Roto Riteup: August 3, 2021

Oh, it’s funny when he does it, but when I do it, I am “weird” or “unstable”!

Find yourself a teammate like @Victor__Robles 😭 pic.twitter.com/tZWaF3UcIT

— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2021

 

On the Agenda: 

1. Sticky Situations
2. Closer Chaos
3. Trades and Rumors!!!
4. COVID Issues
5. Quick Hits
6. Various News and Notes
7. Streaming Pitchers

 

COVID Issues

Josh Hader was placed on the COVID-19 IL after testing positive. There is no timetable for his return. Devin Williams is likely next up for saves while Hader is out. 

Chad Kuhl was placed on the COVID-IL after testing positive. There is no timetable for his return. 

Gerrit Cole was scratched from his start on Monday after testing positive for COVID-19. He will be placed on the IL and be out for an undetermined amount of time. 

 

Quick Hits

Andrew McCutchen was placed on the IL with a knee injury.. There is no timetable for his return. 

 

Various News and Notes

According to general manager Dayton Moore, the Royals are beginning to look at Adalberto as a player that needs to be managed in terms of his workload. This is a bit shocking that the GM would say something like this publicly. This may be”coach speak” or a GM trying to inspire his player to get in better shape or prepare better, but if we take him at his word, then we will have to drop Mondesi a fair amount from his second round price tag. Mondesi will still have tremendous value if he can get to 100+ games played and he will always be enticing to at least one person in every draft, so I don’t expect the price to fall considerably. 

DJ Peters was claimed off of waivers by the Rangers. Peters was designated for assignment by the Dodgers after the trade deadline and was never able to get regular playing time in LA. However, he has a great understanding of the strike zone and a ton of power in the bat (sound familiar?) and that is extremely intriguing if he can find regular playing time. With Gallo gone (see previous sentence), it is possible he could get a fair amount of run in Texas and is a worthy gamble in AL Only leagues and deeper mixed leagues if you are power deficient or in on base percentage leagues. 

Jo Adell was recalled to the Majors on Monday by the Angels. He didn’t play in the game, but the expectation is that he will likely be a regular in the short term. Adell has amazing athleticism, but he has struggled with swinging and missing too much. If he can even develop an average hit tool, the ceiling is enormous, but he still has a ways to go if his 29% strikeout rate in AAA this season is any indication. 

Eli Morgan threw six innings versus the Blue Jays, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine in the no-decision. 

Eli Morgan, 76mph Changeup and 92mph Elevated Fastball, Overlay/slow

That changeup looks like it has a parachute. 🪂 pic.twitter.com/34q5vZ8IIy

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 2, 2021

Morgan was really good in this one, but left a pitch up that Vlad Jr destroyed. Morgan has good stuff and decent enough control, but has inconsistent command at times. The changeup is really good and Morgan could find some greater success by relying upon it more. For now he is a watch list guy, but there is something there.

Carter Kieboom went 2-for-4 with a home run in the loss to the Phillies on Monday.

Carter Kieboom – Washington Nationals (1) pic.twitter.com/3hSZ3qJ2si

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 3, 2021

Kieboom is a former top prospect that has struggled in his brief stints in the Majors. He has shown really nice skills in the minors including a 14% walk rate and a 17% strikeout rate in AAA this season. There is a power in this bat and if he can make consistent contact, he could still turn into a pretty good player.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Luis Patino vs SEA

Patino has begun to go deeper into games and has amazing stuff. 

High Risk Options:  Adrian Houser vs PIT, Kyle Freeland vs CHC, Kris Bubic at CHW. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow:  Drew Smyly at STL

This is a risk because he hasn’t gone deep into games recently, but this isn’t a great streaming slate and the Cardinals aren’t a team I am super worried about. 

High Risk Options:  Alec Mills at COL, Matt Harvey at NYY, Paolo Espino vs PHI. 

 

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 the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”