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Fantasy Baseball: Dealing with interleague play

June 3, 2008 @ 08:28:18

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Since its introduction during the 1997 season, interleague play has garnered both positive and negative reviews. Some in the American League enjoy the chance to see St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols play, while others in the National League likely enjoy seeing the reigning world champions, the Boston Red Sox, venture to their park. Others might argue it creates an unbalanced schedule with some teams facing weaker opposition. The only real winners are the owners, who likely appreciate the boost in revenue from increased gate receipts.

However, while its inclusion makes for an interesting debate, the impact on your fantasy team likely is of more importance to you. Interleague play has an impact when American League teams head to the National League and vice versa, forcing you to make minor alterations to your lineup.

We don't need no stinkin' DH

The comedy factor might increase when American League pitchers take their cuts in a National League park, but it likely means one big change for your fantasy lineup - the loss of the designated hitter.

If you drafted Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (wrist) this year, it probably meant you were thinking of sitting the powerful hitter a time or two when the Red Sox headed to a National League park. Now that Ortiz is on the disabled list, it's not much of a concern.

Those in AL-only leagues specifically, though, can lose contributors they might otherwise depend on. The Oakland Athletics have some interesting decisions to make when interleague play begins. Eric Chavez should be playing third base by then, but that leaves either first baseman Daric Barton (.219 average) or (perhaps more likely) fragile designated hitter Mike Sweeney (.292 average) on the bench. Oh, and DH Frank Thomas (knee, quadriceps) could very well be back by then, too. The A's would probably like to work his bat into the lineup, but it may not be realistic in NL parks. On the other hand, the Seattle Mariners probably won't have any qualms giving DH Jose Vidro (.230 average) a rest.

The loss of a designated hitter affects how teams use struggling players; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome is a perfect example of this situation. The presence of first baseman Paul Konerko (who's also struggling, mind you), Thome's poor play and the left-hander's weak defense mean the team must choose between the two. They made the decision to use Thome solely as a pinch-hitter in an earlier three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

Finally, the injury bug also plays a role in the use of the designated hitter. Coming off the bench to bat every couple of innings is a lot easier on the body than working the field between your at-bats. Without a DH, teams might be wary of using players with minor ailments.

The Cleveland Indians could fall into this trap in the near future. The Tribe placed slumping designated hitter Travis Hafner (shoulder) on the disabled list, with his projected return date in mid-June. If he returns when he is eligible, it would be one week before the team embarks on a six-game interleague road trip. Needless to say, if his shoulder is not completely healthy and with the way he has been playing (.217, four homers), the Indians might opt to play it safe with Trafner.

Other players that could lose at-bats are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's quartet of outfielders: Garret Anderson, Gary Matthews Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero (knee) may sit at times, and even Torii Hunter could get a break. Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Cliff Floyd is another candidate to ride the pine.

Finally, one situation to keep an eye on is in New York, where the Yankees will have to decide who could get bumped from an outfield spot with former outfielder Hideki Matsui their designated hitter. Matsui has been a monster in interleague play (career 1.034 OPS) in the past.

Going the other way

Moving in the other direction, the impact on National League lineups is generally positive, as you are allowed to sit your pitcher - generally the weakest hitter unless you are the Arizona Diamondbacks with starter Micah Owings.

The Red Sox faced the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park for three games earlier this year. During that series, rather than trot out a pitcher at the bottom of their lineup, they were able to insert three different players: utility man Joe Dillon (.273 average), outfielder Gabe Kapler (.306 average) and outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. (.200 average).

One option teams could take is to call-up a promising youngster from the minors. The Los Angeles Dodgers could be headed down this route. Dodgers manager Joe Torre hinted top prospect infielder Andy LaRoche is close to being called up. He could give the team an option at designated hitter as well as versatility across the diamond.

Some other players that could see more at-bats because of the designated hitter rule are Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Chad Tracy (.250, two home runs in 24 at-bats this season), Padres first baseman Tony Clark (2-for-10 at the Seattle Mariners early this year; 17 homers in 221 at-bats last season) and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ryan Freel (.297, 17 runs and five steals in 128 at-bats in 2008). The Florida Marlins will likely find a place for their fourth outfielder on any given day. The Philadelphia Phillies may insert utility man Greg Dobbs (.360, 17 RBIs in 75 at-bats). There are plenty of these situations to follow. Check the news, including KFFL's MLB HOTW, often to see who will benefit.

Final thoughts

The loss of the designated hitter makes for some interesting decisions by managers; however, it can frustrate fantasy owners. It is just something you will have to work around. It is probably not worth adding any players in shallow mixed formats, but in deep mixed and league-specific formats, it is worth considering who will lose and gain at-bats in each respective situation; it could be worth adding a player or two if more at-bats are opening up. Keep an eye on KFFL for any updates as more interleague games approach.

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.