Roto Riteup: April 5, 2015

Baseball’s back today, baseball’s back today, yeah, yeah, yeah.

On today’s agenda:
1. Yasmany Tomas to the minors
2. Decision on Eddie Butler to come today
3. Fun with spring stats
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Yasmany Tomas to the minors
The Diamondbacks $68 million man is going to Reno to open the season, leaving the big league team after an underwhelming spring training. With a crowded and semi-talented outfield in Arizona, Tomas needed a chance to get some work in on a regular basis, a chance he’ll get while in the minors. Tomas was touted for having good power, but was expected to have some issues making contact. The Cuban import showed up to the U.S. overweight, and it took less than a hot minute before his experiment at third base looked like a disaster. Some of us who have watched Tomas this spring are not buying into any hype, while some still believe he’ll hit for enough power to keep him in a big league lineup. I am firmly in the former group. If you bought high on Tomas, it’s probably not worth releasing him quite yet, but you should certainly think about it if he struggles in his first couple weeks in Reno.

Decision on Eddie Butler to come today
After sending Jon Gray down to the minors, it looked as if Butler had locked up a rotation spot in Colorado, but that may not be the case. Butler was roughed up by the Mariners yesterday, and the Rockies are considering their options to open the season. With Jorge De La Rosa out to start the year, I’d expect Butler to get a shot at a couple starts, and then compete with the likes of Christian Bergman for a rotation spot once JDLR returns. Butler has a solid prospect pedigree, but he hasn’t been impressive in his big league stints. I love the idea of Butler’s arsenal in Coors Field, but his command may just do him in.

Fun with spring stats
All numbers are as of Saturday, April 4

J.A. Happ: 17.2 IP, 13 K, 8 BB, 4 HR; 6.11 ERA, 1.81 WHIP
Trevor Bauer: 27.2 IP, 26 K, 1 BB, 7 HR; 4.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP
Brandon Gomes: 14.1 IP, 20 K, 1 BB, 0 HR; 0.63 ERA, 0.70 WHIP
Matt Barnes: 13 IP, 18 K, 3 BB, 1 HR; 5.54 ERA, 1.08 WHIP

Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: N/A

A pitcher for tomorrow: Yovani Gallardo at OAK (Sonny Gray)
It’s hard to find guys to stream on Opening Day, but Gallardo is owned is just 36% of Yahoo! leagues, and he gets to start away from the launching pad in Texas.