Written by Joe Lucia
| 24 March 2010
Gonna start skipping some guys if they're not on the 25-man since opening day is a week and a half away...hope you guys don't mind. I gotta get a move on on these previews if I wanna be done by the time the season starts!
Kris Medlen is awesome. /end preview
But seriously. Medlen is one of the brightest shining arms in the bullpen, debuting last May in a couple of starts for the Braves before being shifted to the bullpen with the arrival of Tommy Hanson. He finished the year with a 3.35 FIP, which was overshadowed and overlooked by his ERA of 4.26. Medlen showed signs of dominance, as he struck out 9.58 batters per 9, continuing his minor league ritual of striking a lot of dudes out while a reliever. His walk rate on the other hand, was wonky, as he allowed 3.99 batters per 9 to reach on the free pass. Meds was also horribly unlucky over the year, with a .336 BABIP. However, once Medlen got out of the rotation and got into the bullpen, his rates shined...the strikeout rate went up to 9.91 per 9, while the walk rate plummeted to 2.95 per 9.
Kris will likely spend most of his time in the bullpen this season, barring an injury to a member of the starting rotation. If that ends up happening, he'd likely slide into the back of the rotation and someone like a Johnny Venters would need to be called up to take his spot in the bullpen. There has been some debate whether or not Medlen would give the Braves more value in the rotation or in the bullpen in the long term. As of right now, I'd personally keep him in the bullpen in a long relief/shutdown reliever role, with an occasional spot start on occasion. But when you look at Medlen's long-term future, he would likely provide more value to the team in the rotation, provided that he's able to get his control in hand for more than an inning or two. He definitely has the stuff to succeed as a starter, but was really only a starter in his professional career for about half of the 2008 season with Mississippi, and for a third of the season with Gwinnett and Atlanta last year. The Braves erratic handling of him makes me think that even they are waffling on where Medlen can provide the greatest value for the Braves.
Medlen is a key player on the 2010 Braves team, and in a fantasy setting, could be worth a spot on your team assuming you're either in a NL-only league or a rather deep dual league team. He will get you strikeouts and innings pitched, while giving you a solid ERA and not killing you in walks. I don't think he'll get you many save opportunities, but you never know with the injury concerns hovering around Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito.
