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Last week, just about fantasy baseball GM checked his waiver priority status to see if they held the #1 spot. If you did, you were able to sign Arizona rookie pitcher Max Scherzer.

Scherzer, who was the Diamondbacks first round draft choice in 2006, gets his first big league start tonight against Philadelphia. On April 29th, he made his Major League debut, pitching 4.1 innings of perfect baseball in relief with 7 strikeouts to boot. The big question on the minds of many is how the Diamondbacks plan to use Scherzer to keep his innings pitched at a manageable lever since he only threw 90.2 innings last season.

Rookie Max Scherzer will make his first major-league start Monday night and perhaps two or three more after that before left-hander Doug Davis figures to be ready to come off the disabled list.

Barring other developments, that likely would mean Scherzer’s time in the rotation would be up. As far as his development goes, that might not be such a bad thing.

“I think potentially a good byproduct of that is keeping Max’s innings in check as we get him through the season,” General Manager Josh Byrnes said.

That is to say, when Davis returns, Scherzer could end up pitching in the Diamondbacks bullpen and perhaps remain there the rest of the season.

Clubs try to incrementally increase the workload they put on their young starting pitchers, adding a certain number of innings per season - roughly 20 to 30 - until they build toward the 200-inning mark.

This could be great news to Scherzer owners in keeper leagues.

Here is a review of this weeks best pickups as reviewed on Daily Roto Pickups. I will try to supply one from each of the following positions at my weekly review here on Crooked Pitch (C, CI, MI, OF, SP and RP).  I will include their current availability that may have changed since my initial review.  The reviews are how I view the player today.

C: Jeff Mathis- In his last six games he is hitting .300/.348/.550 with 5/1/4 and 1 SB. I will continue to recommend him as his playing time increases. That steal was his first in 269 career major league AB’s so don’t expect any more there, but in full playing time he could be somewhere from 15-20 HR.

He is currently owned in 12% of leagues.

CI: Scott Rolen - He has gone 4 for his first 11 with a home run and I think he has looked like his old self. As I stated earlier this week he is never going to have 30+ HR again, but he is solid as an April pickup. Just toss him when the next injury comes.

He is only owned in 44% of CBS leagues.

MI: Clint Barmes – Well, since getting the job he has gone cold, but I think he will break out soon. He does have some tough pitching coming up so don’t start him yet, but perhaps next week when he gets Piniero and Looper against STL he will turn it back on.

He is only owned in 26% of CBS leagues.

OF: Carlos Quentin – Well, he should be gone in most active leagues now as he is tied for the AL lead in HR’s and is getting on base at will. As long as the shoulder holds up he could be the post hype sleeper everyone was looking for.

He is only owned in 69% of CBS leagues.

OF: Mike Cameron - He is currently playing his first game and already has a hit and a run. He is not going to blow the doors off and his average might hurt, but the speed and power are still there and should be worth a roster spot.

He is only owned in 31% of CBS leagues.

OF: Adam Lind - He is getting the everyday starts and with his power potential he could help in HR, but likely not much else at this point. He is batting in the bottom part of the order, which limits RBI potential. Watch if he gets hot and get him on your team.

He is only owned in 14% of CBS leagues.

SP: Chad Gaudin - Another good start by Gaudin and another win.  I think over the season the wins will be limited playing for Oakland, but the other stats shouldn’t. Beware the second half though as he seemed to wear down last year, which made his stats look worse for the year. I recommend moving him in the summer if you can and if he keeps up these stats.

He is owned in 52% of leagues.

RP: Max Scherzer - I’m sure everyone has put in claims already, but if you haven’t, make sure that you do.  In Yahoo standard leagues he is on waivers until May 2nd, but I’m sure most leagues he will go to the #1 or #2 depending on someone holding out for Kershaw. He is looking to be headed to the Pen now, but his K rate and potential could have him anywhere from starting to closing in no time.

He is only owned in 47% as of this morning on CBS.

In four starts for Triple-A Tucson, Max Scherzer has overpowered hitters. He has a 1.17 ERA in 23.0 innings, but more impressive is his strikeout to walk ratio of 38:3. It’s only been a matter of time until the promotion of Scherzer happened, and today was the day.

However, Scherzer isn’t joining the Diamondbacks rotation. It’s straight to the bullpen for Max Scherzer following his promotion to the big leagues.

“I think we’re still aware of it,” Byrnes said. “Yes, he can develop some in the big leagues. There are a lot of issues, but right now the most compelling issue is we need him in the big leagues. We just have a tired bullpen. There’s a little more short-term urgency than there has been.”

As for the bullpen/starter thing, Byrnes said the club wants him to be a starter long-term, it’s just that right now they need help in the bullpen. And what’s going to happen with his role the rest of this season?

“We’ll see,” Byrnes said. “I think that’s going to be the fluidity of this season. Sort of assessing what our big league team needs and how he can contribute. And then also aware of the longer view of him and the team.”