Sell High

Evan Gattis, C, Atlanta Braves

With Brian McCann’s return looming—the Braves hope to have him back in early May—Gattis’ role with the club is up in the air. At the least, he’ll be their top pinch-hitter, but it’s hard to see him getting more than a couple starts per week once McCann returns.

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Last week, two of my three “Buy Low” picks, Carlos Gomez (10-for-18, HR, 3B in last week) and Homer Bailey (8 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 10 K in last start), came through while the third, Ike Davis, finally broke out on Friday with a two-homer game. One of my “Sell High” picks, Barry Zito (2.2 IP, 9 ER, 8 H), also made me look pretty smart in my first week of this feature.  

Just in case last week wasn’t a fluke, here’s some advice for next week  …

Sell High

J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto Blue Jays 

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Yesterday, I mentioned five players off to dreadful starts that you should consider trading while they still have any value. On the flip side, there are several players off to slow starts who will be right back on track within a few weeks and many off to hot starts who will come back down to earth soon enough. Adjust your plans, accordingly.

Here are three players to buy low and three players to sell high on early in the season.

Sell High

John Buck, C, New York Mets

One of the hottest hitters in baseball, the 32-year-old Buck has five homers in his first 32 at-bats and has multi-hits in four of his first nine games. He’s had successful offensive seasons in the past, including a .281 batting average and 20 homers in 2010 with the Blue Jays, but he’s not going to keep up this pace for very long.

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You never want to sell when a player’s value is at its absolute lowest. In most cases, I’d say not to panic and wait it out. Most players, especially established ones with strong tracker records, do come out of slumps, as I pointed out in this article from a few weeks ago.

This early in the season, however, you could probably still convince a league mate that a slumping player will bounce back even though you might not believe that yourself. 

Here are five players who are off to dreadful starts and might be better cutting ties with now.

Yunel Escobar, SS, Tampa Bay Rays 

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Many players who will claim starting jobs by midseason are top prospects currently in the minor leagues. Others have set roles on the major league bench now, but could work their way into the regular lineup down the road. 

That’s a rare occurrence, though, considering most bench players are limited in at least one or two phases of their overall game. Here are a few, however, who have a chance for regular playing time by midseason. 

Freddy Galvis, IF, Philadelphia Phillies 

Galvis’ limitation appears to be his lack of ability to get on base enough or hit for very much power, although 12 of his 21 spring hits went for extra bases. As a 21-year-old in Double-A back in 2011, the defensive whiz was making huge strides at the plate with a .273 batting average, .326 on-base percentage, eight homers, 22 doubles, four triples and 19 stolen bases in 104 games. 

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It may only be one game, but that’s sometimes all it takes for a closer to enrage the fans enough to call for his replacement. Kind of like a kicker missing a last-second field goal. 

In the case of John Axford and Carlos Marmol, a rough Opening Day outing only reminds us that both had lost their closing jobs for part of 2012 and had to finish strong to ensure they returned to the role in 2013. 

Here’s a look at the situations of Axford, Marmol and three other closers who might have a short leash early in the season...

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In fantasy football, it’s usually a good idea to own both a team’s starting running back and his backup. If the starter gets hurt, you won’t have to scour the waiver wire for someone else you know will get regular carries. You already have him. 

Depending on your league, you may have the ability to stash guys on your bench that don’t necessarily have a lot of value, but could potentially be the best option available if the inevitable happens and one of your key players gets injured.

Here are a few must-have replacements in-waiting … 

Devin Mesoraco, C, Cincinnati Reds

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Plenty of players were hyped up this offseason, based on small sample production from 2012. The amazing rookie seasons of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper also bring very unrealistic expectations for any future top prospects with a chance to break into the majors in a given season. 

A few other young players made some noise in the spring and rocketed up draft boards when it became obvious they had a chance to win starting jobs in the majors. 

Here are five players that fit into one of those categories, with a few words of analysis and my recommendation on whether to buy or sell.

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