Leonys Martin and Ben Revere: Streaming Speed

As I look through the standings of my various roto leagues, the common thread that ties them all together is the ease at which points can be accrued just by boosting your stolen base totals. In one league, less than 10 stolen bases separate fourth place in the category from ninth place. In two others, 12 steals could make up an eight-point difference. If people love the strategy of streaming pitchers so often, what’s the harm in streaming in a stolen base guy for a week or two? Obviously, those who are left on your wire are, more or less, one-category helpers, but for just a temporary boost, who cares? There’s nothing wrong with a quick fix if you know that’s all you’re looking for. Take your steals and…pardon the pun….run! Here are a pair of guys who fit the bill perfectly…

Leonys Martin, TEX |OF| Ownership: ESPN – 12.7%  Yahoo – 8.0%

It’s been quite a two-week run for Martin as he’s been receiving a little more playing time than usual lately and in that span, manager Ron Washington has given him a very bright, green light on the base paths. He’s got six stolen bases on the season and all of them have come over these last two weeks; going 6-for-7 over a nine game stretch. He didn’t start off as a regular for the Rangers, but here in the month of May, his .291 average and .333 on-base percentage have seemingly vaulted him past Craig Gentry on the depth charts Batting eighth or ninth doesn’t really afford him to do much else for you — the overall batting average is well, average, and he doesn’t kick in much in .the way of runs scored or RBI. But for a short run to boost your steals you can afford to miss out on the rest of the categories so long as he’s swiping bases.

Ben Revere, PHI |OF| Ownership: ESPN – 37.5%  Yahoo – 35.0%

Revere’s ownership percentages dropped recently as he found himself on the bench in favor of John Mayberry a lot more often. Fortunately, the benching was a temporary thing meant to simply light a fire under his ass, and it seems to have done the trick. Over the last two weeks he’s been a regular in the lineup and is batting .333 (14-for-42) with three stolen bases. That puts him at .343 for the month with a total of five stolen bases. Again, he doesn’t do anything for you in any of the other categories, but if you’re just streaming him in for a short run, then it doesn’t matter. Similarly to Martin’s situation, it would appear that Revere’s recent performance has been enough to push Mayberry back to the bench. Sure, he may take a seat every now and then, but if you set him in the lineup and just leave him there for two weeks, you should get the boost you need. Once you do, you can simply replace with someone who does more. You only wanted the quick-fix anyway.