A little extra flavor never hurts. Especially when puttin’ together a fantasy squad.
When I’m in the kitchen I make moves. If something aint selling, I take it off the menu. If a staff member isn’t doing their job, they’re gone. That’s how I run my fantasy teams.
Each week I will hit you with the players moving up the rankings that you NEED to know about. I don’t care if it is the No. 8 hitter on the Cubs or the No. 4 starter for the Astros. If they are producing, you’re gonna know about it.
With less than a week of action in the books making pickups this early in the season can be risky but the rewards could be endless. Below are the players that either need to be added immediately or need to be added to watch lists after a hot start. Just keep in mind, we are dealing with an extremely small sample sizes here folks, so don't be droppin' perennial fantasy studs who are starting off slow for a new up-in-coming name.
The Hackers
Anthony Gose, OF (DET)--After being considered an average hitter for most of his young career, Gose appears to have turned a corner as he continues to impress now a member of the Tigers. Through two games Gose has already logged six hits including three extra-base hits which will at least earn him an extended look batting leadoff for one of the better offenses in all of baseball. If he is able to maintain both a solid average and on-base percentage he will at least be a solid contributor in the runs scored category to go along with his above average base-stealing abilities. He is currently owned in less than 20 percent of leagues throughout the major providers but that number will really start to climb if his hot start extends through the weekend.
Alejandro De Aza, OF (BAL)--A fresh start with the Orioles for De Aza appears to be just the trick for him to try and resurrect what appears to be a career that was on the decline. Through his first three games with the Orioles De Aza has logged a hit in each game while going yard in his first game of the season. However, those is shallow leagues should be aware that De Aza is not expected to see much action against left-handed pitching considering he is slashing .247/.311/.366 over the course of his career against southpaws. With that said it is an easy call to say De Aza will log double-digits in home runs this season playing in the hitter-friendly American League East so as long as he can be used in a platoon he makes for a solid fit in deep league formats.
Devon Travis, 2B (TOR)--After an impressive spring training effort in which he slashed .359/.400/.453 with six extra-base hits and seven RBI Travis was officially named the Blue Jays starting second baseman. Through the teams first three games his success hasn't stopped as he is now 3-for-9 to start the season, including registering a solo-home run in his MLB debut. Although he has only nine big league at-bats at this point in his career, he has handled himself very well and should continue to see regular playing time at the keystone. Double-digits in both home runs and stolen bases can be easily obtained for Travis based on his minor league track record, but until he gets more at-bats under his belt he should only be an add in deep league formats at this time.
Travis d'Arnaud, C (NYM)--The Mets are looking for big things from d'Arnaud this season and through his first three games he has yet to not impress. He has already logged two multi-hit games batting in the bottom third of the Mets lineup but has the ability to move himself up the order if he hot start becomes a trend. Let's not forget, the Mets backstop slashed .313/.371/.531 with 10 extra-base hits through 64 September at-bats to finish the 2014 season, so maybe this is the real d'Arnaud everyone has anxiously waited to mature from being one of the most touted prospects in the game just a few years back. Until he proves otherwise he is a safe add for both deep leagues and standard formats.
The Hurlers
Trevor Bauer, SP (CLE)--We all know his name. We all know about his bizarre pitching practices. But can he finally be trusted? After his first start of the season it is clear that Bauer is on a mission as he tossed six scoreless innings, giving up no hits and five walks while fanning 11 batters. Although the strikeout total was impressive, he still managed to struggle with his command, as he racked up 111 pitches, forcing him out despite in the sixth inning despite having yet to allow a hit. In fantasy sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. In the case of Bauer, the strikeouts are canceled out but his high walk rate, but if he can manage to work himself out of jams he is a must-own player based on his upside alone. Both deep league formats and standard leaguers will want to add him fast as he will be the top pitcher off the waiver wire heading into Week 2.
Shane Greene, SP (DET)--After an impressive 2014 campaign with the Yankees (5-4 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.40 WHIP) Green was sent packing to the Tigers where he got his first start of the season on Thursday and did not disappoint. He managed to hurl only 85 pitches through eight innings allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out five batters for his first win of the season. Unlike Bauer, Green managed to work quickly through the Twins lineup despite having 14 of his outs being the fly ball variety. In his 78.2 innings with the Yankees a season ago, Greene was able to own a solid 1.06 ground ball-to-fly ball rate which is what he will need to try and replicate if he wants to be successful with the Tigers. For now, only those in deep leagues will want to give him a look, but if he is able to get force more ground balls next time out, there is a chance he gains standard league value in no time.
Miguel Castro, RP (TOR)--After blowing his first save of the season, the Blue Jays removed Brett Cecil from the closer role, leaving Castro the next best option for the ninth inning. In his first save chance of the season Castro made it look easy, throwing a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the Blue Jays the series win over the Yankees. Although he has just three innings of big league experience, he has already shown he has the skin for late inning situations having pitched in every game of the series. However, considering the way John Gibbons removed Cecil after just one bad outing, Castro could also be on a short leash. So I wouldn't be using a large percentage of a FAAB budget on his services but he is still a solid add for those in need of saves.
Joel Peralta, RP (LAD)--The Dodgers will be without Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning for at least a few more weeks. In the mean time there is a battle brewing between a few solid setup guys for the interim role. In his second appearance of the season, Peralta managed to log his first save of the season after pitching a scoreless ninth inning, this coming after Chris Hatcher logged the first save of the year on Monday, following up by taking the loss on Tuesday. For now the situation appears to be strictly a closer-by-committee while they await the return of Jansen, but with another solid appearance or two he could really separate himself from the pack. However those in desperate need of saves in standard leagues will want to be the only ones targeting Peralta as this could just he a flash in the pan as he serves better as a setup man.