Fantasy Baseball 2011: What To Do with Carl Crawford?

Heading into the 2011 fantasy baseball season, Carl Crawford, the newest outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, was projected as anywhere between the second- or 10th-best player heading into the draft season.

Analysts believed that due to a fantastic season for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 and a star-powered offense and hitter-friendly stadium on his side, Crawford was hailed as fantasy baseball's Michael Vick. The predictions of 60 stolen bases and 15-20 home runs with a good 90 or so RBI made fantasy managers froth at the mouth—well, up until the season began, that is. 

The long-time Ray slumped through April, batting just .155 at the end of the month. He only slightly improved through May, bringing the average up to .234 when the calendar turned to June.

The Houston-born left fielder showed signs of finally becoming his old self when June began. But, sadly for his tortured owners, he landed on the disabled list on the 18th of last month.

So, now that popular belief states that Boston will be reactivating their $142 million man on the 18th of this month, what are fantasy owners to do with Crawford heading into the second half of the season?

Well, the cautious approach would be to place your faith in his June stats and bank on the fact that your assumed first-round investment will turn it around. The fact remains that there is a whole other half to play—if you're in the hunt for your league's title and have decent outfielders, why keep him?

Despite Crawford not contributing to their lineup, the owners who find themselves in the hunt have grown accustomed to the players in their outfield and most likely know the areas of their team that need addressing.

Crawford owners, if there's someone in your league who will pay top dollar for your biggest midseason disappointment, contact them now—like, right now. If you need pitching, target an ace with some struggles, like Zack Greinke, Tim Lincecum or lesser-known studs like Shaun Marcum. If you need an infielder, do the same thing.

If you send enough trades out involving your Boston frustration, chances are you'll get a bite on name value alone. Once you get that bite, play on Crawford's name value and upside as much as you can.