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Despite the postponed (and yes, I almost typed “post ponied”) game, today’s Roto Riteup is not postponed at all.

• Catchers that posses even a modicum of hitting ability at the major league level is a rare and glorious event. Furthermore, for those catchers to be available in over 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues is unheard of. Well, except in the case of Jonathan Lucroy. Yesterday’s home run makes for 10 on the season now, and those 10 have come in just 312 plate appearances. He is still riding a career high BABIP this season, but his career BABIP is .318. There hasn’t been a significant change in his batted ball rates, so don’t expect the .321 batting average to be around for much longer. That being said, there aren’t many games remaining for Lucroy. If you’re in need of catcher help, and I know I am, then Lucroy is your guy.
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What exactly it a post hype sleeper? If there is a standard definition, I don’t know it. To me, a post hype sleeper is a player who was once highly regarded, tapered off, and then bounced back. In some leagues, deeper draft leagues for instance, one expects a post hype sleeper to be taken. To obtain him will likely take a trade and he is never the centerpiece. If you ask a competitor for a single prospect they’ll quickly be aware something is up. In shallow formats I’m a big fan of packaging my elite prospects for good young major leaguers. In leagues where you are allotted a certain amount of minor leaguers, the elite prospects are taken but post hype sleepers may have been dropped. On to a name worth targeting… Read the rest of this entry »

While I would like to say that the title of this edition of Kicking Rocks indicates a fool-proof way to win your league here in the final two weeks, it’s actually more of a plea for good sportsmanship.  Win or lose, you want to walk away from this season with your head held high and as someone who the rest of the league is excited to have back the following season.  The last six months were probably filled with a number of moments, both good and bad, and whether you had direct involvement or not, you still want everyone to walk away with the understanding that the league is a good one in which to play and that no matter what happens, it’s all still a game. With that, here are a few things of which to take note: Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday we did the power, today we do the speed. And as you know, “first you get the stolen bases, then you get the runs, then you get the women.” *

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Let’s all go streaking! Streaming. Yeah, streaming. It might be useful for head-to-head playoff scramblers if we pointed out the nice matchups for the weekend. If the schedule holds, you might be able to get the jump on your competitor by picking up a good Saturday start today, for example. Good luck, and keep your clothes on, for the most part. Pants are overrated though.

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Today I am going to steal a column idea and talk about everyone’s least favorite subject, my fantasy team. I am going to look at the options I have in the playoffs for a team decimated by injuries. For the two people still reading, hang in for a ride of self pity.

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Todd Frazier is seeing some pine, Trevor Plouffe is resembling a large orange-ish gourd, Adrian Beltre has a balky shoulder — there are probably a goodly number of you out there scrambling to fill games played at third base as you stagger to the finish at the hot corner. To that end, there are a pair of guys that have been stinging the ball lately that are worth vetting to see if they fit any plans for your daily transaction league needs.

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While we sit here on the site and talk about September call-ups, streaming pitchers, and potential waiver claims to help for the final few weeks of the season, there are some that are forced to just sit and wait it out; helpless to their cause after months of intense work.  There are waiver claim limits, innings caps, games-played restrictions, and sometimes just a constrictive set of rules that prevents any more tweaking of what you hope will be a championship team.  There’s nothing you can do but stare at your live scoring each night while hoping and praying your place in the standings is either secure or on the upswing.  It’s truly an agonizing situation. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Cliff Pennington will be a top-five AL SS.

Not a good start, as Pennington wouldn’t be a top-five shortstop in California right now. It hasn’t been for lack of opportunity, either, as the A’s have let him trot out there 100-plus times before deciding Stephen Drew was a better choice.

2. Anibal Sanchez will be the best roto starter in Miami (and best outright).

He’s no longer in Miami, but while he was there this was probably close to true. Josh Johnson has more wins, but has also thrown 50 more innings as a Marlin this season. This wasn’t actually all that bold of a prediction, as Buehrle — who by most scoring systems probably is the de facto top dog — has been typical Buehrle, and the team has completely fallen apart, depriving most of these hurlers of their deserved wins. Carlos Zambrano and Ricky Nolasco need not apply.

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With the season heading into hair-pulling territory, especially for us head-to-headers in the middle of a playoff battle, nothing matters as much as the next matchup. So let’s look at this weekend’s best matchups in each statistical category, focusing on outfielders because they’re the easiest to find and the easiest to plug in. Good luck!

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