Chris Young & Eric Campbell: Deep League Wire

We’re going to take our dumpster dive to the Big Apple this week and look at two players who have seen some significant playing time in the early going and are already providing help to owners. As a note, most of the players discussed in this column are better suited for mono leagues, and the ownership percentages come from CBS.

Chris Young / OF / New York Yankees / 10%

On a team whose starting outfield features Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, the 31-year-old Young might seem to be a strange recommendation given that he has no everyday job. And yet, he’s started eight out of the team’s first 13 games, notched plate appearances in two others, and he’s off to a hot start, already smashing three home runs, including a grand slam on Saturday.

Life with Young means a low batting average, though he’s walked often enough in his career to keep his OBP buoyed at somewhat acceptable levels. And while he’s no longer the 20-steal threat he was back in his prime, he’s still a candidate to approach double digits in swipes over the course of a full season.

The real selling point with Young, however, is how well he’s played since coming over to the Bronx late last year. He’s slashed .280/.351/.570 in 112 plate appearances since being traded last September, and has a career .912 OPS in 21 career games at Yankee Stadium. These are small sample sizes, to be sure, but it’s not like he’s the first man to enjoy hitting in the Bronx, and there’s enough potency in the Yankees lineup to offer him some protection, even if he hits toward the bottom of the order.

The Yankees, it need not be repeated, are not exactly a collection of young men at their physical peak, and injuries to Beltran, Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira would help give Young more playing time. When that happens, he’ll be worth a look in deeper mixed formats, but he’s already a decent flier in AL-only leagues.

Eric Campbell / 3B / New York Mets / 2%

It didn’t take long for David Wright to get hurt, as he strained his right hamstring while stealing a base last week. That’s led to everyday playing time for Campbell, 28, who was killing the ball at Triple-A in the week before his call-up and was a useful utility player for the team last season. He also figures to be given some responsibility in the Mets’ lineup for the next couple of weeks after injuries to Wright and Travis d’Arnaud; on Sunday, with Michael Cuddyer getting the day off, he was the team’s cleanup hitter.

Of course, there’s a reason that Campbell is 28 and has just 232 big league plate appearances to his resume: He’s at best more of a reserve player than a starting major leaguer. Still, both Steamer and ZiPS see a player who can provide league average production, and he has demonstrated an impressive ability to draw walks in the minors, which has led to a career .382 OBP down on the farm. Fantasy-wise, he also has outfield eligibility in most formats, and probably first base in many others as well, as he logged 18 games there last year.

But for better or for worse, Campbell is going to get his shot for an extended period of time. Wright is going to be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, probably three, and although the team could theoretically move Daniel Murphy to third base (or Wilmer Flores, for that matter), manager Terry Collins so far has shown an aversion to shaking up his double play duo. Campbell is nothing more than an NL-only play, to be sure, but he’s credible and versatile enough to find his way onto a handful of rosters in deeper leagues.