Player Spotlights

Mark Trumbo (OF, DH)

5/13/2013 12:22 pm by Bones
I've seen some reports from other writers who suggest selling now on Mark Trumbo. The story goes that he had a fast start last year, and then tanked in the 2nd half, so the opportunity to sell high is now before he does it again. I'm not so sure history is going to repeat itself however. Remember, last year Trumbo made an appearance in the All-Star game Home Run hitting contest. And what an appearance it was! He didn't hit as many as Josh Hamilton's amazing performance a few years ago, but the distance he put on some of his homers was incredible. And the crowd egged him on, and he kept going for the deep ball. Well, we all know what happened to Hamilton after he made his record setting performance in the home run hitting contest, and Trumbo seemed to follow the same path last season. I don't see that happening this year. For one, he probably learned his lesson and will avoid that contest all together. And two, he is sandwiched between Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton in that Angels line-up. His response? How about 6 dingers in the past 13 games. Trumbo sits at a .278 clip with 9 HR's and 26 RBI so far on the young season, and I see no real reason why he can't get to 30 HR's and 100 RBI in that line-up. If you are tempted to shop Trumbo, sell high, elsewise, you probably will have a nice return on your investment already.
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Ryan Howard (1B)

5/9/2013 9:13 pm by Bones
Hmmmm, it seems a lot of pundits jumped the gun this spring. Many thought Howard wasn't going to be back to his old self after his terrible injury, but he seems to be proving people wrong. Ryan started the year in such a way as to make those pundits look good, as he only hit one home run and only drove in 6 runs in his first 19 games. But maybe he was easing his way back into things, as his stats have taken a turn for the better. In his past 13 games, Howard has hit 5 home runs and driven in 14 more runs. It's looking like he may be able to get to the 30+ homer mark again this season, which is pretty good considering you could of drafted him on the back end of drafts this spring. It's probably too late to pry him from his owner, but there may be some out there who feel the risk is too much. But you're gonna have to pay a better price than you would of a month ago. I'm holding him for the season personally.
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Andrew Cashner (SP)

4/30/2013 12:09 pm by Bones
We talked about Andrew Cashner about a year ago in this space, but his old bugaboo concerning injuries reared their ugly head last season and derailed his development. Well, look out gamers, this might be the year. The Padres have done a great job of bringing Cashner along slowly, and if the results of last week are any indication, he will be worth adding to your roster in the coming days. He put together 2 good starts against the defending World Champion Giants, and with San Diego's rotation in a bit of flux, has probably secured himself a spot from this point forward. Cashner is a fireballer who can touch 100 mph on the gun, so you are looking at high upside when it comes to strike-outs. And since he will start half his games in Petco's still large ballpark, his ERA and WHIP numbers promise to be good. Alas, it is the Padres, so the win total may not be great. Other writers have stated the classic line this week, "He's a must add in ALL fantasy leagues." But fear not, as of this morning he is only owned in 27% of yahoo leagues.
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Nolan Arenado (3B)

4/28/2013 11:04 am by Bones
Run, don't walk, to your waiver wire this morning, and pick up Nolan Arenado. News just broke that the Rockies have bought out his contract, and are pulling him up to the bigs to be their everyday third baseman. We featured Nolan in our recent article on which rookies to grab who might make a huge impact on the fantasy scene this season. No one is saying he will be Mike Trout, but he has the pedigree to put up some really nice numbers, especially (and we know you've heard this before, but hey, it's true) since half his games will be at Coors Field. After a so-so season at AA ball in 2012, Nolan exploded in spring training, and there were rumblings that he would stick on the 25 man roster. It didn't take long to get called up though, which is what a .364 average with 3 HR, 11 doubles, 14 runs scored, and a whopping 21 RBI in 18 games will do for you at AAA. Arenado already has an MVP of the Arizona fall league, a stint on the U.S. Olympic team, and a "disappointing season" at AA in which he hit "only" .285 to his 21 year old credit. One of the top prospects in the Rockies system, Colorado is going all in, as they have designated starting 3B Chris Nelson for assignment. You should go all in too!
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Nate McLouth (OF)

4/26/2013 11:37 am by Bones
Although it's early in the season and we are dealing with small sample sizes, some stats just stand out. Take stolen bases and Nate McLouth for example. In a mere 19 games, he has now swiped 7 bases (boy am I glad I added him before his 2 theft performance yesterday!). Who knows if he keeps up THAT pace, but over 6 months you would be looking at a 40 steal season. Since he is only owned by 13% of yahoo leaguers, that would be a pretty sweet waiver wire pick-up. His power hasn't appeared as of yet, but through those first 19 games McLouth is hitting a cool .302 and has scored 16 runs thus far. That's pretty good production in 3 major categories for a guy that can be had at no cost in most leagues. And last season he ended with a bang, knocking out 7 HR with 12 SB's in 55 games with the O's. He may have found a nice home in Baltimore, and he is worth the add to find out.
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Carlos Ruiz (C)

