Kris Medlen: Fantasy NL Turtle

By true definition, at least by Aesop’s fables, the turtle represents the old adage, “slow and steady wins the race.” By our definition, at least how Eno laid it out, the fantasy turtle is the best buy-low/waiver pick-up that dominated in the second half of the season. While some of our awards were fairly unanimous, this one wasn’t, as nine players received votes. Again, the title of the piece tells you that Kris Medlen won, but let’s look a little further into it.

Here’s how the voting went:

Kris Medlen  (7)

Ryan Zimmerman  (2)

Rickie Weeks  (2)

Aramis Ramirez  (1)

Ike Davis  (1)

Adam Wainwright  (1)

Garrett Jones  (1)

Allen Craig  (1)

Carlos Gomez  (1)

So as you can see, the majority of us had Medlen tabbed for this award while the rest were split for a variety of reasons. While I did not vote for Medlen on my ballot, I can easily see why he was such a popular choice. Throughout the first half of the season, Medlen pitched out of the Atlanta pen, making a total of 31 appearances. Over 42.2 innings, he amassed a 2.95 ERA with a 25:9 K:BB, leaving him with a 5.27 K/9.  He was solid, but certainly not dominant.

In the second half though, Medlen was flat-out ridiculous.  He began the second half in the pen again, but towards the end of July, was inserted into the rotation and it was there that he thrived. In total, he made 19 appearances after the All Star break (12 starts) and went 9-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a 95:14 K:BB over 95.1 innings which pushed his K/9 to an impressive 8.97. The difference in the type of pitcher he blossomed into was amazing, and he was a major reason the Braves ended up in the NL Wild Card game, in which he was given the start.

Fantasy owners who either picked Medlen up off waivers or traded for him in the second half were handsomely rewarded. Was the move a stroke of genius? Not really, if you had an inkling that he might land in the rotation. Medlen has always been regarded as a strong pitching prospect and has enjoyed success at every level he’s played. His time in the majors has been a learning experience to start, but he was never one to be labeled as a guy who just wasn’t going to get it. So while yes, in fantasy this season, he was a dream in the second half and wasn’t really on the mainstream radar, competitive league owners were in the know. I can understand why some considered him a buy-low, but I saw him more as a solid arm with strong potential on whom I was willing to take a chance.

Personally, my vote went to Carlos Gomez, who is normally an afterthought in fantasy circles unless you’re looking for cheap speed. However, this season, Gomez took a step forward, that I actually thought he would take last year. His first half looked like typical Gomez as he hit just .233 with five home runs, 18 RBI and 11 stolen bases. His OBP was an unimpressive .280 and he was, again, sharing time in the outfield. But the second half began and Gomez officially arrived. He batted .278 with an improved .321 OBP and knocked 14 home runs with 33 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Night and day? I’d say so. To me, he was a great buy-low/waiver pick up as no one expected to see this type of an outburst. If you picked him up in a trade, he was barely a throw-in; a body to keep a roster spot warm. For that, he was my turtle and actually helped me to two titles this year.

As for the others receiving votes, they all have their own stories and also valid reasons for garnering votes here. Craig was actually the true turtle as he missed April with an injury and then steadily banged five home runs with 16-20 RBI in each of his first four months. Very steady, however, he did taper off a bit in September. Zimmerman, Ramirez and Weeks shrugged off their lousy first half totals and finished strong, although none really lived up to where they were drafted this year. Wainwright just needed some time to bounce back from surgery, Davis needed to power through some valley fever, and Jones finally started to figure out left-handed pitching. All of them had much stronger second halves and for some owners, they were fantasy saviors.

The hare may get all the attention up front, but it’s the turtle that always seems to find himself in the winner’s circle in the end.