RADIO
Every good salesman knows that buyers love excitement. The naive buyer will pay a lot to discover what lies behind door number three, often going against his or her best interest. Why should fantasy baseball be any different?
Kris Bryant represents the epitome of this concept. Without receiving a single major league at-bat prior to 2015, Bryant was one of the highest ranked third baseman going into the draft. Apparently, proving competency in the majors is no longer a necessity. Of course, everyone knew that Bryant would break out. Even though there questions regarding when he would reach his full potential, few owners hesitated to scoop him up at a high premium in the draft.
Listen - not everyone can be Jose Abreu. Many of the leagues best players took a few years to develop into their elite current forms. It's always good to roster a few high-risk, high-upside guys. But it's much wiser to deal away guys while their value may be at its peak - before they even swing the bat. It's time to trade away those tantalizing assets for some proven, consistent MLB talent.
Sell High Candidates for Week 8
Carlos Correa (SS, HOU)
After Kris Bryant, Correa was the most highly touted prospect heading into the 2015 MLB season. The short stop prodigy tore his way through Double-A early this year. In 60 AB for Triple-A Fresno, Correa is slashing .288/.367/.481 with 2 HR and 3 SB. That is monstrous production for the SS position. It's expected that Correa will find himself on the Astros roster sooner rather than later this season.
As a result, he's being snatched up in all fantasy league formats in anticipation of a dominant MLB career. However, this man has never swung a bat for a major league club before. Pick up Correa off the waiver wire, dangle him in front of your fellow owners and watch them salivate. You'll get a nice piece in return and then don't look back.
Rusney Castillo (OF, BOS)
Castillo is the most recent hot shot to be called up from the Minors to play for a big league team. The 27 year-old outfielders was one of Cuba's biggest stars before coming over to play in the US. Not only, does Castillo have only 48 total MLB AB in two seasons, but also he only played in 18 games in the minors before receiving the call up.
It's largely unknown what Castillo will be able to do for an MLB team. He did show plenty of hope to owners in his brief Red Sox stint in 2014, batting .333 ith 2 HR and 3 SB is only 36 AB. Now that he's back, observers and onlookers are dying to know what he can do. Call up a fellow thrill-seeker in your league and see how much they are willing to part with for a chance at something great.
Josh Hamilton (OF, TEX)
To be clear, Hamilton is far from a rookie, in every sense of that word. Still, the 34 year-old veteran is entering relatively unknown territory as he resumes MLB play with the Texas Rangers this week. Coming off major shoulder surgery and a self-reported relapse with cocaine and alcohol, no one knows what type of player Hamilton will be for the remainder of the season. Clearly the Angels were not the right fit for Hamilton. After five straight All-Star season, including the 2010 MVP award, Hamilton's performance took a serious loss in two injury-plagued campaigns in Los Angeles.
It's well-reported that the Rangers have a special way of dealing with Hamilton's special circumstances. Many are hoping that the shift back to Texas will be beneficial for Hamilton and will bring a return of the prolific numbers of years past. For me, that's a long shot. There's no player in the MLB shrouded in more uncertainty than Hamilton right now. If you're interested in taking extremely blind risks, then be my guest. I'll take the guy who's got his head in the game.
Buy Low Candidates for Week 8
Robinson Cano (2B, SEA)
This one is a no-brainer. Cano has been enduring a surprisingly pedestrian 2015 thus far. The perennial All-Star and MVP candidate is sporting a .247/.290/.333 line through 43 games and has been consistently disappointing all year. This decline in performance has left many onlookers scratching their heads and owners looking for an emergency escape plan.
Logically thinking, there is no reason for Cano's decline; so, there's no reason to believe that this poor level of production will continue. I've seen first-hand that owners are letting go of Cano for insanely low prices. If you can swap Cano for anything below an elite component, jump on the opportunity without even a second thought.
Christian Yelich (OF, MIA)
Yelich is providing a dismal campaign for the Marlins in 2015, batting .194 with only 1 HR and 1 SB. This is the first time the 23 year-old stud has had to endure any sort of adversity in his baseball career. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, shredded his way through the minors with an MiLB career line of .311/.386/.497 and impressed the critics with his 2014 rookie season. In his first full year in the MLB, Yelich batted .284 with 9 HR, 21 SB and a Gold Glove award to boot.
Now, Yelich seems lost at the plate and no one knows why. Because of his young age, a great deal of Yelich owners feel that his rookie campaign may have been a fluke and his initial value was too high. Listen - guys like Yelich don't shoot through the MLB prerequisites and present a spectacular rookie campaign and then just lose their mojo all of the sudden. Expect Yelich to relocate his magic soon and for desperate owners to part with him for a cheap price.
Mookie Betts (OF, BOS)
By no means has Betts been a total disappointment in 2015. Although his .233 BA is troubling, he's already collected 5 HR and 5 SB and may be on his way to a 20-20 season. However, the low .289 OBP is not what you want to see from a young speedster. Plus, now that Rusney Castillo will likely be occupying a spot in the outfield, the Red Sox have announced the plan to rotate Castillo, Betts and Shane Victorino among the two available outfield slots.
Victorino is currently on the DL, ensuring a safe roster spot for Betts for the time being. However, if he continues to strikeout and tally a lot of trips back to the dugout, he may be at risk to lose his starting role for the club. This is a scary situation for those who bought into Betts with an early draft pick. In reality, Shane Victorino is basically washed-up and Castillo is even less proven than Betts in the MLB. Expect the Red Sox to always find a spot for Betts somewhere on the field and for his consistency to rise as he settles into the season.
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