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Doug Anderson identifies the year's biggest fantasy disappointments thus far and points out a few headed in the other direction.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin... That's reportedly the banned substance for which Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games. I am not a chemist, but the junior high schooler in me can't help but giggle at the mere mention of gonadotropin. The drug is intended as a fertility drug for women, but steroid users have reportedly used it to kick start the production of testosterone as they come off a cycle... I didn't even know that Manny was trying to start a family. Best of luck to Manny and his wife.
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| Matt LaPorta is the sexy pick, but Dellucci is carrying the hot bat. Photo Credit: Icon SMI |
Manny's fantasy owners are likely pretty distraught with the suspension, but there are plenty of fantasy players who are doing just as much damage and they haven't missed a single game yet. Who are the players that are sabotaging your teams? I'm doing well in most of my leagues, but I placed a lot of faith in several pitchers who have hung me out to dry. Ricky Nolasco's incredible second half of '08, along with a great spring, had me thinking I could snag a Top 10 starter with a much lower pick. He was the key to building a dominant staff without making the huge investment that Johan Santana or Tim Lincecum would have required. You can probably guess how (not) well my pitching is doing. Nolasco, along with Randy Johnson and Carlos Zambrano, have dug a deep hole which is going to be difficult to get out of. I can make a few trades and add strikeouts, but the WHIP and ERA damage is hard to rebound from. The sad part is that I still believe in Nolasco and company.
In a mixed league you can probably make some moves to address the poor pitching numbers, but in an NL or AL league sometimes you just have to ride out the storm. Each mistake in deep leagues is magnified because of the lack of quality replacement players. That's one reason life in The Deep End is a little tougher than your typical mixed league.
Now let's take a look at some possible life preservers to help keep your head above water in your NL or AL league.
OFFENSIVE OPTIONS
National League:
Chris Coghlan (2B, FLA): This 24-year-old second sacker fills the roster spot created by the continued arm woes of Anibal Sanchez. Coughlan has been tearing it up in Triple-A, with a .348 BA, 3 HRs and 9 SBs. He gets the call to provide depth both in the infield and outfield, but anybody who has been watching the struggles of Emilio Bonifacio and Cameron Maybin has to realize the Marlins won’t stick with them forever. Coghlan wasn’t on many prospect lists this spring, but neither was Mike Aviles last year. If he can get off to a good start, there is a solid chance that he grabs a starting gig.
Xavier Paul (OF, LAD): Paul gets the call to take the roster spot of Manny Ramirez. Okay, maybe we shouldn’t look at it that way. The speedy "X-Man" has been raking down in the PCL with a .344 BA, a .926 OPS and 8 SBs. His future is likely as a fourth outfielder, but he could see time in the Dodgers outfield while Manny concentrates on building his family. Juan Pierre and Andre Ethier both swing from the left side, as does Paul, so there’s not a natural fit for a platoon situation. Expect the Dodgers to use Paul as a sparkplug type reserve who could add some value to your fantasy team with a decent BA and a handful of steals.
Laynce Nix (OF, CIN): Word on the street in Cincy is that Dusty Bayker fayvors Nix over Chris Dickerson as the everyday left fielder. Though Nix comes from a family that had obvious spelling problems (ask brother Jayson), he has shown solyd power in short spyrts but has never been able to sustayn it for any length of time. He’s worth a pickup because of the ballpark and the opportunity. Just be ready to jump ship when Dusty falls in love with his next “crafty” veterayn.
American League:
Matt Tolbert (2B, MIN): With Alexi Casilla’s demotion, Tolbert gets first crack at 2B in Minnesota. The 27-year-old Tolbert offers no power and just moderate speed. His minor league numbers suggest a future as a backup middle infielder, but in AL leagues you have to take a shot. A .270 BA with 10 SBs is at the top of his range, so temper your bids. Of course, if you’ve been dealing with Casilla’s numbers, you’ll be happy with that kind of production.
