It’s time to bail on Ike Davis and Juan Francisco in deep leagues

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.

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This time around we will do things a little differently.  I will only do one position at a time, but I will give you advice on who to drop as well.

This piece will focus on the first basemen.  The catchers are here.

Chicago White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn (44) reacts after being called out on strikes with bases loaded. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Add:

Steve Pearce, Orioles: Pearce will still sit against tougher right handed pitchers, but when he is in the lineup, he is producing.  His average has climbed to .310, and he has five homers in 100 at bats, so he is providing modest power.  Be aware though that the Orioles may go get another bat before the deadline which would render Pearce obsolete.  Use him until they do though.

John Mayberry Jr, Phillies: Mayberry is hitting .364 with three home runs in the last two weeks.  With Ryan Howard, Ben Revere, and Domonic Brown all struggling against left handed pitching, Mayberry will continue to see at bats while subbing in the outfield or at first base.  If your bench is deep enough, or if you are just desperate for power, he is a great play against lefties.  He has seen a pinch hitting appearance in seven of his last nine non-starts, so he is still getting chances even if he does not start the game.  Use him while he’s hot!

Adam Dunn, White Sox: Dunn is hitting .270 with three homers over the last two weeks.  While he will continue to lose the occassional start to Paul Konerko, as long as he is hitting for average, he should be in your lineup.  The power potential is too much not to take a chance on.  He now has his season average up to a respectable (for him) .238 with 11 home runs.  There is still value there.

Drop:

Ike Davis, Pirates: Davis is still playing regularly, but he has just five  hits in his last 40 at bats.  Do you really want to do that to your batting average?  Pearce and Dunn both seem like much safer options…..

Juan Francisco, Blue Jays: Yes, that’s right.   I’m suggesting you drop a guy that is still owned in 30 percent of leagues.  I was on the Francisco bandwagon when he first came up, but now he is in a bad slump.  He is hitting just .139 in June, but all five of his hits have gone for extra bases.  It’s still not worth it.  Drop him until he proves he can pull out of this.

Tommy Medica, Padres: He was a good story for a while, but now that he is in a slump, the Padres are looking elsewhere and so should you.  Medica has just three hits, all singles, in the month of June.  Those of you in dynasty formats might want to hang on for now, but in other leagues, he should be dropped.

Come back tomorrow for the second basemen!