Fantasy Baseball Pit Stop: Know When To Hold 'Em

As we near closer to the mid and end of summer, there are some players out there—some you may already own— that seem to be a waste of time.

Fantasy experience teaches us to ride as many steaks as possible, but what about monthly performances on a career level.

These are just a few players out there that, according to their careers, are just about to peak, so if you own them, don’t give up on them just yet.

Milton Bradley:

OK, the Cubs outfielder hasn’t been living up to the hype as of yet, but considering July is when he historically gets hot, he is worth hanging onto for now.

Through three years, Bradley is averaging:  12 R, 24 H, 13 RBI, 4 HR, .366 Ba.

In July, 18 out of 27 games are at home, and at Wrigley, Bradley is hitting .286 with 11 R, 18 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI; far better than his road stats. If you own him, keep him for now, and ride out July. In August the Cubs are on the road a lot, so dropping him then makes more sense; perhaps Pierre as a replacement for your bench?

Willy Taveras:

An 0-32 slump only means there’s one way to go—up!

Taveras will still be used in the lineup according to Dusty Baker and that is a smart move. This slump won’t last forever, and considering Taveras averages 12 R, 25 H, 7 RBI, 8 SB while batting .297 for July AND August, he is worth a spot on your bench at the least.

By now, pickings are slim, and if you get too nervy and cut him out of panic, you may lose out. He has always been a great source for SB, and May was very indicative of what he is capable of in the future.

Jimmy Rollins:

Why am I mentioning Rollins?

Well, typically July and August are up and down for Rollins career wise, but that’s not why he’s being mentioned.

In Fantasy, we are all aware of the importance of longevity in our roster. Sure, someone may come along and offer you a trade that looks on the level, but if you don’t know a player’s trends, you could get burned in the end.

Rollins is a monster in September /October. Over the past four years he averages: 22 R, 38 H, 17 RBI, 4 HR, 10 SB and hits close to .320; 20 points higher than any other month. Don’t be fooled by crafty managers who know who and when to trade.

Pitching:

Pitching is a difficult thing to discuss because most of the bigger names are already owned, whereas some of the “just as good” names don’t have enough year-to-year experience to talk about.

I thought these three fellas were worth mentioning:

Roy Oswalt:

In the month of August, Oswalt career numbers are: 26-6 with a 2.59 ERA. Over the past five years his numbers for July AND August on average are: 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA.

The guy just simply pitches well in the late summer enough said. If you are new to Fantasy games and own Oswalt, don’t get rid of him just because of the wrist and up and down season—you’ll see why soon enough.

Carlos Zambrano:

For Big Z owners this season has been a bit stressful; something that should change rather soon.

Zambrano is really the only other current pitcher that is close to Oswalt in numbers over the past five years (6-3 with a 3.47 ERA). 

Big Z will enjoy the homestand coming up in July, and he should be kept in every format unless you’re in a dynasty league since he has hinted at retirement after this season; keep a close eye on him.

 Josh Beckett:

Looking for that big trade to take advantage of? Maybe a huge roster move that will make most people say:” What th…”?  Well, how about removing Beckett from your roster.

Trade him, drop him for a couple of weeks worth of hot rides (obviously trading would be a better option), but July and August have been brutal for him historically, and no-one is worth owning just because of a name; being a manger in MLB means tough decisions—Fantasy managing is no different.

Beckett averages a 4-4 record with a 4.70 ERA. He has never posted an ERA below 3.15 in 5 years. In addition to all of this, the Red Sox have 22 games on the road between July and August and some of those games are brutal. He has a 50-50 record on the road and 50% of his next 12 games are on the road.

Agree or disagree, but if an opportunity comes your way in the form of trade, and you deem it worthy, I say take it.

Depending on the league type, your approach will vary.

If you are in a Salary Cap League, Big Z and Oswalt are worth the money as well as worth keeping for the next couple of months while you build up cash and trades.

If you are in a Dynasty League, you may have a lot to think about with Zambrano.

If you are in a H2H or Rotisserie League, again, don’t be fooled by trade offers that seem on the level yet, don't be afraid to deal away a good name for a great player.