I just got finished reading a write up of the Curiosity Mars Rover and I’m in the Riteup mood. For the sake of science, I hope you all watched the landings late last night (or early Monday morning if you live in the eastern time zone like yours truly).

• With Alex Rodriguez expected to miss the majority of the regular season (not to mention the beginning of the head-to-head playoffs), Eric Chavez seems to have had some serious playing time open up for him. Over the past seven games, Chavez had five hits—including a pair of home runs—and seems to be hitting better now than in recent years. Sample size aside, there are several important things I see with Chavvy. His ISO is the highest that it has been since 2004 and although ISO tends to stabilize very late, I have liked what I’ve seen from him so far. He has a higher walk rate and a lower strike out rate than in the previous two seasons and his contact rate is 3.5% higher than average. For the next four to six weeks, I’d say Chavez is a solid pick up. You should be able to grab him in almost 97% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.
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As you are reading this, I am headed down some highway on my way to Cincinnati. Today’s Roto Riteup is brought to you by summer: baseball and good times.

• I don’t know how many times I can talk about Todd Frazier in an article or mention him in the comment section. I am just such a fan boy. So far he’s making my love of him seem justified, as he has three home runs in past seven games. He’s still horrifically under-valued and under owned. He’s owned in a mere 13% of Yahoo! leagues and 10% of ESPN leagues. If he’s still available, please, for my sake: go pick him up.
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With just hours before the end of the (non-waiver) trade deadline, here are some risers and fallers in the American League outfield.

Bullish:
Alex Gordon – After a pretty slow start this season caused a lot of people to think that his 2011 was a fluke, Gordon has been excellent for the past two months. His June average was .349 and his July average has fallen all the way back down to .333 so far. I had him down in the fifth tier to start July and that ranking is looking increasingly silly. In case anyone hasn’t been paying attention to their team lately, or can only remember Gordon’s start to the season, I’d go ahead and trade for him. The final two months are upon us and Gordon is a valuable asset in any format.
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So the A’s are only 3.5 games behind the Rangers as of this morning. I don’t really know what else to say here. You know, other than the fact that my mind is blown. Here is some less mind blowing baseball news for today’s Roto Riteup.

• Yesterday’s game was Jemile Weeks‘ first three hit game since last September. He even stole the his 14 bag of the year. He has a double digit walk rate but his .252 BABIP is still in the toilet. His 88.6% contact rate is well above the 79.9% average and his 4.3 SwStr% is half of the 8.9% average. His GB% is up from last year, but one would imagine that his type of speed, more grounders would be a good thing. To my highly unprofessional eye, despite making contact at an excellent rate, it is generally weak contact. Soft grounders turn into ground ball outs and although it is a combination of things, he has already grounded into more double plays this year than last year, in fewer plate appearances too. Given his pedigree and minor league history, he seems like too good of a hitter to make this weak of contact for much longer. I don’t know if I would add him in shallow leagues just yet, but I would keep a close eye on him. He is owned in 32% of Yahoo! and not even 30% of ESPN leagues. For what its worth, I’d take the over on his rest-of-season ZiPS line.
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I’m torn. Today is Saturday, and thus the weekend, but it is also the last weekend in July. Where did the summer go? Seasons come and go, but don’t worry, the Roto Riteup isn’t going anywhere!

• The Zack Greinke trade has been covered by our own Marc Hulet and Matt Klaassen already, and will be followed up from a fantasy perspective a little bit later today. The deal itself sent Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Jean Segura, Ariel Pena and John Hellweg. Both Pena and Hellweg can strike batters out, but issues with control seem to be seriously hampering their route to the majors. Segura is really the class of this trade, and is the only one with fantasy implications.
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Another day, another dollar Roto Riteup.

• In case you missed it (and to be honest, I have been missing it), Carlos Gomez has been killing the ball lately. With three home runs and seven RBI’s in the past four games, he looks like he could be worth owning for the short term. He even has a pair of stolen bases in that span too. His batting average and on-base percentage won’t do much for you, but the best slugging of his career has boosted his wRC+ to 111. He’s already surpassed his stolen bases totals from last year so that is a nice boost to his value too. He is owned in less than 5% of both ESPN and Yahoo! formats. I’d pick him up if you’re in an NL-only league or a deep mixed league.
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Today brings yet another installment of the American League Outfield Stock Watch.

Bullish:
Brennan Boesch – I touched on Boesch in a recent Roto Riteup, and since that he has done nothing but continue to hit. After last night’s 2-3 performance (plus a walk) that included a homer, he is looking more and more like the outfielder that the Tigers had hoped he’d become. He now has a home run in back to back games and seven RBI’s in his past five games. By all accounts he is as hot as he’ll ever be. He is still freely available to pick up in 30% of Yahoo! leagues and 28% of ESPN formats. I’d act now before someone else does.
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Congratulations, you’ve almost made it through another week of work. The only thing that separates you from that sweet, sweet weekend is one short work day. I’d suggest reading today’s Roto Riteup at work (unless you’re a pilot or surgeon or something) that way it shortens your work day even more. Just make sure you ALT+TAB if the boss walks passed.

• Luke Scott went 2-4 yesterday and hit his 12th home run of the year. He now has at least two hits in three of his past four games. When he is facing off against right-handed pitching, Scott can still do damage. His average and on-base percentage won’t win you any leagues, but he does now have 10 home runs against righties. If you’re hurting in the OF or at CI, Scott could slide in and give you some pop there. Scott is currently available in over 85% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.
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Today’s Roto Riteup is an utter masterpiece. Good thing I had an infinite amount of monkeys working on this since infinity ago.

• Doug Fister had a fantastic outing last night by holding the Angels to one run and recording 10 strikeouts in his eight innings of work. He was a huge boost the Tigers last season after his trade from the Mariners and it looks like he could do the same again this year. I don’t particularly believe in first half and second half splits meaning anything, but it is worth noting that over his past three starts, Fister has 20 strikeouts to just five walks. Fister is owned in just over half of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. I’d pick him up.
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After yesterday’s comment section, I don’t think I’ll be recommending any more TV shows to our dear readers.

• In the wake of the Joey Votto injury, Todd Frazier is literally being asked to step up to the plate. Yesterday was his second straight start at first base and he appears to have all but locked that position down for the coming three to four weeks. I’ve written about Frazier in the not-too-distant past so I won’t go over him too much. Just be aware that he is free to pick up in 93% of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. That won’t last long, so act quickly.
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