By JIMMY D / Don't snooze on your sleeper picks | Jimmy's archive
Losing out on your top sleeper pick is probably the most frustrating thing that can happen at your annual fantasy draft.
Everyone is juiced about the pending season, the beer is cold, the chicken wings are spicy, then some GM who had your guy targeted decides to pick him ahead of you. Suddenly, some of the shine comes off draft day knowing you will leave the table without that guy.
Just because you didn’t get that great sleeper pick at the draft table doesn’t mean you have to give up on snagging him. Early-season trades can pry that prospect or comeback player off an opposing GM’s roster if you are clever and the time is right with the season hitting full swing today.
Typically, that’s offering a slightly over-hyped or over-rated player (or combination of players) in a swap for the guy you missed at the draft. It’s best to make it a multi-player deal so that your trading partner doesn’t figure out the object of your desires and doesn’t start doing some research to figure out what you are up to.
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For example, Jimmy scored dozens of expert lists for Top Sleeper Picks on the web and found Pittsburgh righty Ian Snell on just about every list. True the Pirates don’t win a lot but Snell offers K-per-inning potential, has been durable with at least 31 starts the past three seasons and is expected to chop his ERA and WHIP numbers that ballooned in 2008.
A similar search on the hitter front brought Jimmy back time and again to Nelson Cruz.
If that sounds like déjà vu all over again and that the ‘sleeper superstar’ tag has been falsely attached to Cruz’s name in the past, you’re correct. This was going to happen in 2007 and didn’t. Ditto 2008.
But after being plugged into the cleanup spot in that terrific Texas Ranger order and after a .330 average in limited duty in 2008, many are projecting him as a serious producer this year. He had five HRs in 32 at-bats this spring and was 2008’s Pacific Coast League MVP, hitting .342 with 37 homers and 99 RBIs in just 103 games.
Weather watching
There was a snowstorm in Toronto Monday. There are frosty monsoons all through the northeastern US throughout April. There are not very many domes left.
What do those three facts have to do with your fantasy baseball roster? Plenty if you are in a Yahoo!-style format where you set your team daily.
Just Monday, rainouts in Boston and Chicago forced you to juggle your Opening Day fantasy rosters. With four Red Sox defiling Jimmy’s GrassGremlins, suddenly David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis were benched in favour of Dodger James Loney and Cincy’s Edwin Encarnacion.
Had Jimmy not been on the ball and checking the weather reports, he may not have revisited his roster and re-set it in time to enjoy the fantasy production of those players.
Weather calms considerably heading toward May, but April can be a steady stream of rainouts. Ignoring the weather can wash away fantasy points you will need at crunch time.
Street-wise: Wise to keep Street
Jimmy was ready to ditch Huston Street before the season even began. The former Oakland closer struggled in the spring and speculation had Manny Corpas winning the job.
But Jimmy couldn’t pull the trigger on dropping him in favour of Jason Motte, who made Jimmy’s Bust-Out list, or San Diego’s Heath Bell. Opening Day closers often close the day as set-up men, so keep close tabs on your relievers.
Stay busy, stay lucky.
jpoole@herald.ca |
