Roto Riteup: June 11, 2015

Continuing the soccer themed intros, holy Toledo, the USMNT beat Germany yesterday! The German team didn’t bring their A-squad, but neither did the US. I may be drinking the kool-aid here, but I think the US will be the favorite to take home the Gold Cup this year.

On today’s agenda:
1. Quick thoughts on Miguel Montero
2. Consider Danny Espinosa
3. Streaming Pitching Options

Quick thoughts on Miguel Montero
Even after belting his sixth home run of the season yesterday during a 3-for-5 game, Montero owns a modest .241/.361/.423 line. His low batting average is par for the course, as is his solid on-base percentage. A .268 BABIP suggests Montero hasn’t been too fortunate in terms of batted ball fortune, however his 15.1 percent walk rate has helped offset that. While his walk rate is five percent higher than his career rate, Montero has also seen an uptick in his strikeout rate as well. Despite the K% I’m still buying Montero as a second catcher or even primary option in OBP leagues or points leagues where walks are valued. Adding to his value is his prime spot in the batting order lately, as Montero has been placed at either clean up or fifth in each of his previous nine games. Hitting behind OBP machines Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant should serve Montero’s RBI count well. He’s available in over 35 percent of CBS formats and over 70 percent of both Yahoo! or ESPN leagues.

Consider Danny Espinosa
Depending on your league, Espinosa could be plugged in a variety of spots. In CBS and DraftKings he is flexible to be placed at either second or third base, however in (my custom league at) ESPN and FanDuel Espinosa is exclusive to second base. In (another custom) Yahoo! league I can play him at second or shortstop. Regardless of where in the infield you decide to slot Espinosa, he may be worth it. Espinosa was hitting for a strong .252/.354/.450 prior to him smacking his eighth home run the year during his 3-for-5 day. I doubt his home run hitting continues as this pace as his current HR/FB rate is well above his career norm. That being said, what has impressed me the most thus far has been seeing Espinosa improve both his walk and strikeout rates. Now at 11.6 percent and 21 percent respectively, both numbers would be career bests for him across a full season. As one would suspect, Espinosa also owns a personal best in terms of swinging strike rate, contact percentage and Z-contact. It could be the makings of a mini-breakout for the 28-year-old if his plate discipline can be for real — and I’m beginning to lean that way — without sacrificing his power. If this is the case, Espinosa should be considered in just about any format. One can find him free to pick up in nearly 80 percent of CBS formats and over 90 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.

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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: Wade Miley at BAL (Chris Tillman)
The southpaw got off to a rough start, however he’s posted four quality starts out of his past five games. Given the O’s rate in the bottom-10 against left-handers via wRC+ and 29th in ranked BB/K ratio, I think Miley can toss a solid outing. He’s available in over 70 percent of the three major fantasy sites.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jaime Garcia vs KC (Yordano Ventura)
Another lefty, another stream candidate! I’ve had a soft spot for Garcia for some time and this season is no different. Garcia has gotten off to a solid albeit late start to the season and some have been slow to notice. He’s owned in just over 60 percent of CBS leagues and barely 30 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN formats.