Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market

April 8, 2011 @ 20:09:43

By Nicholas Minnix
Edited by Tim Heaney

Your fantasy baseball cheat sheets are no longer of use. KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market series gives you tips on fantasy baseball players available as free agents, on waivers or for your FAAB dollars in your rotisserie or head-to-head baseball league. It's time to replace your fantasy baseball busts.

Key

Acquire	Add player (in most circumstances)
Consider	Add for speculation or because of need
Watch	Track player, consider if trend continues
Pass	Do not add player (in most circumstances)

 

Catchers

Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals

NL roto owners planned for it because this was the supposed plan for the course of 2011's campaign, and mixed leaguers can now react to it. Jim Riggleman has already announced that he plans to begin playing Ramos more often than Ivan Rodriguez.

Ramos has displayed only modest, at best, power in the minors; his future value was based largely on his results in the BA department and his potential to add ding dongs to the portfolio. The 6-foot, 220-pounder's .300-plus batting averages in the minors have come largely on the strength of his ability to drive the ball, not so much his plate discipline. Therefore, it's foreseeable that he'll be prone to more ups and downs in the bigs, at least initially.

Regardless, this backstop has some obvious upside. An increase in PT for a solid player at this position is worth a roster spot.

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Consider

AL-only: Acquire

Middle infielders

Luke Hughes, Minnesota Twins

The Twinkies will be without Tsuyoshi Nishioka for at least a month. They recalled Hughes in the corresponding DL move; he's expected to get the majority of the at-bats at the keystone, initially. Hughes, 26, collected six homers, plus 10 other hits, in 65 at-bats this spring. It should be noted that, although he has some solid power potential, that kind of output a little extreme. Duh.

Michael Cuddyer is reportedly going to get some starts at second, and Minnesota will likely mix in utility man Matt Tolbert along the way. Hughes' less-than-stellar ability to make contact makes him a likely BA drag, but if he pops a few here and there, he would easily have been worth the add. Note that he's unlikely to have 2B eligibility immediately in your league and adjust accordingly.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Pass

AL-only: Consider

Pitchers

Sam LeCure, Cincinnati Reds

This right-hander is going to start a few more games while Homer Bailey (shoulder) and Johnny Cueto (biceps) are sidelined. He was quite sharp in his first (five innings, three hits, two runs, two walks, six K's). The line might've looked better without a defensive miscue in the outfield, and he isn't completely stretched out yet.

LeCure doesn't have overpowering stuff and will probably look more ordinary against better comp than the Houston Astros. His minor league marks in K/9 of around 7.50 to 8.00 may not translate well to The Show, either, but his off-speed mix gives him a good chance to remain around 6.00 in that area. There is unlikely to be a ton of profit here, but he could easily be serviceable in matchup plays. The San Diego Padres (at PETCO) and Pittsburgh Pirates are on the horizon.

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Pass

NL-only: Acquire

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Nicholas Minnix

KFFL's baseball editor plays in LABR and Tout Wars and won the FSWA Baseball Industry Insiders League in 2010.

The University of Delaware alum is a regular guest on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and Baltimore's WNST AM 1570. Follow him on Twitter.

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