Roto-Rx

The Doctor is back from rounds and ready to take your questions...

Question 1: Do I save my FAAB money for Stephen Strasburgh? I think he may be with us after the All-Star break. There are so many guys coming up now and I don’t know if I should hold my money for Strasburgh. – Brian, Kansas City, MO

Brian: First, to find out more about Strasburgh take a look at Blake Kearney's post on the blog site. Blake gives some excellent insight into Strasburgh's future potential. As for Dr. Roto's opinion, I think that Strasburgh will be the second best mid-season call up in his own name's history. The best mid-season Strausberg call up was Lee Strausberg as Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part 2. Seriously, Dr. Roto has some love for the big righty hurler. What's not to like...he throws hard, should have a great ERA/WHIP, and will strike out about 8-10 players per game. So, what's the downside you ask? Well, let's start with Scott Boras (he of the greedy Bob Sugar-type agents). Next, how many games are the Nationals going to win this year? Over/under is about 20 the rest of the way. (BTW excellent baseball betting article by Robert Fairchild on the blog site). Therefore, we are looking at about 10 starts the rest of the way on a bad team assuming he signs ASAP. That is worth something, but I don't think it is worth blowing the rest of your FAAB on him. However, if you are in a keeper league and can get him on the cheap, DO IT ASAP!

Question 2: I missed out on Price. I missed out on Wieters. Do I bet the farm on Hanson? – Raul, Pittsburgh, PA

Raul: Dr. Roto loves Tommy Hanson. He will be as good as advertised. However, before you bet the farm on him, remember that hitters are more valuable that pitchers from the all-star break forward so don't throw caution too much into the wind.

Question 3: It looks like Grady Sizemore is going to be out for quite a while. Keep him and plug him in for the stretch drive or get something for him now? - Larry, Provo, UT

Larry: Tough question here. If you can get close to .90 cents on the dollar I think I would move Grady (especially if you are going for the league championship). If you are getting Randy Wolf and a light chicken gravy on the side, I would pass.

Question 4: What do I do with Joey Votto? He was having a good year. Will I get anything out of him the rest of the way? Larry, Miami, OH

Larry: I am a big fan of Joey Votto as well. Here's what you can do: Keep your ears open and try to get all the info you can from the Cincinnati newspapers. Next check mlb.com and go to the Reds' team page. Then call Votto's house and offer to give him a ride to the stadium. Finally, if that doesn't work, tell him that Dr. Roto will give him counseling for free if he needs it. I think if he returns he will not miss a beat...

Question 5: Is Rick Porcello for real? His stats aren’t earth shattering but for a 20 year old pitching in the AL, he sure shows like he has the potential to be something special. I’ve been getting offers for him and I have him at a good price. Is he someone to hold onto? – Peter, Detroit, MI

Peter: One of my fellow owners has been tossing Porcello's name out to me for weeks now in a trade offer that he is trying to get me to do. Dr. Roto has avoided the deal thus far...here's why. Jim Leyland has stated that Porcello will be on a 85-95 pitch count for the season. That comes out to be about 5-6 innings a game. Porcello is not a big K guy either. So I would be getting a decent ERA/WHIP guy who may get some wins the rest of the way, right? While that is nice for this year, it does not get me the first place check. So if I could move him to a team that likes him for next year, I would do it.

Question 6: What do you make about Jose Reyes? Is this going to be like when he was a rookie and his hamstring issue lingered forever? Back then they tried to change his running style. I wonder what these dopes are going to do this time. Time to trade him? Without his legs, what value is he really to my roto team? –Ronald, Queens, NY

Ronald: Jose Reyes without speed? Isn't that like the Green Lantern without his ring? Sure, he looks good in his suit, but he is not nearly as powerful and the bad guys are not nearly as afraid. Think of it this way, Reyes without speed goes .300 with 15 HR and 75 RBI...hmmmm sounds a lot like Derek Jeter...

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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