SOMEWHERE ON THE MASS PIKE – Not only does the month of April mean our beloved Yankees and Mets are back in action, but it also means that fantasy baseball is up and running once again. At this point, most fantasy baseball leagues are three weeks in, which mean’s that some fantasy owner’s may be going into a trading frenzy if their team hasn’t gotten off to the best start. So I bring you a guide of players to stay away from. Here’s a fantasy baseball lineup of players to stay away from in trades:
Catcher – Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians (.153, 2 Home Runs, 3 RBIs, 7 Runs): In most years, Santana is a coveted player by many owners, but his play has been pitiful this season. My guess is Santana’s poor performance at the plate is due to Indians manager Terry Francona deciding to stick the catcher at the hot corner. Last season Francona wanted to have the catcher split time at first base and catcher to rest his knees, but third is a whole different animal.
First Base – Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles (.255, 1 Home Run, 8 RBIs, 2 Stolen Bases): Maybe Davis’ breakthrough season a year ago was a fluke. It’s head scratching that Davis only has one dinger this season, which is less than his stolen base total. At this point last season, the O’s first baseman had six home runs, which might shine light on what’s to come for this slugger. It might be time for owners to move on from the former home run machine.
Second Base – Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners (.254, 1 Home Run, 8 RBIs): Yup, good ol’ Robbi Cano. Any Yankee fan could have told you that they saw this coming. Cano is now playing in a bigger ballpark, with less talent surrounding him, causing a dip in his numbers. Not to mention, he has four RBIs and one multi-hit game since April 6. Maybe it’s the beard?
Shortstop – Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies (.262, 2 Home Runs, 11 RBIs, 3 Stolen Bases): In all honesty, Jimmy Rollins is having a pretty good season as far as fantasy baseball goes, but compared to the rest of the shortstops in the league, his numbers are below par. Chances are good, J-Roll’s hot start won’t continue throughout the season. Since he’s on the older day, expect an uptick in routine off days; which fantasy owners hate.
Third Base – Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (Suspended): If for some reason you have Alex Rodriguez on your roster, you’re an idiot; and there are some people out there who own the suspended third baseman (he’s owned in 0.2% of leagues in ESPN.) And if someone tries to trade you A-Rod, tell your commissioner to kick that fool out of your league.
Outfield – The Los Angeles Dodgers Fantastic (Or Not So Fantastic) Four: On paper, having any of the Dodgers outfielders on one’s fantasy team sounds like a good idea. It’s not. Matt Kemp just came back from injury and is batting under .200. Carl Crawford hasn’t been the same since he left Tropicana Field years ago. Then there’s Yasiel Puig. Puig was on fire last season, and everyone knew the entertaining outfielder would come back to earth at some point. But who knew he would be batting under .250 just under one month into the season? Oh, and don’t forget about Andre Either! He’s just the odd man out. The problem for the Dodgers, is they have four good outfielders and not enough spots to play everyone at once. Try and stay away from one of these four.
Starting Pitcher – Bartolo Colon, New York Mets (1-3, 5.40 ERA, 1.48 WHIP): Look, I love Big Bart as much as the next guy, but I think Colon’s bottle of “Michael’s Secret Stuff” has ran out. He hasn’t been pitching all that great, and when he’s not on the mound, the camera keeps catching him during some less than flattering moments.
Relief Pitcher – The Houston Astros Closer-By-Committee: Are you one of those people who waited until the late rounds to draft your closers? Or maybe you like watching the waiver wire and see who everyone missed out on? Well stay away from each and every one of the pitchers in the Astros’ bullpen. Not only is this bullpen atrocious, but they always lose!
*NOTE: All statistics are as of the morning of April 20.*
On a side note… To those like Angry Ward, who don’t think I’m funny, take a load of this… My impersonation of the legendary anchorman, Ron Burgundy!
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