Roto Riteup: August 15, 2023

Swoon:

Bot 9: @cedmull30 robs a home run.

Top 10: Mullins crushes a go-ahead dinger.

Cedric really is the Entertainer! pic.twitter.com/8M5MAyTzXd

— MLB (@MLB) August 13, 2023

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest

On most Tuesday’s and Friday’s and some other days, Paul Sporer and I will be doing a $5 draftkings game for anyone that is interested. 

 

Quick Hits

Freddy Tarnok was placed on the IL with a calf strain. There is no timetable for his return. 

Steven Matz was placed on the IL with a lat strain. Reports are that this could potentially end Mat’s season. He is droppable in all formats. 

Ozzie Albies will be placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. This is disappointing as Albies has been really great this season. However, the Braves will be cautious with him considering how big of a lead they have in the division. There is no timetable for his return. Nicky Lopez figures to gain the most playing time, but the Braves also called up Vaughn Grisham. 

Ji-Man Choi was placed on the IL with a rib strain. There is no timetable for his return. Garrett Cooper is likely to get more time in Choi’s absence. 

Willson Contreras left Monday’s game with hip tightness. Consider him day-to-day at this time. 

 

Various News and Notes

Wade Meckler went 0-for-2 with a walk in the loss to the Rays on Monday. Meckler made his Major League debut in the contest. Meckler is the Giant’s seventh ranked prospect and profiles as an outfielder with a very good hit tool and average power and speed. He worked his way up from high-A all the way to the Majors this year posting great contact and OBP numbers along the way. The Giants optioned Luis Matos to bring him up, so Meckler might get a fair amount of playing time down the stretch. 

Exeuiel Tovar went 3-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Diamondbacks on Monday. 

Ezequiel Tovar – Colorado Rockies (13) pic.twitter.com/3c2gR0qGJ0

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 15, 2023

Tovar was one of the few guys that were able to get to starter Merrill Kelly 켈리 in this one before the Diamondbacks bullpen blew the game. Tovar has had a decent year, hitting .260 with 13 home runs and seven stolen bases, but his underlying skills are pretty gross in terms of the O-Swing and swinging strike rate. He is extremely aggressive at the plate and until he stops swinging outside the zone there will be big downs along with the occasional ups.

Jordan Walker went 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple in the victory over the A’s on Monday.

Cardinals Spanish radio broadcast calls Jordan Walker's first career triple
🎙️ Polo Ascencio #stlcards pic.twitter.com/E4KJ4HDHBl

— VHS (@VanHicklestein) August 15, 2023

Walker has been up and down in his rookie campaign, hitting .258/.322/.415 with 10 home runs and six stolen bases this year. He has made league average contact this year, but the swinging strike rate has been over 15% which is concerning. The tools are really loud and he should continue to play every day on the Cardinals, but there is more risk than initially thought on the former top prospect.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Zack Littell at SF

Littell has pitched very well since joining the Rays rotation and gets a mediocre offense in a great park. 

High Risk Options: Emerson Hancock at KC, Dakota Hudson vs OAK. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Matthew Liberatore vs OAK

Liberatore pitched the best game of his career in his last start and faces the worst team in baseball at home. 

High Risk Options: Javier Assad vs CHW, Mike Clevinger vs CHC. 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”