In no surprise here, Stephen Strasburg has been named the Washington Nationals Opening Day starter with Max Scherzer ready, but not 100% ready for the responsibilities. This will be his fourth Opening Day start and is coming off of a 3.60 ERA in 2016.  During the offseason, he decided to pitch from the stretch no matter what the scenario is on base.

“I’m not trying to reinvent myself,” Strasburg said to The Washington Post. “But I’m trying to simplify things as much as I can.”

Doubtful this messes with his value or changes any mentality surrounding his ADP rating.

On the Agenda

1. New York Matz
2. Kipnis almost ready
3. Extensions with Lucroy

New York Matz

Uh oh.

Mike Puma reported Steve Matz will not be making his next scheduled start due to “irritation in his left elbow.”

The team is stressing he doesn’t have any structural damage, but at this point, during the spring training months, the precautionary measures are taken to an extreme. And I totally support that, because the Mets care what I think.

It’s also a bit worrisome considering the 25-year-old had surgery last October to remove a bone spur and is one of many pitchers to undergo Tommy John surgery.

He has a career 8.73 K/9 ratio and tossed a 3.40 ERA with the Mets last season.

He will not undergo an MRI but will play catch Monday to see if any additional steps need to be taken.

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The Opening Day starters are beginning to be named which means we are super close to Opening Day and that makes us really happy. So far we have Jose Quintana starting for the White Sox, Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays, Edinson Volquez for the Marlins, and so on.

Official: Bob Melvin announced A’s will have Kendall Graveman starting on the bump for Opening Day

— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) March 23, 2017

On the Agenda

1. Carlos Ro-done…not so much
2. J.D. Martinez
3. D-No

Carlos Ro-done…not so much

Okay, before you start hopping on the worry bus, at this moment in time it’s just an MRI on his biceps and it came back clean.

Carlos Rodon was scratched during Friday’s start according to Dan Hayes.

The good news so far is that the Sox “don’t seem to think he has any structural damage,” but the bad news means he could miss his first couple of starts (or maybe not after some reports say otherwise) after already anticipating a bigger workload for the 24-year-old who has a 200 ADP rating.

Rodon finished his 2016 campaign tossing a 4.04 ERA with a 9.16 K/9 Ratio in 165 innings.

J.D. Martinez

We already knew J.D. Martinez’s Opening Day status was in question, but now it’s official.

The Detroit outfielder is now out for 3-4 weeks after being diagnosed with a “sprained Lisfranc ligament in his right food,” according to Chris McCosky.

He’s coming off of an abbreviated season playing in just 120 games when he battled injury so it seems like Deja Vu all over again for the former All-Star.

Steven Moya is looking like the starter in right field at the moment. Eric Longenhagen scribed about Moya who is listed as a top-19 prospect in the system saying he “is still on this list, but the clock is ticking on the bat-to-ball skills.”

D-No

The “No” has nothing to do with his playing abilities or anything like that.

Derek Norris is signing with the Rays according to Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times adds is a “straight one-year contract.”

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This is the part where I mention the World Baseball Classic and hope someone cares. Even if you don’t, that was fun to watch and that’s all I am going to say about that.

On the Agenda

1. Hunter Renfroe is the real deal
2. Odubel HR-era
3. Luis Valbuena

Hunter Renfroe is the real deal

Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe made a smooth transition from Triple-A to the bigs after slashing a .306/.336/.557 with 30 bombs and 105 RBI’s. He came from a hitter’s league and was able to remain dominant in the few games he played after his promotion: four home runs in 11 games for the Padres.

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1. A.J. Pollock receives first-place MVP votes

Pollock put together a season for the ages in 2015. In 157 games and 673 plate appearances, he slashed .315/.367/.498 with a .371 wOBA and 131 wRC+. He hit 20 home runs, scored 111 runs, and stole 39 bases in 46 attempts. That offense, combined with his elite center field defense and base-running, netted him 6.5 WAR ­­­— fifth-best total in the National League. Pollock’s 2015 production wasn’t a fluke: in 75 games and 287 plate appearances the previous season, he hit a similar .302/.353/.498 with a .372 wOBA and 134 wRC+. 2016, however, was a lost season for Pollock, who missed most of the year due to a broken elbow. Entering 2017, he’s only 29 years old and he appears to be healthy. Assuming good health, he’s certainly capable of putting up MVP numbers.

