Roto Riteup: April 6, 2015

The starter’s pistol was fired yesterday, and now the bulls are loose and preparing to trample stupid Spaniards today.

On today’s agenda:
1. Melvin Upton swaps teams with Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin
2. Fun with 2014 April Stats
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Melvin Upton swaps teams with Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin
There was a rare Opening Day trade yesterday, with the Braves sending Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton, Jr to the Padres for Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, and prospects. If you’re wondering what this trade meant for Craig Kimbrel or the Braves bullpen, be sure to read last night’s Bullpen Report, but we’re going to focus on the big league hitters here.

Upton was battling with Eric Young Jr. for playing time in Atlanta, but he’ll have no such battle in San Diego. Upton will serve as a defensive replacement for Wil Myers or Matt Kemp in the Padres outfield, seeing ABs only on an emergency basis with Will Venable still in the fold. Melvin joins younger brother Justin Upton, which could actually be quite the incentive for Justin to sign an extension with the Friars.

Maybin was stuck on the bench in San Diego, but odds are he’ll play every day when he’s healthy as a Brave. Once a top prospect, Maybin has settled in as an oft-injured defensive specialist, with 2011 his only season as an above-average hitter. Still just 28 years old, Maybin has speed on the basepaths and could be an interesting option in NL-only leagues.

Quentin will supposedly be designated for assignment by the Braves, and can be expected to find a home in the American League, where his bat can be used as a designated hitter. Look for the Blue Jays to be in on the action after Justin Smoak was his typical disappointing self this offseason. Outside of Toronto, it’s hard to find an obvious fit for Quentin, who may be stuck with a bench role for the start of 2015. If he is the DH in Toronto, he’s certainly worth a look in AL-only leagues, and maybe even standard mixed leagues.

Fun with 2014 April Stats
Who started out hot in April? Who showed us that 2014 would be a big year? Let’s have some fun and jump in the time machine.

Charlie Blackmon: 112 PA, 5 HR, 7 SB; .374/.418/.616
Emilio Bonifacio: 110 PA, 10 SB; .337/.385/.406
Brian Dozier: 118 PA, 7 HR, 6 SB; .216/.347/.443
Jose Abreu: 128 PA, 10 HR; .270/.336/.617
Danny Espinosa: 88 PA, 3 HR, 3 SB; .288/.341/.488

Jesse Chavez: 38 IP, 41 K, 8 BB, 3 HR; 1.89 ERA
Masahiro Tanaka: 35.2 IP, 46 K, 6 BB, 5 HR; 2.27 ERA
Alfredo Simon: 33.2 IP, 22 K, 11 BB, 2 HR; 1.60 ERA
Jordan Lyles: 36.2 IP, 19 K, 9 BB, 2 HR; 2.70 ERA
Tim Hudson: 45.2 IP, 31 K, 2 BB, 3 HR; 2.17 ERA

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

A pitcher for today: 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.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Nate Karns vs BAL (Wei-Yin Chen)
Karns may not be able to pick up a win, but he’s an interesting streaming candidate when he’s at home. Give him a chance to try to get some early strikeouts.