Roto Riteup: March 20, 2014

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Roto Riteup. The season may not actually begin for another few days, but we’re back early to brief you on some of the goings-on.

If you’re new to the program or need a refresher, you’ll find the Roto Riteup on RotoGraphs every day during the 2014 season. Here, Professor Pony (you may know him as David Wiers) and I cover interesting tidbits going around the realm of fantasy baseball at an ungodly hour of the morning. If you have suggestions for what you’d like to see out of the 2014 Roto Riteup — other than an award, because we’ve already thought of that — please let us know in the comments.

On the agenda:
1. Yordano Ventura to get 180+ innings
2. Mike Minor to miss at least a couple weeks
3. Jhoulys Chacin to miss a month
4. Fun with arbitrary endpoints

Yordano Ventura to get 180+ innings
Not only was Ventura named to the Royals’ rotation earlier this week, but now Kansas City has said Ventura is slated to pitch up to 180-200 innings this season. With Ventura not profiling as an ultimate workhorse, this likely means that he will not be under restriction at any point this season, which is great news for owners in Head-2-Head formats. I’ve become enamored with Ventura’s stuff since the middle of last year, and while he isn’t likely to dominate like I think Danny Salazar will this year, there’s still plenty of reasons to believe he’ll be an effective fantasy starter. A little bit of wildness could mean a slightly higher WHIP than we’d like, but otherwise Ventura will provide value enough to merit a flyer in most leagues.

Mike Minor to miss at least a couple weeks
With the rest of their starting rotation crumbling, the Braves have decided it’d be prudent not to rush Minor back to the mound as he works his shoulder into shape. Atlanta will start the season with Minor on the DL, but he should be back shortly after his 15 days are up. Minor missed time this offseason with a dirty peehole, which just sounds like bad times.

Jhoulys Chacin to miss a month
If everything goes right in Chacin’s shoulder rehab, he is set to return to the majors in early May. Chacin has long been a tease since his debut in 2010, but he’s never quite been able to put it all together, which holds true even as he put together a 4+ WAR year last season.

Fun with arbitrary endpoints
Remember when I did this almost every Thursday for the final few months of the 2013 season? I hoped you liked it, because I’m bringing it back regardless.

– Dustin Ackley, July 20 – EOS: 203 PA, .304/.368/.431, .359 BABIP
– Jon Lester, final 7 starts of reg season: 48.1 IP, 42 K, 14 BB, 1 HR; 2.61 ERA, .300 BABIP
– Ervin Santana, career in ATL ballpark: 20.2 IP, 20 K, 5 BB, 2 HR; 3.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP