• Thoughts on Hudson, Jeter's struggles

  • By Jason Grey | April 12, 2011 9:59:13 AM PDT
It was another step in the continuing maturation of 24-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks starter Daniel Hudson.After a rough first inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday (allowed four baserunners and two runs and was even bailed out of the inning by having a runner get thrown out at third base), Hudson went into the dugout and realized he was having problems with his arm slot and getting offline with his delivery (he confirmed as much after the game). But he remained calm and proceeded to make the necessary changes to right the ship. He went on to blank the Reds for the next six innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just two more baserunners in the losing effort.That he was able to fix an issue like that during the course of the start, rather than getting knocked around some more then correcting the issue in a bullpen session before his next outing, is a good sign of a pitcher in tune with his delivery, confident with his mechanics and in position to get the most out of his stuff.And rest assured, that stuff is good. One of the main reasons Hudson went from being seen as a back-end rotation prospect in 2009 to the guy that turned heads in 2010 was the rapid development of his changeup, which has become a great pitch for him. Hudson's slider seems to be a touch crisper this year, too, and he has been in the 93-94 mph range with his fastball a little more consistently this season, with good command.I was very high on Hudson this preseason. While I expected some regression from last year's phenomenal numbers (in a small sample size), I felt he would still be a valuable pitcher to own, at least a top-40 starting pitcher in fantasy play this season. And let's just say that nothing I've seen thus far dispels that notion.Here are a few more things I've noted in the past week:• When it comes to Derek Jeter, even the most minute details about his play can draw a lot of attention, and all the discussion about him tinkering with his swing then reverting back to his old hitting style (which is about the best way I can sum it all up) is no different. But I have a different concern/question: Where's the bat speed? That's what I've taken from his early at-bats. He's not hitting with authority, and his bat looks slow.Could it just be that it's way too early and we need to give Jeter the benefit of the doubt? Certainly. Just as the sample size is still small on the stat sheet, the same can be said about the fundamentals of his swing, especially if he spent the spring trying out some new things. As he gets settled in and finds a little rhythm in the batter's box, maybe things will get a touch better. However, there's a good reason I chose to stay away from Jeter in drafts/auctions this spring. I felt the cost to get him would be beyond a level I was comfortable.I think when we're talking about bat-speed issues, weak contact and swing changes for any player who turns 37 in June, it's a big concern, especially when said player had the highest percentage of ground balls of any big league regular last season (about two-thirds of his balls in play) and is coming off a season in which he posted the lowest OPS of any season in his illustrious career by more than 60 points.His fantasy owners should be concerned. Does he still bring a good return on the trade market in your league? My take right now is that it's worth at least exploring to see what's out there if you have another viable shortstop option.• I freely admit that I remained a bit skeptical about San Diego Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin's offensive potential entering this season, especially following his move to San Diego, where he'd play his home games at spacious Petco Park. But one thing I've learned in my career is that young players with a lot of athleticism and tools sometimes need a little more time than expected to turn those tools into actual baseball skills, and when they do growth can come in a hurry.Maybin was pushed way too aggressively by the Detroit Tigers early in his career. He was promoted to the big leagues at just 20 years old when he was barely able to fill out his uniform. He still needed to mature a lot physically. Now almost 24, Maybin has hit two homers and stolen three bases in nine games.There's no question Maybin has gotten stronger this season, as anyone who saw his Opening Day bomb to straight-away center field can attest, and it appears he has done so without losing his wheels. He also appears to be staying back well, using his bat speed and driving the ball more consistently, giving us hope that he might have less of a ground ball-hitting profile this year as in past years and allowing him to tap into that strength a little more.That said, his pitch selectivity is still a bit of an issue. He has struck out in almost a third of his career at-bats in the big leagues, although he has shown a little more ability to control the strike zone in the minors and has had success at Triple-A in the past. I don't think it's an issue of pitch recognition. I think he's just a little too aggressive and prone to chase at times, and his upside is going to be limited unless he improves in that area.Still, Maybin's developing tools make a .260 batting average, 12-15 homers and 20-25 steals a reasonable expectation for him this season. That will be useful in plenty of fantasy formats, perhaps even mixed leagues.

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