Roto Riteup March 17, 2017

I refuse to make this a Tim Tebow post. I won’t allow it.

With that said, he had a two-hit game and raised his batting average to .214. He even threw in a diving catch for good measure. Adjust your fantasy teams accordingly. Actually, don’t, that was a joke.

Okay, now that we have that out of our system…

On the Agenda

1. David Wrong
2. Scott Kazmir’s slowball
3. Get a grip, Scherzer

David Wrong

We know third baseman David Wright will not be ready (shoulder) for Opening Day. But how “not ready” will he be?

The latest reports say he will be available for the DH position which is allowed for a National League team during spring training which is where he’s been playing at the moment. A Mets team source told me Wright is struggling with the basic activities.

“Hitting, throwing – because he doesn’t have all his strength left. He’s made a lot of progress and he’s not in constant pain, but he’s not ready to play baseball just yet.”

I also talked to injury expert Will Carroll and he explained the way that Wright is attempting a comeback is something that most players can’t come back from.

“There have been some, but even in cases where a player comes back, few come back exactly the same. Add in that he’s missed time and the sands of time don’t stop for rehab and it gets even tougher. You want to root for Wright or for anyone to come back, but it’s not always possible.”

His power will not be affected, but his swing that is looking like it could be problematic. Carroll added that the “not throwing well is the real issue.”

Scott Kazmir’s slowball

That’s exactly what it is at this point.

Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir has thrown a fastball recently that sat between 82-84 mph according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.

The main concern here is obviously his velocity or lack thereof. McCullough reported he was once tossing a 91-plus fastball and his hip has been giving him issues. If you look at his pitch velocity over the last couple of seasons, it digresses as time goes on. It’s possible he could find the speed once again in his fastball, but a significant change is unlikely.

Last Year’s Unluckiest Changeup

His MRI did come back negative earlier in the week, but his status remains “iffy” in regards to the start of the season.

He finished his 2016 campaign posting a 4.56 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in over 136 innings.

Get a Grip, Scherzer

If you want to be a type of person, be Max Scherzer-like. How many guys can have an injury and still be considered a top pitcher to take in any type of fantasy format? The “issue” with Scherzer is his grip, and that’s pretty much it.

He will make his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN after suffering a stress fracture in his right ring finger. Zuckerman also reported Scherzer is “using a standard, two-fingered grip on his fastball with no pain for the first time this spring.”

Here’s a gif that has nothing to do with anything, I just really like it. 

via GIPHY

That’s great news. Especially after multiple reports saying he more than likely won’t be ready for Opening Day. Those “more than likelies” are looking more like “well…maybe.”