Morning Routine
Just saw the video of Bryce Harper blowing a kiss to a pitcher he had just homered off of. Evidently the pitcher wasn’t too happy when Bryce took a five minute break to admire his handiwork. The pitcher glared a hole through Harper as he rounded the bases, so the 18-year-old showed him some love. As if the face paint he chooses to wear and getting kicked out of important junior college games, didn’t illustrate the point enough, this latest caper shows just how much growing he has to do. Let’s ignore whether he should have puckered up and just comtemplate what would have happened had he done this in the majors. Most likely the benches would have emptied then and there. Then in his next at-bat Harper would have gotten a high hard one at his overly large melon.
I understand that the kid has an ego, but that’s just blatant disrespect. When do we stop making excuses that he’s just young and admit that he might just be a young punk. Two things are for certain; he’s going to be fun to hate once he makes it to Washington; and you will never see him on any of my rosters. … well, okay, maybe if he’s as good as he thinks he is. Fantasy Baseball can make me do bad things. I even rostered Alex Rodriguez in several leagues this year. I feel dirty.
This time of year is when I really start looking to make deals in my Fantasy leagues. As an “expert” I play in many different types of leagues. People who stick to your typical 12-team mixed league don’t realize it, but there’s a huge difference in strategy between their league and the deeper leagues I prefer. For example, in my big money (for a writer) NL-only league I have been trying to trade Albert Pujols because I’ve put myself in a tight salary bind. I offered Pujols for Seth Smith and Martin Prado. Now in a 12-team mixer that would have been snapped up before I even sent the damn offer. That’s because they can go out and pick up a Luke Scott or a Juan Miranda to fill the hole in their lineup. Those aren’t sexy players, but they’ll put up 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. In my NL-only league the owner would be faced with picking up a Brian Bogusevic or Josh Wilson. As you probably guessed my offer was shot down, and I don’t really blame the other owner. Pujols may have given him a few homers, but he would have lost out in every other category. It’s just another reason I love deep leagues. There is so much more thinking that has to be done and so many more chances to use strategy to win. Call me old school, but 12-team mixed leagues bore me.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY
It’s once again time to unearth players whose recent turnarounds have been camouflaged by ugly full season numbers.
Bobby Abreu‘s overall numbers aren’t terrible, but have you been reading about him on Fantasy sites; have you heard his name on Baseball Tonight? I’ve got news for you, he may be 52 years old, but he’s still the same old Bobby. Over the last three weeks he’s hitting .358 with 12 RBIs and five stolen bases. It ain’t sexy, but look in the mirror; chances are you’ve seen better days. Stick Abreu in your 5th outfield slot and fall to sleep on a .290 season with 80 ribbies and 25-plus steals.
How’s Jason Heyward treating you guys from the DL? You probably don’t miss the numbers he was putting up when he got hurt, but you are faced with filling a roster slot that you thought was secure. If options are scarce maybe try your hand at another young Brave. Freddie Freeman didn’t get the Mickey Mantle sized hype that Heyward did, but people expected him to at least hit for average. His early season struggles pushed him to the back of our collective Fantasy minds. Don’t look now, but Freeman is turning it on. The power is lacking as expected, but that .384 average of the last three weeks could be helping your team. After getting a chance to watch many of his at-bats, I also think his swing will eventually bring power. He might be attainable as a throw-in in a bigger deal and end up making real contributions.
Daniel Murphy is never going to be a superstar. In fact he may never be a full-time player, because he lacks the power to be a corner infielder and he may be the worst defensive second baseman I’ve ever seen. What he can do is help you get through injuries and slumps from some of your more established players. His .397 average over the last three weeks has pushed his season average up to a nice .304 mark. Icing on the cake is that he’s eligible for any infield position in most any format. Especially in deeper leagues this can be a real Fantasy lifesaver.
It was an ugly start to the year for Yovani Gallardo. His 6.23 April ERA was topped off by an uncharacteristic 19 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Never one to have an exceptional WHIP, Gallardo was looking like nothing more than a league average pitcher. Well, the WHIP still sits at 1.34, but he’s definitely turned things around in the last 21 days. Over his last four starts Gallardo is 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The strikeouts are back too with 28 Ks in 27 innings. He’s back to being that second tier pitcher we expected. If you can get him for less, now is the time to move.
Normally we use this space to highlight players who are making a turnaround, but sometimes we need to notice players who are just maintaining. Everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop with Alexi Ogando. Guess what, they’re still waiting. Over his last 30 innings he’s produced a 2.40 ERA and a still-microscopic 0.86 WHIP. If you have him, hold on to him; if you don’t bump up your offers a little. He looks for real.
Just a week ago, I offered up a closer in a deal to a very experienced owner and he said he was only interested in “real” closers. Well, Brandon League is leading the AL in saves and has no real competition. Were we really talking about Jamey Wright a few weeks ago? Since his nightmare week, League has been flawless, with seven saves in as many opportunities and a 0.00 ERA and 0.50 WHIP. David Aardsma has not even started a throwing program and between his elbow and hip, there’s a very real chance he doesn’t return this year. League is not an elite closer, but he is as secure as it gets and he is indeed real.
Joe Saunders has a pretty 2.33 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over his last four starts. So what! Stay away. This guys is as flammable as it gets. Think Jason Marquis when he’s going bad. Better yet, think Joe Saunders when he’s going bad. Use statistical trends to help spot players on the rebound; not to lure yourself into Fantasy disaster.
One last pitcher for your perusal. Count me among the many who were a little skeptical that R.A. Dickey could repeat last year’s success. His early-season results backed that up. Don’t look now (well, actually you should look), but he’s back to his knucklerific ways. In his last 24.1 innings, Dickey has posted a 1.85 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He’s also been sneaky with the Ks with 20 strikeouts against just six walks. In reading about Phil Niekro, Jim Bouton, and other knuckleball pitchers, I have heard that it’s a difficult pitch to throw when it’s cold. Does that explain Dickey’s earl struggles? I’m buying in. Besides, everyone should have a little Dickey on their rosters.
Next week, I’ll let you know how my latest trade barrage is going. Until then hugs and kisses for everyone … well, except for you Bryce Harper.
Doug Anderson is the Executive Editor at RotoExperts.com. His work has appeared on Yahoo!, SI.com, NFL.com, as well as gracing the pages of USA Today’s Fantasy Baseball Magazines.
Wanna climb in the box and talk baseball? E-mail Doug at rotodaddy@rotoexperts.com. Better yet, catch him along with Jake Ciely every Tuesday night on the Fantasy Fullhouse
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