Fantasy Baseball: Diamond Market - Falling

September 15, 2008 @ 09:26:33

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Herija C. Green

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

Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

Cano was benched after the fourth inning Sunday, Sept. 14, for failing to hustle after a ground ball. The benching overshadows what has been a weak month for Cano. He is hitting just .167 (8-for-48) with only one RBI and three runs. His benching could be a sign of things to come over the final couple of weeks as he might play less, though that is by no means a certainty.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

AL-only: Hold

Third Basemen

Adrian Beltre, Seattle Mariners

Beltre (shoulder, thumb) played his last game of the season Sunday, Sept. 14. He is scheduled for surgery on both his left thumb and shoulder Thursday, Sept. 18.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

AL-only: Discard

Shortstops

None

Outfielders

Rick Ankiel, St. Louis Cardinals

Ankiel (abdominal) is expected to undergo season-ending surgery to repair the lower abdominal tissue that has been bothering him recently. Even if he somehow manages to avoid the surgery, he has still been shut down for the year.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

NL-only: Discard

Designated Hitters

None

Starting Pitchers

None

Relief Pitchers

Brandon Lyon, Arizona Diamondbacks

Lyon is out as the D-backs closer. His ratios are atrocious since the All-Star break (10.90 ERA, 2.42 WHIP), and without any saves, Lyon loses his value.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Discard

NL-only: Discard

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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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