All of these players are off to painfully slow starts. Take advantage of the situation and buy low. The quicker you act, the better, as some of these guys won’t ever have their values as low as they are now. I’m leaving the obvious names off this list; after all, you don’t need me to tell you that Manny, Bonds and Johan are going to turn it around.
Adrian Beltre: As tough as he is making it on me, I am not giving up quite yet. At least he’s swiped four bases already. Don’t expect a return to 2004 numbers, but with a current .143 batting average, Beltre owners may be fed up with his unrealized potential. See if you can get 30 cents on the dollar for him; I still have faith.
Jeff Francoeur: Francoeur started the year off 3-for-37. Maybe a little too hyped going into the season after an amazing rookie-run, his owners seem to be running out of patience. Two homers on Thursday night should silence any return to the minors talk, and hopefully get him settled in for a nice run of solid production.
Aramis Ramirez: Off to a horrible .174/.269/.304 start, Ramirez is now currently battling a nagging injury. It’s not serious, and his poor start is nothing to worry about as it’s only in 23 at-bats. Derrek Lee’s OBP spike last year looks for real as he’s off to another hot start, putting Ramirez in a terrific situation to rack up RBI. Go get him.
Chase Utley: You better hurry. Utley hit his first two homers of the year yesterday; expect many more to come. Once he gets hot, he’ll move back into the cleanup spot and be impossible to trade for. He’s still the middle infielder I’d want to own the most.
Scott Podsednik: Podsednik is one of the riskiest types of fantasy players as he is one-dimensional and any leg/groin injury could absolutely ruin his value. For now, it’s his bat, not legs, that is failing him. He is hitting an unbelievable .059 on the year. That’s right, he’s off to a 2-for-34 start. Podsednik is definitely the type of player that could have owners worried and more than willing to deal him while undervalued. It’d take some guts to go after him, but remember, steals are the rarest category.
Justin Morneau: Morneau is hitting a paltry .206 with only one walk on the year, following a campaign that saw him hit only .239 last year. Maybe .270 is the highest you can expect, but look deeper at the numbers and Morneau should be a huge asset in the power department. He has four homers in 34 at-bats. He’s just getting started. Talk up the poor average and trade for the big time pop.
Jeremy Hermida: He’s hitting only .250 and has yet to homer. Now he’s battling a hip flexor. Although Hermida may have typically gone too early in fantasy drafts, he does sit in a pretty good situation hitting in front of Cabrera. The 20/20 potential is still there, make sure his owner didn’t forget about it either.
Jorge Cantu: Although Manager Joe Maddon recently hit Cantu second, the same guy with a bad OBP and a knack for driving in runs, his value will eventually return. That experiment can’t possibly last long, and Cantu missed some games with a sore foot, which partially explains the weak numbers. Don’t forget, the guy had 117 RBI last year.
Brad Wilkerson: He sure was easier to recommend when he was hitting at the top of the lineup opposed to seventh. Still, the switch figures to be temporary and he’ll move back up top once he starts hitting again. Speaking of hitting, that .182/.200/.295 line is downright ugly. So are the 18 strikeouts in just 44 at-bats. Remember though, with that ballpark and lineup, the upside for Wilkerson is still rather large, make sure his owner feels the same way.
Mark Ellis, Bobby Crosby & Dan Johnson: All three are off to ridiculously slow starts out of the gate. Ellis is hitting .188, Crosby .208 and Johnson doesn’t even have one hit yet. It happens. All are aberrations and the hits will start coming soon enough. Crosby could be huge while hitting third, and remember, Ellis hit a tremendous .344/.418/.564 in the second half last year. It will all even out.
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