Roto-Rx

The Doctor is now in...

Just an aside...all roto players must be somewhat concerned when two teams in the same division make a trade (i.e. Francouer for Church). No team wants to see a player that used to be on their team kill them every time they play. Must really mean that these two clubs think these guys are close to done...

Question 1: Do you subscribe to the theory that you should wait until a pitcher pitches one year in MLB after Tommy John surgery before you have him on your team, or is it an individual thing? – Roger, Carroll, MD

Roger: The three worst words that a roto player can hear (about a pitcher) are: Dr. James Andrews. And while Dr. Andrews is a colleague of mine, he is still the grim reaper for many a pitcher. His surgeries do show, however, that players can return healthy after successful rehab. This rehab usually takes a solid year. So yes, Dr. Roto subscribes...

Question 2: What’s the deal with Matt Kemp? Why does he always hit so low in the line-up? It’s like Torre knows he has to play him, but doesn’t want to? He’s the bomb! He hits for average with authority and run like the wind. – Michael, Los Angeles, CA

Michael: There you go again, showing your impatience. What did Dr. Roto tell you in his last post? He said that the best fantasy players are patient. That being said, there is no more patient manager than Joe Torre. Joe KNOWS that Kemp is a stud. What he doesn't want to do is rush him and put him into pressure situations too early in his career. Just watch...next year he will bat 5th, the year after maybe cleanup.

Question 3: What do you make of Rich Harden? He seems healthy, even when he went on the DL it had nothing to do with his arm. The performance just isn’t there. Buy, Sell, or Hold? – Jerry, Bullhead City AZ

Jerry: Dr. Roto has never heard of Bullhead City...but he has heard of Rich Harden pissing off fantasy owners for years. One game is a gem and the next game he gets injured. It's annoying. Dr. Roto says HOLD on Harden. No way can you SELL right now, you won't get his full value. If you BUY, you may be making a critical mistake as you don't want to pay for a guy who might still have injury problems. I would buy if you could get him for 70 cents on the dollar...maybe 75. Dr. Roto would not pay close to full value.

Question 4: What is the most you would pay for the perfect player? What % of the team salary? I have an opportunity to get Albert Pujols but I would have to keep him for $49 next year. I want him but at some price it’s not worth it. How do I figure that out? – Lawrence, Providence, RI

Lawrence: No offense, but these are very hard questions for Dr. Roto to answer. Depends on your league. Do you have a 12 team league? Mixed or NL only? If it was a NL only league, I would pay up. If it was a 12 team mixed, might be too expensive. Basically the answer lies in the other owners of your league. Does it seem like other owners are dying to get him in a deal? If so, then the league thinks he is worth it. MOST importantly, if you think you can WIN this year by making the deal, make the deal and then you start out with a monster hitter in your lineup for next year.

Question 5: Nelson Cruz has been on the bench 3 out of the last 5 games since Hamilton has come back. What’s going on here? The guy is a stud! Have they soured on him or are they just giving him a break. They don’t seriously think that Andruw Jones is a better player at this point, do they? – Claire, Ingam, MI

Claire: Don't panic, Claire. Nelson Cruz is still in good standing down in Texas. Right now, he is a young stud who seems to need a few days off as he was in a slump close to the all-star break. My sources tell me that he should be fine and either Byrd or Murphy may lose a few AB if A. Jones can keep up his torrid hitting pace.

We are now at the all-star break. This is a good time to assess your team. If you are within points of cashing in your league then go for it. If you are not within shouting distance, now may be a good time to get your team ready for next year. What you CANNOT do is play it down the middle. If you do, you will neither cash in nor will you have good protects for next year.

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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