Roto Riteup: June 15, 2017

In honor of Paul Sporer taking over the weekend shifts of the Roto Riteup, Curtis Granderson did this:


Guys, be nice to Paul, he’s an up and comer.

 

On the Agenda:
1. Fisher-ing for Upside
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Fisher-ing for Upside
Derek Fisher was called up by the Astros and hit his first MLB homerun in his debut. He is filling in for Josh Reddick after he was placed on the 7-day DL with a concussion, but if he can hit the ground running, then it is possible that he could replace Nori Aoki in left field once Reddick returns. Fisher was once a very highly regarded prospect, but he has lost some of that shine in the last few years because of large strikeout rates and inability to make consistent contact. However, this year in AAA he has made some large strides in correcting these issue and has been rewarded by a callup. Fisher has 25/15 potential and should be snagged in 15-team mixed leagues and deeper.

Also making his MLB debut will be Matt Chapman of the Oakland A’s, according to Susan Susser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Chapman is a polarizing prospect. Some believe he will make enough contact to allow his 30+ home run potential to play. Others feel there is too much swing and miss in his game to be successful at the Major League level. I personally tend to buy in more than the skeptics. He plays a pretty good third base and has a fantastic arm, which should afford him enough playing time even when he struggles. Strikeouts have become an acceptable part of the game in this current era and as long as he doesn’t strikeout 40% of the time, he should be fantasy viable. He is worth a gamble in 15-team mixed leagues and deeper.

 

Various News and Notes
Billy Hamilton is dealing with thumb discomfort that could possibly end him up on the DL if it does not improve. Hamilton stated that the injury causes him pain every time me makes contact during an at bat. Hamilton leads MLB this season with 28 stolen bases, but has struggled to get on base at an even league average clip. Hopefully a return to health would improve things, but fantasy owners will deal with the deficiencies in other categories because of the elite stolen base potential Hamilton offers.

Matt Kemp was removed from Wednesday’s game injuring his hamstring during a slide in the third innings versus Washington. Kemp has been fantastic this season hitting .326/.363/.588 with 11 home runs. While he tends to get a bad rep as an injury prone player, he has registered three straight season prior to 2017 with at least 150 games played. He is considered day-to-day at this time.

Yasiel Puig has been suspended for one game after making an inappropriate gesture to Indians fans after hitting a home run. He is appealing the ruling and will play amid appeal. Puig is quietly putting up a decent year with 10 home runs and nine stolen bases, but has struggled provide a decent average. There are reasons to be hopefully that will change however. His BABIP is .258 when it was .306 last year and .330 for his career. His hard and soft contact rates are improved somewhat from last season

CC Sabathia has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will be placed on the DL. Sabathia has been adequate this season for the Bronx Bombers, posting a 3.46 ERA with 62 strikeouts with 75.1 innings. His timetable for return is not clear.

Matt Harvey will see a specialist for arm fatigue. Harvey was reportedly only hitting 87-88 mph in his latest outing and stated following the game that his “arm was not working at all.” This is very concerning to those that are still rostering Harvey, but at this point he shouldn’t be owned in anything but the deepest of formats.

Well, this isn’t good:


Hopefully maybe this isn’t as serious as it sound, but Shoemaker will most likely hit the DL and join the rest of the Angels pitching staff.

 

Streaming Pitcher Options
A pitcher for today: Matt Strahm @ LAA
It is a really bad lower end slate and if you need a QS or win, he may be a bad choice because of the pitch limit he will be on, but he could rack up some strikeouts against a poor Angels lineup that doesn’t hit lefties well.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Joe Biagini vs CHW
Biangini has been very good this season and has begun ramping up his pitch counts to allow fantasy owners to qualify for wins and QS. Good matchup vs the White Sox makes him an easy play.





Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

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