The first couple weeks of the season are pretty funny to watch from a fantasy baseball perspective. I usually call it fickle season. Everybody is paying extra attention to their teams right now, so people are often compelled to roster players they have either never heard of previously (
Sam Fuld, to name one prominent example) or never would have considered before.
I hate to keep picking on
Willie Bloomquist -- I'm sure he's a nice guy and all -- but there's a reason for it. Do you realize that he is owned in 74 percent of Y! leagues and 61.4 percent of ESPN.com leagues right now? Seriously. That means he's owned in more Y! leagues than
Jordan Zimmermann and
Carlos Beltran and in more ESPN.com leagues than
Kurt Suzuki and
Gavin Floyd. Bizarro world, I tell you.
Let's all reconvene about a month from now and see where Mr. Bloomquist stands. Deal?
MIXED LEAGUESKyle Farnsworth RP, Rays (Yahoo: 36 percent owned, ESPN: 6.6 percent)
Don't laugh. I'm serious about this one. The Rays have only had two save situations so far this season and Joe Maddon has turned to Farnsworth for both of them. The 35-year-old right-hander pitched a perfect inning against the White Sox last Friday and fanned two in a spotless ninth against the Red Sox on Tuesday night. While Farnsworth gets a lot of grief sometimes, he actually pitched quite well last season and has averaged 9.0 K/9 for his career. I still think young left-hander
Jake McGee will have the job before the end of the season, but Farnsworth is the one to own in this bullpen right now.
David Freese 3B, Cardinals (Yahoo: 37 percent owned, ESPN: 47.3 percent)
Freese was a major question mark coming into spring training after undergoing surgeries on both ankles, but you wouldn't know it by his current output. He's batting .324/.359/.541 with two homers and six RBI over his first 37 at-bats, including his current streak of four consecutive multi-hit games. The 27-year-old Freese was batting over .300 before his ankle problems resurfaced last June, so there's reason to believe he can be a palatable fantasy option at the hot corner. If you're looking for someone to fill in for
Ryan Zimmerman or
Evan Longoria at third base for a couple weeks, here's your man.
David Murphy OF, Rangers (Yahoo: 36 percent owned, ESPN: 5.1 percent)
The Rangers have lost
Josh Hamilton for 6-8 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of the humerus bone in his right shoulder. The reigning AL MVP is nearly impossible to replace, but Murphy proved last September (.355, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB) that he is capable of being an adequate substitute. I'm not saying Murphy is a lock to repeat those numbers, but he puts a hurting on right-handed pitching (.842 career OPS) and possesses sneaky speed. He's a definite buy in deeper mixed formats.
Josh Willingham OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 15.8 percent)
I almost included Willingham in last week's column, but he's all the more relevant following
Josh Hamilton's injury. The 32-year-old outfielder was on the way to a career-year last season before a knee injury eventually led to surgery. I wouldn't worry too much about his early numbers (17/4 K/BB ratio over 41 at-bats), as they are wildly out of step with his career norms. "The Hammer" probably won't hit for a high batting average, but he gets on base enough (.366 career OBP) and offers 20-plus homer power.
Chris Narveson SP, Brewers (Yahoo: 41 percent owned, ESPN: 30.2 percent)
Narveson was one of my favorite deep sleepers over the winter and he's making me look pretty good right now. The 29-year-old southpaw has tossed 13 scoreless innings over his first two starts to go along with a 14/4 K/BB ratio. He struggled a bit with runners on base last season, but remember that he posted a 3.89 ERA over 14 starts after the All-Star break. If he can come close to those numbers over a full season in 2011, he'll have real value in mixed leagues. Give him a try against the Nationals on Friday.
Derek Holland SP, Rangers (Yahoo: 27 percent owned, ESPN: 10.9 percent)
I debated including
Alexi Ogando among this week's recommendations. I certainly think he has a chance to help fantasy owners in the short-term, but I'm worried about an eventual innings-limit. That's why I advocate selling more than buying. Meanwhile, Holland is someone that I think can be an asset all year long. The 24-year-old left-hander has flown under the radar in some mixed leagues, despite posting a 2.25 ERA and an impressive 11/3 K/BB ratio over his first two starts. Holland showed some nice building blocks last season, so hopefully this is the year he puts it all together.
