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Fantasy Baseball: Diamond Market - Falling

April 11, 2008 @ 05:08:20

Fantasy baseball waivers and discarded fantasy baseball players can make or break a season. You may have adjusted your fantasy baseball cheat sheets over and over during spring training. If your team remains the same after opening day, though, you will probably have trouble competing in your rotisserie baseball league. When is it time to give up on your fantasy baseball sleepers? Which players are worth retaining? KFFL.com's Diamond Market series gives you the fantasy baseball tips and advice you need to sort through the masses quickly.

Key

Discard - Drop player (in most circumstances)

Stash - Hold player if roster space is available; consider dropping if trend continues

Hold - Do not drop player (in most circumstances)

Catchers

None

First Basemen

None

Second Basemen

None

Third Basemen

Ty Wigginton, Houston Astros

A start that has produced a .250 average, one home run and two RBIs has not endeared Wigginton to fantasy owners early in the season. Of course, fantasy owners have not had much use for him since Saturday, April 5; he has been out since then with a broken bone on the tip of his left thumb. Wigginton will avoid a stint on the disabled list, but this does not help his fantasy value and could prolong his slump. Already a borderline player in shallow mixed leagues, Wigginton should be stashed in deep mixed leagues and held on to in NL-only leagues.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

NL-only: Hold

Shortstops

Orlando Cabrera, Chicago White Sox

Cabrera's early slump - he's hitting just .194 through his first eight games - has caused owners to dump him. That is a hasty move; he has a hit in three straight games at press time. A big reason for his low average early on came from a two-game stretch when he went 0-for-8. Those kinds of streaks can wreak havoc on a batting average this early in the season. Cabrera, who hit .301 with 86 RBIs and 101 runs last year, is still a crucial piece of the White Sox offense (he bats second in their lineup) and should not be dropped in leagues of any kind.

Shallow mixed: Hold

Deep mixed: Hold

AL-only: Hold

Outfielders

Jose Guillen, Kansas City Royals

Guillen received the good news he was hoping for when MLB decided to rescind his suspension for his use of performance-enhancing drugs in conjunction with their rule changes in their policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Fantasy owners will hope that ruling has a positive impact on Guillen's numbers. He is struggling out of the gate with a .162 average and has yet to find his power stroke with no home runs. He does have hits in four of his last five games, but until he starts showing some power he should be dropped in shallow mixed leagues. Hang on to him in all other leagues.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

AL-only: Hold

Aaron Rowand, San Francisco Giants

Rowand's average may still be .276, but it would be a lot lower if he did not start the season with four hits in his first two games. It also appears as if the move from the Philadelphia Phillies to San Francisco is hurting his fantasy numbers. The Giants are one of the worst offenses in the league and sit dead last in runs scored through games Thursday, April 10. It will be hard for him to both score and drive in runs if the offense around of him can't reach base regularly. Get rid of him in shallow leagues. Keep him in deeper leagues if you have the space.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

NL-only: Hold

Dave Roberts, San Francisco Giants

Roberts will undergo knee surgery Saturday, April 12, to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. The surgery will also fix a condition called chondromalacia, which is a degenerative problem with the cartilage surface in the back of his kneecap. He will probably miss at least six weeks, although there is no definite timetable for his recovery. His knee problem could be one reason why he has started so slowly, hitting just .118 with one RBI through his first six games. Roberts' value was already minimal in mixed leagues, so he should be discarded. If you can afford the space in NL-only leagues, stash him on the disabled list if you need the depth.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

NL-only: Stash

Designated Hitters

Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox

When Thome gets a hold of the ball he has done some damage, driving in six runs and knocking two balls out of the park. However, he has struggled to make contact with the ball, hitting just .156. This is something new for Thome; he has hit above .300 in April the past two years. His value is still far too high for you to get rid of him just yet, especially with a top-five offense surrounding him.

