Weathering The Injury Storm

Okay...so I haven't been posting much about fantasy baseball. That's probably a good thing, as it means I have a life. Anyways, I've decided my neglect has gone too far and it's time to look at how to weather the inevitable storm of injuries you will have to endure playing fantasy baseball. We'll look at some injured players and then scour the waiver wire for some possible replacements.

Dave Roberts (OF) - Roberts is going to be out for over a month and if you listened to me earlier and had him on your roster, it was for speed and speed only. So you're probably looking for a speedy outfielder to pick up the slack. While he probably shouldn't still be on your waiver wire, Shane Victorino just happens to be the stolen base leader in all the majors. I mention this because I have picked him up in several leagues this past week. Another speedy outfielder worth a look could be Willy Tavares in Colorado, while Reggie Willits (Ana) and Chris Duffy (Pit) should be on most wires and have some good speed.

A bit of a different option to consider is Chris Young (Ari), who was still available in all of my leagues until I came along last week. The kid is starting to turn it up a notch and he has the skills to be a 20HR/20 SB outfielder with an average that won't kill you.

Hank Blalock (3B) - Blalock was a favorite of mine preseason...not because he was going to be a star, but he could be had for basically nothing and I liked his chances of being productive. Well, he's now gone for up to 3 months so it's time to look elsewhere. The problem I've found is that there are no good 3B options left on the wire. So lets see what we can scrounge up....

If you're looking to catch lightning in a bottle, you can roll the dice with someone like Scott Rolen or Morgan Ensberg and hope they go off on a hot streak. Both players have struggled and have been appearing on waiver wires. I personally like Ensberg, a guy that can mash when he gets going.

If you're lucky, impatient owners may have cut bait on Ryan Zimmerman. While he won't rebound to hit as well as some expected from him this season, he should provide similar production to what Blalock may have done the rest of the season.

If you're desperate like I was in a few leagues, the name Adrian Beltre starts to have some appeal. He does have a bit of speed to somewhat offset the poor batting average, but that monster season in 2004 was clearly a fluke. There is also Kevin Youkilis, who may have 3B eligibility in your league. His skill set (getting on base) is much more valuable in real baseball than fantasy but he's not going to kill you in any categories like Beltre will.

Ryan Howard (1B)/Jim Thome (DH) - Both of these players are expected back soon but if they are on your team, we can assume you were looking for alot of power out of these two. If you're still struggling to replace their production, here are some options to consider:

It may sound stupid to even suggest, but Adrian Gonzalez is actually available in some leagues. Don't let him be in yours! Carlos Pena, a former top prospect, is currently tearing the ball apart in T-Bay. I can't make any sort of guarantee that this isn't a complete fluke, but he DOES have this sort of talent.

And then there are the two sluggers in Oakland. These guys have all sorts of warts but Jack Cust and Dan Johnson have legitimate power. And they are both on fire right now. Cust has long been regarded as a player that just needed the right chance and Oakland is a perfect fit for his skills. Expect the average to drop but he could still ding out 25-30 home runs this season. Johnson is a bit of a safer pick, as his average won't kill you, but he probably doesn't have Cust's power potential. Whichever way you roll, both players make excellent short term pick-ups.