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Home , Carlos Torres (umpire), Darrell Ceciliani, Donald Lutz, Jason Hammel, Keith Law, Kevin Gausman

Press Clippings February 3, 2015

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1942-Owners decide to allow 14 night games for each club. Two All-Star Games will also be played, one with a military All-Star team. Curfews are set for night games, with no new inning starting after 12:50 a.m.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

140 years ago: Reds join new National League Bob Strickley, [email protected] 11:35 a.m. EST February 2, 2016

The year 1876 wasn't a year to remember for the Cincinnati Reds with the exception of one development: they joined the brand new National League.

According to the a historical timeline provided by the Reds, the team joined the National League on Feb. 2, 1876, along with teams from Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Louisville, Hartford, Philadelphia and New York.

The league was founded by Chicago businessman William Hulbert as a replacement for the National Association. Hulbert believed the NA was corrupt and mismanaged, according to History.com.

The Reds' performance that year was, well, lacking. They finished last in the new league having just won nine out of 65 total contests, according to -reference.com. The Chicago White Stockings finished first in the league with a record of 52-14.

Fast forward to 1880 and the team was facing some off-the-field turmoil. That same Reds history timeline lists Oct. 8 with the description "Cincinnati is expelled from the NL, due in part to its refusal to stop renting out their ballpark on Sundays and to cease selling beer during games." CBSSPORTS.COM

Reds' J.J. Hoover: Not locked in as the by RotoWire Staff

Hoover might be the front-runner to win the Reds' open closer job, but he's not a sure-thing, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I'm going to wait and see," Bryan Price said. "I think he's certainly a front-runner for this opportunity, but I don't think I'm quite ready to be assigning roles for on the team just quite yet. We'll see what the final roster looks like coming out of . He's absolutely in contention for the position."

Hoover's component stats didn't track along with his improved ERA in 2015, and skill set doesn't scream out lock-solid closer. Opportunity is the most important factor in evaluating potential closers, but ultimately Hoover will have to perform well enough to hold the job. Bid cautiously when it comes to Hoover.

FOXSPORTS.COM

Brisbane Bandits hoping German recruit Donald Lutz can kick on in US 8 hours ago by PAUL MALONE Source: The Courier-Mail

IN THE nicest possible way, Bandits coach David Nilsson hopes not to have German Donald Lutz on his team next season.

Lutz is heading back to his US Major League club Cincinnati Reds this month and if he is back to spend part of next summer in Brisbane, as he has done seven times, he will not have made the career progress he was hoping for.

Coming off an eight-month elbow injury break, Lutz has contributed 26 RBIs in only 27 games for the Bandits going into the Australian Baseball League championship against Adelaide which starts on Friday at Holloway Field.

Lutz, 26, played 62 MLB games for Cincinnati in 2013-14.

“We hope he doesn’t come back. If he progresses, this won’t work for him,’’ Nilsson said.

“His time with us has let him get his health under control in an environment which allows him to take on the Major League again.

“Very rarely in Australia are you going to have someone with his experience, enthusiasm and character.

“Just having him around the guys with the one-on-one conversations, we all feel like he’s part of the family.

“Our line-up has been good and the other teams can’t isolate anyone, Donald or Justin (Williams) or anyone. It’s worked out being the best situation for him.’’

At the end of the best-of-three series which Brisbane hope will bring their first title in the reconstituted ABL, Lutz will spend a few days farewelling his many friends in Brisbane before re-entering the MLB maelstrom.

“I know I will start in the minor leagues (for a Cincinnati farm team) and look to work my way up to the major league team,’’ said Lutz, who has played in several seasons for Brisbane club Windsor Royals.

“I hope I do play here again. I love it here and have family and a lot of close friends here but I don’t know where I’ll be at that point of time (the start of next ABL season).’’

While Lutz’s timing with his hits when runners were in scoring positions has been good, Queenslander is the leading RBI hitter for the Bandits with 39 from 55 games.

Adelaide’s Kyle Petty’s 44 from the same number of games is the most of any Brisbane or Adelaide batter.

Nilsson, who has settled in the third base role in recent weeks, spent his Australian off-season in a Czech league and partly credits the extra baseball there for his improved season for the Bandits.

The post-Christmas addition of Lutz and Victorian to the Bandits roster had given David Nilsson even more options.