Maicer Izturis 2B/3B/SS, Angels (Yahoo: 40 percent owned, ESPN: 51.9 percent)
Izturis has started four out of the last five games at shortstop as he fills in for
Erick Aybar, who is currently on the disabled list with an oblique injury. The 30-year-old utility infielder is a known commodity among most fantasy owners at this point, so he doesn't need much of an introduction here. He'll give you a decent batting average along with some pop and speed. We're talking about a stop-gap option here, but he's a perfectly respectable one if you're waiting for Aybar or
Rafael Furcal to return.
Dexter Fowler OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 35 percent owned, ESPN: 47.5 percent)
Lots of things to like about Fowler right now. The 25-year-old center fielder has batted leadoff in all nine of his starts this season. And while a .250 batting average doesn't exactly knock you over, he has a .340 on-base percentage thanks to six walks. By the way, he has drawn walks at a rate of around 12 percent in the majors, so there's reason to believe this is sustainable. Getting on base is obviously a very good thing with this Rockies lineup, as Fowler is already among the league leaders with 10 runs scored. Throw in the potential for stolen bases and you have someone who should be owned in most mixed leagues moving forward.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Sergio Santos RP, White Sox (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)
Have any other bright ideas? If anything, Santos might be Ozzie Guillen's best option for the ninth inning by default, as
Jesse Crain,
Chris Sale and
Matt Thornton all played a part in giving up a three-run lead to the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. It certainly helps that Santos has pitched very well so far this season, posting a 9/3 K/BB ratio over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The closer role figures to be a very fluid situation in the short-term -- and I'd watch left-hander
Chris Sale, as well -- but the 27-year-old right-hander is worth an add if you're willing to speculate.
Jeff Francis SP, Royals (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 6.8 percent)
It's not often that you can say this, but Dayton Moore may have scored one of the best bargains of the offseason. Francis, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract in January, has a 2.61 ERA and 13/3 K/BB ratio over his first three starts as a member of the Royals. In truth, the 30-year-old southpaw didn't really pitch all that poorly with the Rockies last season, averaging 5.78 K/9 and 1.98 BB/9 to go along with an xFIP of 3.79 and a career-high ground ball rate of 47 percent. Francis is a bit of a health risk because of his past shoulder problems, but he's already the best fantasy bet in this Royals' starting rotation.
The first couple weeks of the season are pretty funny to watch from a fantasy baseball perspective. I usually call it fickle season. Everybody is paying extra attention to their teams right now, so people are often compelled to roster players they have either never heard of previously (
Sam Fuld, to name one prominent example) or never would have considered before.
I hate to keep picking on
Willie Bloomquist -- I'm sure he's a nice guy and all -- but there's a reason for it. Do you realize that he is owned in 74 percent of Y! leagues and 61.4 percent of ESPN.com leagues right now? Seriously. That means he's owned in more Y! leagues than
Jordan Zimmermann and
Carlos Beltran and in more ESPN.com leagues than
Kurt Suzuki and
Gavin Floyd. Bizarro world, I tell you.
Let's all reconvene about a month from now and see where Mr. Bloomquist stands. Deal?
MIXED LEAGUESKyle Farnsworth RP, Rays (Yahoo: 36 percent owned, ESPN: 6.6 percent)
Don't laugh. I'm serious about this one. The Rays have only had two save situations so far this season and Joe Maddon has turned to Farnsworth for both of them. The 35-year-old right-hander pitched a perfect inning against the White Sox last Friday and fanned two in a spotless ninth against the Red Sox on Tuesday night. While Farnsworth gets a lot of grief sometimes, he actually pitched quite well last season and has averaged 9.0 K/9 for his career. I still think young left-hander
Jake McGee will have the job before the end of the season, but Farnsworth is the one to own in this bullpen right now.
David Freese 3B, Cardinals (Yahoo: 37 percent owned, ESPN: 47.3 percent)
Freese was a major question mark coming into spring training after undergoing surgeries on both ankles, but you wouldn't know it by his current output. He's batting .324/.359/.541 with two homers and six RBI over his first 37 at-bats, including his current streak of four consecutive multi-hit games. The 27-year-old Freese was batting over .300 before his ankle problems resurfaced last June, so there's reason to believe he can be a palatable fantasy option at the hot corner. If you're looking for someone to fill in for
Ryan Zimmerman or
Evan Longoria at third base for a couple weeks, here's your man.
