If I were to tell you yesterday – when I originally looked at the leaderboard – that Jayson Werth has been the fourth best hitter in the major leagues over the past calendar year would you have believed me? I wouldn’t have believed me.  Despite watching Freddie Freeman on basically a nightly basis, I wouldn’t have pegged him sixth either. On the pitching side of things, it’s pretty cool to see that Scott Kazmir has been a top 20 pitcher over the past year.

I always enjoy looking back using the leaderboards, because no matter how much ball I watch I always miss something/under-appreciate someone. Onto to our task of the day.

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How about an early look at some NL Starter Tiers? With a month down, we already have a better idea of which surprise candidates might live up to the hype. We also have an idea of which veterans are at the end of their rope. And in the middle of all that, we are still waiting on the returns of Mike Minor and Mat Latos.

You’ll notice this is the NL post, so you won’t see Masahiro Tanaka ranked. Despite this, someone in the comments will say “where’s Masahiro Tanaka, you idiot?” Don’t be that person. The tiers should be viewed as tiers, not straight rankings. If I have Liriano and Samardzija in the same tier, but Liriano is ranked higher in his tier, that doesn’t matter. Being in a tier means I perceive those players to have similar value. Finally, I’m going to rank players based on albums I like. The top album isn’t my favorite or anything, I just think they are good albums and maybe you’ll enjoy them too. Feel free to comment, or recommend other albums below. Cool? Cool!

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The present Roto Riteup author made an appearance on the River Ave Blues podcast, which you should listen to if you like to hear me say disparaging things about people who make way more money than me.

On today’s agenda:
1. A.J. Griffin needs Tommy John surgery
2. Mike Minor back Friday
3. Archie Bradley to the DL
4. Manny Machado to be activated Tuesday
5. Tigers’ fans rejoice: Hector Noesi to start today
6. The Freaky Five

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Agenda

1. Advice for a losing streak
2. DFS for today
3. Fantasy action for tomorrow
4. Table Time TM

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Let’s be honest, if you’re watching baseball tonight, you’re watching Jose Fernandez and Alex Wood square off again. If that wasn’t your plan, you should immediately make it your plan. Last week – when the two first met – it was magical, as Jeff Sullivan wrote. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of either team, tune in for the fact that the two men above are two of the quickest working staring pitchers in the game, which is always a plus.

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With all due respect to Mr. Zach Sanders, the Tuesday Roto Riteup is better than Monday. It is also definitely the best RR day that begins with a T.

On today’s agenda:
1. Bryce Harper to miss two months
2. Josh Reddick could be on the upswing
3. Another quality start from Tyler Skaggs
4. The Daily Five

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Occasionally, the collective fantasy baseball community reflects on a productive single-season performance and sees a top-10 value that doesn’t really fit the underlying skills. The title of this column belies the vagueness of that opening line, but the upshot is something many people said last year and repeated ad nauseum over the winter. While Brandon Phillips was the sixth-ranked fantasy second baseman in 2013, many people were concerned with the declined skill set that lurked below the surface — a surface that was largely buoyed by his 103 RBI.

In 2013, his ISO dropped to .135, which was a career low. He only stole single-digit bases for the first time since 2005, when he only had nine plate appearances with the Cleveland Indians. He continued swinging at more pitches outside the strike zone, and his swinging-strike rate eclipsed 10.0% for the first time since the 2008 season.

Phillips essentially experienced a drop-off in many major peripheral statistics, and he people suddenly became concerned that he was on the wrong side of 30 and about to experience a precipitous decline. I ranked him as a fourth-tier second baseman coming into the season and noted significant concerns throughout the offseason.

Of course, the overarching point of this article is to illustrate that those concerns were fully justified. Brandon Phillips has been brutal throughout the month of April, and if we pull back the veil and peak at the underlying numbers, the picture becomes even more bleak and troublesome. Things aren’t getting better. They’re getting much worse, and as the title suggests, I’m turning my back and sprinting away from him as much as possible.

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Agenda

1. High-level 50/50 strategy
2. DFS tinkerings
3. Tuesdays with uhh…someone
4. It’s April and I’m running out of ways to say Table

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Process, not results.

We all know this axiom. It applies to front offices and fantasy baseball players alike. It’s especially important for daily fantasy players to stick to the process and not get caught up in the results. There will be stretches where you find it difficult to cash, and there will certainly be stretches where you’ll find your bankroll stagnant. During those stretches it’s important that you not question your process. Stick with it, and over time you’ll see that bankroll grow.

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Monday is the best day, Roto Riteup readers.

On today’s agenda:
1. Jose Abreu keeps breaking records
2. Kyle Seager busts out
3. Matt Harrison debuts
4. Danny Salazar makes me happy
5. The Furious Five

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