Roto Roundup: Jose Abreu, Bryce Harper, Gregory Polanco and others

Fantasy Football Rankings

In case you missed it, we will be covering fantasy football this season. Actually, we have already started our offseason coverage with rankings and fantasy team previews. Below you will find our early offseason position rankings:

2014 Position Rankings

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Defense/Special Teams

Round'em Up

Mark Zuckerman from Comcast Sportsnet tweeted on Thursday that Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper could be coming off the disabled list soon:

Harper playing 7 inn tonight in RF for Harrisburg, will play 9 in CF tomorrow. Off Saturday, LF on Sunday. Best case: Activated Monday.

— Mark Zuckerman (@ZuckermanCSN) June 26, 2014

Harper has been out since April with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb. It is interesting that the team is having him play in all three outfield spots, especially since Ryan Zimmerman is currently manning left field. I think their best lineup is with Zimmerman at third base, Anthony Rendon at second, and Harper in left field, but I imagine Harper could play some center field with Zimmerman in left, and Denard Span on the bench. There will be other days where Zimmerman plays first base, Rendon plays third base and Harper in left field. Having the position eligibility to play more than one position helps fantasy owners when they have to search the waiver wire/player pool to replace an injured hitter.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has crazy power, and his power has been on display over the last week or so. Abreu went 2-3 with a walk and two home runs last night in the White Sox 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. Abreu raised his average to .280-.330-.633 with 25 home runs, 43 runs scored and 63 RBI in 264 at bats, or a little more than a home run every 10 at bats. That's some impressive power. He has now homered six times in his last ten games, and ranks in the top four in the American League in home runs, RBI, slugging and OPS.

This is probably an idea for a longer piece, but who would you rather have in a keeper/dynasty league right now: Joey Votto or Anthony Rizzo? If you asked most owners at the beginning of the season, most would answer Votto. But, if you asked today, I am sure the answer would be different. Rizzo is getting compared to Votto due to his ability to hit for power and get on base. After going 1-5 in the Cubs 7-2 win on Friday night, Rizzo is now hitting .289-.400-.525 with 17 home runs, 53 runs scored and 44 RBI this season, and is on pace for 35 home runs, 110 runs scored and 91 RBI.

Meanwhile, Votto has disappointed at the plate this season, and is dealing with a knee injury that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season. Votto is hitting .260-.402-.423 with 6 home runs, 29 runs scored and 22 RBI in 246 plate appearances this season. His .423 slugging percentage is the lowest of his career thus far. It is notable that Votto sat on Friday night vs Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner.

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman had a big game at the plate on Friday night, going 3-5 with a home run, double and 4 RBI in the Braves 4-2 win in Philadelphia. Freeman raised his slash line to .291-.377-.507 with 13 home runs, 51 runs scored and 41 RBI, and is on pace for 27 home runs, 110 runs scored and 91 RBI. The 27 home runs would be a career high. His RBI total would be higher if the Braves had a better lead off and two hole hitter. Last night, manager Fredi Gonzalez put B.J. Upton and his .270 OBP at lead off and Andrelton Simmons and his .292 OBP in the two spot.

With the way Gregory Polanco is hitting, do you think the Pirates front office is second-guessing waiting to call up outfielder Gregory Piolanco? I doubt it, but they should. Even after going 0-4 with a walk last night, Polanco is hitting .319-.402-.417 with two home runs, 14 runs scored, 10 RBI, and 4 stolen bases in 4 attempts thus far. More impressive is his 10-10 strikeout to walk rate in 72 at bats. Since his call up, the Pirates are 11-6. Small sample size, sure, but he appears to be making a difference at the top of the Pirates lineup.

Could Mike Trout lead the American League in home runs later in his career? I think he might. Trout hit the longest home run in Kaufmann Park history last night, hitting a home run that traveled 489 feet. Wow. There is really nothing this guy can't do on the baseball field. Trout went 2-4 with the long home run, raising his slash line to .313-.403-.616 with 18 home runs, 53 runs scored, 59 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 10 attempts. He is on pace for 37 home runs, 110 runs scored, 123 RBI and 21 stolen bases this season, and currently ranks in the top 7 in the AL in the standard hitting categories. There won't be a debate over who is the #1 pick in drafts next season.