Jesus Hamilton Christ, has anyone ever been that hot? After contributing a .467 AVG with 9 HR and 18 RBI this last week, if you Hamilton owners somehow managed to lose your matchup I feel bad for you son, you got 99 problems and a bitch ass offense is one of them. Anyone who owns Hamilton, Beltran, and McCutchen and lost should probably just give up on anything that possesses any element of chance. You’re cursed. For fantasy owners who aren’t blessed and don’t have a player (or 3) who turns into God doing a Babe Ruth impression for an entire week, and/or you’ve got a spot in your lineup you need to fill due to injury or a slump, at this point in the season you’ll need to employ the services of a player with some warts or who has otherwise underperformed.
Enter Ryan Roberts, week 7′s Creeper. Owned in 36% of ESPN leagues and 29% of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday evening, he’ll get 7 games on the road in the coming week, with 4 (more likely 3) scheduled to come against LHP. The four lefties scheduled to face Roberts and the Dbacks are Clayton Kershaw, Jamie Moyer, Danny Duffy, and Bruce Chen. To paraphrase Al Michaels, Danny Duffy left Sunday’s game with an elbow, the second time in less than a month that he’s dealt with tightness; I can’t imagine he’ll take his turn in the rotation. Chen is a favorable matchup for Roberts, a pitch-to-contact lobber allowing plenty of flyballs (47%) and line drives (20%) to right-handed bats. Moyer scouts very similarly (42% FB, 20% LD), and features a fastball that is slower than the speed limit in some areas of Texas and Utah. Pitching in Coors, he’s the most likely target for a Roberts HR this week.
Despite a minor league track record of strong BABIPs, Roberts has suffered a below average mark of .277 in the big leagues, thanks in part to a high flyball tendency. He also falls victim to the infield pop-up from time to time, and if you pop-up with any regularity your average will suffer. He does hit his fair share of line drives, though – 20.4% career – and with a K% a notch better than league average (17.8% career, 15.9% this season), a blessing from the luck fairies would leave him with a .280 AVG or so. In OBP leagues, his 11% career walk rate makes him a more reliable option. As is pretty standard for RHH, Roberts fares well against opposite-handed pitching, sporting a .265 AVG with 14 HR in 325 career AB.
With 3, perhaps 4 LHP on the ledger and Coors on tap, this week is as good as any for Roberts to have a couple of hits fall in and a flyball or two find the bleachers to correct his early season misfortune (.213 BABIP, 5.6% HR/FB). Hitting 6th and 7th in recent games may limit his runs potential a bit, but just might be a green light to steal a base or two in order to create some offense at the bottom of the order. Rickie Weeks owners wary of his wrist ailment or those with a rotating MI spot should look to Roberts to supply a solid return on their investment.
can u start posting the creeper of the week on sundays instead of mondays for those of us in weekly-lineup leagues?
@Random Collmenter, It’s going to be a Monday column for the time being. Sorry dogg
That’s a shame. It seems kind of odd to have a regular article targeted at people in weekly leagues, that is posted after Yahoo! weekly leagues lock.
Okay, just added. Let’s see how he shakes out!
@shibboleth, Hopefully it goes well!
Here’s someone I drafted with the tempered hopes that he’d be able to cut it in my MI spot, but had to quickly be dropped due to that Cody Ransom mess (Is he still in the picture taking away ABs?). Now he’s found his way back on my team, hopefully just in time though!
@AbNormal, The word on the street is that Gibson wants to get Roberts going, and he’s started four straight games, so there’s that.
Hey! Ryan Roberts has been scooped in my league. Would you recommend Bernadina or Yonder Alonso to replace Kemp/Jennings, who both REFUSE to go on the DL this week? Both are H-O-T schmotatoes.
AVG, OPS, R, HR, SB, RBI, Offensive K’s are categories, 10 team keeper league. Would be dropping Pedro Alvarez now that Zimmerman is back.
I’d go Bernadina over Alonso, Washington gets RHP until Sunday and the Padres will be in Petco most of the week.
@Feeding the Abscess, Thanks for the tips. I’ll go with him for the power speed possibilities.
@Joan Chen, Thanks for reading and commenting!
I’m a sucker for power/speed guys as well.
wow, in totally unrelated news, i just dropped lance lynn for zambrano.
is there word for a waiver wire hangover? cause i have one
@skinny, Ha. For your sake, let’s hope Zambrano’s success with the splitter continues.
