{"playerId":2676,"percentChange":-11.2,"averageDraftPosition":84.5,"percentOwned":87.7,"playerRaterSEASON":5.8,"playerRater7DAY":5.7,"mostRecentNews":{"news":"Medlen was magnificent as he tossed eight inning of shutout baseball against the Phillies on Friday night. He allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out seven.","spin":"He ends the regular season 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA and appears to be in line to start in the Braves first playoff game. He had some rough patches this year, but he ends it with a flourish, and has given plenty of reason to look forward to next year.","date":"Fri Sep 27"},"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":8.2,"playerRater15DAY":4.6,"positionRank":28}