Roto Riteup: March 19th, 2012

Your Monday edition of FanGraphs’ Roto Riteup is just around the corner. Hey, there it is now!

–  Bryce Harper has been sent to minor league camp, which means he will not start the season with the big league club. Harper looks to be a great major league player, but he just wasn’t quite ready yet. I’d like to see if he can drop his strikeout rate in the minors while maintaining his power stroke before calling the greatest prospect who ever lived, but he’s about as talented as they come, and far advanced for his age. Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson has stated that Harper will get work at CF while in the minors, potentially making him insanely valuable in leagues that differentiate outfield spots.

–  It looks as if Jeff Samardzija is going to start the year in the Chicago Cubs’ rotation. Samardzija has impressed manager Dale Sveum enough to be called a “near lock.” Samardzija showed a nasty slider while pitching in relief last year, and his fastball can certainly make hitters miss. Look to take a chance on him in NL-only leagues, as well as leagues that give certain advantages to SP/RP eligibility.

–  If Samardzija is truly in the rotation, Chris Volstad, Randy Wells and Travis Wood are left competing for one spot. Really, it comes down to Volstad and Wells, as Wood has an option year left that the Cubs could utilize. Neither Volstad nor Wells is interesting in fantasy circles, but you may need to think about one of them in deep NL-only leagues.

–  Fun fact: Mike Minor has throw 14-straight shutout innings during spring training.

A Pitcher For Today/Tomorrow
During the season, you’ll be finding recommendations for starters you could stream for the day after the notes, but this being spring training, I’m going to assume you aren’t playing some strange high-stakes spring fantasy game.

If you have anything in particular you’d like to see in this year’s Roto Riteup, please say so in the comments. Feedback is appreciated.