Roto Recap is our bi-weekly look at the hottest
Rotisserie players in the game. We'll highlight the top-five players in
each category in standard 5x5 Roto formats. This week's edition is based
exclusively on performances for the period of May 2-15.
What have you done for me, lately?
The duties for a Fantasy Baseball owner can be a full-time job. It's
essential to keep tabs on each and every one of your players, as well as
occasionally monitoring the entire free-agent pool. When a player earns
a regular position and puts together a nice stretch of games, you must
act fast. The early bird gets the worm.
The purpose of the Roto Recap will be to highlight the
league's hotter players over the course of the past 14 days. We'll
showcase the major league leaders in each major 5x5 Rotisserie category,
as well as discuss some possible waiver-wire diamonds in the rough.
For example, did you know that Tino Martinez ripped 10 long balls
over the past two weeks? -- that matched his total over his previous
69 games. Scott Podsednik has stolen an amazing 13 bases in
that stretch while Kenny Rogers has not allowed a runner to score
in each of his past four starts.
Unless, you are living under a rock, chances are you were already aware
of Tino the Bambino's recent hot stretch. But did you know that Hee
Seop Choi is hitting .389 (14-for-36) with three home runs and 11
RBI since May 2nd? Or, were you aware that Bobby Kielty is
hitting .359 (14-for-39) with seven RBI in that stretch? Probably not…
Here are the Rotisserie leaders in each category from May 2-15:
|
Batting Avg. Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
Avg
|
|
1.
|
Bobby Abreu
|
.468 (22-for-47)
|
|
2.
|
Mike Cameron
|
.452 (14-for-31)
|
|
3.
|
Abraham Nunez
|
.448 (13-for-29)
|
|
4.
|
Todd Helton
|
.438 (21-for-48)
|
|
5.
|
Morgan Ensberg
|
.435 (20-for-46)
|
|
min. 3.1 plate appearances/gm
|
-
Filling in for the injured Scott Rolen (left shoulder), John
Mabry has 10 hits in his past five starts. He hit .429 (12-for-28)
the past two weeks and with Rolen out until possibly July, Mabry is a
solid addition in all leagues. Abraham Nunez has also done a
fantastic job -- he's got an eight-game hitting streak with three long
balls.
-
With Endy Chavez dealt to Philadelphia and Terrmel Sledge
placed on the disabled list, Ryan Church is making the most of
his opportunity. He hit .419 (13-for-31) with 11 RBI over the past two
weeks, and should continue getting playing time in the Nationals
outfield. Jose Guillen is expected to sit for a couple days
this week as well.
-
With Sammy Sosa and Luis Matos now on the disabled list,
the Orioles have gotten a boost from veteran B.J. Surhoff --
he's hitting .354 (11-for-31) with six RBI and four runs scored. If
he's available within your AL-only league, scoop him up.
|
Home Run Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
HR
|
|
1.
|
Tino Martinez
|
10
|
|
2.
|
Bobby Abreu
|
8
|
|
3.
|
Andruw Jones
|
6
|
|
4.
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
6
|
|
5.
|
Ryan Klesko
|
6
|
-
Martinez finished the month of April batting .238 with just two home
runs and seven RBI. In the past two weeks he's smacked a league-high
10 home runs -- including eight in his past eight games -- to help
push the Yankees to an eight-game win streak and a .500 record on the
year. He's tied with teammate Alex Rodriguez for the major
league lead with a dozen homers.
-
Through half of May, Bobby Abreu has compiled a .468 batting
average, nine home runs and a league-best 23 RBI. He's dialed long
distance in six of his past seven contests.
-
After hitting just one long ball in the month of April, rookie
Jhonny Peralta has connected for four home runs, including three
in his past five games. He's on a current eight-game hitting streak
and has raised his batting average 55 points since the first of May.
|
RBI Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
RBI
|
|
1.
|
Tino Martinez
|
22
|
|
2.
|
Bobby Abreu
|
18
|
|
3.
|
Adam LaRoche
|
17
|
|
4.
