A couple players are possibly going in different directions in the National League outfield, but each has implications for deeper leagues.

Jason Bay (14% owned)
Bay is back in Willets Bay and supposedly will get his starting job back, but there are plenty of reasons to worry about his security. It’s possible some powerful box-score results are hiding some iffy batter peripherals, and no matter how hopeful you are about him, the fact remains that the 33-year-old has been declining forcefully in his early thirties.

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With injuries disabling stars around the league, the time in the year to scoop up the waiver wire for valuable pieces that can be utilized in different ways is beginning. Using players who do not play every day or are put into platoons can be a good way to find value where others look over, especially if they are on the good side of the platoon (lefty hitters who mash righty pitchers). Here are three guys I like in a platoon role going forward.

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If you’re a little light in the speed department, then a couple of situations have opened up that might interest you.  If you’re in an NL-only league, then my apologies.  Feel free to move along.  Nothing left to see here.  But if you’re in an AL-only or mixed league, then these guys just might be able to help you out. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s waiver wire looks at two hitters who are beneficiaries of injuries. Every year, a large percentage of surprise performances happen as a result of increased playing time, rather than any change in skill. These players are typically undervalued because they have never played full-time and therefore don’t have the history of counting stats to attract fantasy owners or instill the confidence that they could maintain their skills over every day at-bats.

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Today brings the latest up and down trends in the American League outfield.

Bullish:
Coco Crisp – I don’t think there is another player alive that I have floundered on more than Crisp. Originally enticed by the hopes of another near 50 stolen base year, I ranked him aggresively in my first AL OF Tiered Rankings. Then the season started and he promptly fell flat on his face. He clearly struggling at the plate, but his running game is still quite effective. Even yesterday he managed to go two for two on stolen bases. Going back to last year, that makes 29 straight steals without being caught. ZiPS rest of season predicts about a .250 batting average with 20 bags, but I would take the over on Crisp’s SB. His future average won’t ever offer much, even after adjusting for his current .179 BABIP. Crisp’s line drive percentage of just 13.3% ranks in the bottom 10 of all position players with at least 100 plate appearances. He is basically fantasy relevant only for his steals, but 25+ stolen bases is still worth owning. I’ve been bullish and bearish on Crisp before, but assuming his playing time doesn’t take a hit when Yeonis Cespedes comes back, Crisp is worth owning. With just a 27% ownership rate in Yahoo! and ESPN, he should be available in your league. Don’t let those steals waste on the waiver wire.

Adrian Gonzalez – In Yahoo! formats A-Gon is now available to play in RF/OF. Gonzalez is an incredible talent and with new found position flexibility, his fantasy value is through the roof. For his career Gonzalez is a .373 wOBA hitter. Those guys don’t exactly grow on trees. Even with his struggles this year, he has yet to hit lower than fifth in the line up. The walks are down a bit and the strike outs are elevated, but I contribute that to him pressing at the plate. His O-Swing% is the highest of his career, but only superficially higher than last year. He just hit his fourth homer of the season yesterday, so maybe he is finally breaking out. If you drafted Gonzalez and stuck with him through the spring then enjoy the summer; I think he’ll have a great one. Read the rest of this entry »

When an organization decides to give a player an opportunity to play every day and take over a starting position, fantasy owners need to stand up and take notice.  Especially if the player qualifies at a position that is either thing to begin with or has been decimated by injuries through these first two months of the season.  Here are two prime examples that are likely sitting on your waiver wire just waiting to be claimed.

Josh Bell, ARI  |3B|  Ownership:  ESPN – 0.5%  Yahoo – 1.0%

Right on the heels of my last Kicking Rocks piece which clamored for Bell’s call-up, the Diamondbacks finally said enough to the Cody Ransom/Ryan Roberts platoon they had working the hot corner this season.  With little or no legitimate production at the position, it made perfect sense for the team to give Bell a shot, if not for anything but to at least just kick the tires and see what they had.  It’s not like things could get worse, right?

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Headed into the season, the Red Sox outfield looked like a strength. Sure, Carl Crawford wasn’t going to be ready at the start of the season, but once he was, him Jacoby Ellsbury, and then a combo of Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney until Ryan Kalish got healthy — that sounded like a nice plan. Then the doctor came and gave the team the bad news. Their outfield had died.

But just because most of the Red Sox outfield has gotten bad news from the doctor doesn’t mean that you should just wash your hands of the unit and move on. After all, the Red Sox still score runs like an elite team, and even a one-category wonder like Sweeney can start to move the needle in runs and RBI thanks to their teammates. Let’s take a look at who’s playing now and where they should be owned.

