Roto Riteup — Presented By DraftKings: September 26, 2014

On September 30th, the film “Serenity” will celebrate its 9th anniversary. The continuation of the TV series “Firefly,” Serenity is another Joss Whedon creation and both are well worth watching.

On today’s agenda:
1. A big day from Yasmani Grandal
2. Jason Hammel’s solid start and season
3. The daily five

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A big day from Yasmani Grandal
Yesterday was a boom or bust day for Grandal. He went 2-for-5, connecting with two home runs while striking out twice. Grandal is up to 15 dingers in 431 plate appearances while posting a disappointing .222/.323/.401 line, equating to a 110 wRC+. His 12.3% walk rate is keeping his OBP within the realm of usefulness, however his 26.2% strikeout rate is just about unacceptable given his middling rather than middle-of-the-lineup power. This is his highest single season strikeout rate, nearly 10 points higher than his 2012 and 2013 K%. His 9.9% whiff rate is also another high water mark and it should come as no surprise to see his 75.4% contact rate at his lowest of his young career. After a breakout 2012 campaign I had high hopes for Grandal, but next year will be his age-26 season and he still has much to prove.

Jason Hammel’s solid start and season
Despite being left with a no decision, yesterday Hammel posted his first quality start in three attempts. He held the Texas Rangers to zero runs in six innings while sitting down five Rangers on strikes and not allowing a walk. Overall he has put up an impressive 3.47 ERA/3.91 FIP/3.56 xFIP in 176.1 inning spanning 29 starts this season. Most of that was put up as a member of the Chicago Cubs where Hammel fired 108.2 innings of 2.98 ERA/3.18 FIP/3.20 xFIP baseball. He was snakebit by the long ball at times, with his 1.24 HR/9 ranking as the sixth highest in baseball among qualified starters. I doubt my beloved A’s re-sign him which is shame given his home park plays into his fly ball tendencies. This season Hammel fell a third of an inning shy of tying his most innings in a single season and he’s rebuilt enough value to probably land a multi-year deal somewhere. If he heads to a favorable home park, Hammel could post another strong fantasy season.

The daily five
Starting pitcher: Ervin Santana — $9,100
Santana is up against the Philadelphia Phillies and their (tied for) 25th ranked 84 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers.

Starting pitcher: Ian Kennedy — $9,000
I like Kennedy to post a strong outing against the San Francisco Giants.

Infielder: Adrian Beltre — $4,600
Beltre absolutely demolishes left-handed pitching and the Rangers are up against a southpaw in Scott Kazmir.

Outfielder: Mookie Betts — $4,400
While it is still early to judge, Betts seems to hit lefties pretty well. His 138 wRC+ against them bodes well for him today again Chris Capuano.

Other hitter: Rickie Weeks — $2,600
The Milwaukee Brewers and Weeks will be hitting against Eric Jokisch. Weeks holds the platoon advantage and comes at a bargain price.

Remaining budget: $20,300

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You can catch David spouting off about baseball, soccer, esports and other things by following him on twitter, @davidwiers.

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Zach Sandersmember
9 years ago

Serenity now!