David Murphy OF, Rangers (Yahoo: 36 percent owned, ESPN: 5.1 percent)
The Rangers have lost
Josh Hamilton for 6-8 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of the humerus bone in his right shoulder. The reigning AL MVP is nearly impossible to replace, but Murphy proved last September (.355, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB) that he is capable of being an adequate substitute. I'm not saying Murphy is a lock to repeat those numbers, but he puts a hurting on right-handed pitching (.842 career OPS) and possesses sneaky speed. He's a definite buy in deeper mixed formats.
Josh Willingham OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 15.8 percent)
I almost included Willingham in last week's column, but he's all the more relevant following
Josh Hamilton's injury. The 32-year-old outfielder was on the way to a career-year last season before a knee injury eventually led to surgery. I wouldn't worry too much about his early numbers (17/4 K/BB ratio over 41 at-bats), as they are wildly out of step with his career norms. "The Hammer" probably won't hit for a high batting average, but he gets on base enough (.366 career OBP) and offers 20-plus homer power.
Chris Narveson SP, Brewers (Yahoo: 41 percent owned, ESPN: 30.2 percent)
Narveson was one of my favorite deep sleepers over the winter and he's making me look pretty good right now. The 29-year-old southpaw has tossed 13 scoreless innings over his first two starts to go along with a 14/4 K/BB ratio. He struggled a bit with runners on base last season, but remember that he posted a 3.89 ERA over 14 starts after the All-Star break. If he can come close to those numbers over a full season in 2011, he'll have real value in mixed leagues. Give him a try against the Nationals on Friday.
Derek Holland SP, Rangers (Yahoo: 27 percent owned, ESPN: 10.9 percent)
I debated including
Alexi Ogando among this week's recommendations. I certainly think he has a chance to help fantasy owners in the short-term, but I'm worried about an eventual innings-limit. That's why I advocate selling more than buying. Meanwhile, Holland is someone that I think can be an asset all year long. The 24-year-old left-hander has flown under the radar in some mixed leagues, despite posting a 2.25 ERA and an impressive 11/3 K/BB ratio over his first two starts. Holland showed some nice building blocks last season, so hopefully this is the year he puts it all together.
Maicer Izturis 2B/3B/SS, Angels (Yahoo: 40 percent owned, ESPN: 51.9 percent)
Izturis has started four out of the last five games at shortstop as he fills in for
Erick Aybar, who is currently on the disabled list with an oblique injury. The 30-year-old utility infielder is a known commodity among most fantasy owners at this point, so he doesn't need much of an introduction here. He'll give you a decent batting average along with some pop and speed. We're talking about a stop-gap option here, but he's a perfectly respectable one if you're waiting for Aybar or
Rafael Furcal to return.
Dexter Fowler OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 35 percent owned, ESPN: 47.5 percent)
Lots of things to like about Fowler right now. The 25-year-old center fielder has batted leadoff in all nine of his starts this season. And while a .250 batting average doesn't exactly knock you over, he has a .340 on-base percentage thanks to six walks. By the way, he has drawn walks at a rate of around 12 percent in the majors, so there's reason to believe this is sustainable. Getting on base is obviously a very good thing with this Rockies lineup, as Fowler is already among the league leaders with 10 runs scored. Throw in the potential for stolen bases and you have someone who should be owned in most mixed leagues moving forward.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)
Sergio Santos RP, White Sox (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)
Have any other bright ideas? If anything, Santos might be Ozzie Guillen's best option for the ninth inning by default, as
Jesse Crain,
Chris Sale and
Matt Thornton all played a part in giving up a three-run lead to the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. It certainly helps that Santos has pitched very well so far this season, posting a 9/3 K/BB ratio over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The closer role figures to be a very fluid situation in the short-term -- and I'd watch left-hander
Chris Sale, as well -- but the 27-year-old right-hander is worth an add if you're willing to speculate.
Jeff Francis SP, Royals (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 6.8 percent)
It's not often that you can say this, but Dayton Moore may have scored one of the best bargains of the offseason. Francis, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract in January, has a 2.61 ERA and 13/3 K/BB ratio over his first three starts as a member of the Royals. In truth, the 30-year-old southpaw didn't really pitch all that poorly with the Rockies last season, averaging 5.78 K/9 and 1.98 BB/9 to go along with an xFIP of 3.79 and a career-high ground ball rate of 47 percent. Francis is a bit of a health risk because of his past shoulder problems, but he's already the best fantasy bet in this Royals' starting rotation.