Brisbane shortstop missed 20 games this season with a shoulder injury, but his .315 average attests to the contribution he has made to the drive to the by the Bandits, who have not hosted post-season baseball this century.

“I always knew Logan was coming back. It was a combination of giving him plenty of time to clear his head and it’s worked out perfectly,’’ David Nilsson said.

“It was disappointing for him to have some time out, but it was fantastic for him to get some time off. We are getting the benefits of that now.’’

ESPN.COM Kings of Command: poised to break out 1:27 PM ET Tristan H. Cockcroft ESPN Senior Writer

Pitching is the name of today's game.

In 2015, baseball set a record for the highest rate in history (19.5 percent of all plate appearances). Zack Greinke's 1.66 ERA was the lowest by a qualified pitcher in 20 years, and between his and 's 1.77, two of the 14 best ERAs during the expansion era happened in 2015.

There's only one logical reaction for fantasy owners: Continue to bargain shop for pitching.

Wait ... what?!

Counterintuitive as that seems, the age-old lesson remains apt. Remember, as league-wide pitching performance improves, so does the bar for what constitutes an ace. It's merely more important nowadays to acquire elite pitching stats, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to pay a premium to do so. In fact, the past two American League winners, Corey Kluber and Dallas Keuchel, demonstrate that elite pitching is always available on the cheap, something as true in 2016 as in 1996.

Remember, individual pitching performance remains more volatile than hitting, due to their smaller sample sizes -- by the way, starters' samples are growing ever smaller -- that make them more susceptible to random variance. Defensive influence and risk of injury are further reasons for this.

This is why, when formulating a draft strategy, fantasy owners should rely more upon skills, evidenced by a pitcher's command numbers, rather than past rotisserie earnings. Yet, year after year, some owners fall into those same old traps.

They want past proof.

They want yesterday's stats.

You, on the other hand, want today's and tomorrow's stats.

Using command ratios -- a pitcher's strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates -- is a better way to identify the strongest future performers. Pitchers who command the strike zone, don't give up many free passes and minimize the most damaging contact greatly increase their chances for success. These arms are identified annually by meeting minimum baselines in each category, and they're called "Kings of Command."

"Kings of Command" baseline numbers

Pitchers who qualify for inclusion meet each of the following minimum baselines:

Batters faced: 200 or more

Strikeout rate (K% of batters faced): 16 percent or more

Walk rate (BB% of batters faced): 8 percent or less

Command rate (K's per walk): 2.50 or more

Ground ball rate (GB% of all balls in play): 42.5 percent or more

Last season, 735 pitchers appeared in a big-league game, and of those, only 91 met all five criteria. That group included American League Cy Young Award winner Keuchel, as well as pitchers responsible for 94 percent of the points tallied in the National League's Cy Young balloting, including winner Arrieta. It also included eight of the top 10 starting pitchers, and both of the top two relief pitchers, on the ESPN Player Rater. (fourth) and (sixth) were the top-10 starters who missed; Scherzer had a ground-ball rate four percent too low but he paced the majors in K's per walk, while Price was only two ground balls shy of qualification.

But that group also included the following 10 pitchers, none of whom experienced quite as much fanfare, and none of whom finished among the top 60 starting or top 40 relief pitchers on our Player Rater. These pitchers, however, compared favorably to the former group in these command categories, hinting that greater fortunes might be in store for them in 2016.

These "Kings of Command" are listed in alphabetical order, along with their statistics in the above categories, and a look at what they'd need to do in order to break through this season.

Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds 2015 Player Rater: No. 87 SP/66 RP, 785 TBF, 19.2 K%, 7.0 BB%, 2.75 K/BB, 46.3 GB%, 3.67 FIP

Three consecutive quality starts to begin his 2015 campaign made DeSclafani a popular April pickup, but he quickly cooled in rotisserie terms, posting a 4.45 ERA, roughly one-half a higher than the league's average. What was lost during his summer "swoon," however, was the fact that he cut his walk rate by more than half after the All-Star break (9.4 percent before, 4.0 percent after), while increasing his swinging-strike rate (9.2 percent before, 12.3 percent after).

What would spawn a breakthrough? Continued polish of his knuckle-curve might go a long way towards it. His walk-rate drop coincided with its apparent introduction into his arsenal, even though the itself was worth 1.6 runs below average, using PitchF/X data. An up-the-middle defensive combination of Zack Cozart and Jose Peraza for the majority of DeSclafani's starts would also help.

