Roto Riteup: June 5, 2015

The 2015 World Cup kicks off tomorrow! My South Korean squad has a tough task ahead of them, but I think they can make it out of group play. The USWNT is in the group of death, though they are arguably the best team in the World Cup.

On today’s agenda:
1. Consider Ben Revere
2. I flip-flip on Delino Deshields Jr., again
3. Love/Hate with Jesse Hahn
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Consider Ben Revere
I’ll admit I’m a sucker for speed, and Revere has plenty of that. He nabbed his 11th bag of the season yesterday — during a 3-for-4 game — and may once again clear the 30-steal mark, though topping the 40-steal plateau may prove difficult. Along with the steals, Revere also offers a likely .290 rest-of-season batting average. As strong as his AVG figures to be, don’t count on him to contribute much in on-base percentage leagues due to his poor walk rate. Despite his poor OBP, given his slot at the leadoff position — albeit for a sub-par offense — I like Revere in both traditional fantasy and DFS formats. He’s owned in 70 percent of CBS leagues already, but can be picked up in over 45 percent of both Yahoo! or ESPN leagues.

I flip-flop on Delino Deshields Jr., again
Already this season I’ve gone from liking his speed profile, to leaving him off my American League outfield rankings due to playing time concerns, to now once again championing his steal potential. Of course these opinions changed based on the Josh Hamilton acquisition and then subsequent move to the 15-day disabled list. As long as he remains on the shelf, I expect Deshields to receive the bulk of the playing time in Hamilton’s place. I’m still unsure how many plate appearances Deshields will get in the long term unless he shifts more to second base, but for now I’d consider grabbing him if you’re hurting for steals.

Love/Hate with Jesse Hahn
Continuing the semi-regular Love/Hate series with the A’s right-hander.

Love:
— 3.51 ERA backed by a 3.16 FIP
— 45:14 strikeout to walk ratio
— 51.9 percent ground ball rate
— 60.2 percent LOB%, a number that just has to go up with time

Hate:
— A relatively poor 6.08 K/9
— 0.41 HR/9 rate, a number that just has to go up with time
— 7.2 percent swinging strike rate prior to yesterday; then eight whiffs in 104 pitches against the Tigers

Availability:
— 44 percent CBS
— 32 percent Yahoo!
— 15.1 percent ESPN

Verdict:
The low swinging-strike rate and strikeout rate are closely tied to each other. I see Hahn settling in a solid stream option in standard leagues and someone to roster in deeper formats. I’ll admit I’m concerned about him from the stretch, as for his career Hahn has allowed a .235 wOBA with the bases clear versus a .314 wOBA with a runner on. That said, even when not pitching in the friendly confines of O.Co, his strong ground ball rate make him playable in most ballparks. I’m sold on him enough to grab him in the one league where I found him available.

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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: Brett Anderson vs STL (Carlos Martinez)
Anderson has performed quite well this season and now faces the Cardinals and their league average offense against left-handers. One can find him available in over 65 percent of CBS leagues as well as 90 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. 

A pitcher for tomorrow: Alex Colome at SEA (Felix Hernandez)
The Mariners are a below average offense when facing a right-hander, however I’m not sure Colome will get the win while facing off against Felix. Colome can miss bats and exploit the M’s third highest strike out rate against righties. He’s available in more than 75 percent of the three major fantasy sites.