Welcome back to “Off The Deep End”, where I will give you fantasy baseball tips on who to pick up in deeper leagues. For people who play standard leagues, drop/add columns are easy for you to find, but for those of you that love deeper leagues, advice can be harder to come by. That is where I can help. All of these players are available in 85% or more of ESPN leagues.
This first installment will focus on the middle infielders. Outfielders and catchers will be tomorrow, corner infielders on Friday, and pitchers on Saturday.
May 1, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Stefen Romero (7) rounds the bases on a double hit by second baseman Robinson Cano (not pictured) during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Second Basemen:
Stefen Romero, Mariners: The rookie seems to be finally adapting to major league pitching. All of his homers and RBI have come in the last ten days. He has also scored nine runs over that span. His average won’t wow you, and he will still probably be prone to slumps, but he has decent power and multi position eligibility. Second base is pretty thin anyway, so he is worth picking up on upside alone. The good thing is that he will not lose his eligibility at second base until next year.
Gordon Beckham, White Sox: He is starting every day at second base, and plays in a good lineup. Beckham seems to be finding his stroke again after starting the season on the DL. His career number suggest that he will never be anything more than a serviceable option, but you can do worse than his .276 average and pair of homers over the last ten games. He is worth throwing out there until he stops hitting.
Brian Roberts, Yankees: His career has been derailed by injury after injury. That said, he seems healthy now and can help you. His .282 average over the last two weeks has earned him the lion’s share of starts at the keystone for the Yankees. You can bet they will keep him there as long as he hits. He may even have a chance to move up in the lineup. At any rate, he will not hurt you, and should be a nice source of average and runs, with the occassional steal and home run.
May 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire (35) and shortstop Danny Santana (39) celebrate after the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Minnesota won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Shortstops:
Eduardo Escobar, Twins: The Twins have turned to Escobar to plug holes at every position but first base and catcher so far. Given his versatility, Escobar will start becoming eligibile at other positions as well as short and third. That could increase his value even more. He is hitting .395 over the last two weeks and .333 on the season, so as long as the Twins play him, you should too. He won’t provide much for counting stats, but no owner has ever complained about a good average in a deep league.
Danny Santana, Twins: The Twins called Santana up for depth. He has responded by starting off his career with a .421 average and three doubles. This prompted Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire to start him in center field, even going as far as to say he will be given a chance to stick there because of the struggles of incumbent Aaron Hicks. Santana has terrific speed, and could be a great source of steals and average. It certainly sounds like the Twins are going to keep playing him until they have a reason not to.
Mike Aviles, Indians: With Jason Kipnis on the DL, Aviles will see nearly all of the starts at second base. He is hitting .450 with a homer and five RBI since Kipnis went down, and is certainly worth a look for anyone in need of middle infield help.
Come back tomorrow for the outfielders portion of the show!