C.J. Cron and Matt Dominguez should be added in deep leagues
By Mike Marteny
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.
San Diego Padres first baseman Tommy Medica (14) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
This portion will focus on corner infielders.
First Basemen:
Tommy Medica, Padres: Medica has a hit in every game since being called up on May 25th. He has jacked two homers in that span, and finished a single shy of the cycle on Thursday. He certainly looks like he is here to stay this time around. The .533 average, two homers, five RBI, and four runs scored in five games say so!
Chris Carter, Astros: I have a hard time recommending a player that is under the Mendoza line on the season, but Carter is actually hitting .333 over the last week. His power is legit too. He has nine home runs on the season. If you need power in a deep league, he is probably your best option.
C.J. Cron, Angels: Cron continues to blast the ball all over the place. His average is .323 with three homers, nine RBI, nine runs scored, and a .938 OPS since his call up on May 3rd. He will still sit against tougher righties, but it looks like Cron will see the lion’s share of at bats at the DH slot. Pick him up and ride the hot streak!
Chicago White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie (12) waits his turn at batting practice before the game. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Third Basemen:
Conor Gillaspie, White Sox: Gillaspie won’t win the home run derby anytime soon, but he might win a batting title. His average is at a lofty .352 on the season. The bad news? He has yet to hit a home run. However, he has scored 16 runs and has 12 doubles for those of you in 10×10 leagues.
Danny Valencia, Royals: As we saw when Valencia was with the Twins, he is a decent hitter, but has little to no power. Well, with Mike Moustakas still in the minors, Valencia will play nearly every day. He has a .279 average with a homer and seven RBI on the year. Those numbers are not great, but they are good enough to plug in with all of the injuries at third base this year.
Matt Dominguez, Astros: He will probably never his better than .260 (he is at .246 right now), but if you need power, there are few players that you can pluck off waivers that can produce like Dominguez. He has 7 homers and has scored 20 runs in a struggling lineup. With the Astros as a whole starting to come around, his 22 RBI should continue to increase as well. He is on pace for close to 100 RBI on the season. How many of those players are on waivers in 88 percent of leagues? Exactly. He gets a bad rap, but the .246 average is sustainable. That won’t hurt you much.
Come back tomorrow for the middle infielders that can help you in deep leagues!