Roto Riteup: July 12, 2015

Today is a very important day in baseball, and the Roto Riteup is more than happy to celebrate All-Star Sunday and the Futures Game.

On today’s agenda:
1. The Futures Game: Who I’m Watching
2. A quick look at SP values
3. Various news and notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

The Futures Game: Who I’m Watching
All the prospects in today’s Futures Game are interesting, otherwise they wouldn’t be playing in this showcase. However, there are a few names I will be watching more closely than others.

Trea Turner, SS, WAS: With Ian Desmond likely out the door after the year, Turner could be asked to step in to the starting shortstop job in the bigs in 2016. Turner has been promoted aggressively throughout his minor league career, but he will get a chance at a half-season of bal in AAA this year.

Aaron Nola, SP, PHI: Nola should be up in the bigs within a couple weeks.

Mark Appel, SP, HOU: Will his results ever catch up to the hype and stuff he showed in college? It’s not been pretty as a professional.

Jose Berrios, SP, MIN: With Ervin Santana back, the Twins rotation is a bit crowded, but Berrios is knocking on the door.

A quick look at SP values
We are certainly more than halfway through the season at this point, and with updated rankings coming around the corner, it’s time to check in on how certain values are shaping up, so you’ll find an image illustrating SP values below, which you should click to embiggen.

Compared to last season, everything is as expected. There is a little bigger jump between the 13th and 14th ranked starters than last year, but that could simply be a function of a smaller sample size. I expect we’ll see the spread match last year’s relatively closely at the end of the season.

Various news and notes
Dee Gordon had to be removed from yesterday’s game after injuring his thumb sliding into first base, but tests revealed no broken bones and no ligament damage, allowing the second baseman to escape severe injury. Gordon will take the All-Star break off, but he may need a DL stint outside of it.

Brandon Beachy wasn’t great in his return from the DL, allowing three runs over four innings and walking more batters than he struck out. His velocity was just OK, sitting a full MPH below his 2013 baseline.

Shane Greene returns to the bigs to start for the Tigers today. Greene didn’t do anything special after being demoted to the minors, but Detroit feels like he deserves another shot to get his MLB mojo back. No need to pick up Greene until he shows that he’s gotten his act together.

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

A pitcher for today: Andrew Heaney at SEA (Taijuan Walker)
Heaney has impressed so far this year, and the lefty-heavy Mariners will have a hard time putting up much of a fight.

Programming Note: There will be no Roto Riteup tomorrow due to the All-Star break. Enjoy your time away from me.