Roto Riteup: May 20, 2015

I plan on seeing Pitch Perfect 2 at some point, perhaps today, so here is my favorite performance from the first film. Spoiler alert: I think this should have won, but that’s just me.

On today’s agenda:
1. Rusney Castillo not far off
2. Buying Mike Napoli
3. Bad news for Victor Martinez
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Rusney Castillo not far off
Oh dear. I hope commenter Walkswith4Balls didn’t pull the trigger on any Castillo trades after placing him on the trade block yesterday. The Red Sox seem intent on calling up Castillo sooner rather than later, as skipper John Farrell alluded to. Castillo is in Miami for the birth of his child and could be called up directly to the Sox rather than back to Triple-A Pawtucket. After outrighting Allen Craig, playing time at the major league level appears to be clearer for Castillo and he is worth an add in most leagues. One can grab the talented 27-year-old in 47 percent of Yahoo! formats and more than 75 percent of ESPN leagues, but only 24 percent of CBS leagues.

Buying Mike Napoli
Sticking with the East coast bias for a bit, I think now is a great time to make a move for Napoli. Despite hitting a home run in yesterday’s game, he has struggled at times and owns a .174/.275/.314 line thus far. His .198 BABIP — a mark more than 100 points below his career average — hasn’t helped him at all in the early going. Napoli’s 20.7 percent Soft% batted ball ranked tied at 134 out of 185 qualified batters, but I remain optimistic. It’s possible the 33-year-old has lost a bit of bad speed, however I don’t think he has. Napoli isn’t over-swinging in an attempt to compensate for any bat slowing as his 12.3 percent walk rate is in line with his career average and his 22.5 percent strikeout rate is actually four points below his career rate.

Without a drop in his contact rate or an increase in his swinging strike rate, I think Napoli is a victim of small sample size amplified by the beginning of the season spotlight. In my points and on-base percentage leagues I continue to start Napoli without second thoughts. That said a standard 5×5 league player may want to think again on him due to his low batting average. For me I’d start Napoli as I still like his pop and his spot in the lineup. Even with the struggles Napoli hasn’t hit lower than sixth and has primarily appeared at the fifth spot, a great position for gathering RBIs. If you’re willing to sacrifice AVG for some counting numbers, Napoli can be picked up in more than 60 percent of Yahoo! and CBS leagues as well as over 80 percent of ESPN formats.

Bad news for Victor Martinez
The Tigers placed their designated hitter on the 15-day DL due to inflammation in his left knee yesterday. Manager Brad Ausmus expect Martinez to contribute again at some point this season, however the slugger won’t touch a bat for at least a week. Given it is the same knee Martinez has preseason surgery on, plus his slow start, the Tigers were likely correct to play it safe with the 36-year-old. From the sounds of things, it seems highly unlikely Martinez misses the minimum 15 days. Slotting Napoli in your lineup rather than Martinez will hurt your batting average, though both project to put up roughly a .350 OBP with 15 or so home runs.

Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Joe Kelly vs TEX (Phil Klein)
The Rangers rank in the bottom five of the league for wRC+ when facing a right-hander. Hopefully Kelly will limit the free passes or at least utilize his ground ball ways to wipe any runners off with double plays. He’s free to pick up in 65 percent of CBS leagues plus more than 85 percent of Yahoo! or ESPN leagues.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Jesse Chavez at TB (Alex Colome)
Chavez misses bats and possesses decent control. Factor in the Rays being a tick below average against righties thus far and a pitcher friendly park, he makes for a solid stream option. Chavez is available in over 40 percent of CBS leagues as well as over 60 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! formats.