RADIO
It's Week 3 and the stars are just beginning to align in the cosmos of the MLB. Injuries are rampant, waiver wires are scarce and Nelson Cruz home runs are abundant. Fantasy owners everywhere are vigorously trying to gain an edge quickly and enjoy early season success. But remember; baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.
Most people are easily duped at this point as the season. Valuable players are dropped due to injuries, big names are traded for possibly-good-in-the-future prospects -- it's madness. Don't listen to the little voice in the back of your mind. Trade smart and make sure you have the last laugh when the dust settles.
Week 3 Sell High Candidates
Stephen Vogt (C, OAK)
2015 has been a rough year for catchers. A shocking amount of the top guys at the position now find themselves on the DL, including the likes of Jonathan Lucroy, Devin Mesoraco and Travis d'Arnaud. Many others are just simply underperforming thus far (ahem, Evan Gattis and Yadier Molina.) Stephen Vogt, on the other hand, has been lighting up pitchers this season. The finally-full time catcher for the Athletics is batting .366 with 4 HR, 12 RBI and 7 R through only 12 games.
Vogt holds a ton of value going forward at the scarce catcher position. Look through the rosters in your league, find the owner who was starting an aforementioned injured catcher and dangle Vogt in front of him or her. Odds are, you can get a pretty solid pitcher out of it. If you have a serviceable backup, this is one of the best opportunities you'll have to upgrade another position all year.
Devon Travis (2B, TOR)
There was a ton of hype surrounding the young prospect's entrance into the majors in 2015. Well, now we know why. Travis has been the best rookie hitter in the league thus far, batting .356 with 3 HR, 12 RBI and 9R for the Toronto Jays. Right now, he is one of the most tantalizing assets in dynasty/keeper leagues not only for his age, but also because he plays at the of the league's thinnest positions. The 24 year-old second baseman has a promising career ahead of him.
Yet, it's unlikely he'll continue on his current path of dominance. In reality, Travis isn't projected to bat anywhere near .300, nor did anyone expect him to immediately score over 20 HR nor 20 SB. Like most rookies, he will see his due regression come at some point this year. But for now, a good sales pitch could land you some top tier talent in return for Travis.
Matt Carpenter (3B, STL)
Carpenter is by no means an undervalued baseball player. He leads the league in runs scored for the past two years and hits for pretty good average. Aside from that, there's not much to say in terms of counting stats. In the small chunk of 2015 we've seen, Carpenter is on fire at the plate, batting .400 with 2 HR and 10 RBI. Perhaps this is the year Carpenter finds some power, becoming a legitimate 20 HR and 100 R threat. Speculation aside, Carpenter is one of the most consistent players in baseball and now he's got some serious upside. He would have held weight in trade conversations before the season started. Now, he's likely to garner a lot more respect. Later in the year, when Carpenter returns to his tendency to keep the ball low, you might be pleased with whatever piece you receive from the swap.
Week 3 Buy Low Candidates
Jason Kipnis (2B, CLE)
Many were skeptical of Kipnis's value heading into the 2015 season. After being one of the most valuable fantasy assets of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Kipnis endured a miserable 2014 campaign plagued with injuries and inefficient plate appearances. So, for good reason, there were a considerable amount of Kipnis-haters before the start of the year. Now, the haters are starting to look credible as Kipnis is batting a paltry .224 with no HR and only 1 SB. We're rapidly approaching the point where Kipnis-owners become fed up with the declining performance and start to look for a way out.
You can and should be that way out. Offer up your fourth outfielder who has stolen a few bases already and most impatient owners will be glad to drop the liability at second base. More likely than not, Kipnis will turn it around and contribute some solid counting stats at a position that is lacking severely in that department.
Ryan Braun (OF, MIL)
Braun, along with every other miserable player finding themselves in Milwaukee tonight, is off to a despicable start to the 2o15 season. Well, it's despicable for Ryan Braun. The former league MVP is batting .238 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Milwaukee is sporting the worst offense as of yet in 2015, and no one on the ravaged roster is benefiting from one another's play. But, that's bound to turn around eventually. Along with Braun, guys like Jonathan Lucroy and Jean Segura will bounce back as the season goes on.
We all know what Braun can do. With the current outlook in Milwaukee, especially in light of Lucroy's trip to the DL, many owners will be down on Braun's value going forward. Find Braun's owner in your league, convince him or her that the outfielder's worth is all based on name value and - boom- you've got yourself one of the league's most dangerous outfielders for a hefty discount.
Jonathan Lucroy (C, MIL)
As mentioned, Lucroy is headed to the DL with a broken toe. Obviously, a broken toe is a very serious issue for a catcher. Obviously, a 4-6 week stint on the DL is devastating for most owners, seeing as a high draft pick was likely dispensed on Lucroy. Obviously, enduring almost two months with a player occupying your only DL spot is an extreme pain. This is all obvious. No one wants to deal with a Lucroy injury at this point of the season. In addition to the long absence, Lucroy was having a terrible start to his season. None of these facts bode well for Lucroy's value.
Most owners would say he's worthless at the moment, some going as far to drop the former star from their roster. Listen, it's not easy to buy into a catcher with a broken toe this early in the season. But, when Lucroy does return in June, he is likely to regain his prowess from years past and remain one of the most valuable assets at the position. Right now, you can probably get him for dirt cheap. Toss out any healthy, half-decent platoon guy on a hot streak and you can probably land Lucroy and enjoy a prosperous remainder of the season come late June.
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