His chances of doing so? Good, being that DeSclafani threw the knuckle-curve roughly 12 percent of the time from Aug. 1 forward, recording 18 of his 65 K's (28 percent) to lend legitimacy to it being a viable pitch. The problem, primarily in traditional Rotisserie leagues, is that DeSclafani could "break out" with an ERA more than a half-run beneath the league's average, yet still finish with a losing record.

Kevin Gausman, 2015 Player Rater: No. 125 SP, 470 TBF, 21.9 K%, 6.2 BB%, 3.55 K/BB, 46.1 GB%, 4.10 FIP

It's his second appearance on a "Kings of Command" list -- he also made it in 2014 -- but the third consecutive year that he has met the requirements. Keith Law's No. 23 prospect in his 2014 rankings, Gausman has disappointed to date at the big-league level, with better stats in relief (3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 29.4 K%) than as a starter (4.27 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 19.7 K%). That raises the concern that he'll eventually be relegated to a reliever's career. At the same time, Gausman's career sample -- 42 starts and 273 1/3 innings -- isn't large enough to write him off, and his stock might never be lower than it is today.

What would spawn a breakthrough? Opportunity, for one. Did you know that the only time during his three major-league seasons when he made at least five consecutive starts with no greater than five days' rest between each was in his final 14 starts of last season? What's more, Gausman's command numbers improved during that 14-start span, but his rotisserie results weren't helped by his having the ninth-highest /fly ball ratio (12.2 percent) of 79 qualifiers.

His chances of doing so? Good, as Gausman will enter camp as the Orioles' fourth starter. He's a virtual lock to begin the season in that role, what with the team more focused on settling its wide-open fifth-starter battle this spring.

Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds 2015 Player Rater: No. 116 SP, 395 TBF, 26.3 K%, 7.1 BB%, 3.71 K/BB, 48.0 GB%, 3.55 FIP

He was a second-half sensation in 2015 -- before the Reds shut him down in mid-September to manage his workload -- and he begins this season the most buzzworthy of any of these 10 names. Consider that from the All-Star break through Labor Day, Iglesias had a 2.78 ERA (18th out of 98 qualifiers), 0.89 WHIP (seventh) and 70 (10th).

What would spawn a breakthrough? One might think it's run support, at least in leagues that reward wins, or minimal workload restrictions. But what would truly elevate Iglesias' stock several levels would be a lights-out pitch to use against left-handed hitters. To that point, Iglesias' swing-and-miss rate was nearly 10 percent lower against lefties than righties, and his , his go-to pitch versus lefties, had a swing-and-miss rate (30.8 percent) that was beneath the major-league average (31.2).

His chances of doing so? Excellent, considering he made incremental gains in that regard versus lefties in his final eight starts. One problem with Iglesias, however, is that fantasy owners are sure to anticipate a breakthrough and draft accordingly; the Reds' competitive state as well as a likely innings cap -- perhaps 180 innings -- might ultimately prevent a top-20 caliber season even in the best-case scenario.

Jeremy Jeffress, 2015 Player Rater: No. 82 RP, 285 TBF, 23.5 K%, 7.7 BB%, 3.05 K/BB, 58.5 GB%, 3.22 FIP

One of as many as five legitimate contenders for the Brewers' closer role, Jeffress is the one who had the most holds (23) and (68), and his 95.3 mph average velocity last season was 25th of the 138 relievers to make at least 50 appearances. He's a logical favorite to win the job out of camp, if only because of those factors as well as his right-handedness -- managers inexplicably seem to prefer righties to lefties in the role -- but it's Jeffress' command stats that make him a compelling choice.

What would spawn a breakthrough? Simply put, landing the job. If Jeffress emerges this spring, his 2015 hints that he'd be at low risk of ever giving it back.

His chances of doing so? At best, 50/50, partly because competitors Will Smith, Michael Blazek and all also met this column's criteria, making any of them viable contenders in their own right. So why is Jeffress in this spot, and not Smith or Blazek or Knebel? It's the hints we saw from Aug. 1 forward: Jeffress made 25 appearances, 13 of them in games that were within a run on the scoreboard -- posting a 1.40 ERA and 12 holds -- which tied for fifth in the majors.

