Roto Riteup: May 16, 2019

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May 16, 2019

How the Roto Riteup feels about FAAB this weekend…..

On the Agenda:
1. More MLB Debuts!
2. Various News and Notes/Quick Hits
3. Streaming Pitchers

 

More MLB Debuts!
With Ender Inciarte being sent to the IL, the Braves purchased the contract of top prospect Austin Riley. Riley started in left field and hit sixth in the lineup. He went 1-for-3 with a strikeout, and this little beauty:

One of the most popular prospects in the game, Riley’s best skill he possesses is the one he demonstrated yesterday – his 70-grade power (according to Fangraphs). He was ranked second on the Braves Top Prospect List on Fangraphs, and was hitting .299/.377/.681 with 15 HR and 39 RBI in 162 PA. He’s had some issues with contact in the minors, but he had a career-best 19% K and 11% BB prior to his promotion. He could easily stick for the rest of the season (kind of like the Michael Chavis situation), making him an obvious add in all formats based on his power upside alone (the lineup doesn’t hurt either). There is some risk, as he hadn’t played in the outfield until just recently at Triple-A. With that said, he’s a phenomenal athlete, and could add significant value to the Braves and fantasy teams alike.

Speaking of prospects coming up and hitting a bomb, my longtime fantasy baseball mistress – Willie Calhoun – was promoted from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday. He was the DH (which is where he’ll likely be most days that he’s in the lineup card), and went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in his 2019 debut.

With Elvis Andrus going to the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring injury, the Rangers thought Calhoun deserved a try. Hunter Pence has been red hot this year, and it’s kind of legit….With that being said, Pence received a day off on Wednesday. Calhoun could be a viable fantasy player in mixed leagues at some point, but I’m not quite sure what his role is with this club based on his defensive limitations. Prior to his promotion he was hitting .304/.416/.557 with eight home runs and 22 RBI (15% BB). He’s definitely worth picking up in deeper-mixed leagues and AL-Only, we’ll just have to see how much he plays over these next ten days (at least) while Andrus is out.

Various News and Notes/Quick Hits

Zack Greinke dropped his ERA to 2.78 for the season after throwing 7.2 scoreless innings against the Pirates on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he left the start due to abdominal tightness, and is set to have an MRI on Friday according to manager Torey Lovullo.

Staying with Diamondbacks injury news, David Peralta also made an early exit from Wednesday’s game against the Pirates with a right trap tightness.

He was replaced by Blake Swihart who went on to hit a two-run home run. Not to diminish the seriousness of the injury, but the game was already pretty well in hand for the Diamondbacks, so I’m hoping that it was a shade more precautionary than it seems. If not, we should receive more info on this issue, as well as Greinke’s in the coming days. Peralta is currently hitting .318/.359/.531 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 192 PA thus far.

Gleyber Torres had three hits in his two games against the Orioles yesterday, with all three of them resulting in a home run.

 

After notching a .255 BA and .745 OPS in April (five home runs, three stolen bases), Torres has compiled a .341/.386/634 line with three home runs over 41 PA in May. It’s helped carry him to a top-150 ranking according to Razzball’s Player Rater, which is likely close to where he’ll finish at season’s end. Side note; Kendrys Morales made his Yankees debut in Game 2, and went 1-for-2 with two walks.

Miguel Andujar has elected to undergo labrum surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.

He tried to grind through it but ultimately, it was just too much to overcome. Andujar was a decent value in drafts this year, and owns enough offensive upside to hold on to in keeper formats moving forward. The hope is he’ll be ready to return next season.

Quick Hits: Alex Bregman hit his fourth home run in his last four games. Victor Robles hit his second home run in as many days, and now has eight bombs and eight stolen bases on the year. Mike Soroka shut down the Cardinals and is down to a 0.98 ERA in six starts. Yu Darvish didn’t walk anyone and posted 11 K in 5.1 IP against the Reds. Patrick Corbin also posted 11 strikeouts and allowed just one run against the Mets. Domingo German continued to cruise through the league, dropping his ERA to 2.50 after holding the Orioles at bay. Jeimer Candelario was sent down to Triple-A. Yandy Diaz is day-to-day after leaving Wednesday’s game with ankle discomfort. Taijuan Walker hit a snag in his rehab from TJ surgery. Shaun Anderson was solid, but unspectacular in his MLB debut. Yordan Alvarez should be on people’s radars as the Astros will be cutting Tyler White’s playing time. Jarrod Dyson grabbed two more steals, and is now up to 11 on the season with three home runs (.290 BA) – he needs to be owned. Kenta Maeda shut out the Padres over 6.2 IP and also notched 11 K. Andrew Heaney is getting closer to returning. Mitch Garver went on the IL and will be out a while – Jason Castro and Willians Astudillo both started yesterday. Miguel Sano was activated from the 10-day IL, but did not play. Tommy La Stella hit his 11th home run.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Less than 50% owned)
Pitcher for Today: Dylan Bundy at CLE
You won’t be getting any wins, but Bundy has been better as of late and can get a few strikeouts and maybe a quality start.

High Risk Options: Lance Lynn at KC
Lynn gets to pitch at Kauffman Stadium, which could help quell any homer problems.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Jordan Lyles at SD
Lyles has allowed 2 ER or less in every start but one this season, the Padres are a bottom-tier club against RHP and at home. It doesn’t hurt that they have the second-highest K% (27%) against RHP as well.

High-Risk Option: Merrill Kelly vs SF
Anyone against the Giants offense, even though, they have been about league-average over the last week.





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

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Crusher524member
4 years ago

FYI, the title is missing for the article, had to go through Mike’s author page to access the Riteup today

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