Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.It sure didn't take long for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen to get used to the big leagues. Matt Wieters, on the other hand, needed 48 at-bats to respond to the hype.
Both top prospects hit their first home runs at the major-league level on Wednesday -- matching two-run jacks to left field -- but there's an acute difference in perceived fantasy value between them.
It's time to correct that, people.
Despite Wieters' slow start, over 70 percent of owners stuck with him. Part of that is driven by the hype machine, and part is because of his power potential at a thin position. But McCutchen deserves his props, too, and I can't understand why he's being ignored in most leagues. Well, OK, he does play for the Pirates ... but he's handled the leadoff role with aplomb. All he's done is hit .339 in his first 59 at-bats with solid RBI and run totals, and two steals -- the most alluring stat he can offer.
I'm not saying he deserves to be starting in shallow leagues. That will come later in the kid's career. But I do think he's being underrated as a rookie and will further prove his worth on the base paths as we head into the second half.
Oh, and while we're on the topic of overlooked Pirates, Adam LaRoche is batting .360 in June with nine RBI. A corner infielder with nine homers, 31 RBI and 37 runs should not be on the waiver wire in 70 percent of leagues, especially with dudes like Chris Davis still floundering.
The Afflicted: Man, has there been a major injury spate this week or what? A day after it was announced Roy Halladay would be going on the disabled list with a mild groin strain, Raul Ibanez hit the DL with the same ailment. Erik Bedard also landed on the DL with shoulder inflammation. So, quickly, here's what you do if you own any of these wounded stars:
The Halladay injury doesn't sound too serious, but if he comes back and his mechanics are affected by the groin strain, we've got trouble. He plans on being ready to return to the mound June 28. All you can do is stick with him and hope this turns out to be just a minor issue as it appears on the surface.
Right on cue, Ibanez got hurt soon after we advocated trading the sky-high outfielder as soon as possible. If you kept him, play the waiting game because no one is going to give you fair value in return. This injury comes at the worst possible time -- on the middle of a tear -- though Ibanez has slowed down recently, hitting just .194 in his past seven games. When he comes back, I have a feeling we're not going to see the same red-hot hitter, just the very solid outfielder we've seen in the past.
Bedard's situation is probably the most nerve-wracking of the three. He's been battling shoulder pain recently, and this "inflammation" could point to something more serious. Also, it's a swift kick to the ribs whenever you see this in a player's status update: "The Mariners want him to visit Dr. Lewis Yocum." More often than not, that man's name is not associated with encouraging feedback. I'd seek out a backup plan soon if he was one of your staff anchors.
Bits from the Box Scores:
• Five homers for Alexei Ramirez since May 22. I think more power is on the way, and he'll double his current stolen base total (10) by the end of the season.
• White Sox lefty John Danks has 16 strikeouts over his last two games. Ignore the overall ugly 4.48 ERA. Despite the hiccups, this is the same talented young pitcher we fawned over last season.
• When I chatted with Sid Rosenberg at OPEN Sports, I mentioned Gary Sheffield as my sleeper of the week. Sheffield delivered quickly with a homer at Camden Yards, but another guy I really like is Juan Rivera of the Angels. Rivera drove in another two runs against the Giants to continue his RBI tear in June -- sixteen total for the month to go along with four homers. Turn the clock back to 2006 and you'll recall Rivera hit 23 out of the park with 85 RBI and a .310 average. This is the same outfielder, healthy once again. And he's available in over 70 percent of Yahoo! mixed leagues.
• I'm not getting too excited about Toronto's Scott Richmond after his 11-strikeout domination of the Phillies. He's certainly valuable at the back of your rotation, but there will be more blow-ups mixed in, and he'll likely finish with an ERA over 4.00.
• Yet more home runs for Johnny Damon (14) and Robinson Cano (12). If both Yankee stars stay healthy, they'll surpass their career-highs.
• Between May and June, big Jack Cust has an impressive 10 homers and 28 RBI. The average will make you queasy, but there are very few cheaper power options.
• Note From Knox: To borrow a term from Brinson, Curtis Granderson hit two taterjacks Wednesday, bringing him up to 16 on the season with 11 stolen bases. He's on pace to blast 40 and steal 27. If his batting average were higher we'd be talking about him being a first-round talent.
Friday's Ace in the Hole: Not a ton of great possibilities, so let's go with the weak opposition. Scott Feldman (5-1, 3.70 ERA) faces San Fran at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. Another good option is Joe Saunders (7-4, 3.66 ERA), who's been significantly better at home than on the road -- 2.74 ERA vs. 4.57. He gets the Dodgers.
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