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Today marks latest batch of trends in the American League outfield.

Bullish:
Mike Trout – I know that it is hard to be bullish on a kid who is as highly touted as Trout, but so far he has shown that he is as much production as we projected. His strikeout rate is a touch high, 22.7%, but he makes up for it with excellent power and speed. In just 88 plate appearances, he has four homers and 10 walks. To put that another way: he has as many walks as Albert Pujols does and Pujols has 176 PA’s this year. Trout is an absolute superstar in the making, if he isn’t already one. He is still available in 31% of Yahoo! formats somehow although ESPN leagues have been quicker to reel him in (that will be only Trout pun from me all season, I promise), as his ownership rating there is a healthy 94%. For anyone in any format in need of offense, Trout is a fantastic pickup.

Raul Ibanez – I’m surprised to say his name too. After his disaster of a 2011 season where he “hit” .245/.289/.419, he has shown that he isn’t finished just yet. Compare to last year, he has cut his strikeout rate in half to an unbelievably low 9.8% while upping his walk rate to 7.4%. I don’t expect that low strikeout rate to continue, but perhaps it is a sign of a major adjustment on his part? Just yesterday he hit his ninth home run of the year and a 25 home run season wouldn’t be shocking at this point. Given his surrounding lineup and his batting position of fifth against right handed pitching, his RBI totals should be nice shot in the arm as well. Once again we see that ESPN is quicker on the draw; his ownership rating there is 83% and it went up over 50% in the past week. Yahoo! lags behind considerably despite his LF and RF eligibility, he is only owned in 41% of leagues. Anyone in need of a solid OF bat that will play 4-5 times a week should pick up Ibanez. I know I am. Read the rest of this entry »

At just 18-years-old Jorge Bonifacio is tearing up the Midwest league. Bonifacio wasn’t a highly touted draftee like Francisco Lindor, last week’s prospect, nor was he an international free agent bonus baby either. Due to this lower profile coming into the season there is a high probability that he is still available in your league. The young outfielder is an intriguing prospect who may be worthy of a roster spot in deep leagues, but his elite statistics to this point in the season are misleading.

Bonifacio’s value is going to be dependent on where he plays defensively. Unlike his brother Emilio, he isn’t a fantastic athlete, or at least, he doesn’t profile to be on the left side of the defensive spectrum. The Royals have Jorge patrolling right field, where he showcases an above average to plus arm but less than desirable range. Some posit as Bonifacio’s body matures he’ll be forced to first base; but his arm could prevent a move. In defense of that position, he ready has an awkward body and he turns 19 in less than two weeks. A large increase to his frame could be detrimental to his range. It’s more likely than not that he sticks in right or left field, but it’s something to monitor as you weigh his value to your team. Read the rest of this entry »

Manny Ramirez is scheduled to begin a rehab stint for Triple-A Sacramento this weekend in anticipation of joining the Athletics on May 30 and… you know what? Let’s just get this right out of the way up front: Manny’s a cheat, a jerk, an abuser, and probably a number of other things too. Whatever you want to call him, it’s most likely true, and you’ll get little argument from me. That said, he’s also a bat with a Hall of Fame resume (if not, for various reasons, a likely enshrinee) and he’s available in just about every league with roughly three-quarters of the season remaining, so he’s worth checking into.

For the surprising A’s, hanging around in the race at 19-19, it’s not hard to see why they might be willing to take a chance here. Roundly expected to struggle greatly to score runs, they’ve done just that, as they’re currently tied with San Diego & Seattle for the second-worst wOBA in baseball, ahead of only the dreadful Pirates. Among full-time players – defined here as having 100 or more plate appearances – only the breakout season of Josh Reddick is anything more than league-average, as far as wOBA goes. The current DH tandem of Jonny Gomes & Kila Ka’aihue has been decent yet hardly irreplaceable, and with underwhelming performances from Seth Smith & Coco Crisp in left and Daric Barton at first base, there’s room to find playing time for those two elsewhere. Manny may or may not have anything left, but it certainly makes sense for the A’s to try at this point, and he’s expected to hit third or fourth in the lineup and become the primary designated hitter.

So Manny should get an opportunity. Great. Is there really any hope that he can produce? The A’s certainly won’t give him too long to find out, and May 30 is an important date; not only is it the day he’s scheduled to return, it’s also his 40th birthday, and that’s not exactly the age at which a hitter is considered “in his prime”.

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