Roto Chronicles: National League–June 30

Some pitchers found their niche in Interleague play, but some batters could end it quickly enough.

The last week of Interleague play has wrapped itself up. For some batters (Utley, Howard, Teixiera), it’s not too soon. I mentioned last week that the differences in leagues make a big difference in how one plays. This week exposed some hitters and some pitchers found their true calling. Without further delay, here are your Roto Ruts and Royalty.

Royalty:

Kyle Lohse: Who would have thought he was going to have a stellar week. Not many critics believed Lohse would have 9 wins at this point in the season, but he does. He has been pitching like the ace of the staff, with the exception of his last start against the Tigers when he gave up 5 runs on 11 hits in 4 innings. He is quietly and slowly making a name for himself and I don’t think he minds. Lohse has won 6 out of his last 7 starts, and has boasted an ERA of 3.94 in the process. It’s a no brainer to start him when given the chance. He shows no signs of slowing down. He has a hard time striking out batters (46), but he’s obviously doing something right.

Corey Hart : Hart’s been an enigma this season. He is a perfect example of one who has peeks and valleys. For the season, though, he is batting a comfortable .294. That number may not impress you, but he is a player that’s in the middle. He doesn’t hit for power and he doesn’t dazzle you with his high batting average, but he can get on base and hit RBIs when he needs to. He has 51 RBIs on the season and 14 homeruns thus far. Again, nothing to write home to mom about, but he does have a valuable asset to any fantasy owner.

Salomon Torres: Torres is pitching to his potential this season. He has converted his last 6 save attempts and hasn’t blown a save since May 17th. Look for Torres to maintain the closer spot even though Eric Gagne is back. Gagne may find himself out of the league pretty soon if he doesn’t get his act together and that just leaves Torres at the closer spot all to himself. He has the stuff a closer should have: heat, a low ERA, and a high strikeout total (30). Start him everyday because he’s worth it. One thing that’s going for him is that he’s not as inconsistent as Gagne was.

Yorvit Torrealba: He has been crushing the ball as of late, batting .389 in his last 7 starts. In that span he also has a .431 OBP. That’s not bad for catchers. Catchers, as I stated in other articles, aren’t known for their offense, but their ability to throw out runners and play defense. Keep in mind, Torrealba isn’t a starter, but splits time with Chris Ianetta, which is a better batter than Torrealba, but his resurgence could cause a battle behind the plate. Torrealba still doesn’t have an outstanding batting average (.257), but he keeps pitchers honest and that’s one of the most important things that to do as a hitter: to make him respect you. On the season, Torrealba has 3 homeruns and 20 RBIs. It’s hard to know when he starts and it’s best to play him as a Utility man, but when he gets hot, you’ll know.

Kosuke Fukodome: He doesn’t hit many homeruns, but he can score runs like crazy. That’s probably why he’s the leadoff man and why he was so coveted by many MLB teams in the offseason. Fukodome is very patient with his walks and that’s probably one of the reasons he has 55 runs on the year. Fukodome has an OBP of .405 well over the average of the league. You would be wise to leave him as a constant in your lineup; it wouldn’t hurt. The chances of him getting you a couple runs is good. Don’t ever let him go. Sure, you may think that his .297 average isn’t very impressive, but on the contrary it is. A leadoff hitter’s duty is to get on base and he’s done that very well as evidenced with his OBP.

Ruts:

Chris B. Young: His only redeeming factor is his defense. Despite that, he doesn’t have a whole lot to stand on. Batting .234 isn’t good, and to top that off he strikes out quite a bit (88). That’s a strikeout for every 4 at-bats. That won’t cut it, I’m afraid, in any fantasy format. Young is batting .116 in his last 6 games. That should give you a clue as to whether you should bench him or not. If you choose to start him, at least start him as a Utility player and use a better outfielder in his spot.

Mike Cameron: Cameron has floundered a bit this week. He is hitting .176 with 2 runs and no RBIs in his last 6 games. No way that’s worthy of playing, even in a limited role. I suggest seeing his development throughout the next few weeks to see if he regains his form. It’s likely the Brewers will keep him at the major league level, but he could start seeing bench time. Cameron has had seasons like this before in San Diego. Perhaps he’ll regroup after the All-Star break. That will be a nice break for him to regroup. Until then, stay clear from him and don’t be ashamed to place him on the bench.

Bronson Arroyo: If anyone has him now I question their knowledge of fantasy baseball. Arroyo got shelled against Toronto giving up 10 runs, and 11 hits, in only 1 inning pitched. He also gave up 3 homeruns. That’s not going to cut it especially with someone that had promise coming into the season. He’s 5-7 on the year with a disastrous 6.19 ERA. What’s worse is his WHIP is 1.67, .4 over the league average. If he doesn’t find the win column anytime soon, he may find himself out of the job.

Andre Ethier: Ethier is in a little slump at the moment, but what player hasn’t. He bat .167 against the Angels and White Sox which didn’t help his stock any. However, he’s still afloat with a batting average of .274. His homerun power isn’t threatening, but he’s known as a contact hitter and can get the balls into the holes. It’s been obvious throughout the season that he has a tough time hitting ace of staffs or the number 2 man. Perhaps it’s the intimidation factor or it’s the fact that he hasn’t been in the league for that long. In any case, I would start him against lesser pitching and bench him when the tougher pitchers come along.

Felipe Lopez: Lopez has tailed off of late, but he’s really known for his speed on the basepads and not his dominance at the plate. He is seeing a little more bench time than at any other time in the season. He is 0 for his last 10. Lopez hasn’t ever been on an offensive tear and that’s evident with his .243 average. He is a career .267 which isn’t bad at all. Washington used him quite a bit last season as the man to steal bases, but this season he has slowed down significantly. His speed’s not what it used to be. This season Lopez only has 4 steals, but he’s also not getting on base enough. Bench him, but keep track of his benching status. Perhaps it’s because of his lack of hitting or the coach is trying something different. Whatever the case may be, we’ll see something, good or bad, out of Felipe Lopez soon.

DL
Chipper Jones: This is a little inaccurate to have him here on the DL. The Braves haven’t officially put him there yet, but his strained quadriceps is still bothering him. It’s very dangerous to play with a strained quad. A quad tear, most of the time, requires surgery, and a lot of rehab. If he somehow aggravated it while playing he could go from day-to-day to 60-day DL easily. Keep your eye on his status. For now, count on him being day-to-day and hope he doesn’t get any worse. The Braves need healthy bodies right now to compete in the East.

Lastings Milledge: This isn’t as big of a name as Chipper Jones, but Milledge is just as valuable to the Nationals as Chipper is with the Braves. Milledge’s injury isn’t quite as bad as Jones’, but Milledge’s could heal relatively quickly. So what does Milledge bring to value in fantasy? Good question. He gives you stolen bases. 13 to be exact. Sure, 13 doesn’t impress much, but the Nationals need any advantage they can get to win games in their lowly state.

Players coming off the DL:

Eric Gagne: This may be exciting to some, but as far as fantasy implications are concerned, I believe you should drop him. Salomon Torres is doing a fine enough job at the closer position and Gagne has been nothing but inconsistent this season. Rest assured there will be a battle to get the closer position back, but find that job winning out to Torres. The bullpen could still use Gagne, but his role is clearly not the closer anymore.

Troy Tulowitzki: He was missed badly in the last week and a half. His play at shortstop is still good, but his batting is far below average. He has two hits this week. I didn’t put him in my Ruts section because he’s still fresh off an injury. I would do him injustice if I were to do that. If he keeps performing this way in a week or so then I have no choice but to change his position. He’s still a keeper and could go off on any day. Watch out.