Ben Paulsen and Nick Buss: Deep League Wire

There’s still about a quarter of the season left, which is more than enough time for standings to change dramatically. So if you’re hurting for offense in your deep league, here are two options to consider.

Ben Paulsen | 1B/OF COL | CBS 3% Owned

Paulsen actually opened the season in a time-share with Mark Reynolds, but poor performance at the plate led to a demotion to Triple-A in mid-May. But Reynolds went down with a hand injury that resulted in surgery, and he’s probably going to miss the rest of the season, with a small chance of returning for the last week or two. Paulsen gets the first shot at replacing Reynolds and serving as the Rockies every day first baseman and obviously any time a new hitter gets a chance at a full-time role in the hitter’s haven, fantasy owners need to pay attention.

Paulsen is already 28, so he’s far past his prospect days, and his minor league numbers provide us with an easy explanation for why he has toiled there for so long with just 502 Major League plate appearances to his name. He strikes out a lot, which isn’t so terrible by itself, but he only brings good, not great, power from a position that demands excellent power. The high strikeout rate may also be tolerable if it was paired with a strong walk rate, but in this case, it’s not.

Luckily, Coors Field helps mask his weaknesses, as his career BABIP sits at .349, so his batting average has been a positive at .275. He’s probably not going to hit that well, but he should at least be neutral, while adding some power. He’s not going to face lefties, but he’ll garner enough playing time on the strong side of a platoon.

Nick Buss | OF LAA | 0% Owned

Who?! Nick Buss is the Angels’ latest attempt to get production out of their left field spot. Buss is the seventh player who has manned the position this year and only Shane Robinson owns a positive WAR. Buss is even less of a prospect than Paulsen at 29 years old and has toiled in the minors since 2008. He’s a more balance player than Paulsen, as he has a bit of power and some speed as well. He also doesn’t walk a whole lot, though, but he makes far better contact than Paulsen.

He has played at Triple-A for four straight years and hasn’t actually improved at all, which is why he’s up now solely due to desperation by the team. Buss hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since his short stint back in 2013 and we have no articles on here linked to his name. Talk about an unknown!

Buss hits from the left side of the plate, so he’s probably going to be platooned, but at least he’ll garner the lion’s share of the plate appearances. That is, as long as he doesn’t flop after a week’s worth of games. I can’t imagine he has a long leash and both ZiPS and Steamer are quite pessimistic with mid-.270 wOBA forecasts. But as I usually conclude when discussing marginals players for your deep league teams, he’s starting now, might steal a base here and there and knock one over the fence. You’re not going to be risking much to give him a shot, so he’s worth the gamble.