Shawn Kelley, 2015 Player Rater: No. 95 RP, 205 TBF, 30.7 K%, 7.3 BB%, 4.20 K/BB, 44.1 GB%, 2.57 FIP

The ultimate "stealth" saves candidate, Kelley is the rare pitcher with a low-leverage middle relievers reputation but a substantially better skill set, and a premium setup role to boot. His strikeout rate alone tells the story: He has had a 30 percent or greater strikeout rate in each of the past three seasons, making him one of only four relievers to claim that with a minimum of 50 innings in each; the other three are Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and . Kelley quietly signed with the Nationals during the winter, and following the trade of Drew Storen, Kelley might well begin the season the team's next-in-line behind .

What would spawn a breakthrough? Papelbon's removal from the closer role, which has seemed imminent since the final week of last season, be it by trade, injury or team decision.

His chances of doing so? While Papelbon remains the Nationals' ninth-inning man -- and might remain so all year -- there might not be a more volatile choice, at least among the "sure thing" closer's in place. Kelley could wind up 2016's most critical handcuff, and he might not even cost more than a buck in NL-only leagues.

Brandon Maurer, 2015 Player Rater: No. 95 SP/75 RP, 206 TBF, 18.9 K%, 7.3 BB%, 2.60 K/BB, 49.0 GB%, 3.31 FIP

Starter or reliever, reliever or starter? Maurer, who at the time of the Craig Kimbrel trade appeared to have a competitive chance at emerging as the Padres' next closer, is ticketed instead for their rotation as spring training dawns. While that's typically a wise choice, as it maximizes a pitcher's exposure (read: greater innings total), let's not overlook that Maurer had a 6.62 ERA in 21 starts from 2013-14 and could provide greater value to the Padres by maximizing his leverage as a reliever. One point of note: Maurer's 15.1 percent K rate, 1.97 K-to-walk rate and 42.2 percent ground-ball rate in those 21 career starts would've all fallen short of this column's criteria for inclusion.

What would spawn a breakthrough? In Maurer's defense, he might be a different pitcher today, thanks mostly to an improved changeup that could give him a fighting chance if returned to the rotation. A breakthrough in that role might hinge upon his ability to maintain some of his fastball velocity and changeup effectiveness while easing somewhat off his . If kept in the bullpen, it'd be twofold: Winning the closer role and boosting his swing-and-miss rate closer to his minor-league levels.

His chances of doing so? Probably so-so as a starter, which might require a more extensive adjustment, but his ceiling would be arguably the highest of any of the Padres' candidates to close this preseason.

Zach McAllister, 2015 Player Rater: No. 119 SP/100 RP, 299 TBF, 28.1 K%, 7.7 BB%, 3.65 K/BB, 45.0 GB%, 3.15 FIP

He was the longest of long shots in last year's column, and he's only a slightly lesser long shot in this year's, but don't let that take anything away from McAllister's growth in 2015. He continued to flash elevated velocity in a short-relief role, resulting in his greatest -year strikeout rate as a pro, and he was actually more effective against left-handed hitters, his .276 wOBA allowed to them was nearly 50 points lower than the league's average (.323). Unfortunately, it was accrued in relative anonymity, as he amassed only four wins, one and 12 holds.

What would spawn a breakthrough? He'd need closer Cody Allen to get hurt or struggle significantly, or he'd need the team to move him back into their rotation.

His chances of doing so? Minimal, mainly because even in the aforementioned scenarios, there'd be an additional qualifier. To close, McAllister would also need to out-pitch primary setup man Bryan Shaw, and as a starter, McAllister would probably need to retain closer to the 95.2 mph fastball velocity he has averaged in relief the past two seasons. Neither is completely impossible; in his one start in 2015, McAllister's fastball averaged 94.2 mph. Incidentally, considering McAllister's performance in relief the past year- plus, a return to the rotation seems the greatest long shot.

Michael Pineda, 2015 Player Rater: No. 61 SP, 668 TBF, 23.4 K%, 3.1 BB%, 7.43 K/BB, 50.0 GB%, 3.34 FIP

He has flashed ace-caliber ability at times during his big-league career, from the 2.45 ERA and 24.7 percent strikeout rate he posted in his first 15 career starts in 2011, to the eight performances worth at least a 60 in game score in 13 starts in 2014, to the 16-strikeout masterpiece he twirled against the Baltimore Orioles last May 10. Unfortunately, injuries have been his primary obstacle: He has totaled only 40 starts the past four seasons combined due to a shoulder surgery (May 1, 2012), shoulder strain (May-August 2014) and forearm strain (August 2015).

