• Asdrubal Cabrera has been placed on the Indians bereavement list, so make sure to adjust your daily lineups accordingly.

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• Dee Gordon’s current strikeout rate is very alarming, if you ask me. Gordon has already struck out in more than 20% of his plate appearances. Yes, it’s early, but his contact rate has also suffered, and it’s really going to kill him if it continues. Gordon can’t steal second if he doesn’t get on first, and even during last year’s stint, he only did that 33% of the time.

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• Heath Bell is in a big pile of doo-doo after pitching poorly for his third straight outing. Due to his pedigree and new fancy contract, Bell is going to have to do a little more than that to lose his job finishing games in Miami. The Marlins have Steve Cishek and Edward Mujica waiting in the wings if they should choose to make a change.

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It’s the mildly vaunted Friday the 13th today! Instead of bad luck and misfortune, I bring you a wide array of fantasy baseball relevant news from the world. Well, at least the world of baseball.

• The Cleveland Indians have apparently talked to and potentially signed Johnny Damon. Although it is not yet official (note the time stamps on the Heyman tweet and the Bastian article). Assuming Damon and Shelley Duncan for a platoon in left field, that figures to give the lefty batting Damon the majority of playing time. In more or less 650 PA (647 actually) in last year, Damon managed a 108 wRC+ for the season. His ZiPS line of .256/.328/.406 seems about in line with what we could reasonably expect the now 39 year old to be able to do. If you need a bench bat, Damon wouldn’t be a terrible pick. He won’t dazzle you with power or steals, but he’ll be playing against right-handed starters and figures to score some runs. He’s worth a flier if you need an OF.

• Stephen Drew is progressing nicely in extended spring training. Yesterday marked only his second look at a game atmosphere since breaking his ankle over nine months ago. He only played one inning in the field, but tallied four at bats in the game. Though there is no timetable for his return, Drew is certainly someone to keep an eye on. Drew had himself a 5 WAR season in 2010 before the injury cut his season short last year. Assuming he comes back healthy, he is certain to be a mid-to-late season boost to any fantasy team.

• Lorenzo Cain hit the DL yesterday after first hitting the outfield wall. If you decided to gamble and ride his hot spring training into the season, you’ll be needing a replacement outfielder. I would suggest taking a flier on Rajai Davis. Though he won’t get many starts, he will rack up the steals for you, 34 last year despite only 338 PA, and he will come around and score a few runs for you as well. If nothing else, Davis is a worthwhile replacement for the two week spell that Cain is expected to miss.

FanGraphs: The Game is a free and daily fantasy baseball system. If you haven’t yet created a player, I urge you to do so. It’s absurdly fun and highly competitive.

A Pitcher for Today: Jeremy Guthrie (COL) at SD
Normally I wouldn’t recommend Guthrie to anyone, but pitching in Petco is simply different than anywhere else.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Tom Milone (OAK) at SEA
I wouldn’t expect Milone to keep dancing between the raindrops and having a WHIP of just 0.75, but his strikeouts should get a nice bump against the inept Mariners offense.

A Hitter for Today: Melky Cabrera (SF) vs PIT
Melky has started this year on a tear, and is facing likely starer James McDonald. Melky tends to hit righties slightly better; by a difference of .15 wOBA. He should come cheaply so if you need to save your budget in the outfield, Melky is a potentially great value.

Today’s Roto Riteup features an inordinate amount of hispanic names.

• Scott Baker is done for the 2012 season after being forced (at gunpoint) to have surgery on his throwing elbow. Baker has never been the most durable starter in the world, but he has been somewhat of an undervalued fantasy asset for the past couple of years. It looks like Liam Hendricks will be getting a chance to stick in the big leagues as a starter, but don’t run out and snag him off the waiver wire. Hendricks’ minor league numbers were pretty good below Triple-A, and the right-hander posted a FIP and SIERA around 4.00 in four starts last season.

• Buster Posey has shingles. In other news, Buster Posey is cursed and will never be allowed to be happy. Posey should be back in a day or two, so don’t be overly concerned about this specific injury. You should be worried about hunting down and killing the witch who cursed him, though.

• It’s early, but Edinson Volquez is doing exactly what fantasy owners should have been hoping for. Volquez is the major league strikeout leader through Tuesday’s action, but his BB/9 is above 5.00 for the fourth season in a row. Volquez isn’t going to be able to keep up a K/9 above 11.0, but he could have one between nine and ten. If he can keep the walks under control, especially on the road, Volquez could once again post an ERA under 4.00.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: None
You could make an argument for Jeff Karstens again the Dodgers or Chris Capuano, who is facing off against him, but I don’t want to put my eggs in their basket.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Luke Hochevar (KC) vs CLE
Hochevar is going to be very good this year. Just you watch.

A Hitter for Today: Adam LaRoche (WAS) vs CIN (Bronson Arroyo)
Arroyo likes to give up big time dingers.

Today’s Roto Riteup features an inordinate amount of hispanic names.

• Chipper Jones is no longer on the DL, as the Atlanta Braves have activated the third baseman. The switch-hitter came back just in time for the home opener of his farewell tour. Juan Francisco and Martin Prado have been filling in while he’s been away, but both of their roles will change now. Prado will now be playing left field everyday, and Francisco will become a powerful pinch-hitter until Chipper inevitably hits the DL once again.

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Today’s Roto Riteup is one where I can guarantee with 100% certainty that my pick’s team for The Game won’t get four-hit by Barry Zito.

