Roto Riteup: May 17th, 2012

Today’s version of the Roto Riteup isn’t nearly as funny as yesterday’s. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, since I’d prefer you read it and all.

• Mike Minor’s season has been an interesting one. His strikeout and walk rates are right in line with what you’d like to see and ultimately expect, but he is getting killed by both balls in play and balls flying into the stands. For a heavy fly-ball pitcher, Minor’s BABIP has always been high; granted, he’s pitched less than 200 career innings, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I’ve always liked Minor’s stuff, but there is no way you can succeed if you’re going to give up long balls as well as well as hits. Eventually, if this continues, the Braves will tire of his madness and move him to a team who appreciates the potential he has. I’m a little worried if I’m a Minor owner in keeper leagues, but I’m not giving up on him. Yet.

• Jake Odorizzi and Wil Myers are both moving to Triple-A. The Royals have obvious openings in the rotation, so I’d say Odorizzi has the easiest path to the bigs. Both are very young, so fantasy owners should be patient. Odorizzi and Myers likely won’t do much in the bigs this year, even if they are called up to Kansas City. Don’t worry too much about them in re-draft leagues, but be ready to pounce in keeper leagues should you have a feeling they are close to receiving the most exciting phone call of their life.

• You know that velocity bump Tim Lincecum had two starts back that got everyone excited? Well, it didn’t stick around for long, as his fastball came back to earth.

• Dustin Ackley may have started out slow, but he’s hit safely in his last twelve games, including a home run last night. Ackley’s numbers may not reflect it, but he’s got all the tools of a very good hitter who plays a premium position.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Matt Harrison vs OAK
I like Harrison more than I should, mainly because he throws hard.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Barry Zito vs OAK
Oakland isn’t much of a hitting team, but Zito’s at home and the A’s won’t have a DH at their disposal.

A Hitter for Today: Brooks Conrad at HOU (J.A. Happ)
Happ isn’t very good, Houston’s ballpark is okay for hitters, and Conrad should easily be able to slide into multiple spots in your lineup.