4/23/2013 8:57 pm by Bones
Carlos Ruiz is nearing the end of his 25 game suspension, and is just the kind of "forgotten" prize that can help many a fantasy team out in the early going. Ruiz hit .325 last year in 372 at-bats, and clubbed 16 HR and drove in 68 RBI in only 114 games. If I recall correctly, that was good for a Top 5 finish amongst catchers across the majors last season. Those of you who own Victor Martinez (.182 batting average), Matt Wieters (.210), Miguel Montero (.206), Jesus Montero (.224), Jonathan Lucroy (.241), and Alex Avila (.196) might want to make the add in case your starter continues his poor start. Heck, the rest of you should consider the add; it's never a bad thing to have an extra catcher who can hit the ball! I just checked, and Ruiz is only owned in 15% of yahoo leagues (well, maybe 16% since I went and grabbed him here and there), so if you pounce now you have a chance of making one of those early season moves that propels your team up the standings. Now, go, and add...
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Jurickson Profar (IF)

4/19/2013 1:39 pm by Bones
It shouldn't be too long before the Texas Rangers give serious consideration to calling up consensus #1 prospect Jurickson Profar to the big leagues. Sent to the minors to get regular playing time, his arrival will be delayed a little bit as of right now due to a sore left side. But if the Rangers keep hitting, or rather, not hitting like they are, a move will be made. So far, regular 1B Mitch Moreland is flaming out with a .163 batting average. The thought will be to move Ian Kinsler over to 1B and open up the 2B position for Profar, thus keeping long-term inked Elvis Andrus at SS. And the Rangers need him, because not only is Moreland hitting at a feeble pace, so is Craig Gentry at .227, Leonys Martin at .192 (too bad Profar can't play CF), and David Murphy is at .151. EVEN Andrus is hitting a paltry .224, and clean-up hitter Adrian Beltre is hitting a whopping .232. Think these guys miss Josh Hamilton protecting them in the line-up? There was a lot of conjecture about whether the Rangers would make this move, but with their hitting needs, it will be a matter of exactly when, not if. YOU need to look at your roster and determine if the 23rd guy on your team is worth the #1 prospect in baseball, even if it means he sits for a month or two. My guess is that 97% of us can make that swap.
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Melky Cabrera (OF)

4/11/2013 1:44 pm by Bones
Be patient! Oh my gosh, we are only 2 weeks into the season, and I have actually seen Melky Cabrera dropped in one of my leagues. Don't be the person who makes a mistake like this. Melky was hitting .346 last year before he got into trouble with major league authorities and was suspended for the year. The Giants went on to win the World Series without him, so they cut him loose. As you know, he landed with the Toronto Blue Jays. The guy starts out a little slow, 7 for 28. THAT is no reason to cut a potential top 50 player! Melky is in the 2 hole in the line-up, tucked between Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista. How is that for potential runs and RBI production? He'll be hitting over .300 before you know it, and that poor owner who dropped him will be moaning for 5 months. Now is the time to let some things play out; don't be dropping your top 100ish type players unless for major injury.
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Kyuji Fujikawa (RP)

4/7/2013 11:02 am by Bones
Word has just come in Sunday morning that Carlos Marmol is out as Cubs closer, and Fujikawa is in. Although most knew this was coming, few thought it would happen within the first 2 series of the season. But Marmol got lit up in all 3 games he appeared in, with an exclamation point in his 3rd game as he gave up 2 HR's to blow the save. Don't count on seeing him in the closer role again this season. Kyuji hasn't faired too well either on the young season, but the Cubs are throwing their off-season investment into the situation to see what they have. It's also a better option. Fujikawa was Japan's most dominant reliever over the last 8 seasons, so for those of you who chase saves, it's time to strike now if you haven't already (personally I added him before the season started in my shallow league). For those who might speculate that his skills won't transfer to the majors, James Russell is your speculative add out of a thin Cubs bullpen.
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Gerardo Parra (OF)

