Fantasy Baseball: Start ’em and Sit ’em for Wednesday, April 2nd
By Seth Klein
Royals’ OF Alex Gordon has fared well vs. Max Scherzer in the past (Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
It’s Wednesday, and Major League Baseball has provided fantasy baseball owners with a full slate of games — 15 to be exact — which means your entire roster will be eligible to play today.
With so many players to choose from, some guys will have to ride your bench.
On a day like today, sitting the Houston Astros’ Dexter Fowler in favor of the Kansas City Royals’ Alex Gordon could prove to be beneficial for your team.
We’ll have plenty of waiver-wire articles for you throughout each week, but this daily column will help you make lineup decisions based on who is already on your fantasy baseball team. Optimizing your roster each day will hopefully keep you from racking up a bunch of 0-for-4 performances or even the dreaded golden sombrero.
START ‘EM:
» Alex Gordon, LF, Kansas City Royals: Many owners will look at his matchup and get scared away — Gordon will be facing reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer — but this is the perfect opportunity to get him in your lineup. Yes, Scherzer was about as dominant as they come last year (21-3, 240 K), but Gordon has had a lot of success against him in the past. The Royals’ outfielder is hitting a cool .393 (11-for-28) with 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, and just 4 K vs. the Tigers’ right-hander. Gordon profiles better against right-handed pitchers in general. Last year he hit LHP very well (.307 BA), but his career .799 OPS vs. righties (compared to .736 vs. lefties) suggests that was merely an anomaly.
Fire ’em up: Nick Markakis (18-for-54, .333 BA, 5 XBH, 4 RBI vs. Lackey), Jonny Gomes (5-for-12, .417 BA, 2 HR, 5 RBI vs. Jimenez), Garrett Jones (7-for-14, .500 BA, 2 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI vs. Lyles), Adam Dunn (6-for-20, .300, 3 HR, 5 RBI vs. Correia)
SIT ‘EM:
» Dexter Fowler, CF, Houston Astros: Dexter Fowler has always flashed his “tools”, but for the most part, he’s disappointed fantasy owners. Leaving the thin air of Coors Field for Minute Maid Park certainly won’t help his cause, and his matchup vs. Yankees’ starter Hiroki Kuroda will only make matters worse. The switch-hitting Fowler has just four hits in 21 at bats against Kuroda, including four strikeouts. Fowler is also much more adept when hitting from the right side of the plate in his career. The power numbers are gaudier vs. RHP, but his OPS (.814 vs. .776) and K-rate (17.1% vs. 24.7%) are much better when he’s facing left-handed pitching.
Take a seat, fellas: Brandon Crawford (3-for-16, .188 BA, 5 K vs. Cahill), Curtis Granderson (2-for-16, .125 BA, 1 HR, 5 K vs. Gonzalez), Eric Hosmer (5-for-25, .200 BA, 8 K vs. Scherzer), Matt Wieters (5-for-30, .167 BA, zero XBH, 5 K vs. Lackey), Neil Walker (2-for-15, .133 BA vs. Jackson)