Roto Riteup: April 9, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup was co-written by my roommate’s cat, who “helped” by continually jumping on the keyboard.

On today’s agenda:
1. Avisail Garcia is positioned for success
2. Quick thoughts on Jake Lamb
3. Adrian Gonzalez numbers that make me laugh
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Avisail Garcia is positioned for success
In the wake of 3-for-4 game yesterday, Garcia is now hitting .500, but of course just two games into the season we shouldn’t celebrate rate stats just yet. Instead focus on the fact he’s hit fifth and cleanup in his two games. Garcia has enough power and the type of swing to post 20 home runs for the Southsiders and if he continues to hit behind high on-base percentage guys like Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu, as well as maybe Adam LaRoche, expect a good number of RBIs from Garcia as well. The one downside to hitting in a prime location on the lineup card is Garcia may not run as much. Even without double digit steals Garcia is set to hit .265 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI, numbers well worth owning. He’s owned in the vast majority of CBS leagues however he can still be picked up in over 30% of Yahoo! leagues and 80% of ESPN formats. If Garcia isn’t available, consider swinging a trade for him very soon as the combination of a prime batting spot, good surrounding lineup and his talent will likely make him too appealing to trade away very shortly.

Quick thoughts on Jake Lamb
The Yasmany Tomas third base potential may be a moot point if Lamb continues to post strong offensive numbers. Lamb has a home run, a double and two walks against no strikeouts in the early going and owned an excellent Double-A batting line last season. His .318/.399/.551 in his first taste of upper minor pitching equated to a 162 wRC+ against his peers. As Paul Sporer mentioned yesterday, Lamb is likely a platoon guy for the Arizona Diamondbacks but with solid power and a very friendly home park, he should be grabbed if you’re looking for CI help.

Adrian Gonzalez numbers that make me laugh
– 1.299 wOBA and 733 wRC+
– 2.077 slugging percentage
– 1.308 isolated slugging
– And my favorite, his five home runs are tied for the MLB lead. It just so happens Gonzalez’s five dingers tie him with the Boston Red Sox

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

A pitcher for today: Kendall Graveman vs TEX (Nick Martinez)
I almost went with Shane Greene here, but he is owned in 80% of CBS leagues and isn’t really a stream guy. Graveman’s highest ownership in the three majors sites is 56% in CBS versus a sub-15% ownership rate in ESPN and Yahoo!. I like Graveman’s heavy sinker, which is good because his other pitches aren’t too stellar. Still, expect ground balls and hopefully easy outs for Graveman and the A’s.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Brett Anderson at ARI (Chase Anderson)
The unrelated Andersons square off in the desert and Brett holds the advantage of facing a weaker lineup. Anderson — Brett, that is — shouldn’t be hurt by the generally hitter friendly Chase Field as he tends to keep the ball on the ground. Brett is available in over 75% of the major sites and makes for an ideal stream option.