AL ONLYCorey Patterson OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)
Rajai Davis was placed on the disabled list earlier this week with a nagging injury to his right ankle, opening the door for Patterson to receive regular playing time in center field. He has taken advantage of the opportunity thus far, putting together three straight multi-hit games. The 31-year-old hit eight homers and stole 21 bases over just 340 plate appearances with the Orioles last season, so he is capable of providing value in a pinch. He could even be useful in some mixed leagues if you're chasing steals.
Wilson Betemit 3B, Royals (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.5 percent)
Betemit began the season on the bench, but recently found his way into the lineup due to the slumping
Mike Aviles. It's safe to say he might not sit down again for a while. Betemit is batting .379 (11-for-29) so far this season and has hit safely in five consecutive starts, four of them coming at third base. The 29-year-old probably won't win you many fantasy leagues on his own, but he did bat .297/.378/.511 with 13 home runs over 315 plate appearances last season. The best-case scenario is that he holds down the starting third base job until top prospect
Mike Moustakas is ready for the big leagues this summer.
Chris Davis 1B, Rangers (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)
Another beneficiary of the
Josh Hamilton situation, Davis got the call from Triple-A Round Rock this week after batting .429 with four homers and 11 RBI over his 21 at-bats this season. The 25-year-old doesn't have anything left to prove down there, but he has batted just .248 with 278 strikeouts over 806 at-bats in the major leagues. Rangers manager Ron Washington has indicated that
Mitch Moreland could see some time in the outfield, so it's possible that Davis could grab some at-bats at first base if he swings the bat well enough. With his power potential, it's a chance every AL-only should take.
Luke Hochevar SP, Royals (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 1.3 percent)
Why am I recommending someone who has given up six home runs over their first three starts? Because there's absolutely no way that he'll have a 25 percent home-run to fly-ball ratio for the entire season, that's why. Putting aside the ugly 5.30 ERA, I'm willing to gamble on someone who has a 12/2 K/BB ratio over their first 18 2/3 innings, especially when they have the Mariners on tap this weekend. I'm optimistic there's still some upside left with this former 2006 No. 1 overall pick.
NL ONLYJonathan Lucroy C, Brewers (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
Lucroy became a bit of a forgotten man in fantasy leagues after breaking the pinkie finger on his throwing hand during spring training, but he was activated from the disabled list this week. The 24-year-old backstop batted .253/.300/.329 over 297 plate appearances in his rookie season last year, which isn't much to crow about, but he makes good contact (85.2 percent in 2010) and has a pretty solid approach at the plate. There's something to be said for playing everyday, so Lucroy should be rostered in most NL-only leagues.
Miguel Batista RP, Cardinals (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)
Nope, your eyes aren't fooling you here.
Ryan Franklin has blown three out of his first four save opportunities this season, which has people wondering who could be next in line for save opportunities. We all know how much Tony La Russa loves his veterans and he basically said the other day that
Jason Motte and
Mitchell Boggs aren't ready for the job. That might leave Batista as the odds-on favorite. He's not exactly the sexiest name of the bunch, but remember he did save 31 games with the Blue Jays in 2005. For some managers, experience in the job means something.
Jamey Carroll 2B/3B/SS/OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 6 percent owned, ESPN: 0.6 percent)
Carroll was already getting some playing time at second base with the injuries to
Casey Blake, but now he'll slide over to shortstop as
Rafael Furcal is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a broken left thumb. The 37-year-old Carroll doesn't really have any power to speak of, but he did hit .291 to go along with a .379 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases last season. Considering his multi-position eligibility, he could even have some value in deeper mixed leagues where you use a MI (middle infield) spot.
Chris Capuano SP, Mets (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
Capuano's first start doesn't look great on the surface, but aside from the home run ball, he was actually pretty solid. The 32-year-old southpaw struck out eight and walked just one over six innings. Listen, Capuano is going to give up his fair share of home runs (39.8 percent fly ball rate), but it's less of a concern when he pitches at Citi Field. The important part is that he is healthy, throwing harder than he did before his two Tommy John surgeries and is coming off a year where he averaged 7.36 K/9 and 2.86 BB/9. Worth speculating.