Roto Riteup: May 9th, 2012

by
May 9, 2012

I worked extra hours yesterday, so be prepared for the ride of your life in today’s Roto Riteup.

• With Jayson Werth out of the lineup for an extended period of time, it looks like phenom Bryce Harper is going to be staying in the majors for quite a while longer. Harper is now hitting second in the Nationals’ lineup, further cementing himself in Davey Johnson’s friend zone. Harper was slugging .500 before yesterday’s game despite not hitting a homer. He’s walked more than he’s struck out, and seeing as his strikeout rate was the only thing bothering me, this is a beyond excellent start. Hold or acquire in all formats, even the shallow ones.

• After dominating in Triple-A, Alex White has joined the Rockies’ rotation. I think White can be a successful MLB starter, but not necessarily in the fantasy realm. Grab him in slightly deeper NL-only leagues.

• Johan Santana’s velocity may still be down compared to the past, but his strikeouts aren’t. Good times.

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: Drew Smyly at SEA
Seattle’s offense stinks, and most of the decent hitters are lefties. Put Drew Smyly in Safeco and you have yourself an ace.

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A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Henderson Alvarez at MIN
There’s a limited slate of games today, so options are limited.

A Hitter for Today: Matt Diaz at CHC (Maholm)
If Diaz is in the lineup, use him. If not, abuse him with a wet noodle.





 

Zach is the creator and co-author of RotoGraphs' Roto Riteup series, and RotoGraphs' second-longest tenured writer. You can follow him on twitter.

9 Comments
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Brad JohnsonMember
14 years ago

Do you really think Harper was ever going back to AAA short of a terrible slump?

0
usdballum
14 years ago
Reply to  Brad Johnson

With Werth down, Harper is up for good.

0
Stan Gable
14 years ago
Reply to  Brad Johnson

Never mind Jayson Werth, Casey Weldon’s former backup is exactly correct. Bryce Harper was pretty much here to stay regardless, folks.

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kwyjibo
14 years ago

Johan Santa’s assault on this site continues!

2
Dave
14 years ago
Reply to  kwyjibo

I also love how David Roberts is still actively discussed.

0
Eric Dykstra
14 years ago

I have Smyly, Detwiler, and Bass as about even plays for today. If Smyly’s high K rate is real, he’s obviously the best play, but Bass is likely the only one that’s potentially available in deeper leagues.

Hudson and Billingsley aren’t owned in every league (71% and 81%, respectively, via Yahoo), and are must-starts in leagues with 12 or more teams. Pick them up if they’re still hanging around the wire.

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Stan Gable
14 years ago
Reply to  Eric Dykstra

All five of those guys are long gone in any leagues of even somewhat moderate depth & skill level, right?

-1
Eric Dykstra
14 years ago
Reply to  Stan Gable

They’re all gone in my 16 team league, but Smyly and Bass have pretty low ownership rates, and would potentially be available in some 16 team leagues (or other high IP limit roto leagues where streaming is important). Bass is only owned in 15% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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KJ
14 years ago

As an owner of Cueto and Greinke in a QS instead of W league, today’s CIN-MIL game was amazing.

0