Fantasy Baseball: Carlos Gomez To DL, Who Can You Pick Up?

By Mike Marteny | Apr 17, 2015

The 2015 season is barely ten days old, and already there is a first round pick headed for the disabled list. Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez earns the dubious distinction as being the first first round pick heading to the DL. Gomez has a small “defect” in his right hamstring, which will require him to miss at least the next two weeks. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, so there is always the possibility that he could be out longer.

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Replacing a first round pick in baseball is not nearly as tough as it is in football, but it still puts you in a precarious situation. Gomez was only hitting .235 with a homer, six RBI, and three runs scored so far this season. He had yet to steal his first base of the year. Last year Gomez hit 23 homers and stole 34 bases, which catapulted him into the first round of most drafts.

What you need to look for in the short term is not someone who can duplicate Gomez’s numbers, but rather what your team is lacking in the early season. You aren’t going to find anyone on waivers that can hit for average, power, and steal bases like Gomez could. You are better off trying to get one or two of those.

The standard league adds are available in 40-75% of ESPN leagues. The moderate league adds will be players owned in 10-39% of ESPN leagues. The deep league adds will be owned in less than 10% of leagues

Standard leagues:

Angel Pagan, Giants: Meet the new Hunter Pence. Or at least the guy that the Giants have filling in for Pence. Pagan has little power and some speed, but what he really can do is hit. He has two straight three hit games (all singles) to raise his average to .372. He has stolen a base, driven in three runs, and scored four. He will mostly only help your average and pitch in some steals, but as Meat Loaf said, Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad.

Nori Aoki, Giants: His numbers are nearly identical to Pagan’s, except he only has one one RBI and three steals. It appears that Aoki is getting the green light more on the bases, so if you need the steals, target Aoki.

Anthony Gose, Tigers: Gose is stuck in a platoon with Rajai Davis, but he is on the better side of it. He has responded by starting the season off 9/23 with a homer, a steal, five RBI, and six runs scored. If you are able to successfully manage a platoon situation on your fantasy team, he is an asset when he plays.

Moderate leagues:

Alejandro De Aza, Orioles: De Aza is off to a great start, hitting .314 with two homers, a steal, four RBI, and eight runs scored. He is firmly perched atop the Orioles lineup, so he will continue to score a lot of runs, and could keep the average in the same area, at least until Gomez returns.

Steven Souza, Rays: His average (.250) is not going to wow you, but he does have two homers and three steals already. He has also driven in seven runs and scored four. He will help you everywhere but batting average right now, and he won’t hurt you too badly there either.

Deep leagues:

Michael Taylor, Nationals: He may only be useful until Denard Span gets back, but the rookie has done pretty well so far. He is hitting .282 with two homers, two steals, two runs scored and eight RBI. He is a great short-term option in deep leagues.

Jake Marisnick, Astros: He struggled last year after his trade to Houston, but the Astros’ patience with him is paying off right now. Marisnick is hitting .320 with a homer, two steals, five RBI and two runs scored. He is in no immediate danger of losing at-bats so roll with him as long as he is producing.

Make sure to stay tuned to FantasyCPR for all of your fantasy baseball needs, and a look at football prospects for the upcoming draft!

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