Monday, June 10, 2013

Buy Low, Sell High

We spend so much time prepping for that sacred Draft Day…and then it all becomes useless as soon as the first pitch of the season is thrown. While the draft is the single most important part of our fantasy baseball season, you can still turn your fortune around, either helping or ruining it, by how you maintain your squad.  “Know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Or, if you are not as savvy as the character known by Kenny Rogers as “The Gambler,” then just read my articles and do as I say. Well, unless you would rather be the Houston Astros of fantasy baseball.

Buy Low:

Jay Bruce: Act fast because he has already starting picking up his game after a slow start. As one of the best young power hitters in baseball, Bruce has quietly improved his HR total in every season since his rookie year in 2008. Bruce has been a streaky hitter in his short, promising career and therefore his total of 1 HR in the month of April has all signs pointing up from here on out.

Jason Heyward: After a fluke stint on the DL (appendectomy), Heyward is starting to show us signs of the mega prospect he was 3 short spring trainings ago. While there isn’t a stat to prove it, Heyward’s bat speed is starting to pick up as shown (and heard) by the menacing force behind every ball that leaves his bat. Over his career, Jason has a batting average of 30 points higher over the second half of the season. The J-Hey kid will bring up his average in no time, so act now before it becomes obvious.

Zack Greinke: Fluky injuries are becoming the theme of this article, and none were more unpredictable than Zack and his collarbone. After a torrid start, Greinke was sidetracked by a DL stint which is surely scaring owners who have paid attention to his last 3 subpar starts. Look at these outings as rehab starts and go grab Greinke before he reverts to his opening season form.
Other Options: Matt Kemp, Giancarlo Stanton, David Price

Sell High:

Starling Marte: If you were smart enough to grab him in the later rounds of your drafts, I know it is going to be even harder to let him go because you just KNEW he was going to be good. That’s why you took him, right? Well, at least that’s what we are going to tell our friends while conveniently not mentioning the draft picks that didn’t work out. With a high K rate, low walk rate and not much plate discipline, look for his average to revert more towards the .263 that he batted in the month of May.

Josh Donaldson: Wait, who??? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Donaldson You can thank me later for saving you a google search. Through my research, it was evident that Josh was the least known player on this list and that may be the only speed bump when trying to trade him. As a 27 year old with minimal major league experience we are going to have to expect some regression from the waiver wire star. Here is another helpful link that will help you sell Josh… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpqiyFPdHZ4 Every time you hear the word “quick chop” just replace it with “Josh Donaldson” and replace every type of food with the word “baseball.”

Nate McLouth: Compared to the Nate we have come to know in recent years, this McLouth is playing like one of the all time greats. McLouth has been all over the map during his inconsistent career and this is where the Buck Showalter magic ends. Get what you can and even if it doesn’t work out, you will be happy that he won't be on your team to destroy your team batting average come playoff time.

Other options: Patrick Corbin, Vernon Wells, Dexter Fowler


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