2011 Fantasy Baseball: Matt Holliday and 10 Guys You Should Buy Low
As we continue to travel down the rabbit hole that is the 2011 fantasy baseball season, more and more questions regarding player acquisitions are going to arise.
Fantasy owners are already preparing their teams for a potential playoff run, doing their best job to patch up lose ends and weak positions.
Entering a new month like June, where players have their own history of elevated or decreased hitting and pitching, is going to open fantasy backdoors that allow certain players to be had for cheap.
Now is the time to make a big-time move to solidify your roster.
Maybe it's a pitcher, maybe it's a hitter. Either way, being aggressive on the fantasy market is something that's never going to hold your team back.
One of those moves could be for a high-caliber player like Matt Holliday, who many owners have given up on due to his lagging injuries and lack of immediate home run pop thus far.
Holliday is just proof that any player has a price.
But, only a dozen or so are able to be bought low.
Here are the top 10 buy-low candidates heading into the first few weeks of June.
10. Mike Morse, 1B, Washington Nationals
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For the most part, Morse is only being owned in 50 percent of fantasy mixed leagues.
It's a shame when you look at his production at the end of last year and over the past month.
The 29-year-old journeyman hit .403 in May, with six home runs and 15 RBI. That's some serious output when you consider the first baseman plays for Washington.
Morse is only getting better.
And with some promising talent around him, as well as Ryan Zimmerman's return within the next few weeks, Morse is set up to continue his hot roll for the remainder of the season.
If he's unowned in your league, pick him up immediately.
If he is owned, I'm sure his owner doesn't know better in trading one of the hottest players in baseball for a more established, well-known option.
9. Brandon Morrow, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
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Morrow's been a little bit of a disappointment thus far in 2011.
His 5.11 ERA doesn't make it easier for owners to start him on a weekly basis, but the 57 strikeouts make him tough to sit.
Morrow's success this season can really only be attributed to the 26-year-old's inability to limit runs.
I know that sounds bland and obvious, but when you consider he has only given up one home run on top of 19 walks in 55 innings, that's really the only reason.
Morrow has enough talent and bullpen protection to come out of June with a sub-4.00 ERA.
His strikeout ability is going to be his buying point, but his lack of wins and high ERA are going to culminate into an easy buy-low candidate.
Also, it doesn't hurt to have one of the best prospects in baseball, Brett Lawrie, on his way to the big leagues.
8. Russell Martin, C, New York Yankees
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Martin's May has been downright disgusting.
He's batted only .200 while hitting merely three home runs, after hitting six bombs with a .292 average in April.
Those April lines were a reason why he was one of the best fantasy catchers through the first month-and-a-half of baseball, but a lot of owners have forgotten that.
The fact remains that Martin still plays for the Yankees. He's got nobody nipping at his back to take his job so owners can be content with starting him every week.
The 28-year-old stole three bases in May, so that's another plus while looking at Martin's potential for the rest of the season.
So now is the time: Buy-low and reap the benefits when the veteran catcher breaks out of his slump and produces among the best at his weak fantasy position.
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7. Adam Dunn, DH, Chicago White Sox
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I recently put Dunn on my top disappointments list so far in the season and rightfully so.
He's batted only .180 through the first two months of fantasy action, while producing only five home runs.
His home run output is alarmingly low.
But you have to remember that this guy has always been a virtual lock for 40 bombs.
Dunn's lack of pop through April and May are going to be major advantages for potential fantasy suitors that are looking to acquire the 31-year-old.
It's a good selling point when trying to pull a .180 hitter away from an owner's team.
Over the past week or so, Dunn is starting to string some hits together and get on base via walks, so his luck may be shaping up.
Throughout June of last year, Dunn hit seven home runs with 20 RBI, so similar production while playing with an offensive threat like the White Sox is never out of the question.
Buy low and hope the veteran performs like the top power option that we all know he can be.
6. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners
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A lot of people look at Ichiro and see a career decline.
I look at Ichiro and see that he's still on pace for 40 stolen bases.
