Roto Riteup: June 26, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup was written while the film Whiplash played in the background. And by that I mean I procrastinated writing this and watched Whiplash, as it was my favorite film of 2014.

On today’s agenda:
1. Welcome to The Show, Steven Matz
2. Dustin Pedroia to the disabled list
3. Buying Adam Eaton
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Welcome to The Show, Steven Matz
The Mets top left-handed pitching prospect and number 65 overall according to our own Kiley McDaniel was given the call yesterday. Matz will join the big league club as part of a six man rotation, but there is no telling how long the Mets will stick with the non-traditional staff this time around. Regardless of how he’s utilized in the real world, Matz should be picked up in just about any league. Owner of a strikeout to walk rate above 3 and a 2.19 ERA — with 3.43 FIP — in Triple-A, Matz and his strong ground ball rate should be ready to contribute solid fantasy numbers immediately. He’s already owned in 70 percent of CBS formats, however Matz can be picked up in almost 75 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 80 percent of ESPN settings.

Dustin Pedroia to the disabled list
The Red Sox moved their second baseman to the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. As the linked article notes, Brock Holt is likely to see the majority of playing time in Pedroia’s stead. I touched on how much I like Holt’s game just over a week ago and nothing has happened to change my opinion on him. The only change since then was his ownership rate has skyrocketed and now sits at over 50 percent in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues as well as 70 percent in CBS formats.

Buying Adam Eaton
I’m generally hesitant to quote monthly splits, but after a poor opening month — and a follow up month — Eaton has turned things around in June. As one may suspect given the volatility of monthly splits, BABIP has played a significant role. The table below represents Eaton’s numbers prior to yesterday’s 2-for-5 day with a walk and his fourth home run of the year.

	BABIP	BB%	K%	wRC+
April	.234	6.0%	16.9%	34
May	.302	6.8%	16.2%	101
June	.333	8.8%	14.3%	118
Career	.292	7.9%	15.6%	102

Compared to his career numbers, Eaton has been drawing more walks as of late while trimming down his strikeouts just a notch. Other than the obvious small sample size caveats, Eaton has shown progression in his offensive abilities thus far. The left-handed hitter still struggles when facing southpaws, however he’s displayed enough strides to be playable against right-handed pitchers in most leagues. Given both ZiPS and Steamer project about a .270 average going forward and an on-base percentage between .330-40, as well as his position as a leadoff hitter, I like Eaton quite a bit as a second half resurgence. He’s free to pick up in over 60 percent of Yahoo! or CBS settings and more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues.

Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Alex Colome vs BOS (Rick Porcello)
The Red Sox have hit right-handers fairly well this season, but the Trop is a tough place to score runs. Colome can be streamed in over 85 percent of the three major fantasy sites.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Tim Lincecum vs COL (Chris Rusin)
It’s a day game after a night game, so I’m hoping the Rockies rest some of their tougher hitters. Even if they don’t, the club hasn’t hit very well on the road. Lincecum is free to utilize in over 30 percent of CBS leagues and over 50 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN settings.