We are in the second week of the year and the seasoned fantasy daytrader knows that this is the hardest time to differentiate between a promising start and a fluke run. While guys like John Buck, Daniel Nava, and Vernon Wells will all even out eventually, there are plenty of hot starters that can sustain good fantasy production the rest of the way. Let’s take a look at some worthwhile fantasy baseball pickups and a few guys that already look like duds.
Evan Gattis: Strong Buy. There are several catchers making themselves known in the first games of the year, including John Buck and Tyler Flowers. Gattis seems to be the more exciting one, though Brian McCann‘s inevitable return hurts his long-term value. Gattis is batting .391 with three homers and six RBI in his first six games as a Major Leaguer. He hit 40 homers in just 162 games over his last two seasons in the minors and batted over .300 each of those years. You won’t find too many high-upside options at catcher so he’s definitely worth grabbing.
Brandon Moss: Strong Buy. Until last season, Moss was as irrelevant as you could get. Upon coming over to the A’s last season, Moss crushed 21 homers, drove in 52 and batted .291 in just 84 games. He is off to a nice start this year with two homers, 10 RBI, and six runs. He can provide your team with a steady dose of power if you’re lacking.
Justin Masterson: Solid Buy. It was only a season ago that Masterson won 12 games and put up a 3.21 ERA. He’s off to a great start this season, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 13 K over 13 IP. Don’t expect much better than a 7 K/9 but he can be a solid pitcher in a rotation where there are few.
Paul Maholm: Solid Buy. Maholm is coming off a great spring training and while he is a middle-of-the-road pitcher, he did put up a 3.66 ERA over this last two seasons. He is off to a great start, going 2-0 without allowing a run in his first 12.2 IP. He has given up just seven hits and four walks while striking out 13. His 5.5-6 K/9 limits his fantasy potential but he is a solid pitcher on a very good team and should put up solid wins, ERA, and hopefully WHIP.
Matt Adams: Deep League Buy. I’ve been sold on Matt Adams for a while but unfortunately the Cards aren’t playing him every day so his value right now is mostly for NL-only or deep leagues. Adams hit 50 homers and drove in 151 runs while batting above .300 over his last two seasons in the minors (182 games). He’s off to a nice start despite limited time this year, going 9 for 14 with two homers, seven RBI, and four runs scored. He’s a great player to have stashed away and occasionally start when match-ups dictate.
Chris Parmelee: Deep League Buy. Parmelee is a former top 100 prospect who hit 17 homers in just 64 minor league games last season. He’s off to a solid start so far with a .296 BA, one homer, five RBI, and three runs scored. I think he has a decent shot at Rookie of the Year but for the time being his value is mostly limited to deep and AL-only leagues.
Sell:
Jason Motte: It looks like the Cards closer is going to need Tommy John surgery so if you have him stashed for later on I think you’d do best to get rid of him now and free up that DL or bench spot.
Roy Halladay: Things just keep getting worse for the former Cy Young award winner. After putting up a career-high 4.49 ERA and 1.22 WHIP last season, Halladay had a flat out awful spring training which has spilled over into the season. He has lasted just 7.1 innings in his first two starts against the Braves and the Mets, giving up 12 earned runs, 12 hits, six walks, and three homers. No one has been a bigger Halladay fan throughout his career than me but if you expect him to rebound I question your reasoning.
Matt Harrison: Harrison just landed on the disabled list with a back issue but the bigger problem is his production. In his first two games against the Astros and the Angels, Harrison gave up 10 earned runs, 14 hits, seven walks, and two homers – lasting just 10.2 innings. He has put up two nice looking seasons, putting up a 3.34 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over that time, but he just hasn’t looked good, even against the desperate Astros. Hopefully a DL stint can get him back on track. Don’t hold your breath.
Greg Holland: Though the Royals claim they are sticking with Holland, he has now given up four runs, five hits, and six walks in just three innings. With a blown save and a loss, Holland has allowed Kelvin Herrera to step in and save two games while giving up just one walk and two hits (striking out 10!) in 4.1 innings. One more bad game from Holland and Herrera should own the ninth-inning on a permanent basis.
