Roto Roundup: Ian Kennedy Wins 17th, David Price Ks 14, Desmond Jennings Hits 2 HRs

Rays starter David Price has had a solid season on the mound, but struggled in July with an ERA over 5, but yesterday he totally dominated the Blue Jays. He threw 7 shutout innings, holding them to just 5 base runners, but he also struck out 14 in doing so. Price is now 12-11 with a 3.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and an excellent  1840-47 K/BB rate in 190.2 innings pitched. He is on the cusp of becoming an ace if he isn't already, but in my mind there are plenty of other starter who come to mind when the term "ace" is thrown around. But, he's close.

Price's teammate Desmond Jennings may push his way into many Top 20 outfielder rankings in 2012 if he keeps performing like this. Yesterday, he went 4-5 with a walk, 2 HRs, 3 runs, 3 RBI and a SB and is now hitting .354-.440-.646 with 8 HRs, 19 RBI, 22 runs, 14 SBs in just 130 at bats. Think about that. For comparison purposes, the guy he was expected to replace in Tampa, Carl Crawford is hitting just .251-.285-.388 with 9 HRs, 47 RBI, 52 runs and 17 SBs in 407 at bats, in a much better lineup. Jennings already has 19 extra base hits vs just 33 for Crawford in almost 300 more at bats. And Jennings is batting leadoff, while the $146 million Crawford bounces between 6th and 7th in the Red Sox lineup.

Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy held the light-hitting Padres to just one run on 6 hits, and 7 strikeouts in 7 innings of work yesterday to win his 17th game of the season. He is now 17-4 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 161-49 K/BB rate in187.1 innings of work. I am starting to wonder if the Yankees are not a team than can develop young pitchers, and with a farm system stocked with pitching prospects, it should be addressed, especially after they let Kennedy get away.

More Roundup after the jump:

Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs went 1-5 with a walk, 2 strikeouts and a SB yesterday, and he showed off his two best attributes yesterday. For the season, he now has 34 SBs in 42 attempts, but on the downside, he has struck out 175 times in 521 at bats.  Stubbs is on pace for 213 strikeouts, with a low BA, and has turned into the speed version of Mark Reynolds. Someone needs to research what the average career length is for hitters who strike out 200+ times.

Brewers outfielder Corey Hart is flourishing in the leadoff role. He went 2-3 with a HR, a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBI yesterday and is now hitting .300-.371-.527 with 9 HRs, 21 RBI, 28 runs and 3 SBs in 150 at bats batting leadoff. For the season, he is up to .283-.359-.499 with 21 HRs, 50 RBI, 63 runs and just 6 SBs. The SBs are down, and I thought he would steal 20+ this season, but the power has returned. After entering July with just 8 HRs, he now has 20 and is on pace to hit 25 after hitting 31 last season. Had he not been hurt for most of April, where he had just 14 at bats, he probably would be on target for 30+ HRs again. Keep that in mind for 2012 drafts.

Twins outfielder Ben Revere went 1-4 with a run and a SB yesterday, and is now hitting .255-.301-.294 with 0 HRs, 20 RBI, 45 runs, a solid 33-21 K/BB rate, and 25 SBs in 32 attempts in his 337 at bats this season. Revere should start in either left field or center field in 2012, and with 500+ at bats could steal 40+ bases for the Twins and fantasy owners. He is a late round pick at best, since he has no power, but if he can learn to walk a bit more, 40 SBs may prove to be conservative.

White Sox outfield prospect Dayan Viciedo had a game to remember in his first major league game yesterday. He went 2-3 with a walk, a HR, 2 runs and 3 RBI. Viciedo has plenty of power as he hit .296-.364-.491 with 20 HRs, 78 RBI and 28 doubles in 452 at bats in AAA this season. He could eventually be a 30 HR hitter in the big leagues, especially playing in U.S. Cellular Field.

Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson continues to amaze this season. He went 3-5 with 2 HRs, 2 runs and 4 RBI in the second game of the double header with the Orioles. He is now hitting .278-.376-.595 with 38 HRs, 107 RBI, 121 runs and 24 SBs this season. He will get plenty of votes for AL MVP this season, which should be an excellent race in September with Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury also having terrific seasons.