Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - Falling

April 8, 2009 @ 01:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

Also see: Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - Rising

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

Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

After battling a shoulder injury most of the spring, Napoli spent the first two games of the season on the bench. Jeff Mathis registered two hits in six at-bats during those two games. Napoli is slated to return Wednesday, April 8, but the playing time split is something to be aware of, especially since DH at-bats may not come in droves.

Shallow mixed: Stash

Deep mixed: Hold

AL-only: Hold

Starting pitchers

Ian Snell, Pittsburgh Pirates

It's still early, but Snell didn't look like a pitcher ready to bounce back during his start Tuesday, April 7. His line: six earned runs, nine hits, two homers, three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. It's time to temper any expectations you might have for him until he shows some promise.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

NL-only: Hold

Relief pitchers

Brandon Lyon, Detroit Tigers

It's easy to see why manager Jim Leyland tabbed Fernando Rodney as his first closing option. Lyon allowed three runs on three hits and two walks en route to absorbing the loss and blowing his first save of 2009; the botch came in the eighth inning. The BS likely puts a damper on his chance at further saves ... for now; without them, he is useless in mixed leagues.

Shallow mixed: Discard

Deep mixed: Stash

AL-only: Hold

Also see: Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market - Rising

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

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.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

One Day FREE Fantasy Contest - $350 in cash prizes (05/25)
Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Mattison, more (05/25)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: DL for Marco Estrada (05/25)