Roto Riteup: March 5, 2019

You know it is baseball season, when I am excited for my boy, The Gardener:

Here are the three swinging strikes Kyle Gibson got to K the side in the top of the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/Jq36YFXxJa

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) March 4, 2019

On the Agenda:
1. Best Shape of Their Lives!
2. Various News and Notes

Best Shape of Their Lives!
According to George Springer, he expects to run more after losing over 10 pounds this offseason. Springer was a stolen base threat in the minor leagues, but that has not translated in the way we expected since he made his debut. Springer may want to run more, but the true test will be if Manager AJ Hinch will let him as he has been awful on the base paths as a Major Leaguer.

Matt Strahm gained 18 pounds over the offseason in order to better prepare his body to hold up to a starter’s workload. Apparently he did it the Paul Newman way by ingesting a minimum of 18 eggs before lunch each day.

Strahm has the stuff to be successful as a starter, but neither the Padres or the Royals have given him a full time role as a starter. He could be an interesting sleeper if he can nail down the job.

via GIPHY

Various News and Notes
Travis Jankowski will miss the start of the season after fracturing his left wrist over the weekend. According to Kevin Acee, he will miss significant time. This is good news for Manuel Margot and Franmil Reyes who were on the bubble to make the roster.

Lewis Brinson hit two home runs on Monday versus the Nationals. This was his second two homer game so far this spring. Brinson’s ADP is steadily rising as the former top prospect excels in the exhibition season. More impressive than the power display is the fact that his strikeout rate is under 25% for Spring Training. Brinson has power and speed, but his propensity to swing and miss has always been the issue. If he can continue to show an improved plate approach, this may be the breakout people have been waiting for since he was one of the best prospects in baseball.

Amed Rosario left Monday’s game after being hit on the wrist with a pitch. An x-ray revealed no broken bones, so it appears that he has avoided serious injury.