4/3/2013 1:00 am by Bones
Gerardo Parra is going to be a sneaky late round or waiver wire pick up for the crafty fantasy baseball manager. Although the 4th OF in Arizona, it already looks like he is well on his way to 500+ AB's this season. He will be starting on a regular basis the first 4-6 weeks of the season, as Adam Eaton recovers from a spring training injury. But it shouldn't stop there, as he will also back up Cody Ross (himself a DL casualty to start the season), who seems to get hurt a bit. He will also relieve Jason Kubel when he needs a rest, and quite possibly will man the DH spot in inter-league play. Parra showed why he could be valuable on Opening Night, going 4-5 with 3 doubles. He should finish the season in double digits in both HR's and SB's, and for those in outfield specific leagues (i.e., LF, CF, RF), he's gold, as he qualifies in all three spots. Check your waiver wire and see, as I did pick him up in a Keeper league just this morning!
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Alex Gordon (OF)

4/3/2013 12:52 am by Bones
Count me in on trying to get Alex Gordon on your team this season. Some of you may be having a late draft; go get him. Some of you have drafted and are ready to start trading; go get him. Gordon had a tremendous spring training, hitting over .400 and hitting the 2nd most HR's. His past 2 seasons promise to bring even more, as he hit .294 with 51 doubles, 14 HR's, 72 RBI, and 10 SB's in 2012. Notice the 51 doubles. I can imagine a lot more those becoming HR's this season, especially with more protection in the line-up as the Royals should see a bounce back season from Eric Hosmer and improvement from Mike Moustakas. Two seasons ago he hit .303 with 45 doubles, 23 bombs, 87 RBI, and 17 SB's. He's 29 this season on an improving team, and he is especially valuable in multi-catagory leagues. Uhm, go get him.
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Jose Bautista (RF)

3/30/2013 11:48 pm by Bones
Sometimes you just get a queasy feeling about a ballplayer in fantasy sports, and this season in baseball mine seems to be about Jose Bautista. Someone sent me a trade offer with him and Matt Moore, and asking for Joey Votto. While I did my research, I realized that Votto is posed to be a Triple Crown threat these next few years as he enters 2012 at age 29 and with a bill of good health. Not so Mr. Bautista. Whereas Mr. Votto's numbers in his career are consistently good, if not great, the same is not true for Jose. In fact, if you take out his incredible break-out year of 2010 and his follow-up of 2011, there isn't much to get excited about. Include in those concerns a wrist injury last year, entering 2013 at age 32, no longer 3B eligible, and you probably can see why I turned down the trade. Don't get me wrong, he can still have a good season, but I'm guessing the numbers of '10 and '11 won't be revisited.
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Julio Teheran (P)

3/30/2013 11:47 pm by Bones
Don't look now, but Julio Teheran has repositioned himself as a top flight prospect. After a horrible 2012 in AAA (a 5.08 ERA), he looks to have won a rotation spot with the Atlanta Braves with a lights out spring so far. He has arguably been this springs break-out pitcher, and those entering drafts in these final days leading up to the season would be wise to target him in the later rounds. If that ERA from last year scares you, just remember the kid was once a Top 3 pitching prospect. AND, this is the Atlanta Braves rotation we're talking about. They seem to know a thing or three about pitchers. Draft wisely my friends.
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Danny Espinosa (2B)

3/12/2013 12:51 am by Bones
Normally Danny Espinosa would be a very attractive fantasy option at the weak position of 2B. He has youth on his side, and he has already proven that he can belt 20 HR's and steal 20 bases in a season. So what's not to like? Well, for 2013 it's all about his health. You see, he is planning on playing this season with a torn left rotator cuff. As if that is not bad enough, he is a switch hitter, so there will be plenty of opportunity to aggravate the injury swinging the bat. Add to that the "torques and turns" required to play second base in the majors, and it has me looking the other way for a fantasy second baseman this season. For those brave enough to give him a try, you HAVE to "hand-cuff" him and draft Steve Lombardozzi in the later rounds. Steve is a very capable back-up, and is even worth a speculative add by all owners, in case Espinosa goes down.
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Jedd Gyorko (2B)

3/12/2013 12:32 am by Bones
Looking for a later round pick that will give you Top 3 value at a weak position? Look no further than Jedd Gyorko. Things are falling together for the young man to take over 2B for the Padres this season. After clubbing 30 HR's and driving in 100 runs in the minors last year, the Padres are taking a look at him at 2B, since his path to 3B is blocked by Chase Headley. Well, he's already clubbed 3 HR's and 3 doubles this spring, and his manager is pleased with his progress at 2B. Not only that, but Logan Forsythe, his main competition, has come down with a case of plantar fasciitis. Experienced fantasy players know when these words show up next to a player's name, it's time to cut bait and go find a replacement. Assuming the majority of at-bats at 2B go Jedd's way, we could see a 20+ HR and 80+ RBI season. Except for a lack of stolen bases, that's Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia company, and at a much cheaper price. If you miss out on the top 3 2B in your draft, take a look at Gyorko after you've filled some other needs.
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