What would spawn a breakthrough? Health, obviously, but a return to form of his pre-2015 fastball effectiveness would help. Opponents batted .215 against it in 2014, but .325 against it in 2015.

His chances of doing so? Predicting injuries is an inexact science, but Pineda started 27 times and tallied 160 2/3 innings last season. It's not a substantial leap to expect a 30-start, 190-inning year.

Rick Porcello, 2015 Player Rater: No. 137 SP, 737 TBF, 20.2 K%, 5.2 BB%, 3.92 K/BB, 46.3 GB%, 4.13 FIP

After the 2015 season that Porcello had -- he finished 70th among the 78 ERA-qualified starting pitchers on the Player Rater -- few fantasy owners will want to draft him. Still, he has more than $62 million left on his contract, virtually guaranteeing him a rotation spot, and he finished the year with a 3.14 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 24.3 percent strikeout rate in his eight starts following a disabled- list stint for a triceps injury. Once considered one of the top 10 pitching prospects in baseball, Porcello has probably passed the point of his career that he'll eventually become a Cy Young winner, but there's still perhaps some juice yet to be squeezed from this orange.

What would spawn a breakthrough? A full season relying upon the -first mentality he displayed during his final eight starts of 2015 -- be aware that more than 50 percent of his first pitches of a count were in the bottom third of the zone -- which was largely responsible for his command-rate growth in 2012-13, could be all it takes.

His chances of doing so? Good, but again, let's not mistake "breakthrough" for "Cy Young votes" with Porcello. For him, a step forward might mean a top-40 season. Then again, that'd be a victory considering his probable draft price.

Adam Warren, 2015 Player Rater: No. 58 SP/44 RP, 534 TBF, 19.5 K%, 7.3 BB%, 2.67 K/BB, 45.3 GB%, 3.59 FIP

If there was a reason for Yankees fans to be lukewarm on the trade, Warren was it. Warren was the third-most valuable Yankees pitcher in terms of Wins Above Replacement (2.7) last season, ahead of both Andrew Miller (2.2) and Pineda (1.7), but he rarely received much attention and had seven wins, one save, three holds and a 3.29 ERA to escape recognition in fantasy. Much of that was due to Warren's performance in relief, as he had a 2.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 26.2 percent strikeout rate coming out of the bullpen after Ivan Nova made his healthy return to the rotation. But Warren's 3.66 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 17 starts showed he was also a capable starter. He'll presumably occupy the same swingman role for the Cubs as he had with the Yankees, but could move into a more prominent spot in time.

What would spawn a breakthrough? As the Cubs have Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop locking down the back end of their bullpen, Warren's ability to out-pitch and/or during spring training, even if it's not enough to overtake either by , would help in the long haul. Warren's continued work on his two-seam fastball and , the latter of which was highly effective as a reliever last season, are also keys to his success.

His chances of doing so? Skills-wise, they're good, but Warren's prospects of a rotation or primary setup spot when camps break are far from good. He's the kind of pitcher who might matter more as an in-season pickup than draft-day commodity.

"Kings of Command" master list of qualifiers

During the years, readers have requested the full list of pitchers who met all of the "Kings of Command" criteria. Listed below, in their order of FIP (fielding-independent pitching) are the 91 pitchers who did so in 2015:

Kings Of Command Qualifiers

PLAYER 2015 PR TBF K% BB% K/BB GB% FIP

Sergio Romo RP99 230 30.9% 4.3% 7.10 47.3% 1.91 Kings Of Command Qualifiers

PLAYER 2015 PR TBF K% BB% K/BB GB% FIP

Clayton Kershaw SP3 890 33.8% 4.7% 7.17 51.8% 1.99

Zach Britton RP5 253 31.2% 5.5% 5.64 79.9% 2.01

Carson Smith RP35 284 32.4% 7.7% 4.18 66.3% 2.12

Liam Hendriks RP63 261 27.2% 4.2% 6.45 48.0% 2.14

Brett Cecil RP47 214 32.7% 6.1% 5.38 53.5% 2.34

Jake Arrieta SP1 870 27.1% 5.5% 4.92 57.5% 2.35

Shawn Kelley RP95 205 30.7% 7.3% 4.20 44.1% 2.57

Keone Kela RP52 243 28.0% 7.4% 3.78 52.9% 2.64

Gerrit Cole SP8 832 24.3% 5.3% 4.59 49.0% 2.66

Clay Buchholz SP69 469 22.8% 4.9% 4.65 49.1% 2.68

Hector Rondon RP8 281 24.6% 5.3% 4.60 54.1% 2.68

Jacob deGrom SP9 751 27.3% 5.1% 5.39 47.4% 2.70

Jeurys Familia RP2 308 27.9% 6.2% 4.53 59.7% 2.74

Sean Gilmartin RP106 235 23.0% 7.7% 3.00 45.3% 2.75

Zack Greinke SP2 843 23.7% 4.7% 5.00 49.0% 2.76

Stephen Strasburg SP32 523 29.6% 5.0% 5.96 44.8% 2.81

Mark Melancon RP1 293 21.2% 4.8% 4.43 58.1% 2.82

Tony Watson RP42 293 21.2% 5.8% 3.65 49.5% 2.84

Carlos Carrasco SP15 730 29.6% 5.9% 5.02 51.9% 2.84

Luke Gregerson RP17 239 24.7% 4.2% 5.90 61.9% 2.86

Madison Bumgarner SP7 869 26.9% 4.5% 6.00 42.6% 2.87

Chris Archer SP13 868 29.0% 7.6% 3.82 46.8% 2.90

Francisco Rodriguez RP13 216 28.7% 5.1% 5.64 47.9% 2.91

Dallas Keuchel SP5 911 23.7% 5.6% 4.24 62.1% 2.91 Kings Of Command Qualifiers

PLAYER 2015 PR TBF K% BB% K/BB GB% FIP

Joe Blanton RP48 309 25.6% 5.2% 4.94 49.8% 2.92

Jon Lester SP18 828 25.0% 5.7% 4.40 50.4% 2.92

Sam Dyson RP53 309 23.0% 6.8% 3.38 69.5% 2.94

Corey Kluber SP14 886 27.7% 5.1% 5.44 44.2% 2.97

Jaime Garcia SP28 510 19.0% 5.9% 3.23 62.1% 3.00

Cesar Ramos RP156 221 19.5% 6.8% 2.87 48.1% 3.02

Addison Reed RP136 241 21.2% 7.9% 2.68 43.3% 3.03

Matt Harvey SP10 755 24.9% 4.9% 5.08 47.9% 3.05

Ryan Madson RP57 248 23.4% 5.6% 4.14 56.9% 3.09

Zach McAllister RP100 299 28.1% 7.7% 3.65 45.0% 3.15

Joe Smith RP96 271 21.0% 7.0% 3.00 53.9% 3.15

Jose Quintana SP42 862 20.5% 5.1% 4.02 48.3% 3.18

Jeremy Jeffress RP82 285 23.5% 7.7% 3.05 58.5% 3.22

Noah Syndergaard SP26 603 27.5% 5.1% 5.35 47.6% 3.25

Brandon Maurer RP75 206 18.9% 7.3% 2.60 49.0% 3.31

Michael Pineda SP61 668 23.4% 3.1% 7.43 50.0% 3.34

Patrick Corbin SP115 357 21.8% 4.8% 4.59 48.1% 3.35

A.J. Burnett SP65 699 20.5% 7.0% 2.92 54.6% 3.36

Kyle Hendricks SP49 739 22.6% 5.8% 3.88 53.1% 3.36

J.A. Happ SP50 717 21.1% 6.3% 3.36 43.2% 3.41

Joe Ross SP97 314 22.0% 6.7% 3.29 52.3% 3.42

Shawn Tolleson RP16 298 25.5% 5.7% 4.47 43.3% 3.44

Sonny Gray SP12 831 20.3% 7.1% 2.86 53.1% 3.45

Cole Hamels SP21 880 24.4% 7.0% 3.47 49.2% 3.47 Kings Of Command Qualifiers

PLAYER 2015 PR TBF K% BB% K/BB GB% FIP

Chad Qualls RP130 202 22.8% 4.5% 5.11 60.7% 3.52

Carlos Torres RP194 243 19.8% 7.4% 2.67 49.7% 3.53

Johnny Cueto SP23 866 20.3% 5.3% 3.83 44.2% 3.53

Raisel Iglesias SP116 395 26.3% 7.1% 3.71 48.0% 3.55

John Lackey SP17 896 19.5% 5.9% 3.30 47.9% 3.57

Collin McHugh SP30 859 19.9% 6.2% 3.23 46.2% 3.58

