Roto Riteup: March 16, 2013

Welcome to Saturday’s Roto Riteup, where the numbers aren’t made up and the points do matter.

On today’s agenda:
1. Jedd Gyorko likely to start season in bigs
2. Zack Greinke could start season on DL
3. Jon Garland back in the bigs?

Jedd Gyorko likely to start season in bigs
Why the Padres aren’t worried about Gyorko’s service time is unclear, but rumor has it the San Diego brass is ready to hand over the starting second base job to the young right-hander. Gyorko is a natural third-baseman, but with Chase Headley manning the hot corner, the top prospect has had to shift across the infield. Gyorko’s defense won’t win any gold gloves, but he’ll play well enough to stay on the field and provide plenty of offensive value to fantasy owners. Gyorko isn’t a big time power hitter, but he should hit for a solid average and rack up double-digit dingers. Gyorko isn’t quite a top-12 second baseman in mixed leagues, but he’s certainly worth taking for your bench. If you’re in a dynasty league, beware of Gyorko moving back to third base when Headley’s hits free agency after the 2014 season

Zack Greinke could start season on DL
The freshly acquired Dodgers’ starter could be forced to start the 2013 season on the disabled list after experiencing soreness in his throwing elbow. Greinke is already throwing again, but there’s not a single reason why Los Angeles should be rushing the right-hander to the mound. As Aaron Gleeman points out, the Dodgers won’t need five starters until the middle of April, so it’s a perfect excuse to sit Greinke down and open up a roster spot for an extra reliever or bench bat. Even with Chad Billingsley and Greinke wounded, the Dodgers have the depth to withstand such injuries better than any other team. Unless Greinke’s ailing elbow gets worse, this injury shouldn’t have much affect on his draft stock.

Jon Garland back in the bigs?
Even though his K/BB sits at 0.25 this spring, talk is that Garland may have earned himself a spot in the Seattle Mariners rotation, leaving younglings Erasmo Ramirez and Blake Beaven to battle it out for the final spot. Erasmo has more value than Beaven in both fantasy and real life, and I see no reason why he would lose out on an opportunity to start the year in the rotation. While there’s still a chance all three righties could be on the big league roster come April, the Mariners’ bullpen is already relatively stocked and a little over capacity. While Garland and Beaven already have little value, keep an eye on this situation as it pertains to Erasmo.

Selected Projections
Since drafts are upon us all, I figured I’d treat you Roto Riteup readers to a few of my personal player projections.

• Ronald Belisario, RP, LAD: 70 IP, 0 SV, 3.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 62 K
• Hiroyuki Nakajima, SS, OAK: 8 HR, 70 R, 50 RBI, 15 SB, .270 BAVG
• Martin Prado, IF/OF, ARZ: 15 HR, 80 R, 75 RBI, 7 SB, .300 BAVG