I am going to start a new feature with the Roto Roundup starting today. The new feature will be the Fake Teams Fantasy Player of the Day Let's read on.
Fake Teams Fantasy Player of the Day
Jered Weaver- Weaver absolutely dominated the Blue Jays on Sunday, as he struck out 15 batters in 7 2/3rds innings, giving up 8 baserunners and just one run. I ranked Weaver as my 10th best starting pitcher for 2011, and maybe that was too low. The Angels have two legitimate aces on their staff.
National's third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is still dealing with an abdominal strain and sat out Sunday's game, with the hope to return on Tuesday. Zimmerman dealt with the same injury during spring training. I am not sure how long these injuries last, but swinging a bat and playing third base everyday where quick reactions are a must.
Ubaldo Jimenez will return to the Rockies rotation on either April 18th or 19th as he will pitch an extended spring training game on Wednesday. Jimenez owners should get him in their lineups next week should he pitch on Wednesday. The Rockies will be at home vs the Giants starting on the 18th.
Marlins shortsop Hanley Ramirez is hoping to return to the Marlins lineup on Tuesday as well. I would put him in my active lineup if I was in a weekly league.
More Roto Roundup after the jump:
I didn't get to this in Saturday's Roto Roundup, but Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp stole 2 bases in Saturday night's game vs the Padres, leaving him with 5 SBs in 8 games. He sent 2-4 with another SB on Sunday and is now hitting .438-.514-.656 this season. Davey Lopes is having a big impact with Kemp on the basepaths this year.
Nationals first baseman Adam Laroche sat out Saturday night's game with pain in his shoulder. He has a slight tear in the labrum of his left shoulder and experiences the pain when throwing. Since he can't DH, he may be sitting out a few games here and there till he decides to do something about the tear. He went 1-3 with 2 walks and a SB on Sunday.
Brewers outfielder Corey Hart is close to going out on a rehab assignment as he is no longer feeling pain in his strained oblique. Fantasy owners are waiting for him to return from the DL, but I wouldn't expect him to duplicate his excellent 2010 season.
Royals third baseman Wilson Betemit went 4-4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. The former top prospect is hitting .381-.500-.571 so far this season. He is keeping third base warm for top prospect Mike Moustakas. Betemit will be trade bait to a team looking for a lefty bat come the trade deadline.
Mets starter Chris Young pitched 7 solid innings on Sunday, giving up just one run on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts. He is certainly taking advantage of pitching in CitiField, but be wary when he pitches on the road as he is a flyball pitcher, and gives up alot of SBs as he is very slow to the plate.
Rangers starter Derek Holland threw 6 shutout innings on Sunday, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and K'ing 6 to win his second game of the season. The Rangers will need more outings like this to win the AL West.
It's early, but Orioles catcher Matt Wieters isn't quieting his naysayers as he has started the season hitting just .192-.276-.231 after going 0-3 on Sunday. Do we call him a bust if he doesn't break out this year?
Phillies starter Cole Hamels dominated the Braves, shutting them out for 7 innings while giving up just 5 baserunners and K'ing 8. Hamels rebounded from an awful start last week to outduel Braves starter Derek Lowe who has started the season pitching great. Lowe went 7 innings on Sunday, giving up just 2 runs on 7 hits and no walks.
Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata went 1-3 with a run scored and his 5th SB of the season. He has started the season of great and appears to be on pace for a 40 SB season.
Rockies second baseman Jonathan Herrera has started the last 3 games at second base for the Rockies, and is hitting .455-.667-.545 after going 1-2 with 2 runs scored and a SB. What is more impressive is that he has a 0-7 K/BB rate in the last 3 games after walking 3 times in each of the last two games. Herrera is taking ABs from Jose Lopez at second base.
Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin's linescore from Sunday's start was a great poker hand. He gave up 7 hits, in 6 innings, gave up 5 runs, 4 earned runs, 3 strikeouts and 2 walks. Too bad he didn't give up a HR, he would have had a 7 card straight.
Astros shortstop Angel Sanchez went 3-5 with a run scored on Sunday. He probably wasn't drafted in many mixed leagues, but I drafted him in a 12 team NL-only league and am wondering when the hits stop dropping in. He is hitting .364-.421-.394 so far, and I can see his BA dropping about 100 points from here before Clint Barmes returns from the DL.
White Sox started Gavin Floyd pitched a gem on Sunday, holding the struggling Rays to one unearned run in 8 innings, giving up just 5 baserunners and K'ing 8. The Rays fell to 1-8 and I guess that $20 bet I made with my brother saying the Yankees will finish in 3rd place in the AL East this year is out the window already.
Wow. The Angels have called up Tyler Chatwood to start Monday's game vs the Indians. He has made just two AAA starts but the Angels are still bringing him up. Does this mean we will see Mike Trout this year?
Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder stayed hot going 3-4 with 2 RBIs on Sunday. Of course, it's because I didn't draft him this year. He already has 11 RBIs this season, and appears to be in his "on" year this year.
I know it's early, but Albert Pujols is hitting .143-.225-.229. He will break out of this slump soon. Are there any Pujols owners out there ready to deal him?
Cardinals third baseman David Freese went 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs on Sunday. He homered off of Guillermo Mota. Does he stay healthy this year? If not, it appears Allen Craig may take over at third base for the Cardinals.
Who has the worst lineup? The Mariners or the Athletics? By the way, what about Ichiro Suzuki's .250-.325-.278 do fantasy owners like. I think I ranked him much lower than others this pre-season.
Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew went 4-4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored on Sunday, and he is making the most of his return to the lineup as he is hitting .500-.600-.667. Drew batted cleanup on Sunday, and I wonder if Kirk Gibson will keep him there after his performance. Should he bat cleanup, his RBIs will certainly increase.
Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was hit on the pinky finger of his left hand last night, and reports during the game say it looked swollen. Fantasy owners should watch for more news on this injury should it be more significant.