Sequencing is something we talk about with starting pitchers. They're unlucky if they give up five hits but they were all strung together for three runs. But sequencing matters over the big picture of a full season for hitters as well.
Devon Travis started off this season ice cold for the Blue Jays, hitting just .130 with an OPS below .400 in the month of April. A .150 BABIP contributed to that really bad month. So bad that he's still just 44 percent owned despite 1.013 OPS in the month of May.
Now think about it the other way. What if Travis had started this hot and been the No. 1 2B in Fantasy after the first month. Would we been that worried about his recent cold stretch? He certainly wouldn't be less than 50 percent owned.
Travis still just has a .286 BABIP (.341 career) so there's likely even more regression coming. His walk rate and K rate are right at his career marks and he's been a bit unlucky in terms of HR/FB rate (5.3 percent). Travis should be owned in all Roto leagues that have a middle infield spot and is making a case as a must-own player in points leagues as well.
Here are five other Roto options:
| 19% | 
Yan Gomes
Cleveland C
|
| If you have a pulse and can play the position, it's not a very high bar to Fantasy relevance at the catcher position. It's been a while since we've been very interested in Yan Gomes for Fantasy purposes, but he was definitely a Fantasy relevant player when he first arrived in the majors, hitting .284 with 32 homers in his first two seasons, 2013 and 2014. However, he struggled in his next two seasons, and was nearly off all Fantasy radars at the start of this season -- and a .176/.276/.275 line in April certainly didn't help matters. However, he struck out just two times in the final 10 games of the month, a sign that he was starting to figure things out, and he has been red hot ever since. Gomes drove in five runs Sunday in a win over the Astros, and is now hitting .385/.467/.692, with two homers in the month. The bar at catcher is awfully low, but he's definitely cleared it by now, and yet at just 19 percent owned, it seems Fantasy players haven't really realized it. Don't be the last to figure it out. | |
| 13% | 
Matt Adams
Atlanta 1B
|
| There really isn't any question whether Matt Adams can be a Fantasy relevant player. He isn't a superstar, by any means, but if he got a full-time role, it's easy to see him becoming someone you want to start most weeks. A full-time role has, of course, been tough to come by for him in recent years, but Adams should have one secured for the next two months, after the Braves traded for him to fill in for the injured Freddie Freeman. I'm not sure if Adams is a better Fantasy option than Josh Bell, Justin Bour, Tommy Joseph or any of the readily available first-base options, however he does have OF eligibility, which could be enough of a tiebreaker to make him the one worth targeting. | |
| 34% | 
Gleyber Torres
N.Y. Yankees SS
|
| We've focused on Amed Rosario in this space, as the kind of speculative minor league add you might want to make even before he gets the call. Well, he isn't the only infielder potentially on the verge of a call-up for a New York team -- in fact, he probably isn't even the best. The Yankees are expected to move uber-prospect Gleyber Torres to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, a sign that he could be on the verge of getting the call. There isn't any obvious place for him to play with Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro hitting well in the middle infield, but with the Yankees unexpectedly contending, Torres could be the kind of bat who forces the issue. Just 20, he is hitting .273/.367/.496 at Double-A, with a 12.2 percent walk rate and 15.1 percent strikeout rate. Torres' path isn't as clear as Rosario's seems to be, but he might be even more worth the wait. | |
| 36% | 
Tim Anderson
Chi. White Sox SS
|
| A lot like Travis, Anderson's season would be viewed a lot differently if it had happened in reverse. He hit just .204/.237/.301 in April, but has been much improved since, hitting .364/.375/.582. He has cut his strikeout rate from 24.7 percent in April to 19.3 percent in May, a much more manageable rate for someone who isn't going to hit for the kind of power you need to make up for an elevated strikeout rate. Anderson isn't far removed from being a highly touted prospect, and he seems to be figuring things out. The shortstop position is shallow enough that you probably have room for him. | |
| 38% | 
Koda Glover
Washington RP
|
| The Nationals only really have one hole right now, but it's been a glaring one because they haven't been able to rely on anyone in the late innings. Shawn Kelley, Koda Glover and Blake Trienen have all tried and failed in the ninth inning, and a trade seems inevitable. However, until they can pull one off, someone is going to have to step up, and it was Glover who did the duty Sunday. He entered into the game with a runner on second and two out in the eighth inning and got out of the jam, before working a scoreless ninth to hold on to the lead. Glover has had some high-profile struggles, but he looks like the best option of the trio right now, sporting a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 innings of work. He may not get the next save opportunity -- or the saves in July or August, for that matter -- but Glover looks like the guy to own in Washington these days. | |