Adam Warren RP44 534 19.5% 7.3% 2.67 45.3% 3.59

Danny Salazar SP20 757 25.8% 7.0% 3.68 45.0% 3.62

Luis Avilan RP167 220 22.3% 6.8% 3.27 49.7% 3.66

Will Harris RP38 276 24.6% 8.0% 3.09 52.4% 3.66

Anthony DeSclafani SP87 785 19.2% 7.0% 2.75 46.3% 3.67

Jonathan Papelbon RP24 260 21.5% 4.6% 4.67 52.2% 3.70

Joakim Soria RP29 272 23.5% 7.0% 3.37 43.9% 3.71

Mat Latos SP177 494 20.2% 6.5% 3.13 46.0% 3.72

Felix Hernandez SP16 826 23.1% 7.0% 3.29 57.5% 3.72

Jim Johnson RP173 291 17.2% 6.9% 2.50 63.4% 3.73

Hisashi Iwakuma SP47 516 21.5% 4.1% 5.29 51.7% 3.74

Jordan Zimmermann SP31 831 19.7% 4.7% 4.21 44.0% 3.75

Erasmo Ramirez SP44 666 18.9% 6.0% 3.15 48.4% 3.76

Seth Maness RP187 270 17.0% 4.8% 3.54 58.1% 3.78

Jumbo Diaz RP159 255 27.5% 7.1% 3.89 47.0% 3.80

Tommy Hunter RP153 249 18.9% 5.6% 3.36 45.5% 3.83

Bartolo Colon SP54 815 16.7% 2.9% 5.67 44.5% 3.84

Jesse Chavez SP113 672 20.2% 7.1% 2.83 44.0% 3.85 Kings Of Command Qualifiers

PLAYER 2015 PR TBF K% BB% K/BB GB% FIP

Michael Wacha SP24 762 20.1% 7.6% 2.64 46.8% 3.87

Eduardo Rodriguez SP84 522 18.8% 7.1% 2.65 43.7% 3.92

Scott Kazmir SP39 763 20.3% 7.7% 2.63 44.6% 3.98

Masahiro Tanaka SP22 609 22.8% 4.4% 5.15 47.4% 3.98

Bryan Shaw RP104 265 20.4% 7.2% 2.84 47.1% 4.01

Robbie Ross Jr. RP162 259 20.5% 7.7% 2.65 51.9% 4.02

Aaron Nola SP106 318 21.4% 6.0% 3.58 48.9% 4.04

Kevin Gausman SP125 470 21.9% 6.2% 3.55 46.1% 4.10

Rick Porcello SP137 737 20.2% 5.2% 3.92 46.3% 4.13

Matt Andriese RP174 282 17.4% 6.4% 2.72 49.8% 4.14

Chase Anderson SP127 640 17.3% 6.3% 2.78 43.8% 4.14

Tommy Milone SP88 543 16.8% 6.6% 2.53 44.1% 4.30

Vidal Nuno RP145 376 21.5% 5.9% 3.68 43.3% 4.42

Jeremy Hellickson SP123 636 19.0% 6.8% 2.81 44.6% 4.44

CC Sabathia SP179 726 18.9% 6.9% 2.74 48.1% 4.68

J.R. Graham RP384 283 18.7% 7.4% 2.52 49.8% 4.69

David Hale SP272 346 17.6% 5.8% 3.05 49.8% 4.74

Jason Marquis SP307 216 17.1% 6.5% 2.64 48.2% 5.27

TRANSACTIONS 02/02/16

Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster C Stephen McGee to spring training. traded CF Darrell Ceciliani to for Player To Be Named Later. invited non-roster RHP Kyle McGowin to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster RHP A.J. Achter to spring training. Los Angeles Angels signed free agent RF Andrew Brown to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster LHP Tyler DeLoach to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster CF Chad Hinshaw to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster LHP Greg Mahle to spring training. Los Angeles Angels signed free agent RHP Yunesky Maya to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster 2B Sherman Johnson to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster LHP Nate Smith to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster C Michael Strentz to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster C Taylor Ward to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster 2B Alex Yarbrough to spring training. Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster C Wade Wass to spring training.