2. Aledmys Diaz has a better offensive season than Trea Turner

Much was made of Turner’s spectacular big league debut in 2016, and rightfully so. The rookie slashed .342/.370/.567 with 13 home runs and 33 steals in just 73 games and 324 plate appearances. Turner’s performance, however, was buoyed by an unsustainable .388 BABIP. While his skill set lends itself to higher-than-average BABIP’s, it’s expected to land somewhere closer to .350 in 2017, bringing his likely batting average down below .300. What’s more, his minor league track record suggests that he may not crack 15 home runs all year, despite nearly reaching that total in half a season like he did in 2016. Turner, 23, is one of the most exciting fantasy players around, especially since he’s eligible at shortstop, second base, and outfield. However, because substantial regression is expected, there’s another young shortstop in St. Louis who could easily be the superior offensive weapon in 2017 and beyond. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re subscribed to any type of baseball Twitter accounts or apps (and you probably are) you’ve noticed Adam Rosales keeps doing things and his name continues to pop up. Don’t worry. Not only is this spring training, but it’s Adam Rosales.

No offense, but the guy has well, no offense.

Last season he was making more plate appearances, but he’s back with Oakland and there is a lot of foul territory at O.co. His flyball rate has increased, but don’t get excited on his spring numbers…at least not yet.

On the Agenda

1. Chris Owings…so hot right now
2. Finding Nimmo
3. J.D. Martinez

Chris Owings…so hot right now

via GIPHY

This guy you can get a little excited about.

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Chi Chi Gonzalez has a cool name, but he doesn’t have a cool scenario at the moment. The 25-year-old has been diagnosed with a “partial UCL tear in his pitching elbow,” according to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Gonzalez had a rough few outings with the Rangers in 2016. An 8.71 ERA with a low strikeout rate doesn’t help the situation. Mind you it is a small sample size, we were mentally ready for him to start in Triple-A.

Now, we are just mentally prepared to not see him in action for a while if Tommy John is in his near future.

On the Agenda

1. Keon Broxton
2. I’m so Prado You
3. Getting Miggy Wit’ it

Keon Broxton

Sorry, Keon Broxton, you don’t get a cool pun, maybe next time when I have had some time to think.

During a game on Friday, the Brewers outfielder was removed due to “discomfort in his surgically-repaired right wrist.”

These things are often exaggerated during spring training, but they still freak people out. This was just a precautionary thing as he said he “felt a twinge” during a check swing.

He’s had a strong spring training and is hoping to be the leadoff hitter for the team. He finished his 2016 campaign with a .294/.399/.538 and 23 stolen bags.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-next-step-for-keon-broxton-and-domingo-santana/

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I refuse to make this a Tim Tebow post. I won’t allow it.

With that said, he had a two-hit game and raised his batting average to .214. He even threw in a diving catch for good measure. Adjust your fantasy teams accordingly. Actually, don’t, that was a joke.

Okay, now that we have that out of our system…

On the Agenda

1. David Wrong
2. Scott Kazmir’s slowball
3. Get a grip, Scherzer

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Well, this is it, folks. This is my final Roto Riteup of the regular season (I’m still figuring if I’ll do playoff editions or just switch into offseason mode right away). It’s been a trip, and I appreciate you reading and rolling with my advice on the news each morning, if you’ve done so. Zach and Justin are great dudes to work with, Eno a great dude to work under, and it’s resulted in a really fun year. So thank you.

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Tim Tebow homered on the first pitch of his professional baseball debut. You’ll want to bump him from No. 1 to No. 1!!! for your 2017 keeper league drafts, naturally. After all, “He’s such a winner,” as Terry Collins said.

Unrelated, I was trying to think of what the baseball equivalent of Tebow’s NFL run would be, from a fantasy perspective. Tebow wasn’t good, but he ran enough that he was valuable in most formats. I guess maybe 2015 Billy Hamilton is close? I’m going to put something together for this for tomorrow, I think.

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The entire Rotographs site has become about final-week streaming options, so make sure to look around outside of the Roto Riteup for more tips on who to start over the final days of your season. There’s only so much I can add, so allow me this aside: If you ever have the opportunity to see Chance the Rapper live, do it. Don’t question it, don’t hesitate, don’t worry about the cost. I can’t recommend it enough. I missed an important Jays-Orioles game to be uplifted by 90 minutes of pure joy. I’d even stream Chance tonight, as he does a second show, if I could.

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