Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - AL

April 19, 2010 @ 14:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - NL

Fantasy baseball waivers and the acquisition of fantasy baseball free agents can make or break your season. Your fantasy baseball cheat sheets won't help you after spring training. If your team remains the same after opening day, you will have trouble competing in your rotisserie baseball league.

Do you need to replace your fantasy baseball busts? Which fantasy baseball players can you ignore? KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market gives you fantasy baseball tips and insight to sort through the masses quickly.

Key

 

Corner infielders

Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals

Gordon (thumb) will start at third base following his activation from the 15-day DL Saturday. He was needed earlier than expected because of Chris Getz's oblique strain. Gordon, 26, went 7-for-21 in a brief rehab stint and is deep CI help for those that need a power bat (16 homers in '08, 15 '07). For his discounted mixed price, it's worth seeing if Gordon can meet his big hype.

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Acquire

AL-only: Acquire

Russell Branyan, 1B, Cleveland Indians

Branyan (back) will return from the 15-day DL tomorrow and man first base regularly. The 34-year-old smoked 31 homers last year, 11 more than his previous career high. He's 34, has never hit lefties well and had only reached 20 homers in a season once before, but the power wasn't completely out of left field - he had displayed ample pop in platoon duty.

As long as you're aware of when he'd face a left-handed arm, it wouldn't hurt having him on a deep mixed roster as an occasional play. Don't keep your ties strong - the Indians still have Michael Brantley at their fingertips to recall if Branyan slips up.

That guy? Again? Gordon may break out

Shallow mixed: Watch

Deep mixed: Watch

AL-only: Acquire

Outfielders

Fred Lewis, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays acquired Lewis Thursday as a backup, but he has started in left field in the last two days. There's a decent shot at this continuing against right-handers for the near future: Jose Bautista has struggled to a .191 average in 47 at-bats; his versatility might look better off the bench. Travis Snider is also slumping as still has minor league options left.

Lewis, a lefty hitter, also has a clear shot for at-bats as long as Edwin Encarnacion (arm) remains sidelined. Lewis can be a solid speed option with a mild power contribution (nine homers, 81 runs and 21 steals in 468 at-bats, 2008).

Shallow mixed: Pass

Deep mixed: Watch

AL-only: Acquire

Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - NL

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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