Roto Riteup: August 25, 2016

Always. Shoot. Your. Shot.

On the agenda:
1. OK, chill, Sanchez
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

OK, chill, Sanchez
You know what’s worse than watching the Jays get pasted by the Angels live? Doing so with a Yankees fan. I get it, dude, Gary Sanchez is amazing. Sanchez hit his ninth home run in just 19 MLB games this season (and 21 overall), making him just the fifth player to go yard that many times in his first 21 games (dap to Trevor Story). Not only is Sanchez hitting a great sign for the future, but the Yankees are 13-9 since the trade deadline and remain on the periphery of a wild-card chase. They’ll probably tail off, as will Sanchez. Regardless, starting your career with a .389/.450/.847 slash line is about as good as you can hope for. With catcher eligibility and such a torrid start, Sanchez has been the 10th-most valuable fantasy asset since he was recalled on Aug. 3 and tops among catchers by far.

ZiPS and Steamer “only” project him for four or five more from here, as well as some serious regression from a 241 wRC+, but the dude can clearly hit.

Various News and Notes
Shout out to the oldheads: David Ortiz is now the oldest player in baseball history to post a 30-home run season, the 10th of his career; Albert Pujols moved into sole possession of 10th on the all-time home run list with a first-inning blast off of Marco Estrada, one of Pujols’ four hits on the night.

Concern for the youngin: Andrew Benintendi was helped off the field in the seventh inning after landing awkwardly in a run-down. The Sox are calling it a left knee sprain and he’ll undergo further testing today. The rookie is off to a hot start to his MLB career, hitting .324 with a 123 wRC+ over 21 games.

The Marlins finally landed their outfield replacement for Giancarlo Stanton: Jeff Francoeur! A three-team deal saw the Braves send Francoeur and cash to Atlanta, landing them a pair of minor-leaguers in return (the Rangers picked up some international signing slots). Still just 32 somehow, Francoeur isn’t exactly tearing the cover off of the ball with a 75 wRC+, but he’ll add some much-needed depth and #veteranpresents.

The Mets placed Jon Niese on the DL, as he’s set for a “minor” surgery on his left knee. The 29-year-old has spent the year bouncing between the rotation and a long-man role, posting a 5.50 ERA over 121 innings. I’m not sure he’s going to be on the fantasy radar next season, despite four moderately successful years preceding this one.

Pablo Sandoval rejoined the Red Sox having lost 22 pounds. If nothing else, hey, good for him! That’s awesome (not that everyone shouldn’t, you know, be happy with who they are and how they look). He looks pretty good and says he feels “a lot better,” though not quite “back to normal.” He’s yet to be cleared for hitting, but he’s on track to be ready for spring training, wherever he may fit then.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is hoping he’ll get to pitch at some point this season. Considering he’s made one start over the last two seasons, I’d be hoping the same, though his manager doesn’t share Ryu’s optimism. Ryu will start a throwing program soon.

Zach Britton gave up an earned run. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

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

A pitcher for today: John Gant @ ARI (Robbie Ray)
To be completely honest, James Paxton is the play here, but I feel it’s a cop out to recommend a starter against the White Sox on back-to-back days. Instead, we’ll turn to John Gant, the Braves rookie who’s been decent in a swingman role and has some solid strikeout upside. He draws the Diamondbacks, who have just a 92 wRC+ over the last month (and 93 on the year), plus a strikeout rate north of 22 percent. With zero-percent ownership, Gant’s basically free.

EDIT: Gant’s no longer starting. Go with Paxton.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Luke Weaver vs OAK (Ross Detwiler)
The Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2014, Luke Weaver gets his third crack at a major-league start, and he’s set up fairly well to succeed. While Weaver hasn’t blown the doors off in his first two appearances (or the lone start he made at Triple-A), there’s a lot of strikeout potential here – he owned a 28.6-percent strikeout rate at Double-A and has coaxed a 10.5-percent swinging strike rate over nine innings with the parent club. In the Athletics, he draws a team that strikes out nearly an average amount and owns a 92 wRC+ over the last 30 days.





Blake Murphy is a freelance sportswriter based out of Toronto. Formerly of the Score, he's the managing editor at Raptors Republic and frequently pops up at Sportsnet, Vice, and around here. Follow him on Twitter @BlakeMurphyODC.

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
feslenraster
7 years ago

Gant and not Ray? Interesting, although yeah, I get it, Ray is owned more.