Roto Riteup: September 15, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup was penned while I listened to my vinyl of Brand New’s Your Favorite Weapon. If that isn’t the closest thing to a hipster-esque sentence written here at FanGraphs, I don’t know what is. Something from Cistulli, maybe.

On today’s agenda:
1. Chase Anderson’s innings limit
2. Quick thoughts on Wilin Rosario
3. Streaming Pitching Options

Chase Anderson’s innings limit
Without saying a specific number, the Diamondbacks are making arrangements to keep Anderson’s innings down by skipping at least one of his starts. Manager Chip Hale told reporters Anderson is going to the bullpen for now, though Hale made it clear the team would like to see Anderson make at least one more start this season. He’s been a decent stream option for me at times this year, however his 7.5 percent swinging strike rate and 6.18 K/9 limit his upside. Count on Jhoulys Chacin to receive somewhat regular starts in Anderson’s place as Chacin has pitched well in two starts for the D-backs already. I’m more than a bit disappointed to see neither Archie Bradley or Aaron Blair getting the call, but Chacin did post a sub-3.25 ERA in Triple-A this year. That said, it came attached to a FIP near 4.00 and if you thought Anderson’s strikeout rate was limited, Chacin’s is nearly non-existent.

Quick thoughts on Wilin Rosario
The power hitting catcher was set to lose his catcher eligibility next year, at least until an announcement on Monday. From this point forward, Rosario will catch Jorge de la Rosa the rest of the season, so sayeth Nick Groke of the Denver Post. Looking at the schedule, de la Rosa has at least three more starts remaining to help Rosario retain the all important C next to his name. Rosario has already caught one game this year, so he would need just one more start at backstop to be usable thee in CBS and Yahoo! leagues next season. For ESPNers, Rosario will need to squeeze out six more starts in addition to three lined up for him, a pretty tall task. While I don’t love Rosario’s game, he’s a hitter with pop who plays at Coors and who demolishes southpaws. I’m looking forward to drafting him as a catcher, but I think the Rockies will plug him in at first base often next year. I predict the team decides to pay Justin Morneau’s $750,000 buyout rather than bring him back for $9 million, then again it is the Rockies we’re talking about, so who know? For those of you in keeper leagues, picking up Rosario now and stashing him for 2016 could be a solid move. He’s available in 75 percent of Yahoo! leagues, 84 percent of CBS formats and 95 percent of ESPN leagues. It’s a low risk move as he shouldn’t cost much to keep, and if Rosario fails to get the start to make him eligible, he’s droppable. I’m betting he finds that other start this year to maintain his catcher eligibility though.

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

A pitcher for today: Nicholas Tropeano at SEA (Felix Hernandez)
Hard to say I love Tropeano’s chances at a win today, but if you’re looking for ratios, I think he’ll be just fine. The M’s don’t hit right-handers particularly well, and as a fly ball pitcher, Safeco should provide a safe venue. He’s free to stream in more than 97 percent of the three major fantasy sites and should be a cheap DFS options as well.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Erik Johnson vs OAK (Jesse Chavez)
Speaking of unintimidating offenses, Johnson hosts the A’s on Wednesday. It’s not a perfect matchup as U.S. Cellular is a risky start, but I think the 25-year-old will have a solid outing. Look to play him in over 90 percent of the big three sites.