Roto Chronicles: National League–May 19

The Cincinnati Reds cleaned house this week. We can’t say the same for Elijah Dukes.
The Cincinnati Reds played so well against the Cleveland Indians that they made my Royalty section. Some players saw their stocks rising and some saw theirs soaring. While Ruts and Royalty isn’t an exact science it helps you gauge who you need to start and who you need to bench for the upcoming week. Without further ado, here are this week’s Ruts and Royalty players:

Ruts:

Elijah Dukes: He tops my list this week not because he’s bad…he’s horrible. He has 23 at-bats but only has one hit. Even though he’s coming off the DL the production of this young prospect has slipped drastically. Once heralded as an offensive machine in his days with the Tampa Bay Rays, his status and his average has slipped immensely. His average stands at a boorish .043. If you expect him to turn it around fast, you are sadly mistaken. My suggestion is to drop him if you have him. If you’ve considered him, don’t. Steer clear.

Randy Johnson: Big Unit seems poised to break out of his slump. Sure his record is 3-1, but he his ERA is 4.66 and has a WHIP of 1.47. Though he doesn’t have his usual speed and control of the strike zone he can still notch you a win. Keep in mind he was on the DL for the early part of the season, but it looks like he’s bouncing back nicely. His last start showed that he was vulnerable, getting tagged for 9 hits in 5 innings pitched and giving up 4 runs in the process. That was against a very sporadic Colorado team. Johnson knows how to bounce back so watch for him to do so. His next start is against a very stingy Atlanta team. It’s risky to start him against Atlanta. If you’re overused on pitching this far into the season, it’s best to not start him. Give him a game or two rest and monitor his progress.

Tom Gordon: Gordon gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in .2 innings pitched against the Blue Jays. A once dominant relief/set-up pitcher his velocity has slowed in recent years and his control isn’t as good as it used to be. Even though he has 17 strikeouts and 8 holds on the season, his pitching has hurt his team. He’ll continue to be used in the set-up role, but if he keeps giving up unnecessary runs, he may find himself quickly at the bottom of the totem pole. Fantasy owners, it is a hit/miss scenario with Gordon, but he is going against Washington (struggling club) and Houston (hot club). Use your best judgment, but I suggest playing him against Washington and benching against Houston.

Mike Cameron: Only batting .200 in week 6, Cameron has to sort out issues with his mechanics. Not only is he whiffing on the ball more, he’s looking at more strikes. He may have 4 homeruns and 12 RBIs in limited action season, but he is a player that can surprise you. Don’t give up on him, instead start him if he’s your only option. He’s not completely bad that you can’t start him, but he’s too good that you want to start him. He faces tough competition this week going against Pittsburgh and Washington.

Chris Duncan: This season was supposed to be his break out season, and so far has disappointed. He’s only batting .255 on the year with 4 homeruns and 12 RBIs. He may find himself on the bench if he doesn’t find a way to turn it around soon. Though he is on a small surge, he still hasn’t gotten any respect. Until he can find his groove at the plate, place him on the bench. That’s the best spot for him right now.

Royalty:

Clint Barmes: There will most likely be a controversy as to who will start for the Rockies once Troy Tulowitzki gets back from the DL. Barmes is hitting .363 and has 15 RBIs since filling in for Tulowitzki. His OBP is .400 which means he will most likely get on base at some point in the game he’s playing in. He’s worthy of an everyday start. Thus far he hasn’t disappointed and he looks to be getting more and more comfortable at the plate so look for good things to come from this player.

Aramis Ramirez: Ramirez is a quiet player who gets you points subtly. He won’t dazzle you with his .274 batting average, or his 27 RBIs because he is overshadowed by the likes of Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. I don’t think that really bothers him that much. He’s batting .280 for week 6 with 5 RBIs. Keep him on your roster until he begins to slip below .220 average for the week. He doesn’t go long spurts in slumps so he has that going for him and he stays healthy. Using that your advantage will surely help your team.

Alfonso Soriano: Soriano has come back from DL with a vengeance. He pelted 5 homeruns and had a whopping 11 RBIs in that span. He raised his average almost .100 points in a week and he is on a tear. Slowing him down will be hard to do, but he looks to be clear from his injury and he has more poise at the plate. Another plus about Soriano is that he doesn’t strikeout as much as he has in the past. His speed on the base pad is in question, but as long as he can get a base hit that doesn’t matter.

Freddy Sanchez: Sanchez bat .310 in week 6. He is beginning to find his groove at the plate and he will be a valuable asset to your team if you have him. As I’ve stated before, good hitters find ways to break out of slumps and he is finding his way out of that right now. He looks more poised and patient. Don’t forget, his defense is pretty good too, but that’s always been a constant with Sanchez. Sanchez will face Ben Sheets and Carlos Zambrano this week and it may be tough to muster a hit or two, but it won’t hurt you to start him.

Lance Berkman: He is destroying the ball in the midst of his 17 game hit streak. That raises his average to .399 and an OBP of .476. To go with that he has 14 homeruns and 44 RBIs, one of the tops in the league. It’s a no brainer to start him and continue to ride his hot streak. He is virtually injury free and his age isn’t allowing him to slow down, either. Berkman will face subpar pitching this week, but judging by his hit streak, he can hit anybody. Pitchers haven’t figured out how to pitch around him yet, but until they do, reap the benefits of having him. He could very well win the batting title this season.

Cincinnati Reds: They swept the red hot Marlins and a surging Cleveland Indians team and made it look easy. The pitching and hitting fired on all cylinders and they have 6 wins to show for it. The Reds are now 2 games under .500, but if they keep playing the way they’re playing, they’ll be out of it in no time.

Injury Watch:

Rick Ankiel: While he’s not officially on the DL he is day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Check his status daily to see how he’s doing.

Troy Tulowitzki: He remains on the DL until after the all-star break, but he has progressed so far that he could make a surprise return earlier than expected.

Rafael Furcal: He could come back this week, but don’t count on it. Back injuries take the longest time to heal and even at that, it can linger around and cause more damage.

Takashi Saito: Saito has the case of the flu, but he’s day-to-day. The flu bug can only go so far, but he is having a good recovery from it. The flu can be tough on an immune system, so when he’s cleared to play give him a day or two of rest so he can build up his strength.

Michael Barrett: He will start his rehab assignment this week and may take another 2-3 days after that to be fully recovered. With the Padres struggling the way they are, Barrett may be asked to take over the starting duties once again.

Player to Watch:

Joey Votto: Votto is coming into his own. He was slated to compete for the starting position in Spring Training and now he has it. He not only provides a defensive spark to the Reds’ infield, he is providing some pop at the plate. This virtually unheard of player is putting up good numbers, quietly. Now the regular first baseman for the Reds Votto looks to play his way into the all-star game. He is batting .280 with 9 homeruns and 22 RBI and he wasn’t an everyday starter at the beginning of the season. He does strikeout quite a bit, with 25 on the season in 125 at bats, but he gets as many quality hits as he does strikeouts, which may whet your appetite, or not. Votto is still virtually young and inexperienced playing everyday, but he is finding his groove slowly, but surely. If for some reason Votto is still on waivers snatch him up and start him everyday. His longest batting slump of the year is 0-7, spanning only 2 games. Give him a chance and barring he stays healthy, keep him around for the long haul. You won’t be disappointed.