Roto Riteup: July 24, 2013

This morning’s Roto Riteup was penned while the author listened to a live rendition of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”

On Today’s Agenda:
1. Marlins promote two youngsters
2. Chris Carpenter shuts it down
3. Mike Morse on the mend

Marlins promote two youngsters
With their season over before it started, the Marlins have a relatively unique opportunity to evaluate their prospects at the big league level. Jose Fernandez has already excelled in the bigs, and now the Fish are giving outfielders Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick a chance to strut their stuff in the majors. Neither Yelich nor Marisnick have been particularly dominant in the minors this year, but they both bring elite pedigrees to Florida.

Yelich, the younger of the two by a scant eight months, has the potential to be a great MLB bat. Batting from the left side of the plate, Yelich showed off his smooth swing during the Futures Game, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles big league pitching. Yelich will have some problems with strikeouts, so don’t pick him up expecting a good batting average.

The Marlins acquire Marisnick from the Blue Jays in the offseason mega deal, and the right-hander is an athletic specimen, bringing both speed and power to his club. Marisnick will also likely have problems with Ks, but unlike Yelich, he won’t be patient at the plate.

Chris Carpenter shuts it down
Carpenter has made tremendous progress in his return from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, but he’s decided he needs to take a step back and rest after feeling some numbness in his hand. Carpenter’s velocity has been great during his outings, but his overall performance has left something to be desired. If Carpenter comes back this year, I’d expect it to be out of the bullpen, and this recent setback means the big right-hander won’t likely be back until mid-August, at the earliest.

Mike Morse on the mend
In case you hadn’t heard, the Mariners are on a terrific hot streak, and they’ve done it all without Mike Morse in the lineup. Before succumbing to injury, Morse was an above-average hitter whom the M’s slotted in the heart of the batting order, but now his role is slightly in question. Kendrys Morales is safe at DH, and Justin Smoak now appears safe at first after turning it on recently. In the outfield, Raul Ibanez is going to play most days, and the team has Dustin Ackley and Michael Saunders to find time for. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say Morse plays most of the time but receives extra rest to a) keep him healthy, and b) allow other guys to get ABs. Morse isn’t the fantasy dynamo he was from 2010-2012, but the right-hander can still bring dingers and a solid batting average, and that’s pretty nice in any format.