Roto Riteup: August 28, 2015

A new Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser dropped yesterday, and like previous teaser trailers, I’m pretty giddy about this. I was a boy of 11 when Episode I was released, but even then I remember feeling disappointed by it. Here’s to hoping Episode VII lives up to the hype.

On today’s agenda: 
1. Farewell, Denard Span
2. Take note of Travis d’Arnaud
3. Love/Hate with Joe Ross
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Farewell, Denard Span
Wellp, the outfielder is once again on the 15-day disabled list, this time with inflammation in his left hip. Span managed to start two games between stints on the DL, and this time he may miss the remainder of the season. As someone who plays in an on-base percentage league and just made the tough call to drop Span, I’ll be the first to say his 275 plate appearances this year have been a disappointing turnout for the normally dependable outfielder.

Take note of Travis d’Arnaud
Over the past month d’Arnaud has reminded us why he was such a highly touted prospect. Since coming off of the DL on July 31, d’Arnaud owns a .265/.351/.544 line with four home runs heading into Thursday’s game. He then socked a dinger and drew a walk (then got hit by another to reach base for the third time) yesterday. A .292 BABIP doesn’t seem to show d’Arnaud has been rubbing his bat with magic BABIP fairy dust, and while I’d like to see him hit higher in the lineup, he’s hitting well enough that I can’t complain. CBS owners have picked up on his hot streak as d’Arnaud is owned in 85 percent of leagues there, however his 52 percent ownership rate in ESPN is surprising and his 38 percent ownership rate at Yahoo! is ridiculous. If d’Arnaud is available, pick him now.

Love/Hate with Joe Ross
It’s been awhile — probably too long — since I brought out the Love/Hate, though after recommending Ross as a stream option yesterday, I think he warrants another look. All numbers listed are before yesterday’s outing, save for the ERA/FIP/xFIP and the K:BB ratio which are updated. It should be noted he generated 11 whiffs in 77 pitches yesterday, but he threw just two changeups.

Love:
— 3.23 ERA supported by a 3.12 FIP/3.13 xFIP
— 65:11 K:BB ratio in 66 2/3 innings pitched
— 50.0 percent ground ball rate
— 12.8 percent swinging strike

Hate: 
— 7.56 K/9 across all levels of the minors, pretty meh
— 54.2 percent fastball usage, 37.2 percent slider usage
— .368 wOBA surrendered to left-handed hitters, almost assuredly tied to what boils down to his two pitch repertoire

Verdict:
Opposite-handed hitters are going to torch him until he can harness his changeup. Ross is excellent against right-handed hitters — he has a 37:1 strikeout to walk ratio against them (not counting yesterday) — however eventually a string of lefties will get to him. Factor in the coming innings limit, he’s up to  142 2/3 IP this season compared to 122 (and change) IP in both 2013 and 2014, and I would have Ross on a short leash in my redraft leagues. If your trade deadline hasn’t passed, I’d actually encourage you to try and sell high.

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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: Chase Anderson vs OAK (Sonny Gray)
I’m not optimistic about Anderson’s chances at a win, but I think he can post a quality start with some strikeouts against a below average A’s offense. He’s free to stream in over 80 percent of CBS formats as well as over 90 percent of ESPN or Yahoo! leagues.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Kris Medlen at TB (Jake Odorizzi)
Medlen will be in a pitcher friendly park and will be facing off against an offense than ranks in the bottom 10 of wOBA and wRC+ against right-handed pitchers. Get him in your lineup as he’s owned in a mere 55 percent of CBS leagues and 20 percent of both Yahoo! and ESPN settings.