You know those great hot starters? Yes right. Those hot starters which once in your life, fooled you to put all your MLB betting on their team because they look like they are really good and will make you win huge money. Each MLB season has it. And today, I’m going to list out some of the hot starters today on MLB 2012. I didn’t tell you not to bet on them. I’m just telling you I’m not buying it and doubt that it will last. Here are they: Edwin Encarnacion, DH, Toronto Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion has been on fire this season, as he finds himself sitting on nine home runs and a .931 OPS, after hitting a total of 17 home runs with a .787 OPS last year.Not surprisingly, Encarnacion has cooled off in May. He has two hits so far this month, and has gone hitless in each of Toronto's last four games.
This is just the beginning of Encarnacion's cool-down. The fact of the matter is that he was putting up numbers that weren't sustainable, and they still look that way.
Bronson Arroyo, SP, Cincinnati Reds Bronson Arroyo was historically bad last season. This year, Arroyo looks completely refreshed, and he's been mowing hitters down on a regular basis. A little too regular, I think. After his win on Monday against the Brewers, Arroyo has his ERA down to 2.75 and his WHIP down to 1.17. He's helped himself by upping his strikeout rate this season, and decreasing his BB/9 to a razor-thin 0.92. Arroyo, however, remains hittable. Opponents are hitting him at a .275 clip this season, which isn't far off from the .286 clip they hit him at last season, and it's actually par for the course for hitters against Arroyo ever since the beginning of the 2007 season.
This suggests his early-season success is not sustainable. So does his 3.73 xFIP, which will likely climb into the 4.00s before long (also par for the course for Arroyo). He may not be historically bad again, but he's not this good. Wei-Yin Chen, SP, Baltimore Orioles
The quality of Baltimore's starting pitching has been a huge surprise all season, and Wei-Yin Chen has had a lot to do with it. He boasts a 2-0 record in five starts, with a 2.76 ERA. His ERA may be 2.76, but his xFIP is 4.57, one of the highest marks in the league among qualified pitchers. That's a huge gap, and it's hard to imagine Chen maintaining it as long as he maintains a ground-ball percentage of 35.2. More and more hits are going to start coming.
There are a couple of things that have helped Chen get out to a hot start. He has unfamiliarity working for him, and his two best starts came against two weak-hitting clubs in the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. Expect Chen's numbers to level out as the season moves along and hitters get a grasp on his stuff.
Ted Lilly, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers It's somewhat under the radar, but Ted Lilly is having an outstanding season for the Dodgers. Following his win against the San Francisco Giants on Monday, he has a 4-0 record with a 1.41 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. The thing about Lilly is that he's enjoying a lot of success despite the fact he has a 5.91 K/9 and a 3.09 BB/9. He typically does a lot better than this throughout the course of a full season. In fact, these numbers qualify as being a little concerning. Lilly's xFIP of 4.40 is just about three full runs higher than his ERA. Expect him to level out in a big way going forward.
Bryan LaHair, 1B, Chicago Cubs Bryan LaHair enters Tuesday with video game numbers. His batting line stands at .388/.479/.800, and he's among the league leaders in a lot of offensive categories. LaHair leads the league in one category by quite a wide margin. His BABIP is .535. The next-closest guy on the list is at .457.
I can see him having a good season, but he's way too hot right now. His luck will run out, and pitchers will also figure out how to exploit his weaknesses. It's certainly worth noting that LaHair hasn't been in the big leagues all that long, so a lot of pitchers don't really know how to pitch him yet. That will change.
Believe me! Don’t put all your MLB betting on a team just because of these hot starters. I know it’s wrong to judge a person and I should just thank them and honor them and what they are showing right now. But the truth is, they will definitely going to come back down to earth and end there. And I just want you to take extra cautious on them. Who thinks I am right? Drop me some comment.
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