Today’s Roto Riteup is going to focus on left fielders. Because it does, that’s why.
– The Blue Jays have made a decision about their LF opening, and the job has been handed over to Eric Thames. Thames wasn’t a hyped prospect, but he’s shown power in Double-A, Triple-A, and the major leagues. Thames strikeout rate is a bit concerning, but he can be a good outfielder for you if you are willing to play him against only right-handed pitching.
Before I begin, please allow me to congratulate both Craig Kimbrel and Jeremy Hellickson for winning their respective league’s 2011 Rookie of the Year awards. It was the first time since 1981 when Dave Righetti (NYY- AL) and Fernando Valenzuela (LAD- NL) won that each league’s award went to a pitcher in the same season. Both seemed deserving of such esteemed honors, although one brings on a greater debate than the other. Kimbrel, with a record 46 saves by a rookie, finished with a 2.10 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and an eye-popping 127 strikeouts in 77 innings of work. Hellickson, starter of 29 games and winner of 13, finished the season with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and notched 117 Ks in a rookie-leading 189 innings. I could talk about peripherals and who was more deserving and what not, but that’s neither here nor there right now. What is important is how winning this award affects the value of each player in 2012 fantasy baseball drafts. All too often, players are drafted based on name and hype and winning the Rookie of the Year award certainly helps build both. So before you go breaking the bank to acquire this year’s crop, allow me to point out that you should probably keep your expectations low.
Here are three players with low ownership rates who could pay immediate dividends in fantasy leagues:
Eric Hinske, Atlanta Braves (owned in 6% of Yahoo! leagues)
Anyone in a league with daily transactions should have Hinske on their roster. He may only be a platoon player, but he is destroying RHP this season. He has a .974 OPS versus righties, including a .326 AVG with 4 HR in 89 ABs this season. Yes, that comes with a BABIP of .379 versus RHP. It may not last the whole season. But there is no reason not to pick him up and ride him while he is hot.
Nick Hundley, San Diego Padres (owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues)
In his last seven games, Hundley is batting .522 with 2 HR and 8 RBIs. Hundley most likely will not keep his current .306 AVG but he does have pretty good power and currently has an 11.8 HR/FB rate. (U) ZiPS forecasts him to finish with 11 HR and even 15 would not be a surprise for the 26-year old. Hundley splits time with Yorvit Torrealba although no strong patterns have emerged. Hundley catches Mat Latos for the most part while Torreabla has a similar relationship with Kevin Correia. If Hundley breaks away to become the primary catcher for the Padres, he could be a boon to fantasy owners.
Ronny Paulino, Florida Marlins (owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues)
Since John Baker went on the disabled list on May 15th, Paulino has a .308 AVG with 8 R and 13 RBIs in 18 games and 16 starts. Baker is still several weeks away from returning and even when he does come back, Paulino should still see the bulk of the playing time versus LHP. Versus southpaws, Paulino has a .377 AVG with 2 HR and 14 RBIs in 61 ABs this year. Lifetime versus lefties Paulino has a .339/.393/.494 mark in 494 PA.