Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

Cubs manager Lou Piniella kept three starters out of Monday’s lineup for a rest: Derrek Lee, Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot. DeRosa pinch-hit in the seventh and lined out to Carlos Lee, who made a nice catch in the ivy in left field with a runner on. Lee is a must-start Fantasy first baseman, while DeRosa and Theriot are sleepers in deeper leagues — one for his pop and versatility and the other for his slap-hitting and basestealing ability. (CBS Sports)

Ryan Theriot went 3-for-3 with two walks and three RBI Wednesday as the Cubs won their third straight against the Brewers. Derek Lee, Reed Johnson, and Mark DeRosa drove in one run apiece. Alfonso Soriano stole a base, his 10th of the year, and scored two runs. Ryan Dempster even had a hit and scored a run. Theriot singled twice and hit a two-run triple. He is hitting .322 with 31 RBI this season. Oh, but he did get caught stealing. So cancel the celebration. Theriot hasn’t had a whole lot of extra-base hits to go with his .322 batting average, but he’s shown a great eye at the plate, impressively tallying 11 more walks than strikeouts on the season. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot had one hit, his 16th double, and one run in four at-bats Sunday against the Marlins. Theriot has just five hits in his last seven games. Theriot ran off a 13-game hitting streak before hitting safely in just three of his last seven games. He is still hitting well over .300 and taking advantage of hitting in front of Derrek Lee. While Theriot doesn’t have much power, his speed and great bat make him worth starting in all rotisserie formats and plenty of head-to-head leagues. (CBS Sports)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday’s 9-0 win over the Astros to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Theriot is hitting 25-for-57 (.439) and has eight multi-hit games during the streak. Theriot is now hitting .329 this season as he continues to put together a career year. While he doesn’t have much power, his speed and great bat make him worth starting in all rotisserie formats and plenty of head-to-head leagues. (CBS Sports)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot had a single in five at-bats Sunday against the Giants to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He is 20-for-45 (.444) with no homers and three RBI in that span. Theriot has six multi-hit games during his hitting streak. Theriot is a slap-hitting basestealer worth consider in all Rotisserie leagues. He lacks power and run-production potential, though, which makes him a lower-tier option in Head-to-Head points leagues. (CBS Sports)

Ryan Theriot went 2-for-5 Wednesday and has hit safely in his last six home games. Theriot has 34 multi-hit games, which puts him among the NL leaders. Theriot is a slap-hitting basestealer worth consider in all Rotisserie leagues. He lacks power and run-production potential, though, which makes him a lower-tier option in Head-to-Head points leagues. (CBS Sports)

According to The Sports Xchange notes: SS Ryan Theriot appears over the thumb problems that cost him time at the beginning of the just-concluded 10-game road trip. Theriot was 6-for-14 in the weekend series at St. Louis. Theriot has his OBP back up to .390. With RF Kosuke Fukudome not starting Sunday, Theriot returned to the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Theriot has been batting eighth, with Fukudome second, in recent games. Theriot is a slap-hitting basestealer worth consider in all Rotisserie leagues. He lacks power and run-production potential, though, which makes him a lower-tier option in Head-to-Head points leagues. (CBS Sports)

Ryan Theriot is likely to hit eighth once Alfonso Soriano returns from the DL. Soriano will resume his leadoff role, and Kosuke Fukudome will slide into the two hole. Expect Theriot to run a bit less and score less runs. (Rotowire)

Ryan Theriot didn’t start Tuesday’s game due to a stomach illness, but later replaced Ronny Cedeno at shortstop and struck out twice, the Arlington Daily Herald reports. Theriot has had to deal with a swollen right hand in the last week as well. His second strikeout halted the Cubs best rally and ended the game. The fact Theriot eventually played leads us to believe he will not miss much time, if any games after Tuesday. Theriot continues to have a solid season hitting in front of Derrek Lee, but his lack of power hurts him in Fantasy. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Ike over at Nine Bo Jacksons just ran through the biggest surprises and disappointments at the halfway mark for both hitters and pitchers. The system uses PECOTA and compares pre-season valuations to actual. Values indicate amount that the player is performing over/under projections. Here’s how some of the Atomic Roadrunners fared:

Hitters

Surprises:

• Ryan Theriot - $25.79
• Gregor Blanco - $21.74

Disappointments:

• Andruw Jones - -$31.92
• Prince Fielder - -$16.06

Pitchers

Surprises:

• Todd Wellemeyer - $14.44

Disappointments:

• Brett Myers - -$36.01

(He only ran the top/bottom 25 of each)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot returned to the starting lineup Sunday against the White Sox after missing two games with a bruised hand. He was hitless in three at-bats and walked once. Theriot had a four-game hitting streak come to an end. He was 8-for-17 (.471) in that span. Theriot continues to have a solid season hitting in front of Derrek Lee, but his lack of power hurts him in Fantasy. Theriot is largely an NL-only option in most Fantasy formats, but his on-base percentage makes him a better Rotisserie candidate. It appears safe to keep him active for Fantasy Week 14 (June 30-July 6). (CBS Sports)

John Sickels of Down on the Farm fame today did a Prospect-Retro on Ryan Theriot over at his site, Minor League Ball:

All told, in his major league career Theriot is hitting .288/.357/.380 in 921 at-bats. This is somewhat better than you’d expect given his minor league performance, although even in the minors he showed good plate discipline and contact ability. Interestingly, if you told a scout in 2001 that Theriot would be a .288 hitter in the majors but without big power, he would probably not be surprised…that is what people thought he would be coming out of LSU.

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot had a RBI single in three at-bats Tuesday against the Rays. He also walked once. Theriot is just 6-for-34 (.176) with three RBI in his last eight games. Theriot’s average has dropped from .330 to .310 during his recent slide. The good news is that he has managed to keep his average above .300 since late April and that directly has to do with pitchers rather facing him than Derrek Lee, who usually hits behind Theriot. The shortstop’s on-base percentage is obviously what makes him a viable starting option in Rotisserie formats. (CBS Sports)

Ryan Theriot went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in Wednesday’s 7-2 win over Atlanta. The Riot continues to spray the ball all over the field. He is now batting .359 with three stolen bases in nine June contests. (Rotowire)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot recorded his major league-leading 18th multi-hit game Wednesday. He singled twice and walked. Over his last 10 games, Theriot is batting .375 (15-for-40). Theriot got off to a hot start right of the gate and has yet to cool off. He hit only .266 last season, so you have to wonder if he’ll maintain this pace, but his ability to steal bases while hitting for a high average makes him worth starting in most Fantasy leagues, especially rotisserie ones. (CBS Sports)