Sometimes a change of scenery can be beneficial to a player’s success in terms of fantasy production. With that being said, new Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ike Davis is someone you should have your eye on.
Apr 16, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Mets defeated the Diamondbacks 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
As a Pirates fan and one who covers the team for a living, there is a lot that I don’t like about the Pirates acquisition of Davis, but I believe the change of scenery will be beneficial for Davis to once again becoming a fantasy relevant first baseman.
There’s a lot I don’t like about the trade, most notably the timing.
Gaby Sanchez is swinging a hot bat and has even done some damage against right handed pitching. If the plan is to go with a straight platoon, I would have rather gotten a larger sample size of Sanchez on an everyday basis.
Then there is the fact that Davis has been brutal lately.
Davis’ stock is about as low as it can get at the moment.
Coming off a 2012 season in which he hit 32 homers and drove in 90 runs, Davis has been nothing short of lousy since. Even during his big 2012 campaign, his OBP slipped to .308.
Last season Davis wasn’t much better, posting an OPS of .661 as he managed to hit nine balls out of the park. He’s not off to a good start this season either, hitting .205 with a homer and five RBIs, although in limited at bats.
Over 407 MLB plate appearances since 2012, Davis has a .205/.329/.337 line with 10 home runs and a rising strikeout problem.
The idea is to get a bat to protect Pedro Alvarez in the Pirates’ offense, not one that struggles to get on base and strikes out a ton. You don’t need two of the same hitters in the same lineup.
The trade devalues Sanchez as a fantasy option even though he was swinging a hot bat, but I like what it does for Davis.
The Pirates didn’t make the move not to play Davis a lot and he will be in there solely against right handed pitching where he has had his most MLB success. Davis has posted a .905 OPS vs. RHP this season and over the last three years has posted an .851 OPS compared to only a .512 mark vs. left-handed pitching.
He will be batting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup and the short right field porch should help Davis increase his power output. He’s also looked good at the plate in a small sample size for the Pirates, going 3-for-9 in two games.
I’m banking on Davis staying healthy, which is a big risk, but add it all together and I’m making Davis my top must-add for Week 4. He’s owned in less than one percent of ESPN Leagues and is worth taking a shot on.
Here’s a look at other guys you should target on the waiver wire. As always, players must be owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN Leagues to qualify.
Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins, 12 percent owned (as of Sunday)
Mar 19, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA;Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (44) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during a game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
I would have led with Gibson this week as he is going hot, already over 30 percent owned and climbing. But my colleague Mike Marteny did a good reason summing up why you should be all over Gibson on the waiver wire this week.
"Gibson has been brilliant in the early going, giving up just two earned runs in 19 and a third innings, which computes to a 0.93 ERA. While Gibson will never wow you with gaudy strikeout numbers, he is getting a lot of outs. If your league doesn’t count K/9, he is a very valuable commodity right now, and is available in almost 98 percent of leagues. With a start against the hapless Rays on the docket for this week, he is a great streaming option, even in standard leagues."
Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds, 16.9 percent owned
Leake is nothing special but you know what you are going to get with him as more times than not he is going to turn in a consistent outing. He is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA and has only walked five batters to date while fanning 21, including eight punch outs last week against the Pirates. He won’t maintain big strikeout numbers but could be a guy that should help your ERA and WHIP.
It’s worth noting that he takes the mound Monday against the Pirates again who are one of the top strike out teams in baseball. At the minimum he may be worth grabbing just for the short term.
Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers, 33.3 percent owned
Uribe is hot, hitting .333 (25-for-75) with an impressive 11 extra-base hits (three homers) and his five games with three or more hits is the most in baseball at the moment.
He is coming off a decent 2013 in which he hit .278 with 12 homers and 50 RBI in only 426 plate appearances. Uribe won’t keep up his torrid pace, but if your offense needs some punch, he may be worth grabbing while he is hot.
Dillon Gee, New York Mets, 30.6 percent owned
Gee started to figure it out last season, posting a 2.71 ERA and 1.13 WHIP during his final 22 starts, yet he isn’t owned in many leagues.
Apr 18, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) throws the ball during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
That’s likely due to a low strike out rate, but Gee is still a guy who can help when it comes to ERA and WHIP.
This year he is 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA and while I don’t like his next matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, I do like Gee a lot going forward.
Tyson Ross, San Diego Padres, 8.1 percent owned
Ross struggled to start the season, but has turned things around the past two starts, allowing just one run on only 10 hits with a 16:2 K:BB ratio over 15 innings, earning wins over the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants.
That’s more reminiscent of the guy that posted a 2.93 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 in his final 13 starts (80 innings) last season.
He should be owned in more leagues.
Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins, 21.2 percent owned
Ozuna has already matched last year’s total of three home runs and is hitting .333 while showing better discipline at the plate.
He topped the 20 homer mark the past three seasons in the minors, so there is big upside for his power potential.
Before Sunday Ozuna registered multi-hit performances in three of his last four games.
Grab him while he’s hot as 2014 could turn into a breakout season.