Roto Riteup: Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

– Despite his status as a top prospect, Mike Moustakas hasn’t been able to do much against MLB pitching. He’s hitting below the Mendoza Line at the moment, and while some may point to his .214 average on balls put in play, the 22-year old also hasn’t shown anything when it comes to power production. Moustakas never had very high BABIPs in the minors, either, so a low career mark in the majors wouldn’t be the least bit surprising. If you own the Moose in a standard league, it’s time to give up hope and let him go on his merry way. He’s still worth holding onto in dynasty and slightly deep keeper leagues since he’s still so young and talented. Moustakas may need another stint in Triple-A to figure out what ails him before too long, but I’m not sure if the Royals are willing to call his debut a failure just yet.

– In a strange and surprising move, Delmon Young has changed teams within the AL Central, moving from the Twins to the Tigers. Young had a good roto year in 2010 — he hit .298 with 21 homers and 112 RBI — but his 2011 campaign has been poor. His power has been no where to be found, and his strikeout rate rose back up to his career marks. Comerica is better for right-handed homers than Target Field was, so this deal could result in a few more homers from Young in the future. All in all, Young still isn’t anything to get excited about in fantasy. He may get a few more counting stats because of the park and the lineup he plays in, but he may not. The trade raises his value, but only ever so slightly.

– For those of you not aware, ESPN is adding a huge list of players to it’s database today. These players are all minor leaguers who will only be relevant in keeper leagues, but there are some nice players on the list who are worth looking in to.

– I have a question for our ultra-intelligent and experienced audience: How often do you see a a flurry of moves at the fantasy trade deadline? I ask because last night I completed a trade with FanGraphs’ own Matt Klaassen just a few hours before the deadline, and was surprised to see another two moves be made after ours.

A Pitcher For Today: Jonathon Niese at SDP
Niese is nothing spectacular, but getting him in Petco should result in a W and six or more strikeouts. I’m taking that chance if I’m streaming.

A Pitcher For Tomorrow: Dillon Gee at SDP
It’s really a rough day for spot starters, so just go with the guy who’s going to have some room for error.

PickSix Lock of the Day: Jhonny Peralta ($.50) vs MIN (Nick Blackburn)
Blackburn may get grounders, but he’s also homer prone. It’s only $.50, so why not give him a chance and use that extra cash elsewhere?
Prediction: 1-4, HR; 11 points
Past Predictions: 8 players, $105.75, 43.2 pts