{"playerId":2676,"percentChange":0,"averageDraftPosition":83.7,"percentOwned":100,"playerRaterSEASON":0.4,"playerRater7DAY":-3.3,"mostRecentNews":{"news":"Medlen hopes a mechanical adjustment made during a bullpen session Tuesday improves his command Thursday against the Nationals, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.","spin":"Medlen has had trouble painting the inside corner against lefties as well as finding the outside part of the plate against righties, but he hopes the adjustment he made Tuesday will fix those issues. The 27-year-old is coming off his worst start of the year, in which he allowed five runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings against the Tigers.","date":"Thu May 2"},"fullName":"Kris Medlen","seasonOutlook":{"outlook":"Would you believe that Kris Medlen, not Stephen Strasburg, was the highest-ranked pitcher on the 2012 Player Rater among those enjoying their first full big-league seasons coming off Tommy John surgery? Medlen posted a 2.48 ERA in 38 relief appearances before transitioning to the Braves' rotation in July, where he managed an unheard-of 0.97 ERA in 12 turns plus 10 consecutive quality starts to conclude the year (if you count the wild-card game). He flashed all the skills you'd want from a fantasy starter: A 5.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranked third-best among pitchers with 100-plus innings, a 53.6 percent ground-ball rate that ranked 16th among pitchers to face 500 or more batters, and a split of only 20 points in OPS between right- and left-handed hitters. Medlen's success is sustainable, but some regression in his ratios (ERA/WHIP) is inevitable. It's actually not the fear that his ERA might balloon to 4-plus that's responsible for his \"low\" ranking; it's that he has never pitched more than the 138 innings that he did in 2012 previously as a pro. Is he ready to handle the chores of a full-time workhorse? Maybe, but be cautious not to assume it.","seasonId":2013,"date":"Wed Feb 20"},"playerRater30DAY":0.5,"playerRater15DAY":-2.7,"positionRank":94}