Shallow mixed: Hold

Deep mixed: Hold

AL-only: Hold

Cliff Floyd, Tampa Bay Rays

Like Roberts, surgery will force Floyd (knee) to the disabled list. He will undergo surgery Friday, April 11, to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee that will keep him out four to six weeks. Floyd had been hitting well early in the season (.333 average, two home runs, five RBIs) but likely was punching above his weight. He managed just nine home runs in 282 at-bats last year, and his power days are behind him. Stash him on the disabled list if you have him in AL-only leagues or else get rid of him.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

AL-only: Stash

Starting Pitchers

Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics

Harden (back) hit the 15-day disabled list due to a sore subscapularis muscle, which runs underneath the shoulder blade and stretches up to his throwing arm. The team has not set a timetable for his return. It should be noted this is his sixth DL stint since the beginning of the 2005 season, so he is not the most durable of players. Still, Harden has shown dominant stuff when he has taken the mound this year, posting a 1-0 record with a 0.82 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 11 innings. It is too early to give up on him so hang on to him in leagues of all types.

Shallow mixed: Hold

Deep mixed: Hold

AL-only: Hold

Rich Hill, Chicago Cubs

An ERA of 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.56 have owners dropping Hill early in the season. Fantasy owners should also be worried after manager Lou Piniella dropped hints that Hill could be moved out of the rotation if his starts don't improve. What is hurting Hill the most is a lack of control; he has allowed seven walks in just nine innings. Hill still has too much value to drop, but you should keep tabs on his next start. If he struggles and relievers Jon Lieber or Sean Marshall pitch well, a pitching change could happen.

Shallow mixed: Hold

Deep mixed: Hold

NL-only: Hold

Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins

Slowey made it through just 3 1/3 innings Thursday, April 3, before a biceps injury took him out of the game. He struggled in that appearance, giving up four hits and allowing three runs to score. The injury to his biceps has also kept him from throwing this week and has resulted in him being scratched from his start Sunday, April 13. Slowey was already a risky pickup in shallow mixed leagues, but should now be dropped. If you have the room in deep mixed and AL-only leagues, stash him as he could be headed to the disabled list.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

AL-only: Hold

Jason Bergmann, Washington Nationals

He has allowed 12 runs in just 10 1/3 innings to start the season, giving fantasy owners good reason to drop Bergmann in mixed leagues. You should do the same if you are still holding on to him. However, if you are in NL-only leagues, you might want to consider hanging on to him. In both his starts Bergmann was the victim of big innings. He allowed just one run in his first five innings before giving up four in one inning against the Phillies last week. He pulled the same stunt in his start against the Marlins, keeping them off the board for four innings before giving up seven in one inning. If he can avoid those types of innings, he has the stuff to be a solid pitcher in deep leagues. However, reports have hinted that Bergmann might be dropped to the bullpen when Shawn Hill (forearm) returns.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

NL-only: Stash

Dave Bush, Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are going to be faced with a rotation decision in the next week as starter Yovani Gallardo (knee) appears set to rejoin the big league club. Bush's turn in the rotation currently lines up with Gallardo's, which could make this a simple decision for the Brewers. Bush has not given them much reason to keep him up as he has given up 10 runs in 10 2/3 innings. A big part of that has been his lack on command; he has given up eight walks in those innings. If you are in any type of mixed league, now would be a good time to ditch him. If you have the room in NL-only leagues, hang on to him for now.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

NL-only: Stash

Relief Pitchers

Huston Street, Oakland Athletics

Street has shown a tendency to give up the long ball early this season (three home runs in 5 2/3 innings), which has already cost his team one game. He picked up both saves against the Toronto Blue Jays in his most recent series but still allowed baserunners in each of those appearances. Lefthanders are giving him the most problems. Of the eight he has faced, three have hit home runs against him. It is still far too early to drop Street, but he could continue to hurt your squad if he continues to post a high ERA and WHIP.

Shallow mixed: Hold

Deep mixed: Hold

AL-only: Hold

Jon Rauch, Washington Nationals

With the expected return of closer Chad Cordero (shoulder) this weekend, Rauch will be bounced back to a setup role. Rauch has struggled in his last two late-game appearances, giving up three runs in his last two innings. Still, he showed great value at the tail end of last season (1.84 ERA, 0.82 17 K's in 14 2/3 innings in September) and could be a decent reliever in deep leagues. The team could also take it easy breaking Cordero in, giving Rauch a few more opportunities to pick up saves. Stash him in all shallow mixed leagues and keep hold of him in all other types of leagues.

Shallow mixed: Stash

Deep mixed: Hold

NL-only: Hold

Author Bio

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.