We all know by now how to best utilize a pitcher’s BABIP data during and after the season. For the most part, a pitcher with a BABIP significantly below the league average is probably going to see that metric rise, while a pitcher with a mark above the league average will likely post a better one moving forward. But that’s not the only use of BABIP. It also affects a pitcher’s strikeout and walk per nine innings rates. This is why many now prefer to use strikeout and walk percentage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Later this week, readers will notice that the Roto Riteup will be written by authors on days that are mostly unfamiliar to them, because Wiers and myself are both important men with important things to do.

On today’s agenda:
1. Ike Davis goes down
2. Checking in on Dustin Ackley
3. Michael Pineda makes a rehab start
4. Assorted Notes

Read the rest of this entry »

• Jim Henderson is over his groin issues as he was activated off the disabled list early this morning. Ron Roenicke wasted no time getting him a little action, having him follow Kyle Lohse’s eight innings in today’s drubbing of the Phillies. It’s hard to argue that a healthy Henderson isn’t the best pitcher (currently) in the Brewers pen, but Francisco Rodriguez has a 0.87 ERA since resurfacing a month ago. A lot of that is buoyed by a .130 BABIP and a perfect strand rate, but his 3.84 xFIP doesn’t portend imminent implosion. Roenicke has been pretty coy about the ninth inning situation; I’d expect Henderson to get it back eventually but with K-Rod pitching well and sitting on 298 career saves (apparently people like round numbers?) you shouldn’t drop either guy until someone comes out and gets two-to-three save opportunities in a row.

Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 23
Today’s episode of The Sleeper and the Bust stars yours truly and features RotoGraphs contributor Brett Talley. We discuss daily fantasy contest strategy and a pair of top prospect call-ups.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @mikepodhorzer or @enosarris on Twitter and tweet us any fantasy questions you have that we may answer on our next episode.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via the feed.

Intro by DJ Sinton (no, contrary to popular belief, I do not moonlight as a rap star).

Approximately 38 min of joyous analysis.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

20 innings. 18 innings. Wild.

On Saturday, the Miami Marlins and New York Mets played a 20-inning game that saw both teams use a starting pitcher out of the bullpen for seven innings or longer. The Marlins also used six bullpen arms, while the Mets used six as well.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers also played an 18-inning affair, with the Jays using all eight of their active bullpen arms (eight-man bullpen, hey!). The Rangers managed to use just four relievers thanks to Ross Wolf giving them 6.2 before surrendering a game-winning Bert (a Bert is an unearned run – earned runs are Ernies).

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Roto Riteup can help you go the distance in your fantasy leagues. Side note: Hercules was recently added to the Netflix instant queue. So go watch it. It’s grand.

On today’s agenda:
1. David Price and the Tampa Bay rotation
2. Make a move for Wil Myers
3. The return of Logan Morrison
4. Gerrit Cole to debut Tuesday
Read the rest of this entry »

Mariano Rivera faced two Mariners over the minimum en route to his 22nd save of the season today in Seattle. The future Hall-of-Famer surrendered a leadoff single and issued a free pass, but eventually struck out the side to seal the deal. Tonight’s save raised Mo’s career total to 630 and he now sits just one save behind league-leader Jason Grilli (23) for the current campaign. Two more historical tidbits on Mo: He’s saved 630-of-670 games over the course of his career.  And if Mo were to hang ’em up today, Joe Nathan, whose 316 saves rank second-most among active players, would need just 314 saves to catch the Yankee.

Read the rest of this entry »

When consuming sunflower seeds one should always, always crack the shell, eat the seed, then spit out the shell. People who eat the shell frighten me with their primitive ways.

On today’s agenda
1. Salvador Perez’s value
2. A potential return date for Giancarlo Stanton
3 . Tony Cingrani should start Tuesday
4. Musings on two of yesterday’s starts
Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s first start with results:

Week 1: 1-3, 30 IP, 3.00 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, 1.13 WHIP (Kevin Slowey, Ubaldo Jimenez, Joe Saunders)
Week 2: 2-3, 25.1 IP, 5.69 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.4 K/BB, 1.74 WHIP (Joe Blanton, James McDonald, Eric Stults)
Week 3: 1-2, 32 IP, 3.66 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.1 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP (Wade Davis, Carlos Villanueva, Patrick Corbin)
Week 4: 2-1, 22 IP, 6.14 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.1 K/BB, 1.95 WHIP (Julio Teheran, Jason Hammel, Garrett Richards)
Week 5: 2-2, 30 IP, 3.60 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 1.6 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP (Scott Diamond, Nick Tepesch, Andrew Cashner)
Week 6: 2-3, 32.2 IP, 4.96 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.0 K/BB, 1.44 WHIP (Justin Grimm, Juan Nicasio, Hector Santiago)
Week 7: 1-0, 29 IP, 3.41 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.8 K/BB, 1.34 WHIP (Julio Teheran, Phil Hughes, Scott Kazmir)
Week 8: 1-0, 34.2 IP, 4.93 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 4.5 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP (Jhoulys Chacin, Kevin Slowey, Dan Straily)
Week 9*: 1-1, 20 IP, 3.15 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.4 K/BB, 1.15 WHIP (John Danks, Andrew Cashner, Chris Tillman)

—————————————————————–
Total: 13-15 (.464), 255.2 IP, 4.26 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.4 K/BB, 1.37 WHIP
League Averages: .495 win percentage, 4.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 2.6 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP Read the rest of this entry »

The Yasiel Puig hype is out of control. After a hot spring, he landed on everyone’s fantasy radar and now here we are, four games into his major league career and already we are shipping his cleats off to Cooperstown and engraving the plaque. No one is screaming “small sample size” and no one is referring back to the throngs of ballplayers who made a big splash to open their careers yet did nothing to follow it up. Instead, we’re being inundated with comparisons to already well-established superstars, insane statistical projections and lists of Cuban-born players who have found success in Major League Baseball. In fact, the amount of Cuban history that I have seen, heard and read about in the past week is overwhelming. So much so that I have actually decided to try out a brand new strategy for my fantasy team. I have decided to become a fantasy racist. Read the rest of this entry »