Roto Riteup: June 14, 2019

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June 14, 2019

This is what happens when you forget to pay your power bill.

On the Agenda:
1. Casey Mize
2. Various News and Notes/Quick Hits
3. Streaming Pitchers

 

Casey Mize
The Tigers prized RHP prospect Casey Mize exited in the third inning after just 23 pitches in his start against Double-A Reading Thursday.

Here’s some thoughts from some folks on twitter.

 

Mize has been tearing it up this season, compiling a 0.95 ERA and 0.69 WHIP, with a 73/11 K:BB over 75.2 IP prior to yesterday’s outing. He’s skyrocketed up prospect lists and this situation will no doubt have many people nervous as they wait for more info (me included). There’s no official diagnosis as of yet (shoulder injury was the initial determination), but he didn’t seem overly restricted while leaving the stadium.

Let’s cross our fingers and hope that there’s nothing too serious going on.

 

Various News and Notes/Quick Hits
Cody Bellinger went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in the Dodgers come from behind victory over the Cubs yesterday.

 

Bellinger has hits in 7-of-10 games this month, but came into yesterday’s matchup with a .182 BA and zero home runs. The second-best player in fantasy baseball will be fine.

Cavan Biggio went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, and three runs scored in the Blue Jays 12-3 win over the Orioles on Thursday.

 

The two home runs give him three in 57 PA thus far. While he’s displayed some solid plate skills (15/12 K:BB ratio), he’s only sporting a .178/.351.378 line. The OBP is good, but with fairly average speed (two stolen bases) and power metrics thus far, we’re going to have to see more before investing in mixed formats.

Manny Machado went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in the Padres 9-6 loss to the Rockies on Thursday.

This was his third home run in the month of June and 12th for the season. His .247/.333/.425 line with a 102 wRC+ has left most rather uninspired thus far. He’s striking out (and walking) more than ever before, however, his Hard-hit metrics, xwOBA, and Barrel% have all taken a dive in the wrong direction. Selling low would obviously hurt, but it could be a smart decision if your team is ailing right now and you need a boost.

Charlie Blackmon went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a triple, and four RBI against the Padres.

 

Blackmon is now hitting .440/.481/1.080 with four home runs and 10 RBI in six games since returning from the IL. He’s up to a 140 wRC+ for the season.

Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-4 against the Rays on Thursday as he became the first Angels player since Mike Trout in 2013 to hit for the cycle.

 

 

Ohtani now has eight home runs and 26 RBI with a .281/.350/.512 line (131 wRC+) over 137 PA this season. He’s prone to striking out, but his ability to walk paired with his above-average speed and hard contact make him a very dangerous, and usable fantasy player.

 

Quick Hits:
The Cardinals and Mets will resume their currently tied game in the ninth inning today after rain stalled the contest. Michael Conforto hit his 13th bomb in the game and Jacob deGrom tallied his fifth-straight strong outing after a six-run clunker on May 17th in Marlins Stadium. Edwin Diaz allowed multiple runs for the second time in his last five appearances. Harrison Bader notched two stolen bases and is hitting .265/.381/.618 in June thus far (34 AB). Jack Flaherty failed to get out of the sixth inning for the third start in a row, but on the bright side, posted six strikeouts. Kevin Newman has a hit in 13-of-his-last-16 games with two home runs and two stolen bases in that time (leading off). After two days off in a row, Bryan Reynolds grabbed another three hits and is up to a .350 BA with a 155 wRC+ in 171 PA. Gregory Polanco and Corey Dickerson owners in deeper leagues should start getting worried. Julio Teheran only allowed one run in 6 IP against the Pirates yesterday, and has only allowed 4 ER in his last 44.2 IP (8 GS). To be fair, he has a 32/22 K:BB during that time and is getting insanely lucky. Joe Musgrove allowed five runs or more for the third time in four tries. Dan Vogelbach is hitting .366/.490/.561 over 41 AB this month. Nelson Cruz is hitting .344/.432/.813 with five home runs and nine RBI in 32 AB since returning from the IL. Zack Greinke posted his second-straight scoreless outing. Jarrod Dyson notched two hits for the third time in his last five and has a .289/.357/.500 line this month. Danny Jansen is starting to heat up after two months of abysmal production. Marcus Stroman allowed 1 ER for the fourth time in his last six. Lourdes Gurriel Jr continues to stay hot since his promotion. Chance Cisco has hits in five-of-six with five extra-base hits (two home runs). After five solid outings, Adrian Sampson logged a clunker against Boston. Rougned Odor has hits in four-of-five with three stolen bases during that time. David Price had his worst start of the season against the Rangers. J.D. Martinez, Michael Chavis, Jackie Bradley Jr, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers all launched home runs. Kevin Kiermaier tallied his 12th steal and has a .289 BA in June. Matt Boyd continued to post strikeouts (seven), but allowed four runs against the Royals. It’s the fifth time in seven tries that he’s allowed three runs or more. Nicky Lopez hit his first home run. Didi Gregorius posted two hits for the fourth time in five games since returning. Clint Frazier went 3-for-4 and is hitting .351/.419/.568 in June thus far. Matt Strahm was lit up in his return from the IL. Jon Gray posted 10 strikeouts (four runs) and has seven or more in seven of his last eight. Kyle Schwarber hit his fourth home run in his last six games and has a .313/.358/.688 line in June. Chris Taylor started at shortstop for the injured Corey Seager. Max Muncy hit his fourth home run in his last four games. Justin Upton could return on Monday according to Angels manager Brad Ausmus. According to Aaron Boone, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge could both play in Triple-A games this weekend, with Stanton possibly being activated on Tuesday.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Less than 50% owned):
Pitcher for Today: Steven Matz vs STL
Matz has a 1.80 ERA at home against some decent competition and the Cardinals sit 25th in wRC+ over the last week.

High Risk Option: Trevor Richards vs PIT
Richards has allowed 1 ER or less in three of his last four at home and the PIT offense ranks 23rd in RPG on the road (4.2).

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Framber Valdez vs TOR
Valdez was stellar in his last start against the Orioles, and gets to face a Blue Jays team that ranks 25th in wRC+ against LHP.

High Risk Option: Pablo Lopez vs PIT
Always Pablo at home.





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

6 Comments
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pedeysRSox
5 years ago

Well, he has a .185 babip. I think he looks like a buy low right now.

-1
Mike Werner
5 years ago
Reply to  pedeysRSox

Machado? He has a career .300 BABIP—.277 right now.

1
MookieBestt
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike Werner

And Machado seems to have totally stopped running. I’d be cautious buying him

0
Mike Werner
5 years ago
Reply to  MookieBestt

Yep.

1
pedeysRSox
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike Werner

Cavan Biggio

-1
Mike Werner
5 years ago
Reply to  pedeysRSox

Yeah, he’s more of a watch list guy for me in most formats right now. Could have some value for sure, but I think there’s just better options in most places. Deeper leagues he obviously has value right now though.

0