Obviously, there are flaws for any SPs who are readily available for streaming, but today’s batch seems to be particularly volatile. I’m always down for a pitcher who can deliver that gem of 7+ innings with a  bunch of strikeouts, but when the downside is a sub-5 inning nightmare, you have to carefully calculate if you can take on the risk.

(I’ll be citing the FantasyPros roster rates)

Tanner Roark – WAS at PHI (47%)

The Cards hit Roark for his worst start in the second half last time out, but even with the 5 IP/6 ER dud, he still has a 2.91 ERA in 55.7 IP since the break. Roark has two quality starts, a dud (4.3 IP/6 ER), and a rain-shortened outing that had started well (3 IP/0 ER) against the Phillies this year. The Phillies have been a middling offense against righties since the break, sitting 18th in wOBA at .317 with a 23% K rate.

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9/10/18

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 19, the best baseball strategy game ever made – available NOW on PC, Mac, and Linux platforms! Go to ootpdevelopments.com to order now and save 10% with the code SLEEPER19!

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• @justinmasonfwfb – Producer/Co-Host
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 2018 Disappointments in 2019 Drafts

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The Pirates system doesn’t have immense depth or a long line of high-impact players but the big league club could benefit from quite a few contributions in 2019 — especially on the infield.

Click here for the pre-season Top 10

1. Mitch Keller | RHP | AA —> One of the top arms in the upper levels of the minors, Keller has a nice mix of fastball velocity and ability to generate ground-ball outs. He’s also been durable and threw more than 140 innings split between three levels in 2018. He finished the year in triple-A but may return to that level in 2019 until he adds some additional polish to his secondary offerings and command. His fastball/curve combo, along with better-than-average control, could make him a solid No. 2/3 starter at the big league level — especially with an improved changeup.

2. Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | AA —> I’ve long been a fan of Hayes, who had his best pro season in 2018 while playing in double-A at the age of 21. He flirted with a .300 batting average while showing a better eye at the plate with 57 walks and just 84 Ks. On top of that, he started to show more gap pop and could be good for 30-40 doubles at the MLB level while producing 10-12 homers with his current approach. Defensively, he has the skills to develop into an impact defender at third base.

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Here at the Roto Riteup, we only care about football, when it involves baseball!

#SeptemberBaseball pic.twitter.com/EO1HOZqZFk

— Cut4 (@Cut4) September 9, 2018

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I hope no owner is needing a free agent starter to use as it’s a rough group of lowly owned pitchers. When Ian Kennedy is the top choice, the pickings are slim.

Here are the pitchers owned in 20% or fewer FanTrax leagues.

Ian Kennedy (22% – close enough for RotoGraphs) at Twins

The 33-year-old righty should not be in play, but he’s Sunday’s best option with the chance for a Win (vs Twins) and some strikeouts (8.3 K/9). His flyball nature has helped him post a HR/9 over 1.5 over the past 4 seasons so he’ll have a high ERA. Experienced owners should know what they’re getting with Kennedy.

Erasmo Ramirez (19%) vs Yankees

I’ve never been able to trust Ramirez and I’m not sure I can against the Yankees. There are a couple signs for optimism. Most of his ERA damage happened in his first start when he posted a 10.24 ERA. After those two starts, he went on the DL (shoulder).

Since returning, his ERA has been 3.70 with ERA estimators near 4.00. He’s in the mold of a slightly below average starter with a 7.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. He’s facing CC, so he has a chance for a Win. There are worse choices.
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It’s going to be a tough week for owners looking for help. Few quality players became available this week and the available two-start starter is not any better. I will still try to give some FAAB estimates.

As usual, I use the NFBC Main Event (34 15-team mixed leagues, $1000 in FAAB) for the FAAB bids and CBSsportsline.com to estimate the weekly demand. First off, here are last week’s results.

Results from last week's FAAB projections for @thenfbc. I'm back to being a little high.

Name: Proj, Actual
Tyler White: $61, $43
Luke Voit: $19, $8
Luis Urias: $24, $11
Ramon Laureano: $16, $20
Billy McKinney: $14, $7
Jace Fry: $13, $9https://t.co/7SEVPNqmjk

— Jeff Zimmerman (@jeffwzimmerman) September 7, 2018

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I can’t believe I’m going to write this.

Wade Miley has a 2.12 ERA this season.

It’s just a 63.2 inning sample across twelve starts, but that’s still over a third of a season’s work with sparkling results, including a 1.18 WHIP.

Will this stick? In all likelihood, no. His 4.59 SIERA is nearly 2.5 points higher than the marvelous ERA, inflated by a minute 6.1% HR/FB rate, .260 BABIP, and 80% LOB rate. These numbers are all due to fall as the sample rises.

But this isn’t to say that Miley has had a remarkable season simply by being in the good graces of Lady Luck. Miley has completely revamped his approach:

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9/7/18

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 19, the best baseball strategy game ever made – available NOW on PC, Mac, and Linux platforms! Go to ootpdevelopments.com to order now and save 10% with the code SLEEPER19!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Producer/Co-Host
• @jasoncollette – Co-Host
• @pitcherlist – Co-Host

GET THE SLEEPER & THE BUST T-SHIRT FROM ROTOWEAR!

Audio is a little wonky perhaps due to a storm in my area. My internet was a little wobbly, too, so unfortunately it seemed to impact my audio as well. 

 Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles

• Shohei Ohtani needs TJ to pitch again; could hit all of ‘19 – 4:05

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There are some intriguing athletes sprinkled throughout the lowest levels of the minors but this system has fallen on hard times and lacks depth.

Click here for the pre-season Top 10

1. Miguel Amaya | C | A —> Amaya, 19, was a monster in the first half of the year before tiring during the latter portion of his first full season (.865 vs .634 OPS). An encouraging sign: He maintained his walk rate while trimming his strikeout rate in the second half despite the diminished offence. In his prime, he should get on base at an above-average rate and produce solid pop. He has work to do on his receiving and game calling but he’s shown potential with throwing out base runners.

2. Adbert Alzolay | RHP | AAA —> It was basically a lost year for Alzolay, who started just eight games before getting hurt. He’s an undersized righty but he can hit the mid-90s and shows flashes of a plus curveball. His makeup is universally lauded so expect him to squeeze out every ounce of potential with a ceiling of a No. 3-4 rage if he gains consistency with the secondary stuff. My biggest concern aside from injury is his fly-ball tendencies.

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