It's Time to Replace Nomar

August 18, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Eliott Wolbrom
Edited by Ryan Dodson

With what seems as sure as night turning to day, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra accomplished the inevitable by landing back on the disabled list due to a strained calf muscle. You could argue that he was put in a riskier environment by playing the hot corner as opposed to first base, but Nomar could be serving drinks in the owner's box instead, and you'd still find him spilling boiling coffee and injuring himself. Nomar is not the kind of player a fantasy owner should never feel comfortable with as he has only played over 140 games in any given season six times in his 12-year career.
With this latest injury, those owners who still owned and played Nomar regularly really won't be missing that much, as his overall production has been sub-par at best.

Table: Garciaparra's 2007 Statistics

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	TB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
397	37	111	6	57	3	144	36	.280	.326	.363

Even if Nomar does make an end-of-season return, owners should rid themselves of this walking DL, as there are better options available. Those of you who are prospect-suckers, may be wondering why and when Los Angeles Dodgers super-prospect Andy LaRoche (brother of Pittsburgh Pirates First Baseman Adam LaRoche) has not been called up to fill the void Nomar left. Turns out the injury plague extends all the way down to their minor league system as LaRoche is hurting down in Triple-A Las Vegas and isn't available to play. This is tough luck for those waiting for this gem to produce at the next level and certainly for their fantasy teams as LaRoche tore up Triple-A.

Table: LaRoche's 2007 Statistics at Triple-A Las Vegas

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
235	45	72	16	43	2	35	.306	.391	.591

Left with no other choice, the Dodgers recalled Shea Hillenbrand from Triple-A, but he isn't that good at third base anyway. Hillenbrand should definitely not be considered as he possesses no fantasy value. While LaRoche should get the call-up as soon as he gets healthy enough, owners in need of some help should look elsewhere for it.

One player to grab for Nomar is Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who is available in 97 percent of leagues polled. Inge is batting .241 with 12 home runs, 55 RBI and seven stolen bases and is plugged into a potent Tigers lineup. His production will far exceed Nomar's even had he not been placed on the DL. With the Tigers sitting on top of their division, and a lineup that simply thrives and produces power and runs, Inge will be the beneficiary of that production.

Another option is Kansas City Royals third baseman and super prospect Alex Gordon. Gordon entered the season with as much hype as any prospect but had been seemingly disappointing when matched up with some of the other rookies in the league; specifically Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence and Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Ryan Braun. Gordon of late, has been coming into his own, now batting .245 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He started out the season awfully, and at the end of May was stuck with a .195 batting average. He has since been considerably better batting .269 since the All-Star break. Gordon is available in 83 percent of leagues polled and would make for a superb replacement for Garciaparra.

The Garciaparra injury should shock no one, and if you had him on your team, release him.

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Eliott Wolbrom
Eliott has been with KFFL since 2007.

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