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
15
|
|
5.
|
Craig Biggio
|
14
|
-
Adam LaRoche has racked up three-plus RBI in four of his past
eight starts. A leg injury limited the 25-year old to just eight
starts in the past two weeks.
-
Justin Morneau batted .359 (14-for-39), but still lowered his
average on the season. Despite missing over two weeks, he still leads
the Twins with 23 RBI.
-
Braves rookie Ryan Langerhans muscled out four home runs and 10
RBI in a four-game stretch earlier this month. He's currently
connecting for a home run once every 11 at-bats.
|
Runs Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
Runs
|
|
1.
|
Tino Martinez
|
16
|
|
T-2.
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
13
|
|
T-2.
|
Andruw Jones
|
13
|
|
T-2.
|
Milton Bradley
|
13
|
|
T-2.
|
Mike Cameron
|
13
|
|
T-2.
|
Marcus Giles
|
13
|
-
Tino has scored a run in each of his last eight games. He's now on
pace for 106 on the year.
-
After scoring just six runs in his first 22 games, Emil Brown
scored nine times in his past eight games. He's hitting .310
(9-for-29) in his past nine games as well.
-
Tony Womack, who has a modest six-game hitting streak, has
stolen four bases in two of his past four contests. He had just two in
his first 31 games.
|
Stolen Base Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
SB
|
|
1.
|
Scott Podsednik
|
13
|
|
2.
|
Tony Womack
|
8
|
|
3.
|
Willy Taveras
|
6
|
|
4.
|
Dave Roberts
|
5
|
|
5.
|
Ichiro Suzuki
|
5
|
-
Podsednik has 13 stolen bases in his past 11 games. In the past 14
days, only a handful of players have stolen at least five bases. Along
with Womack, Podsednik stole four in one game … twice.
-
Willy Taveras leads all National Leaguers in stolen bases over
the past two weeks. He's stolen six, including four in the past four
games.
|
ERA Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
ERA
|
|
1.
|
Kenny Rogers
|
0.00
|
|
2.
|
Josh Towers
|
0.56
|
|
3.
|
Dontrelle Willis
|
0.60
|
|
4.
|
Matt Clement
|
0.64
|
|
5.
|
Chris Young
|
0.96
|
|
min. 12 innings
|
-
Kenny Rogers lowered his ERA to a microscopic 1.49 -- he hasn't
allowed a run during his current four-game winning streak, including
24 shutout innings in the past two weeks.
-
Josh Towers is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA in his past three starts.
He'll get two starts in Week 7 -- against the Twins and Nationals.
|
WHIP Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
WHIP
|
|
1.
|
Mark Prior
|
0.738
|
|
T-2.
|
Bronson Arroyo
|
0.750
|
|
T-2.
|
Josh Towers
|
0.750
|
|
4.
|
Jason Marquis
|
0.809
|
|
5.
|
Pedro Martinez
|
0.850
|
|
min. 12 innings
|
-
Julio Mateo tossed 10 2/3 innings of scoreless relief over the
past two weeks to lower his ERA to a sizzling 0.41 on the year. He
posted a 0.562 WHIP in that stretch as well. He'll get a spot start
against the Yankees on Tuesday.
-
Bronson Arroyo has registered a 0.750 WHIP in his past two
starts, allowing just three hits in each start. He'll start Monday
against Oakland and then start serving his six-game suspension.
-
Brad Radke has walked a mere two batters through 63 innings
this season -- both have scored.
|
Wins Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
Wins
|
|
T-1.
|
Derrick Turnbow
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Mike Mussina
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Kenny Rogers
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Mark Buehrle
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Livan Hernandez
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Dave Williams
|
3
|
|
T-1.
|
Adam Eaton
|
3
|
-
From the day he was appointed the team's closer, Derrick Turnbow
registered four wins and four saves in a 15-day stretch. His four
victories are tied for the league-lead among relievers.
