The Cincinnati Reds may have some buyer’s remorse with Mat Latos. After acquiring the 24-year-old this off-season, the Reds finally had an ace. This season, Latos has been one of the biggest busts in fantasy baseball. Latos — the owner of a 3.37 career ERA before — has seen that number jump to 4.91 this year. Unless he can return to form, Latos’ time as a fantasy ace may be over.
Rickie Weeks has been struggling. The 29-year-old second baseman has never been a high-average hitter, but this season he’s reached a new low. Among qualified hitters, Weeks’ .154 batting average rates as the second worst in the league. Weeks has shown elite ability in the past, but owners are probably having some buyer’s remorse right now. And while trading him won’t bring back a fair return, owners are best sticking it out and hoping Weeks turns things around.
Jeff Samardzija is the real deal. After winning a rotation spot with the Chicago Cubs this spring, Samardzija was seen as a very deep sleeper. His spring training stats were great, but he had never shown that type of dominance during the regular season. That’s all changed now. Through seven starts, Samardzija has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Based on his the early numbers, Samardzija’s breakout looks real.
Jake Peavy is back. After scuffling for nearly three season with the Chicago White Sox, it looks like Peavy may have finally returned to form. His performance has been so impressive that Peavy currently leads all pitchers in WAR. Because of his recent struggles, Peavy was likely a late-round pick in most fantasy leagues this season. Now that he’s completely outperformed his draft slot, Peavy could be a popular trade block candidate in many leagues. While Peavy comes with some uncertainty, his early season performance has been encouraging.
Philip Humber had quite the weekend. After throwing the 21st Perfect Game in Major League Baseball history, there’s a good chance fantasy owners have already taken notice. After a strong breakout last season — in which he posted a 3.10 ERA — Humber struggled during the second half, lowering his draft stock this season. But after his strong start this year, Humber has jumped back on the fantasy radar. While it’s just been two starts, Humber is working with a new approach that could make him a valuable fantasy asset.
The San Francisco Giants aren’t picking up any good vibrations from Brian Wilson. Wilson complained of elbow pain this weekend, and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Between 2008 and 2011, Wilson saved 163 games for the Giants, emerging as one of the best closers in the game. With him now out, the Giants will need to find an acceptable replacement. Given that the Giants have a strong pitching staff that should keep them in a lot of games, that replacement could have considerable value in fantasy leagues.
The fantasy baseball season has finally begun. Only a few days of games have been played, but there are already some owners who are scouring the waiver wires, looking to dump their hitless players and pitchers who gave up five earned runs in their one start. This early in the season, it’s usually smart to stand pat and put faith in the players you drafted. Just ask any Michael Morse owner from last season, patience pays off. But if you’re looking to make an early move, or you have a player that recently hit the DL, here are some players whose performances might be worth an early pickup.
The White Sox’s bullpen may be their biggest strength entering this season. The team dealt away last season’s closer, Sergio Santos, because they knew there were adequate replacements already on the team. Since dealing Santos, however, the team has not named his successor. While most team’s are at a point where position battles are coming to a close, the White Sox are being very secretive about their closer situation. With multiple candidates vying for the job, the White Sox aren’t doing fantasy owners any favors.
Don’t pay attention to spring stats. That’s one of the mottos we live by at RotoGraphs. And while spring stats can be terribly misleading, there are some instances where knowing the stats could give you a leg up in your drafts. Having great counting stats during the spring may not equal success — just ask Jake Fox — but some stats can give you an idea about how much playing time a player will receive, or how a player is recovering from an injury. Here are three spring performances that may deserve a closer look.
The Milwaukee Brewers may have expected to go into the regular season without one of their key players. While the Brewers will have Ryan Braun for the entire season, Corey Hart might miss some time at the beginning of the year following arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Though the outfielder is expected to only miss three-to-four weeks — and might even be ready for Opening Day — there’s also a chance he’ll miss a few games to begin the season. While that doesn’t seem like much, it could have an impact on the transitioning Brewers.