• Andy Pettitte threw 32 pitches for the Yankees’ single A affiliate in Tampa Bay yesterday. According to the report, he threw 26 for strikes. He lasted 3 innings and allowed one run and two hits in his outing. Unfortunately there is no mention of his velocity in this instance. The last report I could find had him topping out at 88 mph. Given that he averaged 89 for the past few years, to see him top out below his previous average is concerning. If nothing else, maybe Pettitte can be a stream option as the season moves on. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date.

• If by chance you play in an OBP league, Daric Barton is now the starting first-baseman in Oakland. He could be worth a shot in Ottoneu FanGraphs Points formats too, but that is the extent of his fantasy relevancy. If you’re in a 12 team mixed 5×5, feel free to move right along here. Barton’s OBP skills translate directly from his 14.2 career walk percentage. The A’s lineup is uninspiring for the most part, so don’t expect many runs or RBI’s. As always with Barton, any extra base hits he generates are a rare bonus. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Roto Riteup is what it is: amazing.

‌• Hector Santiago received the first save opportunity for the Chicago White Sox, and manager Robin Ventura has stated he’ll start the year as the team’s primary closer. Santiago, 24, posted good strikeout numbers in the low minors, but struggled a tad in Double-A last season. The left-hander does possess a low-to-mid-90’s fastball and the ever intriguing screwball, so he won’t be blowing games due to a lack of “stuff.” Saves are always a hot commodity, so there’s a good chance he’s already been nabbed in your league. If so, don’t be afraid to grab Addison Reed in the hopes that Santiago fails.

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Ladies and gentlemen, baseball is here! Well, at least it is for 17 out of 30 teams. The remaining 13 teams will finally be getting into the action today. Before we get started with the previews for the day, a few pertinent things to note:

– Scott Baker has apparently suffered another setback in his rehabbing with the Twins’ Single-A affiliate this afternoon. He was scheduled to throw 75 pitches, but lasted a mere 11 before being pulled. Baker’s current Yahoo! ownership sits at 42% (he is even owned in the FG vs THT Expert League), but I would expect that to drop. Baker has only once ever pitched 200 innings in a single season, and it appears as though 2012 will be another sub-200 frame season from him.

– Of all the aces throwing today, it is possible that Justin Masterson had the best day of them all. A solo shot by Jose Bautista was one of only two hits he gave up to go along with his sole walk and 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately for Masterson and for his fantasy owners, he was not rewarded with the win, despite leaving the game after eight innings and a three-run lead. Closer Chris Perez came on the top of the ninth and rapidly surrendered a pair of walks, a trio of hits and ultimately that one blown save, all in a mere two-thirds of an inning.

Throughout the Blue Jays/Indians game there was a running phenomenon where pitchers on both sides seemed to be throwing noticeably slower than their norms. Masterson was sitting around 90 mph, and his opposition, Ricky Romero, was even lower at 89. Perez was the most notable, topping at 91 in his short time on the mound. Immediately after the game there were several questions on my twitter timeline asking about Perez’s potentially lingering injury.

FanGraphs’ very own Jeff Zimmerman tackled the velocity subject and determined that it was one of two scenarios: every single pitcher (14 total) was experiencing a decrease in velocity, or the Cleveland radar gun was between 2 and 2.5 mph out of calibration on the slow side. In other words, Perez seems to be fine from a velocity standpoint, he was just hit hard today because well, he’s Chris Perez. I would look to snap up Vinnie Pestano if he’s available. Despite Perez’s seemingly fine velocity, I can’t imagine he hangs on to the closer job for much longer.

A Pitcher For Today: Chad Billinglsey (LAD) at SD
Bils has struck out at least 150 batters in three straight years and today he matches up against the Padres in San Diego. He’s currently owned in just half of all Yahoo! leagues. Bilingsley is a better than decent pitcher and he’s playing at Petco. What’s not to like?

A Pitcher For Tomorrow: Francisco Liriano (MIN) at BAL
The major issue that has plagued Liriano the past few years (other than health) has been attempting to limit the free passes. Luckily he is facing the Orioles, the team that drew the 24th fewest walks in baseball last year. I expect Liriano to have a solid day. He’s only owned in 72% and as a stream option early in the year, he is worth the risk.

FanGraphs: The Game
Shortstop
A thin position with a hitter who can maybe pop 20 homers this year? And is right-handed and enjoying a game in Texas? If you’re picking at shortstop, you need to be paying Alexei Ramirez today. He’s good for about 15-15 each year. He plays in a hitters park, and is now on the road in an even better hitters’ park.

Outfield
As counter-intuitive as it is to be buying hitters from Oakland, tomorrow is day to bid on their outfielders. Jason Vargas isn’t exactly Cy Young material and between guys like Coco Crisp, Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick, there is speed, power and speed, and power right there. You can probably pluck these guys pretty cheaply too.

Did you know baseball started yesterday? Because I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t until a certain RotoGraphs editor sent me a profanity laced email for not including player recommendations in yesterday’s Roto Riteup. Today’s edition does have recommendations, though, so that’s pretty awesome.

–  Josh Johnson may have had shoulder problems last year, but he was easily in the 90s during last night’s start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He struggled a bit with his location, though, and the Cardinals took advantage. Johnson is a top-5 pitcher when healthy, and at the price he went for this year, owners could end up with big time value.

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