Roto Riteup: May 23, 2019

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May 23, 2019

“If you fall I will catch you I’ll be waiting”

On the Agenda:
1. Fun GIFS and Gleyber
2. Various News and Notes/Quick Hits
3. Streaming Pitchers

 

Fun GIFS and Gleyber
Here’s three GIFs that I enjoyed from yesterday’s slate:

Hilarious. On a serious note, Sabathia is likely headed to the disabled list due to a “barking knee.” Chance Adams could get a start or two in the not so distant future.

Always love a triple play:

Love it.

Various News and Notes/Quick Hits
Gleyber Torres went 2-for-5 with two home runs against the Orioles on Wednesday. Coincidentally, Orioles broadcaster Garry Thorne was not too pleased.

 

I mean, four multi-home run games against the same team in the same season is just flat out incredible. The 10-of-12 home runs against Baltimore is ludicrous as well. I’ve talked about Torres before and I feel the same now as I did then – I believe he’s a top-12 ish MI. Good BB% is a solid indicator for power hitters, and it’s down from last year. He’s sporting a 40% hard-hit% and over 10% Barrell% per Baseball Savant, but unfortunately, he can’t play Baltimore every game. I expect his end of season line to sit at about .280/.340/.500 with about 30 HR and 8-to-10 stolen bases.

Wade Davis is headed to the injured list with a left oblique strain.

It’s already been confirmed by Rockies manager Bud Black that Oberg will be the guy while Davis is on the shelf. Oberg currently sports a 1.77 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. With that said, he’s benefited from a ton of BABIP/LOB% luck, and has seen some K/BB skills erosion thus far. Not saying he won’t be serviceable while Davis is on the shelf, just tread carefully.

Eloy Jimenez tallied his first hits since returning from the injured list, a pair of home runs against the Astros.

His first home run was off of Gerrit Cole. I personally expect big things from Jimenez the rest of the way – my only reservation is his durability.

Staying in Chicago, both Charlie Tilson and Albert Almora hit their first career grand slams on Wednesday.

 

For Tilson, it was actually his first career MLB home run. In 58 PA since being recalled from Triple-A, he’s compiled a .304/.339/.393 line with three stolen bases and an 18/3 K:BB. He’ll likely hit near the bottom of the lineup most of the time, but he does get some run in the leadoff spot as well. Almora has a hit in 11 of-his-last 13 games, and owns a .275/.315/.435 line with five home runs, 18 RBI, and two stolen bases.

Kirby Yates continued his tremendous season to date against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, shutting them down with a clean inning and notching a strikeout in route to his 20th save of the season.

Yates is tops among qualified relievers in WAR (1.6), and among the top-5 in SIERA (1.71) and K/BB% (38.5%). He’s one of the top closers in the game and his price was nowhere near that. If you invested, he’s already paid huge dividends.

Quick Hits: Brandon Nimmo was placed on the IL with a strained neck, Raja Davis was recalled in a corresponding move and hit a three-run home run. Robinson Cano made an early exit from yesterday’s game due to left quad tightness – Adeiny Hechavarria replaced him. Speaking of Mets players, Keon Broxton was traded to the Orioles for international spending money. It’s not clear how much he’ll play initially, but AL-Only owners can take a stab at him based on his power/speed combo. Kyle Seager could return Saturday – the first day he’s eligible. Giancarlo Stanton was removed from his rehab assignment and placed back on the IL with a calf injury. There’s no timetable for his return (keep rolling with Clint Frazier). Rowdy Tellez hit his third home run in two days. Keston Hiura hit his second homer, but it was his only hit in five trips to the plate, and he struck out three times. Derek Dietrich continues to mash, he’s legit. Aaron Boone says Luis Severino is set to start throwing soon. Frankie Montas brought his ERA down to 2.40 after a strong start against CLE. Austin Riley swatted his fourth home run of the year. Kolten Wong snagged a combo meal in Game 2 against the Royals – he has seven home runs and six steals thus far. Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler both continue to prove they’re legit power hitters as both hit three-run bombs between both games against the Cardinals. Willie Calhoun was sent to the IL, Elvis Andrus is expected to be activated on Saturday. Hunter Pence hit his 10th home run. Khris Davis is expected to avoid the IL, but he’s sitting out today. Ryan Mountcastle is getting some outfield work in the minors. Brent Honeywell will wait one more week before possibly ramping things back up. Bradley Zimmer is inching closer to a rehab assignment. Matt Duffy aggravated his hamstring injury during a rehab game. Andrelton Simmons has avoided needing surgery, but he’ll still be out a while. Luis Rengifo can still carve out some value this season. Kenta Maeda is set to start Sunday against the Pirates. Jose Altuve is nearing a rehab assignment. Michael Conforto could be back as soon as Friday. J.D. Martinez could be headed to the injured list. Fernando Tatis Jr may not return until June.

Streaming Pitchers (Less than 50% owned)
Pitcher for Today: Trevor Richards at DET
Not many options for Thursday, but Richards has pretty good stuff when he is on and the Tigers offense shouldn’t scare anyone.

High Risk Options: None
Only other options other than Richards are Dylan Bundy, Adam Plutko, and Antonio Senzatella.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Pablo Lopez at WAS
Chances of a win are slim – and he’s highly inconsistent – but Lopez has good stuff and the Nationals offense is in the bottom-third in RPG at home.

High Risk Option: Griffin Canning vs TEX
Canning has fared well thus far, and boasts tremendous strikeout upside. The matchup isn’t great, but the Rangers offense has a tendency to strikeout against RHP.





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

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Creamymember
4 years ago

Great series of GIFs and key nuggets to boot. Thanx for this thorough compilation . . .

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