The 37-year-old isn't going to hit .350 anytime soon, but it's not like he's hitting Nick Swisher numbers.
You really have to look at Ichiro's production through the first two months to understand why he makes a perfect buy-now and buy-low candidate.
Sure he hasn't hit .300, but when you're a soon-to-be Hall of Fame hitter who's hitting .270 on the year, turning it around during June doesn't seem so crazy.
Ichiro really doesn't cost your team anything when he's not hitting. He's only struck out 17 times in 223 at-bats.
That's crazy. Not to mention his 19 walks put your team in the positive right there.
For potential trade seekers, Ichiro is going to get back to his ways of getting on base and scoring runs.
A hot week of hitting could no doubt put him on pace for another 100R/200H campaign.
5. Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cleveland Indians
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Choo seems to be one of the only Indians not on a serious offensive tear.
With an explosive and surprising lineup around him, it's confusing why the 28-year-old has yet to blossom in 2011.
I mean, his five home runs and seven stolen bases are still serviceable, but the .246 average and 54 Ks are not.
Choo's strikeout rate is alarmingly high. He's on pace for 162 in 2011, nearly 50 more than last year's total.
This lack of production might make it easier than it seems to draw Choo away from his owners.
He's consistently batting third or fourth on one of the hottest-hitting teams in all of baseball, so once he gets going there's no saying how many points he'll get your squad.
Choo makes for a perfect buy-low candidate and can be a major reason why your team makes a deep playoff run come September.
4. Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants
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Bumgarner has been filthy.
He's made seven straight starts of at least six innings with only three earned runs, making him almost a lock over the last month to post a quality start when he takes the mound.
The 21-year-old has successfully rebounded from a disastrous start to the season, lowering his ERA to a respectable 3.66 with a 1.34 WHIP.
He's won both of his only two wins during May, losing only one game in which he went seven innings with no earned runs and seven strikeouts.
A lot of owners are still skeptical about Bumgarner, but why?
He's shown that his early-season sophomore jitters are more or less gone and that he's ready to continue as a must-own mixed-league starting pitcher.
You may not have to give up a lot for Bumgarner, so be on the lookout for the young kid's services.
3. Zack Greinke, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
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Is it time to say Greinke has been an overall disappointment during 2011?
Maybe.
His 5.29 ERA has been enough to keep on on the bench in many mixed leagues.
However, he has gone 4-1 with only six walks through 34 innings.
Greinke is more than capable of performing like a top-10 option when he's on his game, so if you find a fantasy owner that covets ERA, offer the right deal and get the 27-year-old starter to bolster your rotation for the latter months in the year.
2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins
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Hanley could be heading to the DL, so this may be the best time to trade for the elite shortstop.
If your team could stand to go without Ramirez for a few weeks, grabbing him and waiting until he's healthy could prove to be a championship move.
Ramirez, 27, has only hit four home runs and is on pace for a career-low .210 average and 51 RBI.
However, he hasn't been exactly 100 percent healthy at anytime during the season, so his lack of production has been slightly overrated.
Healthy, even with the slow start, Han-Ram has to still be considered one of the best all-around players in fantasy leagues.
He offers speed, power, run production and plate discipline.
Grabbing the must-start option before or during he's on the DL may give your team the advantage to get him at a very, very low price.
1. Matt Holliday, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
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Holliday has been great when he's played, but that hasn't exactly been an easy thing to do.
The 31-year-old has been hampered with a quadriceps strain for the last few weeks, in and out of the Cardinals lineup.
Well, he's finally been placed on the DL and it could be a good thing.
Owners now have a chance to get Holliday from a team that doesn't necessarily want the elite outfielder to take up roster space while he's not playing.
While it's never good to come down with an injury, especially a quad injury for an outfield talent, Holliday's current situation only needs rest.
Over the next two weeks, teams will try to pry Holliday away from his owners.
He's underproduced in the power department, which a lot of fantasy dumb-dumbs plan around.
So consider yourself lucky if you're able to trade for Holliday at a low price.
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