Jayson Nix (2B/SS, CWS): Benching Alexei Ramirez for a game or two is understandable, but supposedly, if Nix plays well he has the chance to claim the shortstop job permanently. I just want to take a moment to point out that sometimes major league GMs and managers have no clue. Normally the job of a waiver wire column is to recommend players, but I’m here to warn you to stay away. Nix has had plenty of opportunity to show that his anemic BA actually has negative value. If Ramirez gets shipped back to Cuba, his empty roster slot is still more valuable than Nix.
Dave Dellucci (OF, CLE): Dellucci has come off the disabled list with a vengeance, hitting .350 thus far. With Ben Francisco struggling, Dellucci could find himself on the good side of a natural platoon. The 35-year-old veteran had fantasy value in the past, though he’s been a flop since arriving in Cleveland. Facing just righties may be exactly what Dellucci needs to help the Indians and your AL fantasy squad.
PITCHING POSSIBILITIES
National League:
Jon Niese (SP, NYM): Niese ends the Ken Takahashi era before it had a chance to get off the ground. Niese has been terrible this year in Triple-A and struggled last year in a brief major league trial, but at 22 he stil has solid upside as a No. 3 starter. Citi Field is playing as a pitcher’s park thus far and Niese certainly has the defense behind him to back him up. The young lefty is a better option than many starters who are already on fantasy rosters.
Kiko Calero (RP, FLA): After struggling with shoulder issues the last few years, Calero has quietly put together a 1.76 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings. He’s pitched himself into the saves picture if Matt Lindstrom should have further problems. Particularly in leagues that use holds, Calero is a great pickup as he seems to be the go-to guy in late pressure situations.
American League:
Garrett Olson (RP, SEA): Only Carlos Silva could have the Mariners looking at a pitcher with a career 1.83 WHIP and 6.78 ERA as an upgrade. Despite his major league struggles, Olson’s minor league numbers and top-shelf stuff suggest that he has a decent chance to succeed. The 25-year-old lefty is pitching in the right ballpark to help mask some of his flaws. Immediately inserting him on your active roster may be a mistake, but using a reserve spot on a pitcher with this kind of upside is a good risk.
Jim Johnson (RP, BAL): Because of an absurdly low strikeout rate, many viewed Johnson’s solid 2008 campaign as a fluke. Look again, because he’s duplicating those numbers thus far in ’09. The Baltimore bullpen picture is in shambles and Johnson stands as good a chance as anyone else to step in and provide a little fantasy value.
DEEP END TIP OF THE WEEK
Last week we talked about some players that I suggested to "sell high" on, so this week let’s try to identify some players to "buy low" on.
- Ricky Nolasco (SP, FLA): That’s right, I’m going to ignore the hideous 7.00-plus ERA and stick to my guns. The guy averaged a strikeout an inning and posted a 1.00 WHIP the second half of last season. He will come around.
- B.J. Upton (OF, TB): So far Upton looks eerily similar to the player that we saw most of 2008. The power is missing and the BA is nothing to get excited about. I still think that power display in the playoffs was not a mirage. Sooner or later Bossman Junior is going to be healthy and comfortable and producing 30/30 type numbers. Besides, the downside is a 40 SB speedster.
- Manny Ramirez (OF, LAD): While I may be the only one hyping Manny right now, but he isn’t a bad pickup. The Dodgers have played 30 games as of this writing and Manny is suspended for 50. That leaves half a season for Manny to terrorize National League pitchers. And don’t think Manny will change any of his “habits” just because he got caught.
- Kendry Morales (1B, LAA): Many still see Morales as a bust, but recently he’s been looking more like the hitter that tore up the minor leagues. If you can get him for the value his current numbers merit, you’ll be flying high with his future production.
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Need help starting a familt? Call Manny. Need help in your NL or AL league? E-mail Doug at RotoDaddy@RotoExperts.com.
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