’s List, which means I don’t see a fantastic break out 2016 for the pitcher with 5.49 K/9 this season.
Alfredo Simon – 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. Simon, I checked out from making new jokes about you like four weeks ago. You’re not good and you should feel good about making a ton of money with little.
Chris Young – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Young finds a way. The Royals know how to churn out Tobys like it’s their J-O-B.
Jered Weaver – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks. Want to take a guess where ECR had Jered Weaver ranked pre-season? #80? #60? Nah man, we’re talking #46, ahead of guys like Michael Pineda and Jake Odorizzi. I just don’t understand. He’s ended his 2015 campaign with a 4.64 ERA, just 90 strikeouts and a 7-12 record. I rarely say this often, so I apologize, but no wonder I ranked him at #100.
Alex Wood – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Just to even out that last sentence, I completely flopped thinking Wood was a legitamite pitcher for 2015. You may look at this start and consider that he hasn’t been as bad as he has been, but there isn’t agood way to frame optimism for 2016 for Wood. It’s possible his Whiff Rate improves next year, but I’m not going back. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well that ain’t gonna happen because our trust is severed and you don’t deserve this.
Kyle Kendrick – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Kendrick has limited upside, pitches his home games at Coors Field, and doesn’t deserve a spot on your team. This should be the blurb for every Colorado starter.
Ervin Santana – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Santana is a Cherry Bomb for the most part, and this was an odd mediocre start in between. Not sure how I feel about 2016 yet for Santana. He’ll probably hang out around the 50s/60s like my grandparents.
Hisashi Iwakuma – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks. If you’re looking for a pitcher that will sneak by a lot of people next year, Iwakuma could be your guy. Since July 11th (one start removed from returning from the DL. See guys, don’t start pitchers after extended DL trips), Iwakuma had a 2.82 ERA with a 8.06 K/9 and 1.50 BB/9 in 16 starts. Umm yes please.
Josh Tomlin – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. I have mixed feelings about Tomlin. My eyes tell me yes since his Curveball is better than most give him credit, but his under the hood numbers tell me he was super lucky in his 10 starts this year. We’re talking a .199 BABIP and 90.2% LOB rate. His 3.02 ERA was paired with a 4.43 FIP and 3.77 xFIP. I’m leaning towards believing the numbers over my eyes, and I’ll be sure to do a GIF Breakdown of Tomlin during the off-season to really set it straight.
Aaron Brooks – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks. Notice how in TLC’s Waterfalls then line goes “stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.” There’s a reason they don’t mention Brooks.
Dallas Keuchel – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. And thus concludes the season of Keuchel that made me toss and turn as I slept. I didn’t see Keuchel improving much on his 6.57 K/9 from 2014 and he blew me away with a 8.38 K/9, which turned him from a solid 30s/40s guy to a primo stud overnight. Sometimes you just have to admit this have changed and adapt.
Keyvius Sampson – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks. Go away Sampson.
Mark Buehrle – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. The Burly Buehrle did his thang, which is have a disappointing number of Ks, and a toss up in ERA and WHIP. But hey, he got the Win which is what you were looking for if you started Buehrle.
Jaime Garcia – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. He was pinch hit for in the top of the fifth, concluding his night at 72 pitches. Look, I like Garcia a lot and think he’s easily a Top 40 candidate, but the issue I have is a questionable injury history that means he hasn’t pitched over 130 innings since 2011. I’ll have him a bit lower than his talent suggests based on this alone.
Ariel Pena – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Nope, not interested.
Francisco Liriano – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. Liriano has struggled mightily since the beginning of August, holding a 4.70 BB/9 and 4.33 ERA across 11 starts. Before then? A 2.99 BB/9, and 2.92 ERA. I’m not entirely sure where to put Liriano next year, but I’m leaning to believe his second half is more indicative of what to expect for next season.
Erasmo Ramirez – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. It was against the mighty Jays and Erasmo really isn’t that good. Seriously guys.
Casey Kelly – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks. Just a Cup of Schmo, y’all know this.
Rubby De La Rosa – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. There was promise for Rubby earlier in the season, but all of that has faded away by now. He’s a dark horse sleeper for 2016 as the talent is still there somewhere, but I would absolutely hate depending on it.
Henry Owens – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 10 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Owens is supposed to be a sturdy floor guy, but that’s clearly missing these days. I think he comes into his own a little next season, but it may take a while to get that polish he needs.
Chris Heston – 3.2 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Oh boy, hopefully this is the final Call Boy Gone Wild of the season, and Heston has been a major disappointment down the stretch. Yes, this hurts my view of Heston for next season a lot.
Today’s Streamer
Kyle Hendricks vs. Milwaukee Brewers – He’s look solid for the past few weeks and you gotta believe he’s got one more left in him against one of the worst offenses in the majors.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Rick Porcello vs. Cleveland Indians – It’s the final day of the season, making this the final stream pick of mine for the year. It’s a toss up between Robbie Ray and Porcello, but I’m leaning Porcello’s upside if you’re searching for a Hail Mary to take over the lead at the last moment to win your championship.
Game of the Day
Zack Greinke vs. San Diego Padres – After Arrieta’s typical stellar evening, the pressure is on Greinke to not screw it up and lose his lead as the ERA king. Unless Greinke goes all Kerry Wood on us, I think Arrieta has it in the bag, but it’ll still be fun to watch.