Relief help 5×5 roto:
available:
Santiago
Rauch
drop?
Cashner
Janssen
also, any hope for Marmol?
@EK, Hold Janssen, drop Cashner for Rauch if you really need saves.
@Feeding the Abscess, And for Marmol, hitters stopped swinging at his pitches outside the strike zone, and started making contact on pitches in the strike zone. I’d avoid unless you’re desperate and want to take on a ton of risk.
Sign Roberts and start him over Alvarez?
Also, Stubbs vs Austin Jackson? Which side wins that trade?
@Wallpaper Patterson, I would. Pedro is up against two LHP and plays five of his games in the Crayon Canyon and Comerica.
I like Jackson. Their plate discipline is headed in opposite directions and Stubbs has become an extreme GB hitter, negating any power advantage he had.
Finally got another owner to agree on the outline of a deal for Halladay…I need depth, he wants the ace…before I click accept thoug, I wanted to run it by you folks:
I get: Shields and Latos
He get: Halladay and Casey Janssen
Fair trade?
I really don’t need the closer, I have 3 others and am more active on the waiver wire.
@Hunter, Not a big Shields fan, but bigger Latos fan than most, so yes.
@Hunter, It’s fair. You’re losing the best player in the deal and you could possibly get someone a bit better than Latos, but you’re gaining the clear 2 and 3.
@Feeding the Abscess, It’s fair, but I always like to be on the one side of a two for one, especially involving first round talent.
@Joan Chen, I agree, but I see the rationale for the deal. He needs depth, and Halladay turned 35 today and has experienced a significant drop in his velocity.
@Feeding the Abscess, The reason I considered th trade was because I didn’t realize till now, but our league has an insane 2000IP cap. So I’m figured in this league, it might work out a bit better especially as regarded the counting stats.
Does that change the dynamics of the trade at all?
@Hunter, Not completely, but it does help your case.
Rest of the way….
Cuddyer vs. Hosmer
@Jay, Cuddyer
@WhineSpritzer, What do you think about this trade offer? Hosmer/Lynn for Dan Murphy/Hamels. (I’m last in BA and first in HR so trying to help a weakness)
@Jay, Hosmer has higher upside but is struggling against the infield shift. Cuddyer plays half his games in Coors and can play OF and even 2B in some leagues, too. Cuddyer
Thoughts on this trade in a league counting XBH OBP QS?
Tulowitzski, Duda, Verlander, Bell for Andrus, Ethier, Haren, Jansen
@Tom Thumb, Tulo’s the winner but it’s not veto-worthy or anything.
Duffy is out for the year with a torn UCL. And the Royals bad luck continues.
@I like baseball, Yeah, tough break.
Anyone starting Stauffer in Washington?
Deeper league FYI
@artie, He probably won’t go long since it’s his first start, but you might as well in a deep league.
@artie, I am, and I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best since it’s his first start off the DL. I’m also hoping he doesn’t throw a no hitter or anything though since I dropped him as soon as rosters locked for Capuano.
There is no top end SP more frustrating to own than Yovani Gallardo.
@Eddie, I agree. I think there might something up with mechanics or he may be hurt. He’s got the worst first pitch strike% of all guys in MLB qualified for the ERA title, and his velocity is down.
If I didn’t pick up Ryan Roberts, is trading Dan Haren to get Aramis Ramirez a good idea?
@Junior Ortiz, Selling slightly low on Haren, but if you need a 3B more than you do pitching, it’s not a bad deal.
Thanks. Is it more worthwhile than swapping Gio Gonzalez for Mike Moustakas?
@Junior Ortiz, Haren for Aramis is better than giving up Gio for Moose Tacos
Do you think Jenry Mejia goes into the starting rotation when the Mets activate him from the DL in a week or so?
@wakeNbake, It’s possible, but he doesn’t have a strikeout pitch and he has control problems.
I am in a cutthroat 13 team AL-only league. Was just offered my Hector Santiago for his Grant Balfour; who ends up with more saves?
p.s. I am in 2nd place and have not even accumulated one single freakin’ save! Oh curses.
@KCJordan, Santiago is the better pitcher, but Balfour has a more sane manager.
Samardzia or Worley ROS?
standard league
Thanks!
@Ryan, Shark, but he may have an innings cap of 180 or so.
Moose Tacos! Thanks.
who is pitching the 8th inning for yanks
@Mr Baseball, Logan and Wade will work the 8th based on matchups, it seems.