RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target late in all leagues
ANALYSIS: Matt Shoemaker got his shot in early May 2014, and stayed in the rotation until an oblique strain ended his season in mid-September. Shoemaker ended 2014 16-4 with a 3.04 ERA and a 124/24 K/BB rate, earning himself second place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. However, heading into 2015 with a locked-up rotation spot, Shoemaker might be in for a bit of regression during his sophomore campaign, given his concerning minor league stats. His 8.21 K/9 in 2014 was up from his average of 7.08 K/9 over his last two seasons in Triple-A. Shoemaker's BABIP also dropped from .332 with Salt Lake in 2013 to .286 in 2014. He figured out how to miss bats and induce weaker contact, but last year’s improvements might be unsustainable. With minimal big league experience and not much room to improve from his rookie season, I would be hesitant to take him any higher than the tenth round of a 12 team draft. All that said, Shoemaker does provide some value as a sleeper if he falls further than the 10th round in a draft.
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