Roto Riteup: June 16, 2021

This is a really great perspective on the illegal substances used by pitchers in baseball.

The BASEBALL itself is the real issue for me. Every baseball that enters the game is different than the previous one. Sometimes it feels good in your hand. Often times, though, it feels like a dusty cue ball.

— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) June 15, 2021

 

Think about a basketball player wiping the dust of their shoes on the 'Slipp-Nott' mat before stepping in the floor. Sunscreen & Rosin was the 'Slipp-Nott' for pitchers.

— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) June 15, 2021

 

Hitters were cool with the added control because it's better for them too, knowing you aren't going to lose one up & in. But when it started being about spin, it gets a way more one-sided.

— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) June 15, 2021

 

Pitching is just as much a finesse skill as it is a strength skill. If you aren't good enough at one-half of the equation, get better.

— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) June 15, 2021

 

MLB needs to make a baseball that is consistent with grip and you wouldn't have to worry about any of it.

Pitchers have to make the adjustment now and learn to pitch with just the rosin bag.

END RANT

— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) June 15, 2021

On the Agenda:
1. A (un)Sticky Situation
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

A (un)Sticky Situation

MLB announced on Tuesday that it will begin enforcing the rules on pitchers using foriegn substances as of June 21st. Players caught violating will be subject to a 10-day suspension. While it will definitely have an impact on pitchers and on the game in general, it is hard to know what the impact will be on individual players or the overall game. I am not making any major moves to my ranks or strategy until we see some of the impact. 

 

Quick Hits

Tyler Glasnow was diagnosed with a partial tear of his UCL and a flexor strain. He will undergo further testing before deciding whether to get Tommy John Surgery. He is droppable in all redraft formats. Here are some of his thought on what may have caused the injury:

Tyler Glasnow sounds off on MLB's foreign substance crackdown and how it may have led to injury 😳 pic.twitter.com/47rcTnpk0l

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 15, 2021

Max Scherzer was placed on the IL with a groin injury. Scherzer was hoping to avoid the IL, but was unable to make it through his bullpen session on Monday. He is not expected to miss much time. 

Corey Dickerson was placed on the IL with a leg injury. It sounds like he will miss an extended period of time and should be dropped in most formats. 

Matthew Boyd was placed on the IL with arm discomfort. Boyd experienced the issue during his start on Monday and was forced to leave the game. There is no timetable for his return at this time. 

Wilson Ramos was activated off of the IL and designated for assignment by the Tigers. This is somewhat surprising, but Eric Haase and Jake Rogers have been very good in Ramos’ absence. I would expect that a team will claim him or trade for him in the coming days. 

Cody Bellinger was placed on the IL on Tuesday with a hamstring injury. Bellinger missed four games with the injury before the Dodgers made the move as they hoped he would improve enough to avoid it. He shouldn’t miss too much time past his activation eligibility next week. 

Tucker Davidson left his start on Tuesday with forearm tightness. Davidson lost velocity in the outing prior to leaving which is usually a pretty bad sign. Consider him day-to-day for now, but make preparations to replace him. 

Kris Bryant left Tuesday’s game after being hit by a pitch on his hand. X-rays were negative following the game, so it appears he may have avoided serious injury. 

Bryce Harper left Tuesday’s game with back tightness. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Jean Segura left Tuesday’s game with a groin injury. Following the game, manager Joe Girardi stated that the team was concerned about his injury. Consider him day-to-day at this time, but it sounds like he will hit the IL. 

 

Various News and Notes

The Marlins called up prospect Jesus Sanchez from AAA on Tuesday. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts while stranding five baserunners in his first action of the season. Sanchez is a former top prospect that has seen his prospect status wane after struggling in his first Major League action in 2020. He has a ton of raw power in his bat and some speed, but has struggled to make consistent contact in the upper minors. He was hot to start the AAA season, cutting his strikeout rate to 19% while hitting nine home runs with a .349 average. He is worth the gamble in deeper formats and is worth monitoring in all formats. 

Matt Manning is expected to make his Major League debut on Thursday against the Angels. With the Tigers losing Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd, they were forced into making a move. Manning is considered one of the top prospects in baseball, but has struggled in AAA this season. He is worth picking up and stashing, but considering some of the other rookie pitcher struggles we have seen recently, it is likely best to not start him out of the gate. 

Throwback to the first time I watched #Tigers Matt Manning throw in the GCL.

Welcome to the Show, @MattManning19.

You did it. pic.twitter.com/BMHvQFAJ5W

— emilycwaldon (@EmilyCWaldon) June 15, 2021

Seth Lugo pitched two scoreless innings against the Cubs, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three. Lugo has been excellent since returning, posting a 1.17 ERA in 7.2 innings while striking out 12. It remains to be seen if the Mets will stretch him back out to start at some point, but for now he is in a high leverage role in the Mets bullpen. He will get some sneaky wins and saves and is a nice source of holds as well and is worth rostering in a lot of formats.

Seth Lugo strikes out 2 in a perfect 8th! pic.twitter.com/IbAlayXLl6

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 16, 2021

Bobby Bradley went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Orioles.

BIG FLY BOBBY BRADLEY! 🚀 🌕#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/lAxkY7TzTZ

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 16, 2021

Bradley has been fantastic since his call up, hitting .440/.481/.880 with three home runs and 10 RBI in just 25 at bats. Bradley has always had power, but has struggled with contact and strikeouts. That will come back to haunt him at some point as he is swinging outside of the zone 38% of the time and is sporting an 18% swinging strike rate, but right now he is hot and it is ok to ride the hot streak.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Keegan Akin at CLE

Akin has been better as of late and has a matchup against an Indians team with a .290wOBA and an 81 wRC+ against left handed pitching this season. 

High Risk Options: Ross Stripling vs NYY, Garrett Richards at ATL. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Caleb Smith at SF.

This is risky because San Francisco has been so good against lefties, but I have been impressed by Smith recently and pitching in San Francisco helps. 

High Risk Options: John Gant at ATL, Jorge Lopez at CLE

 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options” but I may add them at some point.