Finally, we arrive at the final tier rankings update of the season. It’s okay, you could get out your box of tissues and let the tears stream freely down your cheeks.

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Hey, sometimes you have to dig deep, right?

If you’re in a hole in innings pitched and/or you’re scrambling for wins any way you can find them, there are a couple names in Henderson Alvarez and Joe Saunders who are extremely likely to be available in your leagues. And as it happens, they’ve been pitching pretty decent. Should you take the risk?

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Mat Latos proved the doubters wrong last season. When he was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Cincinnati Reds, there was some debate over whether he could carry over his strong performance to his home park. No one went overboard and predicted despair, but there were some legitimate reasons to think Latos’ stats would decline since he was leaving one of the best pitcher’s parks for one of the most favorable hitter’s parks. After churning out a nearly identical 3.48 ERA, there was little doubt about his ability, regardless of his home park. But Latos is aware of his surroundings. And due to some minor alterations that may have been made to combat his tough home park, Latos could be on his way to his best season as a pro.

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Anyone remember who the unexpected darling of spring training was this year? Okay, fine, it was Yasiel Puig. But if we stick to either Florida or the mound, then the man collecting the most acclaim in March was Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello, who struck out 21 in 24 innings without allowing a single walk. Now, you know as well as I do that spring training numbers don’t really matter, yet it’s hard to ignore a 21/0 K/BB.

That kind of buzz made Porcello something of an early darling among fantasy players, especially as he entered his age-24 season with a solid (if small) four year trend of declining home run rates and increasing K/9 rates behind him. Porcello had lowered his FIP and his xFIP each year of his career, and so far in 2013 he’s continued that trend (see table at right). By all indications, Porcello has continued improving as a pitcher, and he’s right ahead of James Shields, Gio Gonzalez, and Cole Hamels on the FIP charts.

Yet here we are in the first week of August, and Porcello has only a 4.49 ERA. He’s still owned in fewer than 20% of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. What gives? Read the rest of this entry »

Pirates righthanded pitcher Tyler Glasnow stayed put at the trade deadline, but not before being tossed around as a centerpiece of many a trade rumor. His name, therefore, has penetrated the consciousness of many a fan. The recent swirlings aren’t the only thing that have boosted Glasnow’s stock: 128 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings in A-ball as a 19-year-old have a way of doing that on their own. The fact that he’s 6’7″ heightens the intrigue–even without seeing him live, the age, size, and numbers all paint the picture of a dominant flamethrower with bigtime stuff. A wunderkind. A legend in the making. Glasnow wasn’t even a can’t-miss amateur who we could all see coming–he was a mere fifth-round pick back in 2011. I won’t say he came out of nowhere, but this is definitely a breakout campaign–he came in as the Pirates’ #19 prospect before the season according to Baseball America, which indicates he was somewhat noteworthy but hardly a central figure in their system like he is today.

If you don’t actually go and see Glasnow, it’s easy to get swept up in trains of thought that bear an aura of mythology, imagining this 6’7″ teenager who rose out of obscurity and became Justin Verlander overnight. But I have seen this fast-rising arm live (on June 14, against Greensboro), and today, I want to separate the reality from the hype on this intriguing young pitcher.

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In one of the few trade deadline deals with potential fantasy ramifications, Bud Norris now finds himself surrounded by crab cakes, rather than Texas barbecue. In the last consensus rankings update, I ranked Norris 57th among all starting pitchers, which was surprisingly the most optimistic of the crew. Surprising because I thought I had been pretty pessimistic about Norris’ prospects. In my July tier rankings update, I slotted him into “The Great Disappointment” tier, which was the last group of pitchers. So does the move to a contending Baltimore team boost his fantasy stock?

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The San Diego Padres have acquired starting pitcher Ian Kennedy from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for reliever Joe Thatcher, relief prospect Matt Stites, and a compensation pick in next year’s draft.

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A.J. Burnett continues to defy the odds. When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired him from the New York Yankees, it was considered nothing more than a salary dump for the Yanks. At that point, Burnett had endured two straight seasons with a +5.00 ERA, and was entering his age-35 season. 35 season. Very little was expected of Burnett. But something clicked when Burnett arrived in Pittsburgh. At an age where most pitchers are trying to survive, Burnett has been able to thrive. But the Pirates saw promise in Burnett. By stressing his sinker, the Pirates have been able to turn his career around.

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After weeks of speculation, Jake Peavy has finally been traded. He departs the windy city for the land of clam chowder and from a team going nowhere to one right in the thick of the AL East race. Or more simply, he is is changing the color of his sox from white to red. My initial thought is that this move produces a nice boost to his fantasy value. But let’s dive into the numbers and find out if this is actually the case.

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The Braves rotation, which had a solid five for the entire year up until last week, is facing a bit of turmoil in terms of who will stay and who will go. With Tim Hudson going down with an ankle injury, there are now six starters for five spots when Paul Maholm returns from the disabled list. In speaking with Fredi Gonzalez last week at Citi Field, he was rather adamant at Maholm returning to the rotation when healthy. Brandon Beachy is back tonight against the Rockies and unless he struggles he should receive enough of a chance to improve with time considering the Braves have a 8.5 game lead.
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