Freaks of the Week

FOTW 9/15-9/21


Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

For a 72-81 team, I like a lot of what the Tigers have going on. They have a couple of young sluggers as well as some solid top of the lineup guys. But it is their ace, the young flame throwing lefty Tarik Skubal, who is the team's most prized asset. Skubal has as good of stuff as any pitcher in the league and now that he is back to full health after a lengthy injury layoff, he is shredding through every lineup he faces. He has an ERA under 3 and a WHIP under 1 while racking up 94 Ks over just 76.1 innings, those are Cy Young numbers if extrapolated over an entire season. Skubal is finishing this strong comeback season with a stellar week dominating the Angels and As with 19! Ks over 14 innings of one run ball. I hope this guy can stay healthy for a prolonged period because he has elite potential.

Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia Phillies

Another week and another Phillies hitter is going absolutely bananas. The Phillies obviously never had a chance to actually push the Braves for the division, but this offense is potent and can challenge any team in a playoff series. They play a lot of hero ball with one of their hitters going on a ridiculous hitting streak and it seems to flip week to week and it was Castellanos's turn this week. The Phillies outfielder was spraying line drives all over the field racking up 9 hits but it was his power that was really on display swatting 5 homers. The Phillies have been as hot as any team in baseball over the second half so they could be a real menace come October.

Michael King, New York Yankees

In what has been a disappointing season, the Yankees pitching has been a real sore spot for this team. Beyond Gerrit Cole, this team has not had a reliable starter all year; but Michael King is trying to change that narrative. Since moving to the rotation full time in late August, King has been a bit of a revelation as he has been a consistent arm on the mound. He is yet to allow more than a single earned run in this string of starts so he has all the makings of being a viable long term solution for one of the holes in this rotation. King is cementing his place as a top option for the rotation after pitching 7 innings of 1 run ball against the Blue Jays while whiffing an absurd 13 Jays. I do not think this kind of performance is something that King can routinely do, but the kid's got juice.

Josh Hader, San Diego Padres

Don't look now but the Padres are not out of it yet. The Padres won every game this week vaulting them to just 4 games back with 10 games to go. Josh Hader has been the anchor for this team, shortening the game and allowing the Padres to come away with a win. Hader's impact was felt throughout this winning streak as he stepped up in the clutch with 3 saves and a relief win. Hader has by no means been the pitfall of this disappointing season, but if the Padres somehow sneak their way into the playoffs, Hader will be a real weapon.

Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

Albies has been an absolute hit machine over the past week. Albies has FOURTEEN hits over the past week and a lot of those hits have had some oomf behind them with 3 of those hits leaving the park and 4 more going for extra bases. Keep in mind this is Ozzie Albies not Ronald Acuna, not Matt Olson, not Austin Riley, this is Ozzie Albies. This is just how potent this lineup can be, their 4th or 5th best hitter can go on a streak where he is the best hitter in all of baseball. I just do not see how the Braves come out of this season without hoisting a trophy. 

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