Another week has gone by, and yet another week without an Albert Pujols HR. I feel sorry for the teams he will face in May. But hey, Giancarlo Stanton now has 1 on the season. It’s about time that he heats up and start to crank multiple HR’s in a week in route to 40 bombs on the season. Good thing the season doesn’t end after April.
Here are a few guys you should pick up:
Devin Mesoraco (C, CIN)- He’s starting to play more. A very good hitting catcher with power.
Jose Altuve (2B, HOU)- He can hit. He doesn’t really have any power, but he can steal bases and hit for average. I’ll take a .300 AVG at an awful 2B position.
Bryan LaHair (1B/OF, CHC)- He’s still hitting. Putting those power 1B numbers in your #3 OF spot is a smart thing to do.
Chris Davis (1B/3B, BAL)- A few years ago Davis was my must have 40 HR potential 1B. I, as well as many others, drafted him in round 6. But then Texas started winning and had nowhere to play him. So he was shipped to Baltimore. And now he’s starting to hit homers on a consistent basis. Davis has always had 40 HR potential and should be considered a solid fantasy HR contributor. He’s a lock for 30 this year.
Adam Dunn (1B, CWS)- Consider him to be the same guy as two years ago. He will hit for an awful AVG while hitting 30 HR.
Pedro Alvarez (3B, PIT)- He had a huge ceiling, and now he’s hitting.
Zack Cozart (SS, CIN)- He’s in here every week. He struggled as the leadoff hitter, but he’s a beast in the #2 spot. He’s heating up once again. A rookie of the year candidate.
Jason Kubel (OF, ARI)- He is on fire right now. He is also batting 4th in a pretty good lineup. I fully expect him to do better than his career norms now that he plays for a contender. Which means I expect at least a .270 AVG with 25 HR. Pick him up right now.
Bryce Harper (OF, WAS)- More than likely he’s going to be sent back down when Michael Morse comes back. More than likely he was already claimed in your league. It’s just cool to own him and root for him above all. I expect him to hit just fine and contribute to any fantasy team as long as he he’s playing. He is as good as the hype. And I would know personally because I covered him many times last year, watched him play live, and interviewed him on multiple occasions.
Mike Trout (OF, LAA)- Yes, I like Harper over Trout. I keep hearing that Trout is more major league ready, but I disagree. Harper will have immediate success while Trout struggles. Harper is in a non pressure situation. Trout is hitting lead off for the Angels. With that being said, Trout has good long term value. I would scoop him up. His ceiling is through the roof and he can end up being a contributor that puts you over the top and wins you a championship.
JD Martinez (OF, HOU)- He’s going to put up decent #3-#4 OF numbers. He should do a little bit of everything. The average will dip at times.
Torii Hunter (OF, LAA)- He’s beginning a new hot streak. Pick him up if you want someone who is going to help you in the short term.
Jon Jay (OF, STL)- Don’t get your hopes up too much. Jay is a decent player. He should contribute somewhat in each category. He should hit around .300 as well.
Kyle Drabek (SP, TOR)- You better have him already. If he continues to get better and better he will be an ace by the end of the season.
Trevor Bauer (SP, ARI)- Pick him up and stash him. Wait for him to come up from AAA. He has to be the next big prospect to come up. His ERA in the minors is under a 1. Did I mention he was just drafted this past year?
Jarrod Parker (SP, OAK)- Young gun who was finally recalled last week. Has a high ceiling. Pitches in a great park.
Chris Capuano (SP, LAD)- Seems to be solid every outing.
Jerome Williams (SP, LAA)- 2 very favorite split matchups this week. His last two outings have been solid. Decent ceiling. Can strike people out.
Felipe Paulino (SP, KC)- Has one more rehab start before he rejoins the team. Pitched very well at the end last season and can put up some huge K numbers.
James McDonald (SP, PIT)- Great splits against his two opponents this week. He’s been good recently. Gets good K’s.
Charlie Morton (SP, PIT)- I liked him last year too. He pitches to a low ERA. Has good stuff. Highly undervalued. Won’t get many wins.
Anthony Bass (SP, SD)- His 3 starts have been great. His K’s have been through the roof. He doesn’t have the highest upside in the world, but anyone can pitch at Petco.
Bronson Arroyo (SP, CIN)- Mediocre and solid. He gives you a chance to get a quality start and win each outing. He’s nothing special though.
Kevin Correia (SP, PIT)- Pirates SP #3 that it’s okay to have. This old guy continuously pitches decently and puts up quality starts. Nothing wrong with that.
Scott Downs (RP, LAA)- Has taken over the closer job from Jordan Walden.
Alfredo Aceves (RP, BOS)- He’s the closer for Boston and he’s done well. I’m sure he isn’t their long term solution, but he’s getting saves.
Watch out for Kenley Jasen and Tyler Clippard. Both guys are not the current closers, but are in situations where they could be. If the guys in front of them continue to struggle it’s their job.
Sell high on Josh Hamilton. He almost got injured Sunday night and it’s only April. I would take the under on games played at 140. He gets hurt every year. If you can trade him high for massive value you should.
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Would you trade Pablo Sandoval for David Wright?
Yes. I like Sandoval more than Wright. I drafted Sandoval over Wright actually.
I’m trying to follow your advice and add Drabek but I’m not sure who to drop. I have both Altuve and Cozart. Who should I stick with? On the pitching side, I have Jays’ closer, and ERA/WHIP destroyer, Cordero. I was going to drop him when he loses the closer’s role but I’m worried Drabek might be gone by then. Thoughts? (I also have Mike Adams in case Nathan loses his job.)
First of all grab David Robertson right now since your worried about saves. I would also grab Drabek. It depends what you need long term from your hitter. Altuve will hit for a good average. 300 is possible. Cozart has more power. He can be a 15-20 HR guy.