There is good news for San Francisco Giants fans as Madison Bumgarner seems to have right his ship in Triple-A. After reports of a drop in velocity in spring training and in the regular season, it was determined that the loss of speed was not an injury but mechanical issues with his delivery. With the appropriate changes made and the addition of a cutter, Bumgarner has been back on track. His overall numbers have rebounded from his first two Triple-A starts in which he allowed 11 runs in seven innings. After eight starts, Bumgarner now has a 3.64 ERA and has racked up 32 strikeouts in 42 innings, including eight in his last start. With 5th starter Todd Wellemeyer sporting a 5.25 ERA and 1,42 WHIP, it is only a matter of time before Bumgarner is in the major leagues if can string together another few successful starts in the minors.
If you are in a one year league and you still are carrying Aroldis Chapman on reserve, it is getting toward crunch time for how much longer you can carry him. I dropped him in my 15-team mixed league this past weekend in order to grab another starter. Chapman has been hit hard in two of his last three starts, allowing 15 runs in 14 innings. Yes, he does throw hard and can rack up strikeouts, but his lack of control (21 walks in 35 innings) means he won’t be lasting too long in games if he was called up to the major leagues.
Jay Jackson looked like he was going to be first in line in Triple-A to fill a spot in the Chicago Cubs rotation. Instead, with relief pitching hard to come by and the failure of the Carlos Zambrano experiment, Jackson has been shifted to the bullpen which kills his value for 2010 if he remains in that role.
Kyle Gibson of the Minnesota Twins was promoted to Double-A last week and sparkled in his debut, tossing 7 1/3 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. Gibson was the Twins first round pick in 2009 and has a 1.60 ERA through eight starts with 50 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings.
Yonder Alonso was promoted to Triple-A by the Cincinnati Reds despite having less than stellar stats in AA. Alonso was hitting .267 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 101 at bats. Alonso has seen time at first base and in the outfield since he is blocked in the major leagues by Joey Votto.
Kyle Drabek continues to chug along in Double-A with five wins and a 3.06 ERA after eight starts. Drabek has struck out 45 in 47 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .236 batting average.
For those of you in deep dynasty leagues, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels has lived up to his top prospect billing after being a first round pick in 2009. In Single-A, Trout is hitting .372 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
