Roto-Rx - The Doctor is in...

The Doctor is in once again...this time with questions about Joba and some others...

Question #1: - I see where Brian Cashman insists that Joba Chamberlain will NOT be going to the pen. He said that he takes too long to warm up (as evidenced by his poor 1st innings). That clearly wasn’t the case when he was in the pen previously. Aren’t they going to have to move him to the pen at some point anyway if they have him on an innings limit? Is Cashman to be believed? - Doug North, Boston, MA

Doug: - Excellent question here, so let's take the time to discuss the Joba experiment. The Doctor is convinced that Joba would be ideal back as the setup man extraordinaire that we came to love when he was first called up. However, let us never forget that no one pays Joba-sized contracts to middle relievers. So, in Brain (er, I mean Brian) Cashman's world, Joba would be none other than....Fat Sid Fernandez! Yes, that's right, he of the amazing 6 innings before implosion in the 7th. Is this going to happen? Hard to tell. Wang has been horrible, and Hughes is just getting his sea legs under him at the MLB level. So, what to do with Joba??? If you are competing for this year, move him to the biggest Yankee fan in your league. If you have him for cheap, you may want to hold him for the future and pray to the El Sid Gods in the sky.

Question 2: - With all this Hype about Wieters and all the focus on the awesome starts by VMart and Mauer, brings about the question of the value of the catchers position itself in rotisserie baseball. What is your opinion on spending a lot of money on a catcher? Do you devalue a catchers worth because a starting catcher (even an All-Star) generally gets a game a week off? Not to mention the scheduled discounted at-bats, do you factor in the fact that a catcher is inherently more likely to sustain an injury then another position player? – Brian Simms, Miami, OH

Brian: - When roto players try to win with cheap catchers it's almost like trying to get a buzz off smelling a magic marker. Pay the money and get a good catcher; you'll almost always be glad you did.

Question 3: - Garret Atkins is off to such a poor start. I guess there is nothing physically wrong because I noticed that Tracy (despite his slow start) announced that he will be his clean-up hitter. I’ve had him reserved because of his performance. Is now the time to activate him? If I wait for him to start pummeling the ball first I’ll miss out on stats. - Mary Blanchard, Miami, FL

Mary: - First of all, Dr. Roto is all about Title IX. That said, I just had an argument with a friend about Garrett Atkins. He loves him; I have soured on him. So going forward (especially with a litle Jim Tracy love) let's call Atkins a 15-75 type of guy instead of a 25-100 from years past. If you need a guy like that in your lineup, then by all means insert him. As for me, he'd be off my team as fast as I could tell someone that he is the new Colorado Rockie clean-up hitter!

Question 4: - Would you shy away from trading for Jake Peavy because no matter where he goes it won’t be as pitcher friendly as PETCO Park? Also, there is a 50-50 chance that he may go to the AL. Would any of these risks devalue him in your opinion? - Paul Spinelli, SanDiego, CA

Paul: - As a rule, Dr. Roto hates AL starting pitchers. But if you read any of Jake's quotes on the subject, he wants to stay in the NL. I would trade for him regardless..a stud is a stud.

Question 5: - Does the Castro trade mean less playing time for Pierzynski? Castro hit’s pretty well when he plays and has never really been given a true shot ant being “the guy.” Here in Chicago they are making it seem like the Mets misused him and that he may be a full-time guy. They even say that defensively he's trown out 49% of runners. Is this his chance? Dump Pierzynski and pick up Castro? - August Pena, Chicago, IL.

August: - This may be rumor, but I think Ramon Castro used to wear sunglasses during night games. What I'm trying to say here is don't believe everything you read or hear (except from me). If Castro was so good, you think the Mets/Marlins/everyone else would have given him away so many times??

The Doctor is out...

Mark Bloom (aka Dr. Roto) is the former owner of Roto-Rx, a fantasy website featured in a UPN newscast. He has been an active competitor and commissioner in fantasy leagues for close to 20 years winning numerous league titles.

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