Today’s Roto Riteup includes somewhat of a rant about the Rockies. You should rant in the comments, too, to make me feel better.

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Today’s Roto Riteup has its’ finest moment at the end, in the recommendations. You can take your inverted pyramid and shove it.

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Today’s Roto Riteup was written whilst “rocking out,” so random keystrokes caused by a certain forehead touching a certhsthdgdfh keyboard should be ignored.

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Happy Father’s Day! What could be a better gift to your old man than printing off today’s Roto Riteup and giving it to him? Don’t answer that.

• Yesterday afternoon Pedro Alvarez powered his ninth and tenth home runs of the season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that his batting average is still below .200 and his on-base is still below .280. In three separate stints of over 200 PA’s in the major leagues, Alvarez has at least a 30% strikeout rate in each one. Given that strikeout rate tends to normalize around the 150 PA threshold, it seems as though Alvarez is just a low contact, high strikeout guy at this point in his (still young) career. Even with his solid power, he is owned in just 10% of Yahoo! leagues and an even lower rate of 6% in ESPN due to these warts. If you’re desperate for help in the power department and you can burn average, Alvarez could be a help. His BABIP is currently 60 points below his career norm, so his triple slash should bounce back once that regresses. If he can continue to show this type of power for a full season, he could make for a sneaky pick up. A Mark Reynolds-lite. For sub 10% ownership rates, that isn’t too bad. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not a betting man (that’s a lie), but if I was, I’d wager that this is the best Roto Riteup that has been published in the past 24 hours. And if isn’t the best, then I’ll wager that it is at least the most recent.

• If it seems like I was just touting and recommending Justin Masterson last week, it’s because you have an excellent memory. It’s tough to read into a single start against the Pirates, but a nine strikeout and three walk performance is always nice regardless of the level of opposition. The same caution applies to Masterson as last week, but he is seemingly began to reshape into himself of old. His ownership rate in both ESPN and Yahoo! is still just 41%. Read the rest of this entry »

Compared to Wednesday, yesterday’s baseball news was considerably more dreary. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of useful info to be found in today’s Roto Riteup.

• Yesterday was a big day for Kirk Nieuwenhuis. It marked the first time that he powered multiple home runs in a single game. He led off the game with a shot to put the Mets ahead 1-0 and then he followed that up with another homer in the fourth inning. Although Nieuwenhuis has never topped the 20 homer plateau in any single season in the minors, he does have 17 and 19 home run seasons across different leagues in the same calendar year. With a BABIP at an even .400 so far this year I think he makes for a nice first half story with a big second half drop. He is striking out in over 25% of his plate appearances, 27.1% to be exact and his contact percentage is over six points below average. I’d go ahead and leave him on the waiver wire for now, but I have added him to my Yahoo! Watch List in several leagues. Read the rest of this entry »

Special note: Matt Cain’s perfect game netted me 91 fantasy points. For reference, a score of 300 on the week usually results in a win. If you have a good story — fantasy or otherwise — about last night’s perfecto, please share in the comments.

Kevin Youkilis is likely going to be moved before the trade deadline. This much we know. What we don’t know, however, is where he will end up. Youk’s value this year and next year depends on what happens over the next two months, so it’s time to dig in. While we can’t make a 100% accurate prediction, fantasy owners can at least plan ahead and forecast likely landing spots. So, I’m doing that for you; because you’re lazy, and I have a gift.

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I had a fight with my computer last night. There was yelling, name calling, and blame. Needless to say, I slept on the couch, and the Roto Riteup suffered. But we’ve made up today, so the Roto Riteup is back in action!

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Today marks my fourth Roto Riteup in a row! Only 52 more and I tie DiMaggio. Don’t worry, Zach Sanders will be back tomorrow and we’ll be back to the first half/second half platoon situation.

• Ubaldo Jimenez pitched one of his better games so far this season yesterday afternoon. He lasted seven innings while striking out seven and didn’t allow a walk. Over his past three starts and 19 2/3 innings, he has only allowed five walks. It’s possible that he has turned a corner and is ready to put his miserable start of the season behind him. If you are a fellow Ubaldo owner then you know how frustrating he has been so far. I wouldn’t make him an automatic start just yet but I would probably start him this week against the Pirates. With a 58% ownership rate in Yahoo! and just 47% in ESPN, Jimenez could be an ideal stream option this week.

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Today’s Roto Riteup might be a little more brief than the norm. I’d like to say that it is because I’m watching the free HBO weekend that is currently going on, but that would be a lie. The truth is that I am enjoying the other major league passion of mine, Major League Gaming. Today marks the final day of MLG’s Spring Championship, so go watch some StarCraft II already!

• So what if I told you that the leader for shortstops with 2.6 WAR who happened to lead the SS position in home runs was available in one third of Yahoo! leagues? It sounds pretty crazy huh? Well Jed Lowrie is exactly that. Somehow he still only owned in 67% of Yahoo! formats. For the love of cake, pick him up and play him if he is still available! His ESPN ownership rating is a full 100%, so to my colleagues in Yahoo! leagues: wake up already.

• Andrelton Simmons hit his first career major league home run last night. Power was never the strongest part of his game, but it is nice to see that he does possess the strength to knock one out. The ZiPS RoS on him isn’t too pretty but I think he has a chance to surpass those numbers. He might go off for a .280 average with lots of doubles and he’ll probably end the season with more triples than homers. Keep an eye on him. Simmons should be available in 95% of leagues. Read the rest of this entry »