Fantasy Baseball: Identifying the Week's Buy Low, Sell High Options
The first full week of the season is behind us, and there have been some surprises, both good and bad.
Some players have either come out of the blue and made a name of themselves or have found the fountain of youth and recapturing past success.
On the flip side, there are several players who have gotten off to a rocky start and have disappointed fantasy owners thus far.
Some of these surprising starts are legitimate, but others are just mirages.
Here are 10 players who you need to either buy low or sell high while you can, because their fortunes will change.
Buy Low: Tommy Hanson
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Hanson’s 2011 season has been less than stellar to say the least.
He has lost both of his starts while posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
These numbers are not in line with his 3.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP his first two seasons in the majors.
Hanson will turn things around this season and be one of the best young pitchers in the game, so if you can get Hanson at a discounted rate, do it.
Sell High: Derek Lowe
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Since September of last season, Lowe has been on fire.
He went 5-0 last September, had a 2.31 postseason ERA and has won his first two starts of 2011 while striking out 15.
Though he is on a great run, he will eventually come back down to Earth.
Lowe hasn’t posted an ERA lower than 4.00 since arriving in Atlanta and has never struck out 150 batters in a season.
He will still provide wins, but that’s it.
Sell high here.
Buy Low: Casey McGehee
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Before today’s game, McGehee was batting .206 and had only scored one run.
But he recorded a home run in his only at-bat, which could prove to be a slump buster.
McGehee is a top 10 third baseman, and his numbers at the end of the season will show it.
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Sell High: Bobby Abreu
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Abreu is batting .387 with a homer and two stolen bases to start the season.
Though he will have a decent season, Abreu will not be able to continue this kind of start.
A 20-20 season will be a stretch for Abreu considering his age. He hasn’t hit over .300 since 2004.
Buy Low: Phil Hughes
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The worst start of the year award goes to Phil Hughes, who has given up 11 earned runs in only six innings of work.
Whoever owns Hughes has to be extremely frustrated, so if you are in need of some wins, try to grab Hughes because he will still win 15 games in 2011.
Sell High: Matt Harrison
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Harrison has posted a 1.29 and .071 WHIP in his two starts in 2011, both wins.
He is getting snatched up in many leagues, and if he is on your team, try to move him.
Harrison has a career 5.15 ERA, so it is highly unlikely he will finish the season with a good ERA.
Buy Low: Adam LaRoche
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He is currently batting below the Mendoza Line and has a .306 OBP.
For as bad as he is at the beginning of year, LaRoche is that good in the second half. Over the past three seasons, he has a .293 batting average after the All-Star break.
If you can afford to have a subpar LaRoche for the next month or two, he will pay dividends come playoff time.
Sell High: Raul Ibanez
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Ibanez has helped out the Phillies’ offense with Chase Utley and Domonic Brown on the DL.
He has record six RBI and nine runs thus far, but he won’t be able to keep up this pace.
The 38-year-old will fall back to mediocrity. If you can get anything of value for Ibanez, take it.
Buy Low: Clay Buchholz
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Buchholz’s 7.20 ERA in 2011 is a far cry from his 2.33 ERA that he posted in 2010.
The Red Sox as a team has struggled to start the season, and just as how the Red Sox will right the ship, so will Buchholz.
His ERA will be closer to 3.30 this season, but will start winning a lot of games once the Red Sox heat up.
Sell High: Bronson Arroyo
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Arroyo is a solid starter for the Reds, but for fantasy baseball, his best days are behind him.
His first two starts have been wins, and he has yet to surrender a walk in 2011.
Arroyo doesn’t strike out many batters anymore, and his ERA has been hovering around 4.00 the past four seasons.
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