The hardest part

Belt stays back, but isn't left behind

In mixed Tout Wars, I find myself in a strange position. Because of respective circumstances that anyone could've seen coming, three of my fantasy baseball reserves - all position players - are in the minor leagues. In Tout, we have only four bench spots. Yep: Yikes.

The three farmhands - Travis Snider, Desmond Jennings and Brandon Belt - aren't just any ol' hay balers. Each could make a pretty sweet difference when he's again in the majors. Each is down for a different reason. Each came to me via a different path.

Triple the toleration

I don't often house big-name prospects in a mixed league from the get-go, nor am I a proponent of such a plan. That wasn't my intent at the auction, but I put myself in this predicament by the third FAAB period knowing full well that it was a good possibility.

Now, the question is, where do I go from here? My squad has been, we'll call it, staying afloat. I'm in the middle of the pack, thanks more so to my pitching, which probably won't continue performing at this pace but is pretty good. Many of my position players are struggling.

In a 15-team mixed league where each roster has 27 spots plus unlimited DL room, I can get away with a little part-time production. But for how long? In an MLB universe, it won't take much time for "getting by" to become a deficit insurmountable.

I probably won't get much of a return in a trade. I could include one of them in a swap for more security, however bland. Is that worth mortgaging their future favorable performances, in which I have a fair amount of faith? Is what I'd receive much better than what I have?

This will test my patience. But how patient can I afford to be?

I have ideas but can only estimate, because this isn't a situation I've encountered. I don't have much of it. Never have. I'm learning. But this kind of staying power is going to require some female companionship and a couple of packs of Newman O's.

A KFFL guest columnist and Mastersball's Zen Master, Lawr Michaels, pondered his LABR situation, which has some parallels. It provides me with encouraging insight: Hold down the fort and experiment until reinforcements arrive. But it also reminds of me reasons to worry: I'm facing my quandary in a league with an MLB universe, not an AL one; and I don't have a timetable for the returns of my MIA soldiers.

Just hangin' out, not hangin' me out to dry

There's a lot of uncertainty at work - relatively speaking, of course. Nothing is certain, except that Jeff Francoeur won't keep doing what he's doing. (And by that I mean, really, he might. Who knows? You can't trade him. You can't throw him back. So, just enjoy it.)

Just one of these players' arrivals should be uplifting. He would change from deficit to asset, giving me that much leg room to sit with the other two.

I expect the San Francisco Giants' prospect to win the race back to The Show. If Belt, 23, remains in the minors for 20 days or more, his first taste of free agency can't come until 2017. We're more than halfway there. Los Gigantes have conversed about a possible recall, but it's not imminent; they want him to smell sustained success. That won't be a problem: Since his ostracism, he's gone 16-for-34 with two homers, 10 walks and 10 strikeouts.

Belt is playing both left and right field. San Fran is playing .500 ball and has scored 3.6 runs per game. In the National League, they're duking it out with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates to see who's least better than the San Diego Padres at scoring. The Giants are dangling Nate Schierholtz, another left-handed corner outfielder, in anticipation of Andres Torres' activation. Cody Ross and Pat Burrell are great ... in spurts. If the organization believes that Belt will make a difference, it'll make room.

Shorten it up: the loopy swing, and the long stay

The Tampa Bay Rays' man should be next, but many things factor into Jennings' calendar for elevation. Sam Fuld is remembering that he's Sam Fuld. But, Matt Joyce is remembering that he was once the potential Matt Joyce. No rush. No good.

Snider's Triple-A Las Vegas line is littered with positive signs for his approach. But this is the PCL we're talking about, and Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos isn't interested in results, just the process. I don't blame him. I'm glad. Excellence in practice leads to long-term profit; short-term results mask problems and harbor complacency.

Toronto will probably keep him down for an extended period. They want to see these mechanical changes become mechanical. The Jays no doubt desired an excuse to play simmering Juan Rivera, a player they agreed to take on largely in order to unload Vernon Wells' absurd contract and whom they'd still like to flip. David Cooper's trial will be at least as long as Snider's. Scott Podsednik is unexciting depth, kinda wasting away in the minors. MLB's only Canadian club has ways to delay a reversal of their deportation.

Ordinarily, I'd be running for the hills. Maybe I should be. But for some reason I maintain a semblance of hope here. A fantasy baseball season is a series of highs and lows; one surge before the break is all it takes. I'm singing hymns to Brian Sabean in the lead-up to the Receiving of Ra. A few of my underperformers will turn it around. Sooner or later, I'll see a promotion or three. Will that be enough? Who the hell has the fortitude to find out?

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