Roto Riteup: April 8, 2015

Even yesterday’s rain out couldn’t get this baseball fan’s feelings down. On the other hand, owning Mat Latos got me sad after his 0.2 inning outing anyways.

On today’s agenda:
1. The boring yet dependable Nick Markakis
2. Update on the Yasmany Tomas watch
3. Matt Cain to the disabled list
4. Streaming Pitching Options

The boring yet dependable Nick Markakis
Sure he’s on the wrong side of 30 — even the wrong side of 31 — but Markakis is still a worthwhile fantasy player. What he lacks in flash he more than makes up for in consistency as he has hit above .270 with double digit home runs in every season as a major leaguer. As deep as outfield is, neither of those numbers is too flashy however not many outfielders hit third in a lineup with someone of Freddie Freeman’s caliber behind them. With an above average on-base percentage, Markakis could be a pleasant surprise in his runs scored numbers. The Atlanta Braves may not hang around as a playoff threat for long, but Markakis should be a fantasy asset all season. He’s somehow available in 40% of CBS formats and over 60% of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.

Update on the Yasmany Tomas watch
The Arizona Diamondbacks will have Tomas make starts in left field, third and potentially first base throughout his time at Triple-A. D-backs general manager Dave Stewart admitted the organization took too long this spring in deciding exactly where to stick Tomas and told reporters moving him around is to strictly get him the most plate appearances. After seeing Tomas live in spring training, I’d be hard pressed to say I think he’ll stick at third base, and a move to a corner outfield position is probably in his near future. His bat may still play in the outfield, but ideally he’ll get enough starts at third base in the big leagues to grant that bonus third base eligibility in CBS leagues and keep it for next year in Yahoo! and ESPN.

Matt Cain to the disabled list
In a move that could accurately be described as “not shocking” the San Francisco Giants officially moved Cain to the 15-day DL. Citing a strained flexor tendon in his throwing arm, the Giants don’t have a timetable for for Cain’s recovery just yet as he is to be examined by team doctors before any plan is set in motion. As the article notes, this marks the fifth time Cain will hit the shelf since the second half of the 2013 season and with his falling K% and rising BB%, he is looking like a stream candidate rather than rostered starter sooner rather than later. Cain hasn’t hit the 200 innings pitched mark since 2012 and this latest injury may prevent him from doing so this year.

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

A pitcher for today: Danny Duffy, vs CWS (Jose Quintana)
I’d like to get off of Mr. Duffy’s wild ride, yet I cannot. I’m just a sucker for a southpaw with a nice curve. The Southsiders have a strong offense, but it was below league average against left-handed pitchers last year. New additions Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera both hit lefties worse than right-handed counterparts, so Duffy could post a healthy number of stirkeouts. For someone available in 50% of Yahoo! formats and 75% of ESPN leagues, Duffy is a nice stream option.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Trevor Bauer at HOU (Asher Wojciechowski)
Somehow Bauer is pitching in his age-24 season despite being around seemingly forever. While some spring training stats don’t matter much, K% and BB% are mildly indicative of future performance. The Astros tend to rack up whiffs and Bauer has the stuff to post a big strikeout day.