Roto Riteup — Presented By DraftKings: August 29, 2014

Today’s Roto Riteup is being written while the new version of “Cosmos: A Space Odyssey” plays in the background. Thus far I’m two episodes in and not terribly impressed. Perhaps it picks up in the later episodes.

On today’s agenda:
1. A (Jorge) Soler eclipse of my heart
2. Thoughts on Yusmeiro Petit
3. The daily five

A (Jorge) Soler eclipse of my heart
Between my fondness for pop-culture and my penchant for bad jokes it was merely a matter of time before I made a pun based on his name. Factor in the Cosmos intro and this headline was destined to happen. As you’ve no doubt heard, the Chicago Cubs called up the 22-year-old Jorge Soler two days ago. He’s hit a home run, a double and a pair of singles in eight plate appearances. Hilariously small sample size aside, according to our own Kiley McDaniel envisions Soler as a .285/.360/.485 upside player. Even with just over a month remaining, if Soler is able to hit to that line, he’ll make a difference on your team. Soler has torn up  the minor leagues this season and has rocketed his way from High-A all the way to the majors. The Cubs seem intent on giving him the right field job so expect plenty of playing time for Soler. One can find him available in 40% of CBS formats and over half of both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.

Thoughts on Yusmeiro Petit
Yesterday Petit fired six innings of one-run ball against the Colorado Rockies. He required a mere 81 pitches to gather 18 outs and sat down nine Rockies on strikes. Petit induced 15 swing-and-misses while scattering four hits and one walk. The Giants have utilized Petit as both a reliever as well as a starter this season and his 3.44 ERA/2.58 FIP/3.04 xFIP line is impressive. His incredible run of 46 straight outs certainly helped drive his pitching line down but Petit posted a solid 48 innings last season — again in a mix of starts and relief appearances — without a historic streak. Less impressive is his three quality starts out of seven games started. I love his 12% swinging strike rate and his mix of pitches — though I do have concerns regarding his 88.9 mph fastball — and he may stick in the San Francisco rotation for the remainder of the season. If so, I wouldn’t mind streaming him at home or in favorable matchups. One can grab Petit in over 90% of the three major fantasy sites.

The daily five
Starting pitcher: Ervin Santana — $9,800
Santana will be up against the 18th ranked Miami Marlins offense. Factor in their 23.9% strikeout rate (highest in baseball against right-handed starters) and I love Santana to have a big day today.

Starting pitcher: Dan Haren — $6,600
Rather than splurge on the likes of Jon Lester or Felix Hernandez, I like Haren (and Haren’s price) as a better value pick. He will be facing the San Diego Padres and their 28th ranked offense and sixth highest strikeout rate against righties.

Infielder: Victor Martinez — $5,300
Martinez and the rest of the Detroit Tigers will be digging in against Scott Carroll and his 1.32 K:BB ratio. V-Mart hits righties well — though lefties better — and he may just hit home run number 27 today.

Outfielder: Corey Dickerson — $4,900
Despite the fact the Rockies won’t enjoy the benefits of their home stadium, Chase Field is nearly as good. Dickerson crushes right-handed pitchers and Josh Collmenter could be in for a long day.

Other hitter: J.J. Hardy — $3,600
A value pick at shortstop today, Hardy squares off against Trevor May and his 8.16 BB/9. In only 14.1 innings, but still. Wow.

Remaining budget: $19,800

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