Roto Riteup: April 5, 2016
Three games a day prior and two postponements couldn’t stand to slow the more holistic Opening Day on Monday. For all but four teams, baseball is officially back, and 2016 is officially here.
Life is as beautiful as Kevin Kiermaier once again.
On the agenda:
1. Make Baseball Fun Again
2. The Story So Far
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options
Make Baseball Fun Again
The mere return of baseball on Sunday served to #MakeBaseballFunAgain, because it would be impossible for baseball not to be. Still, fresh off of clocking a home run for the fourth consecutive Opening Day, Bryce Harper unleashed this gem:
Bryce Harper wearing a “Make Baseball Fun Again” hat. Love it, so much. pic.twitter.com/zESqRjO0qN
— Mr. Schäfer (@misterschafer) April 5, 2016
This has nothing to do with anything Roto Riteup-related except to serve as a conduit for me to express gratitude that baseball is finally back. Josh Donaldson’s hair, Carlos Correa’s Harper-adjace comments, Vin Scully explaining what “GOAT” means, Jeff Francoeur getting use of Turner Field’s scoreboard’s OBP slot, Terry Francona on a scooter…I missed you, boo.
The Story So Far
I talked to the union and confirmed that yes, I was required to make a punny headline for Trevor Story. And he earned it, clocking two home runs in his major league debut, becoming the first player to homer twice while making their debut on Opening Day. OK, then. Story is 78-percent owned, falling short of 100 largely because of the uncertainty of his role once Jose Reyes returns, but while he’s got the job, he should produce – ZiPS and Steamer both like him to sniff 20-20 on a per-600 basis. He puts the ball in the air a ton, has some power both ways, and plays half his games at Coors. The Story so far? Smile.
Various News and Notes
Sonny Gray could pitch Tuesday. In case you scratched Gray due to his food poisoning on Monday and haven’t recalibrated your Tuesday lineup, note that the Athletics are hoping he can pitch Tuesday. This would also mean he can still get a two-start week in weekly formats, as the A’s play every day this week.
The Astros are rolling with Luke Gregerson, not Ken Giles, as their closer to start the season. This is probably a moderate surprise (and a bit of a disappointment) to some but a steady veteran getting the nod is hardly shocking. In other closer news, Jason Grilli blew one for the Braves, opening the door for Arodys Vizcaino to run with the job (it’s his now, officially). David Hernandez and James Russell conspired to badly blow an eighth-inning save opportunity for the closer-less Phillies.
Chris Owings hit second and played center field for the Diamondbacks. He could stand to gain more than anyone outside of Socrates Brito from the A.J. Pollock injury, and that’s a pretty friendly spot in the order to accumulate runs.
Clayton Kershaw is obscene. The Dodgers’ offense might be, too. Rest in peace, Tyson Ross. Happy trails, Luis Perdomo, this season’s first “Small Sample ERA I’ll Never Live Down” reliever. Kershaw’s former teammate Zack Greinke, meanwhile, gave up more earned runs in his third inning with the Diamondbacks (six) than he did in any one start over three seasons as a Dodger.
Adonis Garcia went yard and hit cleanup. He’s owned in just two percent of leagues, which is far too low. Speaking of ownership, Jonathan Villar is at four percent. FOUR! That’s offensive.
Mark Trumbo had four hits. Must have got an advanced copy of the new Thrice album.
Ben Revere left Monday’s game in the fourth inning and is day-to-day with a rib cage tweak. Michael Taylor stands to benefit, but the more actionable move is getting Revere out of daily lineups.
Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.
A pitcher for today: Chad Bettis @ ARI (Shelby Miller)
Because it’s Day Two of the season for most teams, a lot of starters are well-owned. Sonny Gray could be a sneaky DFS play if he’s given a late nod, but he’s also 98 percent owned. Chad Bettis, meanwhile, has the lowest ownership of the day (one percent) and is projected by SaberSim to have the fifth-highest point total.
A pitcher for tomorrow: Aaron Nola @ CIN (Brandon Finnegan)
I actually like the idea of kicking the tires on either side of this one. Former No. 7 pick Aaron Nola had a decent spring, is just 35-percent owned, and projection systems like him for eight strikeouts per-nine and an ERA in the neighborhood of 4.00. The Reds, meanwhile, project as a bottom-five offense.
Blake Murphy is a freelance sportswriter based out of Toronto. Formerly of the Score, he's the managing editor at Raptors Republic and frequently pops up at Sportsnet, Vice, and around here. Follow him on Twitter @BlakeMurphyODC.
Kershaw… change-up… amazing…