You nailed your fantasy draft. You’re ready to collect your league trophy. You’ve already declared yourself executive of the year.
Hold on, partner.
We’re only a week into the baseball season, and optimism runs high for a lot of teams. Everybody’s feeling good about their squad, and about the limitless potential of a blank 162-game slate. But even the best fantasy teams don’t stay intact all season. Fact is, championships can be won or lost by the moves we make (or don’t make) in the first few weeks of the season.
Case in point: Carlos Pena. Raise your hand if you drafted him last year. Anybody?
Pena was an afterthought in most drafts. After all, he barely made the Tampa Bay Rays’ roster until just before the season started, and only then because of a late injury to the legendary Greg Norton. After that, Pena went on to have one of the greatest seasons in the franchise’s short history (46 homers, 121 RBIs). That’s the kind of early season pickup who can radically alter a team’s fortunes.
I’m not sure if there’s anyone available on your free-agent list who will make that kind of impact, but here are a few valuable players who may have slipped through the cracks in your league:
g For some reason, Nick Johnson didn’t get a lot of love on draft day. Perhaps it’s because he missed all of 2007 with a broken leg. Or maybe it’s because he didn’t wrest the Washington Nationals’ first base job from Dmitri Young until the final days of spring training.
Whatever the case, Johnson’s started hot, and his leg looks just fine. It’s worth remembering he had a standout 2006 (.290, 23 homers, 77 RBIs, 100 runs, 10 steals), the only year he’s gotten at least 500 at-bats. Johnson may supplant Young as National League Comeback Player of the Year, too, if he can last a full season.
g I’ve had my eyes on Texas Rangers 3B Hank Blalock for a while as another bounceback candidate. Health issues detoured the power hitter, who once looked like he'd be a perennial All-Star, the past couple seasons. But Blalock is healthy now – he actually needed to have a rib removed last year - and batting cleanup in Texas, a recipe that could produce a 30-homer, 90-RBI campaign.
g The Kansas City Royals’ Billy Butler (right) parlayed a terrific spring into a starting DH role – an impressive feat for a 21-year-old who hits like a grizzled vet. He’s not a total flash in the pan either, batting .336 in his minor league career and .290 in 329 at-bats in the big leagues last year. New Royals skipper Trey Hillman seems committed to keeping Butler in a not-so-bad K.C. lineup, where he’ll see his share of RBI opportunities behind Jose Guillen and blossoming Alex Gordon.
g Corey Patterson has been equally loved and hated in fantasy circles for years. His speed helped a lot of owners the past few years (37 steals in 2007; 45 in ’06), but his lack of production at the plate have torpedoed just as many. He didn't win over any haters when the Cincinnati Reds turned center field over to him and Norris Hopper, leaving prodigy Jay Bruce in the minors (for now). But even with Patterson’s flaws, he’ll still play home games in a terrific hitter’s park, and he’ll be a dirt-cheap source of steals.
Photo by The Associated Press
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