-
Pittsburgh’s Dave Williams has won each of his past three
starts while posting a 2.45 ERA. He won just four games in his
previous two seasons.
-
In 18 1/3 innings this season, Dustin Hermanson has not allowed
a run. He notched saves in six of his past seven appearances and
should get the majority of the save opportunities in the Chicago's
crowded pen.
|
Saves Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
Saves
|
|
1.
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
7
|
|
2.
|
Bob Wickman
|
6
|
|
T-3.
|
Keith Foulke
|
5
|
|
T-3.
|
Jose Mesa
|
5
|
|
T-3.
|
Dustin Hermanson
|
5
|
|
T-3.
|
B.J. Ryan
|
5
|
|
T-3.
|
Braden Looper
|
5
|
-
In the past two weeks, B.J. Ryan has not allowed a run in nine
innings of work while notching five saves. Primary used as a setup
man, Ryan had just six saves in his five previous seasons.
-
With Ambiorix Burgos struggling with the role, Mike Wood
came out the Royals bullpen to record the final out in each of this
weekend's games against the Devil Rays. He'll likely keep the role
until Jeremy Affeldt returns. He's scheduled to start a
Triple-A rehab assignment next Monday.
|
Strikeout Leaders
|
|
|
Player
|
K's
|
|
1.
|
Brett Myers
|
28
|
|
2.
|
Roger Clemens
|
24
|
|
3.
|
Daniel Cabrera
|
23
|
|
4.
|
Jeff Weaver
|
22
|
|
T-5.
|
Pedro Martinez
|
21
|
|
T-5.
|
Jeremy Bonderman
|
21
|
|
T-5.
|
Erik Bedard
|
21
|
|
T-5.
|
Chris Carpenter
|
21
|
|
T-5.
|
A.J. Burnett
|
21
|
-
Brad Lidge leads all relievers in strikeouts over the past two
weeks, fanning an impressive 13 batters in just 6 2/3 innings. He's
striking out 16 batters per nine innings on the season.
-
Brett Myers has struck out 28 batters in his past three starts,
including two double-digit performances. He's struck out at least
seven hitters in seven of his eight games this year -- after
accomplishing that feat just six times in his first 75 career starts.
Other notable free agent options
-
Erik Bedard is 4-0 with a 0.97 ERA in his past five starts.
He's struck out 34 batters in 37 innings over that span.
-
Chris Capuano is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA in his past four starts.
-
Aaron Harang has thrown quality starts in six of his past seven
games and has a respectable 3.61 ERA on the season.
-
With a three-home run game on Sunday, Morgan Ensberg is one of
the most popular pickups now on the waiver wire. He's hitting .522
(12-for-23) in a current seven-game hitting streak.
-
With D'Angelo Jimenez struggling, Felipe Lopez has made
the most of his opportunity. He's hitting .340 (17-for-50) with 11 RBI
and 10 runs scored, including five multi-hit games.
Notable Minor League Performances
-
Pirates prospect Ian Snell improved to 6-0 with a no-hitter
while pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis. The only base runner he
allowed during his no-no against Norfolk was a fifth-inning walk.
Snell is definitely worth stashing on your reserves in keeper formats.
Teammate Zach Duke is tied with Snell for most victories in the
International League.
-
Brian Daubach is tearing up Triple-A this season, hitting .377
with eight home runs and 32 RBI for the Mets affiliate in Norfolk. But
with Doug Mientkiewicz hitting with power and playing good
defense, Daubach could be stuck in the minors for most of the year,
barring injury.
-
Ervin Santana went 6-1 with a 2.31 ERA in seven starts for
Double-A Arkansas this year. The impressive start earned the
22-year-old a promotion to the Bigs and a start against Oakland on
Tuesday for the Angels.