Fantasy Baseball: Looking for OF Help?

Photo courtesy of CJ Schmit.

This week could very well be remembered as one of the more significant in baseball history. Well, the suspension of Ryan Braun could go down as one of the more significant moments in the modern history of the sport, and not just because of Braun’s status as one of the game’s best players.

• For the first time, we’re seeing players (and in turn, the Player’s Union) making statements that the current testing and punishment system may not be harsh enough.
• We don’t know all the evidence that MLB has, but Braun was suspended without a positive test.
• Braun taking the suspension with no fight gives credibility to Tony Bosch. In turn, that makes everything he says about everyone else look a lot more valid. If this scandal is anywhere near as big as it’s made out to be, the floodgates have only just begun.

Anyway, from a fantasy point of view, Braun’s one of the best players. So is Matt Kemp, who’s been hurt most of the year, and back to the DL. So, how do we replace these guys? Let’s take a look at some guys.

Actually, let’s stat with an easy one.

• Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins

You can get very good analysis on Christian Yelich by reading Will Meadows’ take on him. I’m not going to repeat everything he said, but I will say that I completely agree with this statement:

"If you are looking for a replacement for Ryan Braun, this is the player I would choose."

The only thing I’d add is that the same logic applies to replacing Kemp, or any other struggling outfielder. As Will pointed out, batting in front of Giancarlo Stanton is a sweet place to be, and should get him some quality pitches to hit.

But, Yelich’s ownership rate is rapidly rising. So, act fast.

It’s rising so rapidly that he may not be available in your fine league. So, let’s look at some other outfield options.

• Adam Eaton, Arizona Diamondbacks

Strengths

You’re going to get a lot of stolen bases from Adam Eaton. In 2011, he swiped 34 bags in 121 MiLB games, and nabbed 44 in 131 MiLB games in 2012. With a .348 MiLB batting average, and .450 OBP, he should have plenty of chances to steal bags for the Snakes.

He’s struggled a bit since coming back from injury in batting average, but has also shown steady improvement as the days have gone by. Also, with fewer than 40 at-bats, a minor hot streak can make the batting average look fantastic, while a cold stretch can make it look awful. Still, all things considered, I’m willing to say that average will at least be solid.

Also, batting in front of Paul Goldschmidt should give Eaton plenty of chances to score runs, especially with his stolen base ability and speed.

Weaknesses

Eaton isn’t a power hitter and the top of a National League order isn’t exactly an RBI spot. So, he’s a lot more valuable to you if you have some cushion in those two categories. The weakness that I really worry about is playing time. With Cody Ross, Gerardo Parra, Jason Kubel, and A.J. Pollock, Arizona has absolutely no shortage of outfielders.

With them being in contention, I doubt they’d ride a younger Eaton if he’s struggling.

• Delmon Young, Philadelphia Phillies

Strengths

Stop laughing! I mean it!

Look at what Young has done since the start of June.

You probably want a little more in the power categories, but would it be completely crazy to see Young finshing around 12-15 total homers by the time the season ends? When the balls go out of the park, that almost automatically means a pretty nice RBI total will come with it.

The average on the season is below .280, but that .311 batting average since the beginning of June is solid, and definitely a big enough sample size to draw from.

Also, unlike Eaton (or any of Arizona’s outfielders), Young shouldn’t have a problem drawing playing time, at least through August. Who knows what will happen upon roster expansion, but Philadelphia’s outfield is very thin.

Weaknesses

He needs to hit more homers to be viable as a fantasy player. If he’s not, and assuming that means his RBI total is low, as well, Young is a one-trick pony. He’s certainly not going to steal any bases for the Phillies.

Young can get hot, as we saw in the ALCS in 2012. But, he’s not exactly a guy with a long history of 25+ homer seasons. If you sign him, you’re really banking on a hot streak in power, and at least a stable average.

• Carlos Quentin, San Diego Padres
  

Strengths

Quentin has power and can get hot. At the beginning of the year, if you told me that Carlos Quentin would hit 30 homers, I wouldn’t believe you for a second. But if you told me that he’d hit five in August and five more in September, I’d have no problem believing you.

Another nice thing about Quentin is that he knows how to get on base. His methods have been questioned, but that doesn’t matter. He’s got a solid .350 career OBP, was higher than that in 2012 and is currently above that mark in 2013. That doesn’t help you unless OBP is counted in your league, but keep this in mind. If you don’t get on base, you won’t score a run. If Quentin’s getting on base more than 35 percent of the time, he’s giving himself chances to score runs.

Weaknesses

For starters, like Delmon Young, Quentin is not a base stealer, even with a stellar OBP.

Another problem is that he’s on the Padres. So, while the theory of getting on base equals scoring more runs works well on paper, it hasn’t been put into practice that often this year in San Diego.

Lastly, Quentin could very well frustrate you if you’re replacing an injured star because, well, he’s very injury prone himself. He’s never played more than 131 games in a season, has already been to the DL, and is battling minor injuries as we speak. Heck, earlier in the year I wrote about his fantasy value and he responded by missing more than a week immediately after. You can’t make this stuff up.

He’s definitely a good player when things are right, but don’t go to Quentin without a few backup plans in place.

• Will Venable, San Diego Padres

Strengths

Hey, we’re going to finish with another Padre.

When it comes to replacing a star player, you frequently have to ride hot streaks. So, let’s take a look at what Will Venable has done over the last 30 days.

That’s not amazing or anything like that, but it’s not a bad run, and the numbers actually look better as you break it down more recently.

Also, while he hasn’t been going recently, Venable has stolen nine bases on the season and topped 20 in each of the previous three campaigns. So, for a while, you could have a nice, all-category contributor.

Weaknesses

Venable’s last 30 games are good, but the rest of his 2013 hasn’t been anything to write home about.

It’s actually a little strange. Over the last 30 days, Venable has been a viable player in most areas other than steals. In his career, steals have been his only real strong point.

So, don’t be afraid to ride the hot streak while he’s on it, but don’t give Venable too much slack if he has a few 0-for’s.